LOGINI can hardly believe it. Before my friends can say anything else, I squeal and throw my arms around them both, jumping up and down. Liam and Brian and the twins are the one major thing I’ve missed dearly since leaving Bo’Arrocan, and to find that they’re finally considering living in Ordan full time
“On schedule, believe it or not,” I reply. “The Bo’Arrocan branch is finally running smoothly, and the Ordan location just graduated its first class of seniors. Six of them got full scholarships to prestigious art schools.”“That’s amazing, Iris.” Alice squeezes my arm. “You’ve created something tru
IrisFive Years Later…“Fifty years of marriage, and they still make each other laugh like that,” Arthur says, appearing at my side with two glasses of champagne. He hands me one and clinks his against it, and we watch as my parents twirl on the lawn, my mom throwing her head back at something my fa
“Gee. Thanks,” I manage to laugh weakly. “I’ll see you all next week.”“You most certainly will not,” Arthur, Hunter, and Alice all say in unison, making me roll my eyes.Outside, Arthur’s car is waiting, parked haphazardly half on the curb. He must have driven like a maniac to get here so quickly f
IrisEight months later…“And that’s why the colors on this side of the color wheel are considered ‘cool’ colors,” I explain to the class of children sitting in a semicircle around me. “They remind us of water, ice, and the sky.”I’m demonstrating on a large color wheel chart when a sharp pain rips
And through it all, Augustine’s breathing grows slower, shallower.Then, quietly and calmly, she goes.Her hand turns limp in mine. The steady beeping of the heart monitor flatlines. The doctor steps forward, checks for a pulse, then shakes her head.“Time of death, 10:47 AM,” she says quietly.I br
IrisThe stars hang low in the night sky, tiny diamonds scattered across a canvas of inky blackness. Below the balcony, in the distance, the fire is burning bright in the brazier. Dark forms sway and move around it, people dancing and mingling and laughing.Are they laughing at us? At me? At my publ
I sit in an armchair by the window, as far from the bed as possible without actually leaving the room. Arthur comes to stand beside me, and although his hand is warm on my shoulder, and the squeeze he gives me is as reassuring as ever, I hardly feel any of it.All I can do is keep thinking about tha
Iris“She’s been poisoned,” the doctor says, lifting up an empty cocktail glass with sapphire blue residue inside.My heart nearly stops. Poisoned? Who would poison Veronica?I glance at Arthur, whose face has gone pale. The crowd around us erupts into panicked whispers as the doctor leans closer to
“That sounds perfect for you,” I say, and I do mean it, even if it’s for selfish reasons. The further away she is, the better for us.“It is,” she agrees. Her eyes meet mine once more, and there’s a flash in them—whatever it is, it sets me off. I can’t quite put my finger on it, though. Does she kno







