Page 6 of Bad Beehavior

“He’s not dead. He’s twitching.” I bring the cup up to my line of vision just to make sure. Sure enough, the little bug seems to be coming to, now, back on its feet. A surge of pride runs through me, but that’s not the only thing I feel. Some odd feeling, almost like arousal, vibrates throughout my body. Maybe it’s because I finally feel like I’m doing something good. Could saving a bee’s life make me horny? Maybe Kent’s on to something. Not that I would ever admit it.

I shake my head and bring down the cup, returning to Kent’s rant about my well-being and how it’s affectinghimmost of all.

“It’s just that I’m going through a transitionary period right now, and I need someone I can lean on. I need you to be my rock, and if I can’t even trust your mental state, then I don’t know how I can rely on you.”

Annoyance boils in my blood. I guess it wasn’t my hunger that aggravated me with Kent earlier. Nope, he’s just annoying.

I stop in the middle of the sidewalk, cars barreling next to me, and turn to him. “You know what, Kent? If I am causing yousomuch stress. Maybe you should just go back to your place tonight. Maybe we just need some time apart.”

Although Kent shares his place with four other roommates, he prefers to stay at mine. I don’t live in a luxury skyrise or anything, but my tiny studio apartment just three blocks from Central Park sure beats his shitty loft with barely any privacy and smelly boxers everywhere.

Kent freezes as he searches my face. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, just sleep at your place tonight. That’s it.”

“So you’re not breaking up with me, right? Because Christ, Jennessa. I don’t think I could take that right now. I love you.”

I pat his shoulder, feeling slightly bad for dismissing him.Slightly.“No, I’m not breaking up with you.”At least not yet.“I just think it would be good to have one night apart. I’ll see you tomorrow after work.” I rise to my tippy-toes and try to kiss him on the cheek. I only reach his jawline since he doesn’t lean down, and I’m so much shorter than him. I give him one last pat before turning.

I don’t turn back, gazing down at my new bee friend as I walk to my place. “Men, am I right?” I whisper to him and laugh to myself.

Great. Now I’m talking to a bee. Maybe I am going crazy.

Chapter 5: Baryx

When I finally come to, I’m trapped in a plastic container. The female that I was so transfixed with carries my container as she speaks to the male that I believe knocked me out. My head throbs, and it’s taking all my might to concentrate on what’s happening. I know I’m not dead, so that’s a good start. Although getting knocked out and captured within the first few moments of arriving on this Blue Planet isn’t the start I had in mind.

I don’t know the language of these species yet, but due to my antenna and language skills, it should only take a little bit to pick it up. But with the pounding in my head and being trapped in a container that warps all the sound around me, it’s hard to make out what the two are discussing.

Are they going to kill me? Eat me? Or something worse?

I try to focus on the female’s facial expressions, and as I do, my heart thumps in my chest, and electricity buzzes throughout my body. I’m not sure why just looking at this female has such an effect on me. Maybe I’ve acquired an injury that damaged a part of my sensor.

From the tense way the female clenches her shoulders to the way her eyes seem exhausted, I can tell these two aren’t getting along. They seem to be arguing. I’m hopeful that it has to do something with the fact that the male tried to kill me, and the female isn’t happy about it.

The female leaves the male behind, walking past the people and motorized vehicles that zip around her. She leans down and says something to me. I’m not sure what, but she seems to be confiding in a friend.

I wonder if she feels the same way I do at this moment. Maybe a force brought us together, and she’s here to help me with my mission.

We walk to a building. I can tell from others that we passed that this one doesn’t hold the same sparkle and cleanliness as the rest. I feel this female doesn’t hold much power on her planet. Maybe it’s due to her health condition.

The female takes me up five flights of stairs and rummages in a bag she holds to her side. She uses an ancient-looking key to open the door and then we’re inside.

This must be where she lives. Fabrics and plants surround the place. It looks nothing like our homes back at the Colony, withits chrome and uniform living dwellings, but there’s a charm to this lifestyle. Everything appears soft and colorful. I like it.

The female says something before placing my container on the ledge of a window. She strains to push the window open, her hair falling in her face and her muscles tensing.

I just met this female, but for some odd reason, I feel a need to help. She’s much larger than me now, but I can tell she would be tiny compared to me in my larger form. She’s much tinier than the man who hit me. Her stature must be another reason she doesn’t match perfectly. She’s too vulnerable.

The more I examine her as she walks about her living space, flailing her hands and making noises, the more I feel disappointed that she isn’t my target. I haven’t met any other female species on this planet, but she’s nothing like I’ve ever experienced, which intrigues me.

The pain in my head lessens with each passing second, but I’m still not fully recovered. I’m getting better at understanding this female and quickly realize her noises are directed toward me. Does she know that I’m a conscious being and not one of the unintelligent small creatures from her planet that I resemble?

I want to change to my larger form to make sure, but I’m supposed to stay in my tiny form until I learn their language to assess the situation better. If only I had all of my capabilities, it would only take moments to learn what she’s saying to me.

The female opens compartments in an offset section of her living space and turns on a water source before walking over to me. She opens the top of my container and smiles down at me.

This could be my chance. I could try to use my wings and fly out of the container to resume my mission, but something about being this close to her stops me in my tracks. I want to reach out and touch her skin, which is so different from mine. It’s not covered in fuzz like my species, but it still looks soft. All of herlooks soft, and it takes everything in me not to reach out and grab her.

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