Samantha Parkour hated quiet mornings.
They always seemed to whisper things she didn't want to hear. Things like 'You're not good enough, Sam' or 'Everyone else is miles ahead.'It was during those fragile hours, when the streets were still soaked in gray mist and the birds seemed to hesitate before singing, that Sam sat on her creaky desk, doodling wildflowers in her worn notebook.
Wang Siam, her best friend since primary school, once told her that the mind was like a glass of still water in the morning, and Sam, being Sam, liked to stir it until it spilled.
"Yo, dream girl," Wang's voice snapped her back as he barged into her small, cluttered room.He always had a way of showing up uninvited and unapologetic."Ready for the trip of your life? Or are you planning to sketch flowers until we miss the bus?"
Sam rolled her eyes but smiled.
The truth was, she was waiting for this trip.
Four days, six destinations. The final stop—a flower and plant nursery that promised displays of rare, exotic species from around the world.What others found boring, Sam found thrilling. There was something alive, something chaotic in flowers that she couldn't explain.They were beautiful, yes—but they could also be dangerous, carnivorous, or even deadly. And Sam loved that duality.
She packed her bag, double-checking her sketchpad, her tiny camera, and an old book she found in a thrift store titled "Forbidden Flora: Myths and Madness."She thought it would be fun. She had no idea how wrong she was.