Honeybee | Wanda Maximoff {AU}

Chapter Seven: Cingulata

Music is "Daisy" by Zedd feat. Julia Michaels.

Picture is Claudia Doumit as Sarai.

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Amegilla Cingulata

Commonly referred to as the blue-banded bee, Amegilla Cingulata is a native of Australia. They are a rapidly moving bee with a unique way of pollinating flowers. The term "buzz pollination" has been applied to the way it clings to flowers and vibrates powerfully to release the pollen. This species of bee is a key part of the food production on the continent, contributing to at least thirty percent of the crops grown. It is distinctive from other kinds of bees due to the pale blue stripes on its abdomen.

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Chapter Seven: Cingulata

Wanda is gone before I wake up the next morning. Again. Just when I thought we might actually be getting somewhere, she goes and disappears again. For all I know, she might have not even come home. Her bed is in the exact same shape as it was last night, and none of her possessions have moved. I guess that's a good thing. I let Melizza sleep on her moss bed for the night, telling her we'll finish our conversation today.

But the truth is that I already know enough. I need answers, and I'm not so sure this honeybee can give them to me. There are magic and mysticism involved here, on both sides of my family. Whether or not my mother was a Witch and my grandmother was a Queen of the bees, those are irrelevant. I need to know how these things will affect my life and my life only.

Melizza is still sleeping on the moss bed when I get out of the shower and get dressed. I carefully style my dark, wet hair into a thick braid that stops at my mid-back. I grab my backpack and my books from the side table and turn for the door.

Melizza starts buzzing as she flies to land on my shoulder. "Good morning, Sarai," she greets quietly as I shut the door behind me.

"Good morning, Melizza," I tell her mentally. "Was the moss bed comfortable enough?"

"Oh, very muchest so! Thank you."

I continue to walk out of the dorm building, towards the large library at the center of the campus. If I'm going to find answers anywhere, it's there.

"Where are we going?"

"To the library."

"What's a library?"

"It's a hive filled with knowledge."

Melizza makes a buzzing sound of understanding as she tucks herself under the collar of my coat to keep out of the autumn breeze. I see Carol and Pepper making their early morning trek to the cafeteria. They wave when they see me, and I wave back. Carol quickly signs the obvious question, and I respond with, "Already ate. Going to study at the library."

She nods and gives me a thumbs up. I see her join arms with Pepper as they enter the cafeteria building. I turn my eyes back to the path that leads to the steps of the library building. It's a large, brick structure with a dome on top. When I get inside, I can see the sky through the glass dome. Architecturally, it's stunning, and I can't help thinking of my mother when I lay eyes on it. Usually, it makes me happy, but today it breaks my heart. Did I ever know her at all?

Melizza is quiet as I take the several stories of stairs to the third floor. This is where all the books on the environment are kept: flora, fauna, and everything in between. The bookshelves are spread out intermittently between the desks and chairs. Windows line two of the walls, while the others are covered with encyclopedias and digests.