The Sphinx's Last Question

Maya had been running from everything since she moved to Oak Ridge three months ago. Running from the whispers in the hallway, the way her teammates on the track team looked at her like she didn't belong, running from the weird feeling that she'd never fit in anywhere. Her coach said she had lightning in her stride, but mostly she just felt like she was sprinting toward absolutely nothing.

Now she was stuck in the library after school, the rain hammering against the windows like it was trying to break in. Mr. Harrison had assigned their English class a mythology project, and somehow Maya had gotten paired with Liam — the quiet, mysterious kid who sat in the back and wore that same black hoodie every single day.

"So," Liam said, not looking up from his phone. "We're doing the sphinx."

Maya blinked. "Like, the creature? The one with all the riddles?"

"Yeah. The gatekeeper. The one who won't let you pass until you answer correctly." He finally looked at her, and his eyes were this intense golden-brown color that made her stomach do this weird little flip thing. "What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening?"

"A human," Maya answered without thinking. "Baby crawling, adult walking, old person with a cane."

Liam actually smiled. It transformed his whole face. "Okay, so here's my question: What's the one thing everyone runs toward but never actually catches?"

Maya stared at him, her brain suddenly going a hundred miles an hour. The library lights flickered like they might go out any second. Outside, lightning flashed across the sky in this jagged, brilliant streak that made everything look like a negative image for half a second.

"Tomorrow," she said quietly. "We're all always running toward tomorrow, but it never actually gets here. It's always today."

"Exactly." Liam slid his phone across the table toward her. On the screen was a photo — the track team roster, with her name circled. "I've seen you run. You're not running away from anything. You're running toward something. You just haven't figured out what it is yet."

Maya felt something shift inside her chest, like a door opening she hadn't even known was closed. The sphinx had asked its final question, and she'd actually answered it right.

"Maybe," she said, "I just need to stop running and start standing still for once."

"Or," Liam said, "maybe you just need someone to run with."

The rain kept falling, the storm kept raging, but for the first time in three months, Maya didn't feel like running away from anything at all.