THE ONE BESIDE THE CROWN

CHAPTER TWO: TEN MONTHS EARLIER

CHAPTER TWO: TEN MONTHS EARLIER

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the hallway.

"Iris!"

Iris didn't even look up from the stack of papers in front of her.

"No."

The student stopped abruptly.

"But you don't even know what I was going to ask."

"If it involves changing the schedule for graduation preparations again, the answer is still no."

A groan followed.

Iris smiled and continued writing.

Around her, students rushed through the halls, teachers tried to keep order, and the entire school buzzed with excitement.

Graduation was only a few weeks away.

Most students were focused on yearbooks, university applications, and making memories before the end of high school.

Iris, unfortunately, was focused on making sure the school didn't descend into complete chaos before then.

Being Student Council President had sounded impressive when she first accepted the position.

Now it mostly involved solving problems created by other people.

"You're smiling."

Irish looked up to find Chloe dropping into the seat beside her.

"I am not."

"You definitely are."

Irish rolled her eyes.

"You're late."

"Only by five minutes."

"Ten."

"Details."

For a moment, everything felt normal.

No prophecies.

No supernatural world to worry about.

Just Iris and her best friend arguing over something completely ridiculous.

Then a blur shot across the room.

"FELIX!"

Sean came rolling through the doorway in a chair, desperately trying—and failing—to stop himself.

The chair crashed into a desk before finally tipping over.

Sean landed on the floor with an undignified yelp.

"What is the meaning of that?" he demanded, pointing accusingly toward the hallway.

A moment later, Felix strolled into the room as if nothing had happened.

"You were in the way."

Sean stared at him.

"You pushed me down an entire hallway!"

Felix shrugged.

"Correction. I pushed the chair."

Sean gasped in outrage.

Then he turned toward Irish.

"Iris, can you see this? Expel him."

Iris didn't even look up from her papers.

"You know I don't have that kind of power."

Before Sean could respond, Evie walked into the office.

"We all know that's not true."

Iris finally looked up.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Evie dropped her bag onto a nearby chair.

"It means you're basically running this school."

Sean immediately nodded.

"Exactly."

Evie pointed at Irish.

"Student Council President. Head of three clubs. Top of the class. Winner of more academic awards than I can count."

She paused dramatically.

"You already have a scholarship waiting for you at one of the most prestigious universities in the world, and you're studying under professionals before you've even turned eighteen."

A grin spread across her face.

"If you wanted someone expelled, I doubt it would be that difficult."

Iris leaned back in her chair and pretended to consider it.

"Hmm."

Felix immediately looked suspicious.

"Don't."

Iris tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"Come to think of it, expelling Felix might actually be pretty easy."

The color drained from Felix's face.

"You wouldn't."

The expression on his face was so horrified that the entire room burst into laughter.

Even Chloe nearly fell out of her chair laughing.

By the time the laughter died down, more Student Council members had begun filing into the office.

The weekly meeting was about to begin.

And, as always, Irish had a feeling it was going to be a long one.

As the rest of the Student Council members filed into the office, the room gradually filled with conversation and laughter. Chairs scraped against the floor as everyone settled into their usual seats.

Once everyone was seated, Irish stood at the front of the room and glanced around.

"Alright, everyone," she began. "We only have a few weeks left until the graduation ceremony. Let's go over our progress. Chloe, how are the decorations coming along?"

Chloe stood.

"We've finished all the decorations. Everything is stored safely in the gym. We're just waiting until a week before the ceremony to put everything up."

Iris nodded.

"Excellent work."

Chloe smiled proudly before sitting back down.

Irish turned to the other side of the room.

"Felix, how are preparations for the pre-graduation football game going?"

Felix immediately straightened in his seat.

"All the teams are in top shape and ready to go."

He paused dramatically.

"However, the players have submitted a very important request."

Iris narrowed her eyes.

"And what would that be?"

"They would like refreshments beyond water and electrolyte drinks."

A few people snickered.

Irish raised an eyebrow.

"The players or their captain?"

"The players, of course," Felix said with a look of mock innocence. "How dare you accuse me of abusing my authority in such an unholy manner?"

Jake, another council member, laughed.

"Right. Definitely not abusing your power."

The room erupted into laughter.

Iris waited patiently before raising a hand for silence.

"Thank you for your honesty, Felix."

"I was honest."

"You weren't."

More laughter followed.

Iris turned toward Austin, the vice-captain of the football team.

"Austin, is what Felix is saying actually true?"

Austin exchanged an amused look with Felix.

"Well," he said carefully, "having pizza, burgers, ice cream, chips, and dip before or after the game would be nice."

The moment he finished speaking, Sean and Felix buried their faces in their hands.

The entire room burst into laughter again.

Irish couldn't help chuckling.

"I see."

She pretended to make a note on her clipboard.

"I'll see what I can do."

Cheers immediately broke out around the room.

The meeting continued with updates, discussions, and far more teasing than actual work.

For the next hour, the Student Council operated the way it always had—like a strange family held together by friendship, deadlines, and sheer determination.

None of them knew it yet.

But these ordinary moments were running out.

After the meeting finally came to an end, the Student Council members headed to the cafeteria for lunch.

The building was alive with noise.

Laughter echoed down the halls, chairs scraped against floors, and the smell of fries, burgers, and freshly baked pastries drifted through the air in warm waves. Everything felt normal—comfortably normal.

Iris walked with her usual calm pace, clipboard still in hand even though the meeting was over. Somehow, she never really stopped working.

Chloe fell into step beside her.

Sean and Felix were already arguing behind them.

"It was literally on your tray," Evie said flatly.

"That’s not the point," Sean shot back. "The point is betrayal."

"It was ketchup," Felix added, completely unbothered.

"A sacred resource," Sean corrected seriously.

Evie sighed like she had accepted suffering as a lifestyle.

Irish didn’t comment. She never needed to. Somehow, everything always balanced itself around her.

They reached their usual table.

The Student Council settled in like they owned the place.

Chloe dropped into her seat first, leaning forward slightly as her eyes scanned the cafeteria.

Then she paused.

Her expression changed.

Not dramatic—just subtle. The kind Iris had learned to recognize over the years.

Something had caught Chloe’s attention.

She leaned closer.

"Those transfer students are weird."

The table went quiet for half a second.

Not because it was shocking.

But because of the reaction that didn’t happen.

Sean, Evie, and Felix all paused at the exact same time.

Then, almost too quickly, they looked away.

Iris noticed.

She didn’t react yet.

Instead, she followed Chloe’s gaze.

Across the cafeteria sat three students.

A silver-haired boy.

A dark-haired boy.

And a pale girl with an unsettling calmness about her.

They weren’t doing anything unusual.

They were simply sitting.

But somehow, it felt like they didn’t quite belong in the same space as everyone else.

"They transferred a week before exams," Chloe said quietly. "That’s not normal."

Irish picked at her food.

"Maybe they had a reason."

"No, seriously," Chloe insisted. "Who transfers school this late? Right before finals?"

Evie leaned back in her chair.

"You never know someone’s situation."

Then she lightly nudged Chloe’s shoulder.

"But you are staring."

"I’m observing," Chloe corrected immediately.

"There’s a difference?"

"Yes."

"Delusion," Evie replied.

Chloe ignored her and turned back to the group.

"What about you guys? Nothing to say?"

Sean and Felix exchanged a quick glance.

Too quick.

Then both shook their heads.

"Nope."

"Not our business."

Chloe narrowed her eyes.

"That was suspicious."

"What was?" Sean asked innocently.

"That reaction."

Felix sighed. "You’re imagining things."

"I’m not," Chloe said firmly.

Then she looked at Irish.

Irish felt it immediately—the shift in attention. Everyone always turned to her eventually.

"Well?" Chloe asked. "You think it’s normal?"

Iris looked across the cafeteria again.

The silver-haired boy had stopped talking.

He was looking in their direction.

Not at the group.

At her.

For a second too long.

Then he looked away like nothing had happened.

Iris frowned slightly.

"It’s a little unusual," she admitted.

Chloe pointed like she had won something.

"Exactly."

"But," Iris continued calmly, "we don’t know anything about them. So it’s not really something we should focus on."

Chloe leaned back dramatically.

"Fine."

Evie exhaled. "Peace restored."

For a moment, it felt like the world returned to normal.

Laughter resumed at nearby tables.

Cutlery clinked.

The moment passed.

But Iris couldn’t shake it.

Across the cafeteria, the silver-haired boy glanced back one more time.

This time, his eyes didn’t move away quickly.

They stayed.

And for the first time in a long time…

Irish felt something she couldn’t explain.

Not fear.

Not curiosity.

Just a quiet sense that something had already begun.

Something no one at this table was ready for.

And she was not supposed to notice it yet.