CHAPTER THREE

                                    

                                          
Iris had been the first to fall asleep; passing out on the sofa, after watching her sixth episode Pokémon. Dan and Phil had provided her with a comfy blanket, along with a father's kiss goodnight. Having taken the king-sized bed together, they didn't think it would create a commotion. However, Iris woke up quite confused.
                          
"Wait a second," she says, eyeing the two awake in bed - and might I say, scaring the shit out of them, as they had not noticed her presence. A small smile crosses her lips, and she simply exclaims; "Phan is real."
                          
"No, we just adopted a child together and slept in the same bed ironically," Dan says, much sarcasm intended.
                          
Iris just shakes her head, "You and your damn sarcasm."
                          
"Wait," Phil cuts into the conversation, "did you really not suspect that Dan and I were together?"
                          
"I never really put much thought into it, I guess." She replies with a simple shrug of her shoulders.
                          
"Oh," Phil says, before changing the subject. "Would you like some pancakes?"
                          
"Yes, please." Iris simply replies.
                          
Silence fills the room, making the quiet patter of the rain outside come to their attention. Iris makes her way towards the balcony window, placing her hand on the glass door. She doesn't dare to open it. Because out there, lies her biggest fear.
                          
To most people, it's just another balcony. Though to Iris, it's a death trap. It's a constant reminder of how she lost her biological family; burning right before her eyes.
                          
Although Iris loves when it rains, she has a hatred for it as well. It would have saved her families' lives, had it been there that day. But it wasn't; and it didn't.
                          
"Iris?" Dan speaks up quietly, walking up behind her. "Are you alright?" He places a hand on her shoulder, and it's almost as if he can feel her body spark back into this present moment.
                          
"Yeah," she says, causing Dan to release her from his grip. She turns around, fresh tears running down her cheeks. "I was just thinking of my family," she whispers.
                          
"Do you want to talk about it?" Dan asks, kneeling down so he's eye-level with her.
                          
"No," She keeps her voice at a whisper, shaking her head quickly. "I've cried too much already, I don't like feeling this weak."
                          
"It's alright to cry, Iris. Phil does it every time he watches Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Dan says cheekily, getting a "Hey!" shouted at him from the kitchen. Iris finds herself laughing as Phil runs over to the two of them, playfully hitting Dan with the spatula.
                          
Before Phil can reply to Dan's comment though, the smoke detector is suddenly going off. All laughter hits a dead end, and Phil runs back to the kitchen to turn off the alarm.
                          
The blaring noise triggers a panic attack in Iris, leaving Dan at a loss of what to do. Her level breathing turns to hyperventilating, and she's gripping Dan's shirt with all her strength. Her body begins to tremble, heart-beat racing as adrenaline runs through her veins.
                          
Dan holds her steady in his arms, reminding her to take deep breaths and stay in the moment. It's not until Phil finally gets the noise to stop, that she listens to Dan's gentle words.
                          
"Sorry!" Phil shouts from the kitchen. He walks back out to join Dan and Iris, finding them in another embrace. Being completely oblivious to Iris' breakdown, he can only guess that she's upset again. He kneels down beside the two, rubbing Iris' back. "What's wrong?"
                          
Pulling away from Dan, Iris wipes away the last of her tears before saying, "I just had a bit of a panic attack, it's no big deal. Only really happens when I hear a siren or something."