CHAPTER 14: Emotional bee
Barry's hopes were dashed. Finding his parents proved to be a complete failure, and that has truly harmed his well-being. The entire hive spent hours flying all over the park, looking amongst every flower, grass, park bench, table, and different areas, but Barry's parents were nowhere to be found. He managed to find his comfort in staying with Vanessa, and he flew back to her apartment after the search for his parents came to a failure of an end. He couldn't face being at the hive without his parents; it was just too much for him.
Barry had only just arrived just now, and he was sat on the arm stand of Vanessa's couch; as she got some sugar cubes for both Adam and Barry, she noticed that Barry looked completely depressed.
"B-Barry? What's the situation? Have they found them?"
Barry simply emitted an emotional sniff as his eyes were hurting from the pain of missing his parents, but he managed to get his voice out to briefly reply.
"N-No..." Barry said, curling his arms up around his yellow head.
"Oh my gosh...I'm so...so...so...sorry, Barry...If I had a lead for you, I'd help, but I dunno where to start, I..." Vanessa herself was panicking; she felt like a total jerk for not being able to help out her bee companion.
"Vanessa, none of this is your fault, okay? I just...I just need some time to get back onto my feet...I can't lose my parents, though, I can't..." the bee declared.
"Well uh, Barry, no matter what you say, I still feel like the worst person in the world for not being able to help you...but listen, I think I can maybe draw a conclusion for now? The police said to me this morning that they've nearly processed the footage from the cameras around here; they're going to then check the footage for who broke into the shop and the greenhouse, but speaking of which, the repair fees are going to take a toll out of the bank...but yeah, I feel like when the police identify whoever it was that broke in, that very person might be why your parents are gone? I dunno, I hope I'm not overthinking this..." she said.
Barry had found comfort in talking about an entirely different topic from the one about his missing parents, so ignoring the last statement about the robber being why his parents were gone, Barry's mood had toned up ever so slightly to engage in the problem Vanessa's facing; a robber breaking into her shop and the greenhouse.
"Vanessa, I have to say...he or she pulled out the flowers in your greenhouse and shop...something's going on around here..." Barry said, unable to stay engaged in the topic for too long due to his parents getting back into his head again.
"Barry, didn't you say that Ken was in the park...uh, last night, trying to harm you and your hive?" Vanessa asked, taking a sip of her tea after asking the question.
"Well uh, yeah, it was definitely him, and I'm in no position to make amendments with the guy...my parents are gone, he clearly isn't in the best mood right now to be spoken to, especially by somebody he loathes like me, and I think I'm gonna wait-"
"I'm honestly, for some reason, getting the idea that maybe Ken has something to do with uh...hopefully you don't mind when I say this...your missing parents? He uh, he was in the park, he-"
Barry had politely interrupted Vanessa's point, finding it completely absurd that it was Ken who was behind the disappearance of his parents.
"Vanessa, my parents were sleeping in the hive when I was out there last night, trying to fend off Ken and his friend...there's no way it was him, and to be honest, I know he loathes me, but I guess he goes through one of those uh...bipolar things, where he's acting like a complete animal as he did last night, so maybe he'll be better today or...whenever? My parents must've disappeared for some reason other than that and...I...I just can't bare the thought...oh my god..." Barry said, suddenly losing all of his energy and enthusiasm for talking upon being hit by the emotional asteroid that was his missing parents.
Adam looked up at Vanessa as he was enjoying the sugar cube.
"I...I myself feel empty, Vanessa, I wish I could help him, and I did, but we didn't find them...I have no idea what we can do..." Adam said.
Out of nowhere, Barry removed his arms from his yellow face, and delivered a serious-looking expression at his best friend in Adam; he hated the fact that Adam had, as if it wasn't a big deal, confirmed that Barry's parents weren't found.
"You know what, Adam, why don't you show a bit more compassion? My parents are MISSING, AND YOU'RE HERE, JUST...JUST...TALKING LIKE EVERYTHING'S NORMAL...LIKE...LIKE EVERYTHING IS AS SWEET AS A CUP OF HONEY...IT ISN'T...-" Barry was cut off from Adam.
"WOAH WOAH, Barry, I didn't mean it like that, just calm down...just calm down..." Adam said.
"That's easy for you to say, you don't have an apprehension ship setting sail in your head every minute, wondering if your parents are alive or not...YOU'VE BEEN PESTERING ME, YOU'VE BEEN...GETTING BY MY SIDE WHICH, TO BE FRANK, HAS BEEN AN ANNOYANCE, AND YOU'RE AT IT AGAIN, WHEN CAN YOU EVER CATCH A BREATHER?!" Barry yelled, just flying up gradually whilst yelling.
"Barry, I'm sure he didn't mean it like that?!" Vanessa pleaded, placing her cup of tea onto the wooden table in front of her.
"Barry, what gives? I've been a good friend to you...I've given you company, and I've made sure to do my best...what else can I do?!" Adam said, feeling quite insulted.
"Oh..." Barry, out of nowhere, completely broke from his anger shell into a weakened crying state, where he was crying outloud, "I'm so sorry, Adam...I just..." he could feel his nose get blocked from the deepening emotions, "I miss my parents...I NEED MY MUM AND DAAD..." he added, just flying into Adam for the biggest hug his best friend has given him.
"Oh, B-Barry..." Vanessa stuttered, feeling stunned at seeing her bee companion cry outloud.
"YOU'RE TRULY MY BEST FRIEND...AND VANESSA...I'M SO SORRY...OH MY GOD...MUM, DAD...WHERE ARE YOU?!" Barry yelled, as his buried his head into Adam's shoulder as Adam looked at Vanessa.
As Vanessa looked at Adam as the bee was hugging Barry to comfort him, she genuinely couldn't stop thinking about the possibility of Ken being behind all of this. She couldn't accuse Ken of anything at this point, though. What she now feels, however, after seeing Barry brawl out the most tears he's ever released before, is a 24/7 commitment to solving the mystery of the bee's missing parents. As a human companion to the bees, she felt inclined to do that, alongside finding out the cause of the break-ins of her greenhouse and flower shop.