What the fuck was I thinking?!

I should’ve just said no when Mom asked if I could handle the thirty drones. What was I supposed to do with these guys?

“You, go over there- Wait, what are you doing with that? Hold on-“

It was chaos. Thirty young bees to care for and direct. It was just too many for me. I had expected something much easier. I was so happy when Mom told me she would create a bunch of workers to help me build. My plans were a bit lofty, so making this hive alone would have been… tiring.

I stared at my mental image of the hive for the millionth time. A grand, spiraling hexagonal dome of wax and bone according to my own design. The divot in the ground Bedivere had created was a simple enough guideline for the hive border, and we still had a bunch of wax.

And yet, our progress was pitiful.

We had only managed to build a small wall on one of the hexagon’s sides; the other five sat frightfully empty. The hectic buzzing of the drones ended up being worse for productivity. Drones bumped into each other, accidentally deconstructed some finished portions, and all sorts of crap.

There was no winning for me. This was simply too much work for me to do myself, but I had no idea how to use these damn drones! There was no way I was giving up, though. I could never stand the face Belle would make if she found out I failed; it would be infuriating. And Beatrice… Oh man, that would be bad.

I would do this. It was the only way I could compete.

Everything in my power. I had put in everything I had since I was born to be useful for Mom. I could feel it; I had no talent with Mind at all. Behind the backs of the others, I spent every free moment trying to use my Mind to create an Ability, to make a Lock, anything. But nothing.

All I could do was build. And so I built.

Mom appreciated my work; that was almost enough for me. But I knew. What she really wanted was Mind. She was so proud of Beck. Beatrice was on another level entirely compared to my siblings. Even though Belle didn’t have that much talent with Mind, she could still use it smartly. I had thought maybe, just maybe, this could be my chance. Commanding my own workers? That would certainly be a great Mind feat.

But this?

This was a fucking nightmare.

_______

_______

“It seems that Ben is near Bess’s construction zone. Shall I have him pop by?”

“Sounds good! He won’t have much to inspect, but the little guy always seems to be out and about.”

We still hadn’t reached Bess, but it shouldn’t take long. Maybe I underestimated how big a five-kilometer radius would be for an early hive.

“You most certainly did. I would have advised against it if I couldn’t see the incredible talent of the workers.”

No matter. Beatrice seemed to think it was possible, so it was probably fine. Thinking of the deal with the warriors… maybe this was a terrible idea after all.

Apparently, it was already too late for that. Red, black, and white appeared on the ground ahead. A wall of hive sat stretching towards two corners. Oh, shit. Was the hive going to be a massive hexagon shape? That’s awesome!

“Oh, dear. This is disquieting.”

Hm? Was there something wrong with the wall? It looked solid with its bone scaffolding and durable wax filling. Bess must have been borrowing some human sense of design because the wall wasn’t made up of hexagonal cells but relatively solid slopes and orderly angles. The wall looked great to me. Probably another case of Beatrice perfectionism.

“Mom! I- er, you see, I’ve done my best….”

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“Looks great, Bess! Everything seems to be working out with the drones, too.”

Why did she seem shocked by that? My poor children, I should praise them more often. Surely they would need the encouragement. Beatrice also seemed confused, but that look soon gave way to a small smile.

“Ah… No. No, Mother, I’m sorry. I’ve failed you. I can’t hide this from you….”

Huh?

“As you can see, Bess, your inadequacy cannot escape Mother’s eyes,” Beatrice said with a brutal look, “I suggest you do not attempt such deception again in her presence.”

“Whoah, whoah. Hold on. Would someone explain? And Bess, don’t feel bad. I’m not angry; I’m proud of your efforts.”

I could see a tear in Beatrice’s eye. “Beautifully merciful. Truly Mother is…”

Bess was fidgeting.

“Moth- Mom, I made a mistake. I can’t deal with all these drones. I’ve barely managed to complete any work because of my foolish mistake. I’ve failed you.”

“Well, that’s no big deal. It might be bad if we were in a more stressful situation, but a small mistake like that is fine right now. Live and learn.”

This time the tear was in Bess’s eye. Oh, brother.

That said, it really was a problem. The only bee with noticeable administrative capabilities was Beatrice. Bedivere also had leadership qualities, although of a different sort. Bess wasn’t like them, but even so, how hard could it be to command the workers?

I gave it a shot of my own.

“Line up.”

Nearly instantly, all thirty drones snapped toward us, rapidly forming an orderly wall of buzzing. Well that wasn’t so hard. What was Bess struggling with? Judging by how her eyes were wigging out, I could only assume that controlling this many bees was harder than I gave it credit for.

“I guess you’ll just have to practice? These Construction Drones are only good for construction, so you’re really the only one who can use them. At the very least, don’t stress out about it too much; if you’re too tense, then it’ll probably take longer to get used to the drones. Maybe a clearer, er, mind will make things easier.”

Bess didn’t seem quite satisfied, but I had no idea how to help her. Her job was too crucial, and she was good at it. This new managerial responsibility would be challenging for her to manage, but she would be an even more powerful asset if she could eventually use drones as tools. I did feel bad. She would probably prefer to work with her own two- or six - hands.

I suppose the long-term goal would be to have the manpower and resources so the workers could have that time for themselves.

“Heeeeeelloooo!”

A tiny missile shot out of the forest and screeched to a halt in front of the four of us. Boy, oh boy, who could this bee?

“Bedivere! Oh man, I did what you said! I totally got a squirrel just by stabbing it a bunch. It was awesome!”

I think Ben had noticed that one hyperactive warrior and was trying to reclaim his title. He was talking a mile a minute!

“Hiya Ben! What’s up?”

“Heyo Bess! Stoppin’ by. Momoo and ‘Trice asked me to stop by on their inspection tour.”

“Ben. I formally request that you never again refer to me as ‘Trice.”

“Ha! Sorry ‘Trice! Oh, oops.”

Ben was giggling as he zipped around, dodging Beatrice’s attempts to smack him in the head. Bess’s guffaws and Bedivere shaking his head made the scene look like something out of a picture book. What a silly bunch. Silly though they are, they were pretty fun to be around. I had never experienced such a lighthearted and fun atmosphere.

Wait. I had. I worked in one right before dying, didn’t I? A demanding workplace, but even so, the people there had fun and enjoyed the company. Nothing made sense anymore. I enjoyed this atmosphere, but didn’t in my old life?

This was something else. I wasn’t growing or changing in some way, no. Regardless of my excuses for not hanging out and having fun at work, there was some element of truth. I did prefer my own company; it was likely that I had just begun to take that preference to the extreme in my time as a human. And yet now, I felt no discomfort at all? No desire to have some time to myself?

Something changed me. I had focused on the changes I had made to Queen by invading her body, but what about me? Like Queen, I had lost my body and now shared a Mind with her. Was I actually… a completely different person?

“-and Ben’s work has been consistent but without exemplary results. I do not blame you, Ben. You have done fairly well.”

“Daw, thanks! I like your map, Be-a-trice!”

The others had continued their discussion outside of my storming thoughts. This topic was important. I pushed the bad thoughts into the box Queen had made for the gross feeling. I would address them eventually. But the hive wasn’t ready. And neither was I.

“Actually, I was thinking that exploration is more important than ever,” I said, “there’s a lot we’re missing, like flowers and knowledge of Mind. Bella has told me about the food’s eventual decomposition, so a more sustainable food source will become a major priority soon.”

“Is that so? The meat’s state should be edible for us long from now. I suppose I shall take your word for it, Mother….”

Phew. Good thing Beatrice was so loyal! I refused to eat rotten meat. No way.

“By the way, Ben, I was wondering. How long would it take you to go to the forest’s edge?”

“Uh. I dunno! I don’t even know where that is.”

“Not even a little idea?”

“Nope!”

Damn. Don’t get me wrong, I was pretty content to be here in this forest with familiarity surrounding us. However, I was becoming curious about this world. I had very little information about everything outside the forest, so I was eager for Ben to find the forest’s border.

Considering my situation, though, I doubted I could just up and leave to some random place in this fantasy world. A giant monster bee? Not even mentioning my responsibilities. That’s why I was eager for Ben to explore the forest’s border specifically. According to Vulch, a gathering of humans was close to the forest. That was the perfect candidate to march in and learn more about the world without straying too far from the hive.

Though that didn’t solve the whole ‘giant monster bee’ situation.

“Bess, I will be taking Mother to inspect Bella’s work now. If the management of the drones is what is causing your struggles, then I suggest you figure out a way to improve.”

I agreed Bess needed to improve, but wasn’t telling her to ‘just figure it out’ a bit harsh? We were a team. A family, really.

“Hey Beatrice, how about this? You’re good at management; why don’t you help Bess out? Maybe guide or teach her tomorrow or something along those lines.”

“Would that truly be a productive use of my time?” Beatrice seemed more concerned than anything, even if her words were terse. I could feel her nervousness through the Link; if I couldn’t feel her genuine emotions, she might’ve just seemed like a colossal asshole.

“Of course it would! If Bess becomes skilled at directing the drones, the hive will be built more quickly! Another thing off the list, and more time for you to concentrate on other matters.”

Bedivere chuckled, “I am impressed you do not see the benefits of this task, Beatrice. Do you not also need practice commanding large numbers of bees?” he turned to Bess, “as for you, I feel you are strict on yourself. The wall is of good quality despite your struggles.”

Holy hell, Bedivere. What a guy. That was the first time I had ever seen Beatrice so thoroughly embarrassed by another bee; her eyes were nearly popping out of her head.

“Oh… thank you… little bro,” Bess said as she swelled with pride.

I turned away. This was too cute! And Bess calling Bedivere little bro… Bedivere was giving Beatrice’s flabbergasted expression a run for its money.

“Ahem! Alright, you two. Onwards to Bella! I’ll see you at dinner tonight, Bess.”

“Alright, Mom!”

“Ooh, can I come too Momaroo?” Ben blurted out, “I don’t wanna sit and wait for dinner!”

“Sure thing Ben. Let’s go, then.”

As we left, I heard a deep mumble behind me.

“… I’m bigger than her, though….”