It was the evening of April 16.

I took a gyroplane out to Lyndonpole. The sun was setting after a warm day, and my heart was pounding with excitement.

On April 2, I had received a message sent in response to my video. His name was Shawn Enroy. He was a middle-aged man who wore a white hat and a T-shirt that showed a cartoon drawing of a bee. He and I spoke over a video call during which we exchanged our project ideas with each other: both involving Chemkan Bees. The difference was that he stated that he was actually keeping a collection of Chemkan Bees, and was searching for someone with an ideal environment to keep them, like my dymensional plane, for instance. Like me, he was searching for someone to help him on his project.

There was no better opportunity - not one that was mutually complementary like this one. So we set a date, time, and place: April 16 at 6:30 PM in Lyndonpole. He would buy me dinner and would take me to where the Chemkan Bees were. Then I would check into my hotel and spend the night before returning to Cabotton the next day.

So back to the evening of April 16: The gyroplane slid onto a landing pad and locked down. In moments, the boarding bridge slid out, and the outer doors opened to let us off. I followed the crowd and out into the echoing terminal chamber.

"Maxima," called Shawn Enroy from a couple dozen feet away, waving at me. As I came up to him and shook his hand, I noticed that he had done his hair and put on his finest suit. And I found that a tad weird in the moment; people in my study usually display business-casual attire. But I assumed he was trying to be extra professional. So I accompanied him as planned to the taxi toward the downtown district.

"So..." he began, as we took a seat in the taxi. He had a professional binder in his hand and was drumming his fingers on it. "Tell me a little more about yourself. What compelled you to decide that your agenda is to save the bees?"

I explained to Shawn my six-year journey involving my garden back in North Kempton as well as the Maple-of-the-West near my childhood home. Then I went into my interest in dymensional plane-crafting inspired by the Society as well as my brother.

Shawn nodded his head. "Very interesting," he said. "And I take it that you're interested in my side as well?"

"Of course," I replied.

"My pleasure." Shawn then glanced out the window of the cab. "Ah. Here we are."

Sure enough, the cab stopped in front of a very attractive business front resembling that of a restaurant in the 1280s. It was called the First Lyndonpole Restaurant.

In fact, that was the second time I had gotten a vibe from Shawn that he was overdoing it. Again, to maintain professional composure, I brushed it off and went in with him.

Part of me anticipated that he would have some assistant or colleague there to join us and support what he and his project were about. It was just him and me, though.

Again, I brushed it off.

After we were seated at our table, we ordered our drinks. While we waited for those, Shawn continued. "So it started in college, actually..."

"Pardon?" I replied.

"The beekeeping."

"I see."

"Well, that's when my interest started." Shawn's face went slightly red. "Pardon me for not clarifying. You see, I was a music major, actually...at least at first."

"You're not the first I've met." My thoughts turned to Meghan and Otto in that moment.

Shawn continued. "Anyway. My music study was complementary to my lightfire career. As part of studying the latter, I accompanied some fellow scholars to Tandowyn, initially to study the history of the rapid business and real estate development that took place in the 1260s - and we all know that heavily the lightfire industry. This, of course, involved a run-through of local sociology. I got curious and studied the various social factions, as well as the social groups that used to be there."

"Including the indigenous...the ancient beekeepers..."

Shawn sighed. "Yeah...I learned about all that happened. And that was what inspired me to switch paths."

"Environmental science?"

"Biology, actually..."

The server's name was Emmon. As he returned with my water and his lemonade, he turned to Shawn and said, "Another interview then?"

"More of a discussion of common interest," was Shawn's reply. Meanwhile, I ordered the small salad option in the appetizer section of the menu handed me, while Shawn ordered a buttered and spiced salmon atop spinach leaves.

"Don't worry," said Shawn, patting my arm after the server left. "Emmon's a good friend of mine, and has been down on his luck lately, long story there. We like to jape and spar with each other."

"I see."

"Anyway," Shawn continued. "I do have to clarify something: I know that I mentioned that the bees are kept on my property, but I didn't specify which property."

"You own multiple properties?"

"No. That's not what I meant." Shawn set his cup down and put his left hand on his chin. "Let me explain: There's personal property, where you live, right? Then there's public land that you, as a scientist, can rent for environmental purposes. And in my case, the bees are... well, we won't be seeing them tonight."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, they're in Chemko, hence their name."

"I see." But then I remembered something about that topic, having gone over it with Dr. Jaynes last year. "Don't you have to live in the same province though?"

"It's through the University of Tandowyn. That's where I studied, by the way. Very good environmental science program."

"As I've heard as well, but I don't follow how this gives you Chemkan land."

"So... the University of Tandowyn rents a section of public land a few miles Northeast of the Main Campus. Being an alum of that school, I am part of an arrangement where the University subleases part of that land to me. And that's where I keep the bees."

"I see now. So you don't own the land, per se, but you have access to it."

"Exactly."

"It's really strange, though. I've never heard of you till you reached out to me. I've been doing a lot of digging, looking for people like you. Surely, I would have come across your OCEA profile if you had one."

"Ah. You've touched on an interesting point, indeed." Shawn picked up his lemonade and took a long sip. "Basically, politics..."

"What about politics? I don't gather... Honestly, I'm not afraid of politics whenever it comes to this sort of thing." And indeed, since starting Cabotton, I had grown more annoyed than afraid by the Gregory Noser and Stamp matter.

"For me, specifically, though..." explained Shawn. "There was a ... unique situation ... that I ran into. It would take hours to explain. I plan to write an entire book on it because it was very complex. And I think it would be best if I didn't try to summarize it here, as that would lead to certain misunderstandings."

I was about to ask what kind of misunderstandings he was referring to, but that was when Emmon showed up with our entrees, Shawn with his salmon and me with my salad. As we began to eat, Shawn remarked, "You know, honestly, you are the first intelligent person I've run into in quite a long while. As in, your critical thinking and questioning capabilities are quite unusual... in a good way, of course. By the way, I would like you to come to the local office I have here tonight. Basically, it's where I keep all my notes, and all my bee project behind-the-scenes stuff. I think seeing this would give you the insight that you need for your initiative."

"Sure," I said. "Okay."

"And maybe at some point in the future, I'll come over to Cabotton and survey your dymensional plane. After that, we'll see about consolidating things, like housing the bees accordingly."

"Of course," I said assuredly. After that, we finished our meal, paid our bills, and left the restaurant to take a taxi back to his place, which was nestled in the basement level of a duplex one block away from the Main Street area. This place consisted of a common living area, a kitchen, a bathroom, a laundry and utilities room, and an unusually large bedroom, half of which was occupied by a desk with numerous stacks of papers and two desktop comm tabs. Shawn picked up one of those tabs and brought it to life. "Here's a summary of what I've been doing." He handed the tab to me while he went to his kitchen.

At first, it seemed like his work was legitimate, containing written facts on Chemkan Bee history, his discovery of the bees in one of the Chemkan Mountain caves, and his conclusions. And there were photos to accompany them.

But then, something caught my eye: The Ondry Caverns, where he supposedly discovered and caught some lingering Chemkan Bees. I pulled out my personal comm tab and typed in this name and, as I remembered from last time, came across a result explaining how the Ondry Caverns had been closed since 1311 due to floods. So that did not add up, especially when the summary he gave me mentioned that he had done this very field search in 1324...

Then, there was the issue with his professor's name: Dr. Francene Bliss. In Dr. Jeyne's class, I had learned that Bliss was a professor of botany at Tandowyn University, which I guessed was somewhat complementary to Shawn's project. But the problem was that she did not start her tenure at that University until 1333; before then, she was a professional photographer for botany textbooks in the Mid-Westerlies, having no connection whatsoever with Tandowyn. That I also confirmed with another inquiry from my personal comm tab.

I couldn't help but get a little nosy with the stacks of paper on his desk. The top of one pile was Chemkan Bee observation notes, but they weren't formatted correctly and had Dr. Francene Bliss' name mentioned. I picked up this sheet, and underneath was a worksheet for what looked like a general education algebra course. The top of another pile was a sheet for hypothesis- and theory-building; underneath that was a sheet for general biology. And underneath that was a sheet for an introductory astronomy class...

"Don't mind my disorganization, and I do apologize if that offends," said Shawn from behind me, causing me to jump. "Anyway..." He gestured out toward the kitchen. "Could I interest you in some authentic cheese native to the Canticulan nation of Rewen?"

"Very well," I said, hesitating for a moment. On my toes, now, I went and had a seat at the small dining room table, which I noticed was accompanied by a single lit candle. I took a very small bite of my piece of cheese after he did from his piece.

After a moment, he rose and proceeded to the cupboard, coming back momentarily with a bottle of wine he was attempting to uncork.

"No," I said. "We're not going this way."

"Pardon?" he said politely. "I'm not sure I follow..."

"I think you and I both know what I'm referring to. I'm more than happy to collaborate with you professionally, but just that. We are on strictly professional terms. No more than that. And definitely nothing romantic."

"What? Noooo," he said, shaking his head and laughing. "That was not my intent. My intent with all this was... to develop a close colleagueship with someone. Someone who really understood the plight of the Chemkan Bees."

It was the hesitation that made my stomach lurch. And I was about to ask him to explain himself when our conversation was interrupted, momentarily, by the sound of someone entering the building on the level above us. There was a staircase on the other end of his bedroom at the top of which a door opened to a female voice calling down: "Hey Shawn! How are you doing on food?"

"Hold on a second," he said to me, as he made his way upstairs. In the moments that intervened, I thought about dashing. But the situation had me mentally spiraling. And before long, he was back - for the next few moments, I dreaded that my window of opportunity had snapped shut. "That was my mother," he said.

"So this is your parents' house?" I asked.

"It is," Shawn admitted. "I've been down on my luck recently...long story, but I couldn't find work near Tandowyn. I plan to go back in the future though."

"Don't you go there regularly to maintain the bees, though?"

"Well, yes, but...it's a bit complicated."

"What do you mean? I mean, I know that scientists are quirky people, you and me both. But we all have a mutual understanding with each other in that regard, or assume to, anyway. And everything we do contributes to our overall community, meaning diplomacy...don't you have a network of people to help you find a job? Wouldn't Francene Bliss help?"

"She's been a willing reference for me," Shawn explained. "She's been giving me assurances since graduation..."

"In 1324?"

"In 1325, actually. I needed an extra year-"

"Even though Bliss didn't start in Tandowyn till 1331?" I pulled up my personal comm tab and showed him where I found that information.

Shawn paused in his tracks, momentarily glancing at me in shock. "Well, true, but she was an assistant-"

"She was a botany photographer in the Mid-Westerlies until 1331, only to be introduced to Tandowyn University by way of a job offer-"

"Thanks to me, actually. I met her in the Mid-Westerlies a few years before, 1324 to be exact, and invited her to be my project mentor back in Tandowyn. I was the one who introduced her to that community."

"Hmm," I said. "Photography in botany compared to beekeeping, especially for a rare, possibly lost species like the Chemkan Bee population.... The two subjects are somewhat related, very much like saying that a fish and a frog are related because both spend long amounts of time in water. But shifting from photography to your beekeeping project is quite the stretch. Nevertheless, I'll take your word for it. I'm just curious, though, about how you captured the bees to begin with."

"Of course. If you read my summary, you'll see that I found them in one of the caverns in the Chemkan Mountains."

"One of the caverns? You mean the Onbry Caverns, the largest underground cavern network in the region."

"Exactly."

"You have quite the sense of humor then, calling them 'one of the caverns.'"

"Forgive me. I meant to say one of the little extensions of the Onbry Cavern Network, the part not frequented by the public."

"Of course. Just like all the other parts."

"I don't follow..."

"What do you mean you don't follow!? The entire Onbry Cavern Network's been closed to the public since 1311."

"I obtained special access."

"...and special waterdiving equipment? To look for the Chemkan Bees under the water?"

"There was a part of the cave above the water line-"

"No, there wasn't. The entrance to the Caverns was downhill from a large lake held by a dam that collapsed in 1311, lowering its water level by 25 feet overall and pouring water throughout the Caverns, all of which had vents into the open air. Such vents became ponds as a result. And numerous scans of the place revealed no air pockets in the underwater network. No reports of Chemkan Bees at these points of entry either."

"Well, I found them near one of the ponds."

"It sounds to me, at this point, like you're simply complementing my given insights to present yourself as having knowledge that you do not genuinely have. Now about the papers on your desk..."

"I am doing quite a bit of reorganization, admittedly..."

"Yeah, but on your desk dedicated to your project? This is a very sensitive subject, Shawn. You can't afford to mix gen ed worksheets in with your most important work!"

"Okay. So I will admit: I lied about the Bees." For a long moment, Shawn glanced down and bit his lip. "I actually didn't pursue a University education after high school. I've been bouncing from job to job and girlfriend to girlfriend. I've been stuck in a perpetual cycle of darkness and despair for fifteen years, Maxima.

"Your video drew me in a few months ago. I... knew nothing about Chemkan Bees until you mentioned it.... But I did my research, even if it was just through simple OCEA inquiries. Your beauty drove me to it. And I won't lie, you're beautiful as well as intelligent. That drove me to learn as much as possible about the Chemkan Bees. My current knowledge is still a drop in the bucket compared to yours. I lied, and I do apologize. But if you accept me into your life, I will do everything to learn what you know in a short time and help you achieve your dreams. We could build a Chemkan Bee Empire!"

I calmly walked back to the door to the outdoor staircase and picked up my bag. "Let's... continue this conversation tomorrow."

"I was actually thinking of having you sleep here, so that you won't need to pay for a hotel. Also... I'm a bit lonely."

Terrified, I paused and collected my thoughts. On the spot, I came up with what I thought was one of the worst exit strategy attempts I had ever made in my life. But, seeing no other option, I gave it a go. "Stay right there, Shawn. I will sleep here," I lied. "But I wish to sleep in a different bed." There was only one bed that I could see so far in this place - his. "I just need to run to the department store real quick and snap up a temporary mattress. I will be back in a half-hour."

To my surprise, he totally ate this up. "Go ahead."

I left and took a gyroplane back to North Kempton to sleep at my parents' house. I blocked all of Shawn Enroy's OCEA accounts.

He had five of them, turns out.

***

That was on the evening of April 16. The next day, I flew back to Cabotton. And on April 18, I told Dr. Jeynes of the terrifying incident. He, of course, advised me to be careful from now on, especially when it comes to OCEA contacts. He also advised me to spend a week this summer in Tandowyn. We've determined that it was safe to assume that Shawn did not really have connections down there. Meanwhile, Jeynes suggested that there will be benefits to meeting with some of the professors there regarding my project, and that my best time to go would be the first week of June. I've begun making plans accordingly.

Yesterday, Meghan Wen came clean with me. She said that, with concerns over Headmaster Stamp, she will be taking larger class loads so that she would graduate in Fall 1358, rather than Spring 1359; in other words, she plans to graduate this December. After this, she plans to move as far away as possible from Cabotton, and she needs to separate from the Cabotton community altogether due to toxic politics.

She told me that she would dedicate more time with me between now and the time she graduates, but after graduation, she expects that we will be parting ways. In the end, I agreed with her and gave her my understanding. Regardless, this has been heartbreaking.

I couldn't help but relay my feelings about this to Heather Walker and the other roommates, who were all sad about this news but gave me support, telling me that a lot of Third Level Society Members, both older and younger, see me as a mentor and source of inspiration.