Ered over her shoulder as the room grew unnervingly still. The journal's pages were densely packed with handwritten notes, diagrams, and sketches of creatures—some familiar, others grotesque. At the bottom of each page was a symbol: a black swan intertwined with a white one, their wings forming an intricate circle.
“What is this?” Tristan asked, his voice unusually serious.
Iris’s brow furrowed. “Looks like research. On monsters. Magic. Maybe even...” Her voice trailed off as her finger hovered over a scrawled phrase:
𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘋𝘢𝘸𝘯: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘸𝘢𝘯 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 .
“What the hell is Project Dawn?” Asher muttered, leaning closer.
Before Iris could respond, the sound of footsteps echoed down the hall. The three of them froze, exchanging a tense look.
“Someone’s coming,” Tristan said, pulling his dagger free from the slot.
Iris snapped the journal shut and shoved it into her jacket. “We need to go. Now.”
The trio slipped out the side exit, their movements silent and synchronized. Outside, the cold night air stung their faces as they ducked into the shadows of the courtyard.
“Well, that was fun,” Asher quipped, though his tone lacked its usual playfulness.
Tristan shot him a glare. “This isn’t a joke. That journal—whatever it is—means trouble. For all of us.”
Iris said nothing, her mind racing. Her mother’s name, the missing yearbook, the daggers, and now this journal—it was all connected. But how?
“Darkling,” Tristan’s voice broke through her thoughts. “Whatever game you’re playing, you’re in over your head.”
She met his gaze, her expression steely. “Then I’ll just have to make sure I don’t drown.”
Asher chuckled, though there was a hint of unease in his eyes. “You know, for someone who’s always pushing people away, you’re awfully good at dragging us into your messes.”
Iris smirked. “Consider it a talent.”
As the three of them parted ways, Iris clutched the journal tightly. She didn’t trust either of them—especially not Asher—but she needed them. For now.
Back in her dorm room, Iris lit a small desk lamp and opened the journal again. One phrase repeated throughout the pages, haunting and cryptic:
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩.
Iris leaned back, her thoughts spinning. Whatever the truth was, it wasn’t just about her mother or the monsters. It was something bigger, something dangerous.
And she was determined to uncover it—even if it killed her.
♛┈⛧┈┈•༶༶•┈┈⛧┈♛
Iris Dawn was halfway through her lukewarm coffee when Ashley decided to sprinkle her morning with relentless optimism.
“It’s not that bad, you know,” Ashley chirped, sliding into the seat across from her in the nearly-empty cafeteria. “You might not have powers, but you’ve got grit! And sometimes, that’s all you really need.”
Iris arched a brow, stirring her coffee lazily. “Grit? Wow, Ashley, thank you. Next time someone tries to incinerate me with laser vision, I’ll just remind them I have grit. That should stop them.”
YOU ARE READING
Swan Year
General FictionIt's about a morally grey girl named Iris Dawn who is trying to uncover the truth of her mother lana Dawn Lana Dawn used to study at Blackthorn Institute... This is why iris went to that Institute for her mother. Unfortunately she stumbles upon a bo...
