A/N: Here's chapter 1. Enjoy, people.

"IRIS ELLISON!"

A crack snapped Iris's head up from its very comfortable position in her arms.

"YES! I'M AWAKE!" She blinked away the sleepiness from her eyes, looking over a hand slammed on her desk and pulling a piece of paper in view. Squinting at the squiggly mass of black lines that were supposed to form words, her brain refused to cooperate.

"Well then," Mr. Hamish's smug voice fell from above, his large moustache twitching as he drew himself to his not-very-impressive height, "could you please tell me one analytical fact about the passage in front of you?"

"Uh..." Iris nearly wept from recognising the extract, "OH! This is from Frankenstein!"

"Well done Iris," Hamish's voice was drier than a desert, "you were able to correctly name the book we've been studying for three weeks."

Short giggles erupted from across the room, but Iris leaned back and smiled, "Don't blame me, blame the extra dose of melatonin. Now anyways, about this passage, it clearly shows that Victor's obsession for knowledge has taken a dangerous turn. He has created a beast he cannot control. But, if we were to put a limit on knowledge, where do we stop? Isn't ignorance even more dangerous than knowledge?"

Hamish opened and closed his mouth, but not a single sound escaped his voice box. He huffed and turned on his heels. "You are right. Now everyone, reread lines fifteen through twenty-five and tell me how Shelley uses-"

Iris tuned out his waffling, resting her head on her open palm with a pen clasped in the other hand pretending to write notes. Some drunk group with a fantastic idea belted out 'Last Christmas' at three o'clock in the goddamn morning left her utterly exhausted.

Fortunately, Iris had perfected the art of sleeping in class and caught a good ten minutes of sleep before the bell rang.

Iris shot upright and shoved her books in her bag haphazardly, slinging it over her shoulder. One foot was out the door before Hamish called out the dreaded words: "Iris! Can I have a word please?"

'Nooo!' She mouthed, shoulders sagging as a few classmates passed sympathetic looks.

Iris traipsed over to the teacher's desk, "Yes, Mr. Hamish?"

He peered over his thin purple glasses, a small frown further wrinkling his forehead. "Iris, this is not the first time you have slept in my lessons. Other teachers have expressed the same concern -yes, us teachers do like to gossip- but I was wondering... Is everything okay at home?"

For a second- a tiny, tiny, stupid millisecond- Iris considered telling the truth. Her mind formed the words, her tongue was ready to say them... but the same truth held her back. If - if Hamish knew about her home life, then he would call the CPS or the police or someone. Then they would take her away and she would be forced to go back there. And that's something she could not risk.

"Nothing is wrong, Mr. Hamish," Iris said quietly, "I just spent too much time completing some homework and I wasn't able to sleep."

The intelligent, but quite gullible man nodded, "Alright then. Off you go to lunch. Do not hesitate to contact me if anything is wrong, okay?"

"Okay. Thank you!" Iris dropped her smile the second she stepped out of the room, exhaling a sharp breath.

Tugging on her itchy school jumper, whose label proudly declared it was '50% recycled plastic!' by a maker who clearly hated children, she speedwalked to the canteen. Scanning the huge crowd, she grinned at a head of bright red hair in the corner.

"JAX!" Iris called out, weaving through the mass of people and swinging her lunch bag.

He didn't look up- not even when she sat down next to him. Iris frowned at her best friend, her chosen brother, poking his shoulder.

Jumping, his grey eyes pulled wide, but relaxed when he looked at her.

"Oh, it's you." He pushed back his hair, revealing earphones.

"No need to sound so disappointed." Iris snorted, zipping open her lunchbox and sighing, "Dad gave me healthy stuff again! I mean come on, where are the chips? The chocolates? The fizzy drinks that are basically flavoured sugar water?"

Jax looked over and raised an eyebrow, "This is Harry we're talking about. Of course he's gonna give you healthy stuff. I think he read an article on the dangers of sugars and stuff."

Iris scowled and poked at a wilted lettuce better served for rabbits, "Well, someone needs to permanently turn off his WiFi."

Jax hummed, "Probably. Hey, do you want to hang out after school today? Tracey is back from her trip and offered to go to town and buy us a McDonalds."

"You had me at 'McDonalds'."

"That was the last thing I said."

"I know," Iris shrugged and bit into her sandwich, chewing slowly and coating her tongue with bitterness. She shuddered while swallowing, the cold slop slid harshly down her throat, "Urghh... Vegetables."

"Drama queen," Jax scoffed, nudging her with his shoulder.

Iris opened her mouth, but a soft voice called out her name. She turned and frowned at the Headmistress.

"Good Morning, Miss. Lakely," Iris swung her legs over the bench to properly face the teacher.

Lakely wore a woeful expression, as if Iris were a three-legged puppy or a 'Save the children!' advert, "Iris, something's happened. It would be best if we talked in my office."

Iris glanced back at Jax, confusion and fear bubbling in her stomach. Any appetite she held disappeared. "Uh, yeah, okay... Um, Jax? Meet you by the gate after school?"

He nodded, grey eyes narrowing, "Sure, Rainbow."

Iris allowed herself to be frogmarched by the Headmistress, trepidation and fear bubbling in the pit of her stomach. Her pulse raced rapid beats in her ears and palms dampened as she squeezed and released them. Had Hamish voiced his concerns and now Lakely followed up? Or was it her grades? Her marks had dipped slightly, but only because homework was difficult to revise at night.

As if sensing the younger girl's inner turmoil, Lakely gave her a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, you're not in trouble."

'Yeah right!' Iris wanted to scoff, but she settled on a shaky smile.

The small, homely office housed a deep, reddish-brown cherry wood desk and a plethora of dusty awards forever caged behind an equally dusty glass cabinet.

Two police officers- a man and a woman- sat in two of the three behind-breaking chairs. Turning when Iris walked in, their features softened into... sympathy?

"What's going on?" Iris eyed them as she sat between them. The hairs on the back of her neck raised and her muscles tensed, ready to make a break for the door if needed.

"We have some distressing news for you," The female officer's thin lips pulled down, "Your mother, Elise Ellison, was found dead in her apartment earlier today."

Iris sucked in a sharp breath, gripping the sides of her skirt with white knuckles. The thick air turned suffocating as the walls tightened. A chasm opened in her stomach and her heart clenched. Ringing pierced her ears, drowning out the officers' voices. The wood desk's contours blurred, not from tears. She didn't cry- no, she'd done all her crying when she found the body that morning.

Lakely clasped her hands, "It is completely natural to feel whatever you want, Iris. There is no right or wrong in-"

"Where will I go?" Iris' voice hung heavy and detached.

The officers exchanged a confused glance. They were expecting Iris to be distraught, probably wailing in anguish while they comforted her.

'Fools,' Iris kept her gaze down.

"We have contacted your father, and he has sent your older brother to pick you up," The male officer checked his watch, "In fact, he should be here any minute."

"What? Harry wouldn't- wait, who did you call?"

"Your father- David West-Brown."

"No!"

Iris stood abruptly, her chair crashing to the floor. The clattering sounds cut through the officers' gaped silence,

"I- no, you can't have. I can't- I can't go back."

Sprinting down the school's long corridors, Iris ignored her name called behind her. Hot, fresh fear burned away all rationality and common sense, blurring the doors and lockers into mishappen blobs. Disinfectant burned her nostrils with each laboured breath. All she could think about was running. Thoughts crashed her mind into overdrive, tunnelling into her only option.

Out. She needed out.

Turning a corner, Iris skidded to a stop before she crashed into the very man she ran from. The man who -

"Hey! Are you- Iris?"

Iris's shoulders sagged and she raised her gaze to bright blue eyes- a carbon copy of her own. The chasm in her stomach reopened, swallowing the last speck of hope.

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Welcome to the first chapter of the edited version 😊

I hope you guys liked it!

Stay safe and thanks for reading :)