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Her wild auburn hair curls around her face like a girl cut from a Rubens painting, too beautiful for life.
She holds up her hands, telling them about Japanese hornets between laughs. Pretty deadly by the sound of it, and since they’re little punks, they’re fascinated by the morbid side of nature.
“…that’s why they’re also called ‘murder hornets,’” she says. “They can wipe out an entire hive of ordinary honeybees in no time. Washington state’s been chasing them for years before they do too much damage, ever since they showed up there. They’re one nasty invasive species.”
“Damn! Ice-cold,” Evans whispers excitedly.
“Do they attack people?” Briana asks, leaning on the edge of her seat.
“Not typically. Only when they feel threatened like most things.” Winnie holds up a finger dramatically. “Butthey’re arguably the most dangerous animal in Japan.”
“How come?” Colt looks up from the wood he’s shaping.
“They’re big disruptors in Japan’s honey industry. Did you know as few astenmurder hornets can kill off an entire farm? That’s tens of thousands of bees. Farmers can lose their entire investment for the season if they aren’t careful.”
“Holy crap, that’s wild,” Briana says, examining her black and purple nails. “But can’t they, like, use their numbersto defend against the hornets? Like, selective breeding or whatever.”
“You’re thinking of natural selection, Bree,” Colt says. He turns to Winnie. “We learned about evolution in biology.”
“Oh, right.” Winnie takes a cushion from the couch and hugs it, almost infuriatingly cute with that hair and bright smile. Those big green eyes that were so haunted after Holden hollowed them out sparkle today. “Well, it’s a different situation, but theyhaveevolved a way of dealing with the hornets. It takes some luck and a quick response.”
“Like what?” Colt asks.
I smile, hearing the old boyish curiosity in his voice. I worry growing up might strip that away one day, but it hasn’t happened yet.
I lean against the doorframe, unseen, just watching them.
This is definitely new.
Colt can be a shy kid, even if he’s been perfectly socialized. I didn’t expect this version of my son, letting down his guard with a stranger in our house, but it makes my heart rattle like a rock.
“Well, the bees surround the hornet and kinda beat their wings really fast. The air gets trapped and they create a tight ball of heat around the intruder. A little like a heat ray.” She flutters her fingers, smiling ear to ear.
“Savage!” Evans gushes, glancing at Briana for confirmation this is cool. Orsavage,I guess. “So the hornet dickhead dies off, right?”
“With a little luck, yes,” Winnie confirms. “That doesn’t always mean the hive will survive, unfortunately. Sometimes there’s more than one murder hornet or the bees aren’t fast enough.”
“Screw murder hornets!” Colt pumps his fist in the air.
And then they’re all yelling like the kids they are, plotting an entire species’ gruesome extinction with lasers and bee-sized hunter-killer drones based on Winnie’s testimony.
She covers her face in good-natured horror, one hand sliding over her mouth as she giggles.
For a second, it’s too perfect.
My son, his goofy friends, and the stranger who inspired this outburst of passion lighting up the entire room.
I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to be feeling right now, butconfusionis a very big part of it.
“How can we destroy them?” Briana demands, curling one hand into a claw like a menacing kitten.
Always the big questions with her.
Winnie hesitates, biting her bottom lip between her teeth as she thinks.
“Guys, hold up. Just because they’re big and mean doesn’t mean they don’t play a role in the ecosystem. We just want them to do it at home, not here.”
Before the kids burst into violent protest, I step into the room to help her save face.