Phoebe pushed open the door to the greenhouse, the warm, humid air enveloping her immediately. Inside, Sean and Iris were huddled over a table, a book spread open between them. Sean leaned back in his chair with a grin, twirling a pencil between his fingers.
“Hey, look who finally decided to join us!” Sean called out, his voice dripping with mock impatience.
“Relax, we didn’t take that long,” Phoebe shot back, rolling her eyes as Freya stepped in behind her.
Freya smiled warmly. “Hey, Iris,” she said, going over to hug her friend.
Sean smirked. “You know, being late to important discoveries is kind of rude. I thought we were tight, Phoebs.”
Phoebe snorted. “Important discoveries? If you found a glowing cactus, I’m leaving.”
“Ha, ha. Very funny,” Sean said, leaning forward and gesturing dramatically toward the table. “Behold, the latest enigma of the plant kingdom.”
Iris carefully brought out a shimmering, translucent plant in a small flower pot. Its delicate petals seemed to pulse with a soft, otherworldly glow, like moonlight caught in glass.
Freya squinted, shielding her eyes. “Okay, that’s… bright.”
“No kidding. When Iris first showed it to me, I thought I’d gone temporarily blind,” Sean said, throwing an arm over his eyes with exaggerated flair.
“It wasn’t glowing this intensely when I first found it,” Iris said quietly, her tone tinged with unease. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Phoebe leaned closer, her brows furrowing. “What the hell? Plants don’t just… glow like this. Why’s it doing that?”
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“I don’t know,” Iris admitted, setting the flowerpot down gently. “I tried looking through all the botany books here, but nothing even remotely matches. So, I turned to Google.”
Sean perked up. “This is where it gets juicy.”
Iris sighed and flipped her laptop around, revealing an old article with a bold headline:
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New Plant Found in the “Enchanting Forest” of New York
Mysterious translucent flowers have been discovered in a New York forest nicknamed the Enchanted Forest for its strange occurrences. The plant, named Luminara Bloom by botanical scientist Florence Costea, is said to be highly rare. Strangely, the flower only glows in the presence of Costea, who has declined further comment on its properties.
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Phoebe’s jaw tightened as her eyes skimmed the article. “Wait… is this the same forest we were in during the storm?” she asked, her voice low.
Iris nodded. “It is.”
“That’s not even the craziest part,” Sean added eagerly, leaning forward like he was about to deliver a punchline. “Iris, show them the photo.”
Iris hesitated, her fingers hovering over the touchpad. With a small sigh, she scrolled down and turned the laptop toward them.
A photograph accompanied the article, showing Florence Costea holding one of the translucent flowers in the dimly lit forest. Her features were sharp, her smile faint, but unmistakable.
Freya blinked, leaning in closer. “Wait… Iris, that’s you,” she said, her voice dropping into a whisper.
“What?” Phoebe snapped, staring at the photo.
Sean tapped the screen emphatically. “Look at her! It’s not just a resemblance—she is you. Like a copy-paste situation.”
Iris swallowed hard, her face paling. “It’s not me,” she said softly, but her voice wavered, betraying her uncertainty.
Phoebe’s pulse quickened as she exchanged a glance with Freya. The air in the greenhouse seemed to grow heavier, as though the discovery had drawn something unseen closer to them.