Drone

IX

IX

Phoebe found herself the next day sitting out on the banks of the mini-river that Wasp had winding through the courtyard of his palace. The soft rushing of the water was soothing to her.

She was feeling a strange mixture of mad and guilty.

Last night, Wasp left her room after calling off the memory spell for the moment. Phoebe's memory hadn't changed even slightly. There wasn't a thing she could look back on and think differently about. Wasp told her it might take a few more tries until she saw results.

This morning, she had woken up and put on more designer clothes and fabulous jewels and then she had gotten into a fight with Wasp.

He had been leaving to go check on his outpost in Africa. There were energy warps there that had been affecting the wild animals in the area that needed fixing immediately. Phoebe had bid him farewell, told him to be careful, and asked if she could go home for a little while.

Wasp's no had been immediate and uncompromising.

The ensuing argument had been angry and hurtful.

Phoebe had accused Wasp of being jealous of Ratel and called him a kidnapper. He had countered by reminding her that she was risking his entire hive by refusing to accept the truth and that, as long as Ratel was at Avian waiting for her, he wouldn't let her return. She reminded him that she had college classes that she was missing as well as her mother.

He reminded her that he had settled her mother with a spell and that she could miss a few days of class. If it got too bad, he would compensate her for the missed semester. Phoebe had snapped that she didn't want his money and that that wasn't the point.

It had been heated, mostly because of Phoebe, and now she was starting to feel bad about her part in it.

She had overreacted. Wasp was protecting his people, he believed he was doing what was best. Phoebe had been the one who let herself get overly emotional and insulting.

Now she was sitting in the courtyard of his fabulous palace with his jewels adorning her body feeling terrible about the things she had said.

That was where Dorone found her around noon. He simply walked into the palace, the gates opening to him with barely a sound. He was halfway across the bridge when he spotted her. He changed directions and approached her with a smile.

“Hey, Bee.”

“It's-” she groaned and gave up. “Oh, never mind. Hi, Dorone.”

“I was just coming to check on you.” he kneeled down beside her. “You look...shiny.”

It took Phoebe a few seconds to realize he was referring to her jewels and she laughed. “Wasp made them for me. I really like them.”

“Who wouldn't? I think they look nice on you.” His smile was easy and friendly. Suspiciously so.

“Wasp told you, didn't he?” she guessed easily.

Dorone grinned without shame. “I heard it was a spectacle. Did you really call him an over possessive, jealous, octopus?”

“I was trying to say he was spineless.” she blushed. “Octopus was the first animal without a spine I thought of.”

“Very creative.” Dorone praised. “You are going to apologize right?”

Phoebe had to stamp down the automatic 'why should I apologize' reaction and nodded. “I was out of line. I just really want to go home.”

“Why?” Dorone asked, genuinely surprised. “Have you not seen Nest? People would kill for the chance to live here. Which is stupid because we don't accept killers into the hive.”