“Bees…why did it have to be bees?” Alice stared from a safe distance at the apiary at the back of the garden that a small crowd was gathering around.

“Are you allergic?” JC asked with concern.

“No, I just…don’t like them,” Alice made a face. “They buzz in your face and get on your food. Then of course there’s the whole stinging thing.”

“All excellent points,” Vivienne smiled next to Alice, giving her a jump of surprise as she seemed to just materialize out of nowhere. “A bee can be viewed as a nuisance but the good they do is much greater than the reputation they often get.”

“I know that,” Alice made a face as Vivienne continued on towards the hive. “They pollinate and make honey and all that. I’m not saying they’re overall bad, I just want to not be near them.”

Vivienne turned to the group with that all knowing smile of hers. “I bring you out here this afternoon to teach you the symbolism and spiritual meaning of the bee and how it’s strength will ground you to the work you have done here as you travel back home shortly.”

“Uh, couldn’t we have done that with, like a slide show or something?” Jeff asked, even more uncomfortable in his surroundings than Alice was.

“There are many types of bees,” Vivienne continued, undeterred, “much like there are many types of people. Yet we judge all bees to be the same.”

“Because they all will still sting you,” Alice murmured.

“Wrong,” Vivienne of course heard and smiled. “These here are honeybees. Can they sting you? Yes, but their sole purpose is to produce beeswax and honey. They are not very aggressive and if you respect them, they will respect you.”

“So then what are the ones that just show up and dive bomb you?” Jeff asked again.

“Bees tend to only sting when they feel threatened, meaning when you shoo them away, they take it as an act of aggression,” Vivienne stated matter of factly. “However you are most likely encountering a carpenter bee or worker bee as they are the most commonly recognizable bees associated with pollination.”

“I thought those were bumble bees?” someone else asked.

“Ah, now we are getting to the point,” Vivienne exclaimed. “For reference, bumble bees are the large fuzzy bees that tend to roam about a regular flower garden. They also will rarely sting you but because they’re “cuter”, most people find them less threatening.”

“So where does the queen bee fit in?” JC piped up.

Vivienne smirked as she carefully pulled out one of the frames from the beehive, a number of bees flying out due to the disturbance. Alice noticed Vivienne didn’t have any of the traditional protective gear on and seemed quite calm despite the buzzing encircling her, almost like she knew she wasn’t in danger.

“As I said, these are honeybees,” Vivienne continued, “however they also have different varieties within them. The worker bees, as I mentioned before, are the females that go out and gather the pollen. The drone bees are the males, who rarely if ever leave the nest. Their only job is to protect and mate with the Queen. They are actually the safest of bees as they don’t have any stingers.”

“So what, they’re eunuchs?!” Jeff asked in disbelief.

“Well, since they have to mate, not exactly eunuchs,” Vivienne chuckled, “but for your analogy purposes, I suppose they have been genetically castrated defensive-wise.”

“There’s a joke there I’m not touching,” Jeff huffed.

“Again, bees get a bad reputation by the use of phrases such as “drone” or “hive mind”, or even “queen bee”. Instead, we need to think of the things they represent, like purpose and unity and assurance,” Vivienne explained.

“So you want us to learn to be bees?” Alice questioned aloud.

“Don’t act like it’s the strangest thing you’ve been asked to do this week,” Vivienne chided her amusedly, “but, yes, in a sense I am. This small group has been selected for this exercise because you keep your struggles to yourselves. You’ve learned over the past week to rely on your partner and our staff but you will be back with your families and jobs and community as before. Today, we give you the tools to let that community help you moving forward.”

Alice and JC stole a glance at one another. It was something they both had concerns about, wondering how their families and friends would react to the progress they had made and the changes they were hoping to implement. They knew inherently they had each other but how much could they be there for the other from across the country?

“First, we shall feast as the bees do, on delectable fruits filled with delicious nectar and additionally on the product of their labor with some sweet, fresh honey,” Vivienne instructed them. “After, we shall adjourn to the spa where you will each receive a detoxifying nectar and honey herbal body wrap and walked through a guided meditation to find your inner connection with the majesty that is the bee.”

“Don’t say it,” JC quickly held up a finger as Alice turned towards him.

“Have you never seen The Wasp Woman?!” Alice asked, trying and failing to control her panic.

“No one born after 1962 had seen The Wasp Woman,” JC chuckled.

“But she gets injected with the wasp enzymes to keep her young but she starts turning into a wasp and killing people!”

“So we’re gonna turn into bees and kill the other half of the guests and then what?” JC couldn’t keep the smile off his face. “Sounds more like Lord of the Flies to me.”

“Will you be serious?!” Alice nearly stomped her foot.

“Will you?!” JC let out his laughter. “Alice, come on. Nobody’s getting turned into a gathering insect or a sex zombie.”

“Sex zombie? Where the hell did you get sex zombie from?”

“You know, the drone bees that just exist to have sex.”

“Well, those are just the males so I guess you’re the one in danger of becoming the sex zombie,” Alice chuckled then stopped abruptly, a quick image of the scenario flashing through her mind.

“Don’t make me do the face again,” JC tilted his head slightly, staring Alice down but unable to erase his smile.

“No, not the weird possessed face again,” she quickly waved him off, pushing the mental image of a naked and ready to serve JC out of her mind. “Ok, fine, we aren’t getting turned into bees but you have to admit Vivienne’s “guided meditations” are pretty intense.”

“True but again, it’s all in our heads. We’re safe, you know this. Besides, a lot of that had to do with the drugs and…” JC’s voice trailed off, his head turned towards the rest of the group starting to sit down for lunch.

“Oh fuck,” Alice followed JC’s gaze. “I mean, they wouldn’t…not without telling us, right?”

JC was about to say no until he remembered his involuntary vomit session the previous day with Ivan. He was still confident they were in safe hands but he gulped, wondering where the afternoon would take them.

They had been warned about the CBD laced honey but Alice still had enough wits about her to know there was no way this could all be pot running through her system as she dug into her seventh grilled honey glazed pear. She swore each one tasted better than the last and she was determined to find the best one.

JC looked around the group of eight or so grown adults happily feasting and giggling. His tolerance was a bit higher but he knew he wasn’t immune as he smartly waved off another helping yet found himself literally licking his plate clean as Jeff fell off his chair at the end of the table with a loud thud, followed by uproarious laughter.

“It seems we’re all having quite the good time,” Vivienne observed as she strode by. JC realized while Vivienne had sat with them, he wasn’t sure he had seen her eat. If this whole bee metaphor was really going to be played out, he quickly ascertained Vivienne was the queen and they were all potentially in trouble. Then again, hadn’t they been listening to her all week? Was this the part where the evil plan got explained because there was nothing they could do?

“Oh my God, everything is soooooo delicious,” Alice’s voice pulled JC out of his thoughts. “Do you grow these strawberries here?”

“Yes, they and the blueberries are the same ones we use in the yogurt parfaits,” Vivienne explained.

“I want to swim in them,” Alice nearly drooled as she savored another. “You should fill one of the pools with them.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Vivienne chuckled. “How about you, Josh? Have you enjoyed the meal?”

JC stared at Vivienne, mouth agape as he tried to form words. Alice had actually been right, he realized, as he sat motionless, almost too in shock to run. “This is like, your hive, is it? You’re gonna turn us into zombie murder bees.”

Vivienne only had a split second of shock before she let loose a laugh so loud, the commotion of the table nearly stopped to watch her. She held her stomach as she lurched forward, tears brimming in her eyes as she needed a good two minutes to compose herself. The other guests began to giggle along, even though they didn’t have any clue what was so funny, while JC just stared at the woman.

“That…” she finally wheezed out. “That is a new one,” she wiped her eyes as she attempted to right herself. “Zombie murder bees,” she tittered again. “You certainly do have an active imagination, Josh,” she caressed his cheek and popped a honey covered strawberry in his mouth that he instinctively chewed. “I’ll take that as a sign we’re ready to head over to the spa.”

The group stumbled their way across the campus like a bunch of college freshman coming back from their first frat party. JC moved carefully, body ridged and at attention, as Alice leaned into him.

“Joshy, what’s wrong?” she flicked his earlobe back and forth.

“I don’t know,” he said warily and it was the truth. He knew he was stoned but he wasn’t normally one to let the paranoia kick in. He wouldn’t even say he was paranoid, just on edge, alert to the slightest movement. He wasn’t scared about what they were walking into but he wanted to be very aware of whatever it was.

“This is funny,” Alice giggled.

“Glad you think so.”

“No, I mean, you were telling me this morning to get out of my head and now I am but you’re not,” she laughed again. “I mean, you’re in your head, not my head. Well, no, cuz you’re always in my head but that’s cuz…”

“I get it, Alice,” JC cut her off then stopped walking, pausing to stare at the woman. She wobbled slightly as she got her balance, staring back at JC with a dopey grin. JC didn’t want to take advantage but he knew basic function was a chore for her right now so her capacity to lie was virtually dissolved. “Can I ask you something?”

“What?” she giggled again.

“Have your feelings…changed, about me, since we met?”

It took a few seconds for Alice to register the question. “Do you mean do I still wanna fuck you?”

JC choked at her bluntness. “Uh, kinda, I guess?” he confessed. His conversation with Justin earlier slammed back into his brain as he bit his lip and stared, unknowing how to follow up as he was still figuring out his own feelings.

“Here’s the problem: you, girlfriend,” she pointed into his chest then reversed direction. “Me, fat. No matter how bad I want it, it’s not gonna happen.”

JC stared in confusion as it seemed like Alice’s words weren’t connecting with her brain as her smile stayed plastered on her face but a truth serum effect took ahold of her. It was like he was talking to a third party that knew her very well instead of her actual self and he decided he had to take the chance of this potentially backfiring later on.

“We have this…connection, Alice. I know you feel it even though you keep trying to convince yourself it’s not real. How do I get you to see it and not freak out in the process?”

Alice closed the gap between them, suddenly turning the conversation very serious. “You can’t,” she whispered. “There’s too much toxic shit in my brain. You can’t undo it all with a kiss like in the movies…but it’s a good place to start.” Before JC knew it, Alice had reached her arms around his neck, his fingers clasping into the skin of his neck as she pulled him in to meet her awaiting lips.

“Nope nope nope!” JC heard shouting rapidly approaching and a body quickly between the two of them. He was so in shock, he stepped back as the person addressed Alice. “No molesting our friends, ever but especially not when high.”

“But Michael,” Alice whined, “he’s so pretty and nice and I want him and I’m not gonna get the courage to do it again. Can’t I just…”

“You can, but not now,” Michael smiled at her. “Trust me, we’re gonna help you get some of that confidence back, sweetie. Right now though, we’re gonna go to the spa and give you a nice deep massage and wrap. Doesn’t that sound nice?”

“Imma be putty,” Alice giggled, remembering Michael’s promise from the beginning of the week. “Silly putty…”

JC watched helplessly as Michael led Alice into the spa, though not like he was making any move to stop them either. Everything felt like he was watching a movie play out in front of him and not actually part of the story. He was being far too calm about everything and it worried him that he wasn’t worried.

“Best not to do too much thinking right now, Josh,” Vivienne sidled up beside him as she noticed his brow furrow. “You’re going to want the full experience…and not the part where you get turned into a zombie murder bee,” she chuckled again at his outrageous misgivings.

“Something’s wrong,” JC said, still staring after where Michael took Alice. “I can’t feel anything. It’s almost like how I was before I came here but worse. I let all the pain numb me before but now…now I just feel hollow…empty.”

“Well then my mistake, it seems you did get the zombie part right then,” Vivienne mused. “I also admit I underestimated how you’d react, given our first meditation, I thought you’d fall right in line with the others. Nothing we can’t fix, however.”

JC watched as Vivienne moved in front of him, her arms reaching up and around his neck, exactly as Alice had done only moments ago. There was more of a confidence about Vivienne however and JC wasn’t sure if he was about to get kissed or killed.

He had a split second to realize it was closer to the latter as Vivienne’s index finger pushed at the base of his neck and turned sharply. JC’s eyes instantly rolled back into his head as every muscle gave out in his body. Were it not for the two men who had deftly moved to either side of him as he’d concentrated on Vivienne, he would have hit the ground. Vivienne watched as the two men scooped up JC and carried him into the spa to be prepped.

“Is he ok?” Ivan approached his mother.

“Oh, he’ll be fine,” she waved her son off. “I swear, kids your age watch too many horror movies. Where did he even get zombie murder bees from?”

“We aren’t exactly orthodox in our methods, Mother,” Ivan chuckled.

“True but we get proven results,” Vivienne countered. “People leave better than when they arrived and that’s really all I care about, healing these broken souls however I can. If that makes people a little wary of me, just tells me I’m doing a good job. It’s always instant belief you can cut cancer of the brain out with a scalpel but eradicate cancer of the mind and suddenly you’re a voodoo priestess.”

Ivan nodded in understanding. He’d seen over the years all the good work she and her staff had done, helping abuse victims, those with severe depression, immeasurable loss and countless other mental hardships.The growth in people who have come back time and time again or the ones who simply write to update them on their progress; it was undeniable they were helping people find the road to becoming their best selves.

“Not too late to become a cult leader,” Ivan quipped.

“Please,” Vivienne chuckled, “if I were that persuasive, Harrison Ford would have been your father.”