Going back

1|| Go back

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.