On a magical island connected to the Star Polaris, there exists a miniature world known as the Neverhive, a society of Neverscapian bees living in five sister cities that make up the entire kingdom. The Bees of the Neverhive live to make honey in their factory and share it with the world, but many of the Bees have skills, interests, and passions that go far beyond just crafting honey. The royal family is well-loved by the Neverhive because they want their subjects to not only follow their dreams, but to succeed in achieving those dreams. The citizens of the Neverhive are made up of two species: the slimmer honey-class bees who work alongside their heavier counterparts, the bumble-class bees,  to create honey. Bumblebees are the nectar gatherers, and because of this are revered in their society every bit as their svelte brothers and sisters, maybe even more. Like with fingerprints, every bee, wasp, and hornet of the Neverscape shares the trait of unique stripes from birth or through childhood. Some are simple lines across the thorax, others can be scattered across the body like freckles. Very rarely was there ever a Neverhive Bee without stripes, then one day, a very special egg hatched in the royal maternity ward.

Many years ago, the Bee Queen’s little sister, Countess Belinda, welcomed her youngest daughter, Willow, into the world at Northtropolis General Hospital. At the time Billie's egg was laid, her parents, her teenage brother Baxter, and then-toddler big sister Babs waited eagerly to see the child's faceted eyes, knowing in their hearts it would be love at first sight. After a week of incubation, Billie emerged from the egg, an auburn-haired baby with radiant blue eyes. As they predicted, the entire family, especially Babs, fell in love with Billie. Dr. Brainard checked Belinda and Billie into observation at the hospital for an extra week just to be safe. Sadly, Babs was too young to understand why Billie was not home yet, and she became upset, worrying that she would never see the cutie beauty again.  When Belinda arrived home with Billie, the skies exploded with rainbow photons, symbolizing their happiness. From the very start, Billie flourished with her family’s love and support, but her fur remained the same bold, bright yellow with only a few small markings between her eyes. To boost her confidence, the royal family and castle staff wore garments covering their thoraxes, and encouraged Billie to do the same, which met with great success. However, everything changed when Billie turned five and was enrolled in Northtropolis Elementary School.

When Billie woke up that first morning, she was excited to meet other larvae and make new friends. She was even more thrilled to meet her teacher, Lady Bess Beerinbaum, who spoke with her outside the classroom. "Billie, I am so honored to have you in my class. I had the privilege of teaching your sister and brother, and they think the world of you." "I promise I will be the best student I can be, Teacher Bess." Billie gave her a tiny hug and Bess swooned. "Billie, I am sorry to say that the school board changed the dress code requirement for our district. If you are ever uncomfortable or the other students cause problems, I will do everything I can to help." "Thank you, Lady Bess." They went in the classroom. The other bees were still quiet until Bess cleared her throat to get them to greet her. “Hello, Billie,” the others said in calm unison. "Hello, my new dear friends," waved Billie happily. Feeling like she was walking on air, she flew to her seat in the front row as the other students scrambled to put their beesketballs, Yu-Bee-Go cards, and Game Bees back in their bags.  Billie looked around the classroom, all the other students staring at her, and she merely shook her head and sat down. As Teacher Bess wrote today’s nouns and verbs on the chalkboard, Billie heard  whispers and giggles from the other girls scattered across the room, , but she paid it no heed.

Billie proved right away to be an ideal and well-mannered student. Her curiosity and desire to learn kept her focused on every lesson that Teacher Bess wrote on the chalkboard. Sadly, her classmates were not as kind to her as she was being  to them. Some of the other students were passing notes when the teacher was not looking, but Billie knew it was not her place to say anything or call attention to it.  This was for the best, as each of the notes were scribbled with silly sketches lampooning the new student with word bubbles saying stupid things. Fittingly, though, none of the other kids could actually read the handwriting on them because the time they wasted on silly little pranks like this was time that they could have perfected their Beeligraphy. 

"Children," warned Teacher Bess, "if I catch one of you passing a note, the whole class will lose their snack privileges for a month. Do I make myself clear?" Yes, they got the message, and thankfully Billie was too enthralled with her word searches and activity sheets to realize what was going on.  The bell rang. It was now lunchtime. Billie was excited to see who she would be sitting with and what they packed in their lunches. The students lined up and Teacher Bess kept her stern eye open to discourage any obnoxious pranks and jokes, not just for Billie's sake, but for all of her students. Billie was over the moon to have such a lovely and caring teacher for her first year of elementary school.

As Teacher Bess's class zipped through the hall to the cafeteria, Billie tried to talk to a few of the other kids in line with her, but they pretended like they could not hear her. It did not matter to her at that moment because she saw some of the art projects that other students made on bulletin board. Pastels and chalk; crayon; neon glowing paint; all of it amazed her. She recognized the pattern of Beeligraphy on one of the pieces on display outside the library. "Hey, this is Babs'! Wow!" thought Billie to herself before noticing the line was already fifty feet ahead of her. When they got to the cafeteria, Billie eagerly sought out an empty spot to sit at with the group of girls from the back row of her class, but they placed their backpacks on the benches as she hovered toward them. Undismayed, Billie went to the table of the Yu-Bee-Go players, but it was the same story. They placed their backpacks, trading binders, and deck boxes on the empty spots. That left only one choice, the beelinquents' table, and none of the other students envied Billie for sitting there. Seeing this as only a minor setback, Billie reached into her bag and pulled out her Gladdie Meal that Sir Braxton brought her from the human village on the island outside the hive. That was when the gossip started up again.

"Look at the newbie," psiconned the zit-faced bully, "only a wimp eats human food." His cohort, sipping the nectar out of a Flower-Aid nodded and replied, "And what does she think she is hiding under those clothes? It's obvious that she is a blank slate." These boys were a far cry from clever because they did not know how to disguise their psicon frequencies. Billie heard everything they said, and the whispers from the rest of the cafeteria. If she was given a chance, Billie would have had so much to offer the other kids. She knew how to play the card game, knew secret codes for the Game Bee games that were not common knowledge, and she was always so bubbly with others that she never had a bad thing to say about them and would only want to be friends. Unfortunately, everyone's judgment was already decided. For the ultimate crime of wearing beautiful half-moon silk clothes and having butterfly-like wings, the new kid was now the school outcast.

"It's a kind thought, Boston, but you've seen when humans take that pathway with themselves. I just fear it will only add to her problems" Boston shrugged with a defeated nod, looking at his false wings in the bar mirror, "I know, Belinda. But Billie is a bright child. She will understand. And besides, who apart from us will know?." "Her classmates will." "With SpongeBee Octodrawers, it will be forgotten next month."

Meanwhile, Babs helped Billie into the tub and read her favorite book aloud.

"Babs, I saw one of your drawings earlier. Can you teach me how to paint like that?" "Paint?" parroted Babs. "Mom," psiconned Babs, "did you hear that?" "Yes, your Uncle Boston is already setting it up. Thank you, sweetheart." Babs disconnected her psicon, swooning as she saw a now carefree Billie playing with her foam and floating bath toys. It was a short fix, but a welcome one.

Unknown to Billie, her emotions were linked directly to her mother, Countess Belinda, through a Nevertribe spell cast before she left that morning. 

“Why didn't I see this coming, Boston?" wept Belinda. Boston sipped his Earl Grey tea and sighed, "All children have problems in school, Belinda." "Not like hers, big brother. How could we forget that Northtropolis Elementary had no uniforms? I knew that pulling Billie out of homeschooling was a mistake." 

"Maybe there is something that can remedy this, Belinda," replied Boston. This piqued Belinda's interest and she pleaded with him to tell her. 

"It's a long shot, little sister, but I placed a psi-call to Aizayah's office in the medical tower. He's agreed to give Billie an allergy test. If all goes well, Braxton will contact the Nevertribe's tattooist." Belinda loved Boston for this, but what he was suggesting felt too superficial, helping Billie out for the wrong reasons. The problem was never her body or how it looked. Artificial stripes had crossed Belinda's mind, but it did not feel right to kowtow to Billie's peers. Still, the probative value outweighed any prejudice it would create. Belinda was willing to try it, but she was also hesitant. If there were a sign, it would make all the difference.

Dainty sat down and gave Billie a sheet of construction paper, a bottle of glue, and a few shakers of rainbow glitter. "Here, Billie, if you are going to be sad, it is best to be sad with sparkles on your feelers." Billie turned to Dainty and gave a shy nod. "I-I have a few cinnamon cookies in my backpack, would you like one, Dainty?" This was a litmus test Baxter helped Billie brainstorm the night before, but out of all the Neverbeings in their Neverzone, Dainty was the absolute last individual who could ever fail a friendship test like that. 

"I would love one. You know, Billie, I'm going to be sitting with my mom and sister in here during lunchtime. Would you like to join us?" 

"I don't know," stuttered Billie, "What if Teacher Bess takes attendance or something?" Dainty and Della tittered softly, charmed by Billie's cute query.

Della rubbed Billie's back and said, "Teacher Bess signed off on it already, my dear. Demi and I would love to have you and Dainty sit with us together." That was all Billie needed to hear. When the bell rang after class, both Billie and Dainty pulled out their Gladdie Meals. Success.

The next day, Billie and her classmates attended their first art class, but the art teacher was out sick, at least that was the story the substitute, Della-Kate Mousette  gave. "Welcome to art class, kiddos. I'm Lady Mousette, and we are going to get our feelers dirty with every color under the rainbow! Get out your supplies and my daughter Demuria will pass out the instruction sheets." Over in the back of the room, Della sauntered over to her other daughter, the white-furred Dainty and a crestfallen Billie.

"Hello, Billie. Would you like to do some feeler-painting with my daughter?" Billie did not even realize that there was someone at the table with her. 

"I guess that would be fun," rasped Billie. 

That night at dinner, the entire royal family were gathered in their entirety: the Queen and King, Belinda and Burton, Boston, their brother Ben, and grandmother Birdie, the former queen. Queen Beeatrix and Ben spent the day calling in favors to delay the parliament’s schedule for the next week so they could comfort Billie. Billie was all aglow from her lunch with the Mousette girls, the remainder of the day zipped by a lot smoother than the day before. Belinda and Burton saw Billie's zippy zeal had reawakened, and it lit the dining hall brighter than a lighthouse. That's when Boston stood up and addressed his youngest niece. "Willow, you are going to have a day off from school tomorrow. I've arranged for your cousin, Dr. Brainard, to give you a consultation at the Medical Tower." "What for, Uncle Boston?" asked Billie. "He will perform an allergy test to see if you can be marked with permanent pigments."

"Pig mints?" asked Billie in confusion. Berna, two chairs down, was enchanted by her baby cousin's cuteness, "No, Billie, pigments are a term for color, like paint or ink." "Exactly, Berna my dear," replied Boston. When dessert came, Billie was too excited to sit in her high chair. With Belinda's blessing she raced upstairs to her room to eat it on her Bee-Eye Joe video orb tray.

When she got up to her room, Billie’s nose began to tickle with a repeated pulse; this meant that her new friend Dainty was calling! With a snap of her feelers, an orb of magical energy popped in and hovered at eye level with Billie. With a touch of the sphere, Dainty’s image appeared on the orb. “Billie, I have a few friends over that wanted to say hi.” Billie's first instinct would be to recoil away, but her time with Dainty earlier in the day dispelled her fears. "Who are they, Dainty?" 

"My name is Cello Hopper," said the green arthropod girl. "And I'm Juniper Squirrel, Dainty's cousin." The tenderness these three girls projected from their eyes alone was as warm as a hug from her cousins the Bee Princesses; like how a pocketful of smaller Nevercoins merges into a Mizzeran Nevercoin. Cello stepped closer to the camera and surveyed the young viscountess, only for Billie to tremble. "Billie, what's the matter?" asked Dainty.

"I'm sorry, Dainty. Your friend's stare is the same one that my classmates met me with that first day." Cello was a Neverscapian grasshopper whose species had mouthless faces, just like the Neverhivians', so it was bitterly ironic that Billie could not decipher the true intent of Cello's stare.

"I am sorry, Billie," chirped Cello, "but I couldn't help it. You are like one of my Aunt Dextra's masterpieces." "That's not something my classmates would say, Cello." Juniper gruffly shook her head and huffed, "Well, if you ask me, Doll-eyes, those other classmates of yours either have no taste or no appreciation for the sun." "The sun?" asked Billie.

"Sure," reassured Juniper, "what Dainty and Demi described you as made me think of the sun, the symbol of Ra, the source of Kryptonian superpower. You ask me, I think those dunces are jealous that their fur is want of an Egyptian Fort Knoxian sheen like yours. You are a full sky with those blue eyes, and we're here to tell you that you are as beautiful, if not more." Billie's eyes shimmered from the burn of tears. When she came home from school that first day, Berna, Bailey, Babs and Baxter each tried their hardest to comfort their baby sister, effortlessly showering her with their genuine affection. Billie adored them for that, but like how soda does not hydrate the cells of a flower, Billie needed kindness from kids her own age. And right there in front of her were three djinns each with a wish at the ready to grant; though there was nothing else Billie could want apart from going to their school instead of Northtropolis Elementary.

Cello felt the weightiness of Billie's desire to be close with them apart from Skyping via video orb. "Billie," she chirped, "I promise you that our friendship does not end when the call ends. In fact, my mother wanted me to tell you that my Aunt Dextra wants to make you a gift.

"What sort of a gift?" asked Billie. Before Cello could answer, Belinda came in with three helpings of different desserts on the same plate.

"That is so kind of her, Celesta, dear," swooned Belinda. Billie did not understand, "What is everyone talking about?" Juniper zipped offscreen to get her blue vest, and reappeared with it affixed to her petite frame. 

The orb's light burned brighter from the radiance of the blue of Junie's vest.

"Wait," uttered Billie, breathless , "you don't mean to say that Lady Dextra is offering to make me something from Blue Moon Silk, do you?" 

"That's exactly what she means," smiled Dainty. "Billie, you enjoy your dessert, and we'll see you tomorrow." "I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow," replied Billie. "Then we'll see you when we see you. Kisses" the orb's transmission cut off as the three friends waved goodbye. 

"Mommy, did you hear that? Cello's aunt wants to make a special garment for me." "Yes, I did, sweetheart. Now you just rest up and eat your dessert. I will be in later to tuck you in." Billie's eyes changed shape from unbridled happiness to uncertain dread. "Billie? What's wrong, dear?"

"I'm nervous about tomorrow. What if this doctor cannot help me?" Belinda sighed and sent a psicon to Cousin Bebe to join them.

"Billie," Bebe tenderly buzzed, "this will be your first time meeting my father, isn't it?" Billie nodded. The palace pediatrician treated the children for all their medical needs, but everything Billie read about this doctor cousin was that he practiced advanced medicines that extend beyond Neverhivian society. "Is... Is your father nice, Aunt Bebe?" Bebe tenderly nuzzled Billie's chin and replied, "Any answer I give is biased, sweetie, but yes. he is."

The next morning, Belinda took Billie to the medical tower after personally cooking Billie a special breakfast, thankful that her nephew's tests did not require Billie to fast. For Billie's own sense of understanding, the family referred to Dr. Brainard as uncle because even though Belinda was the doctor's aunt, he was old enough to be her own father. 

Billie was so nervous, her tummy burned right through her breakfast right after arriving at the office. Because the medical tower had no children's wing, Baxter filled Billie's book bag with some of his favorite earth-import magazines from the Nevertribe PX: MAD, DZ Adventures, DC Comics, and Marvel. Billie thumbed through the worn and well-read magazines, trying her hardest to tune out the ticking of the clock in the ghost-town quiet waiting room. After she got halfway through her brother's stack of magazines and comic books, Billie was about to reach for one of the medical journals on the table next to her when Dr. Brainard came in. "Aunt Belinda, my nurse will take you to the exam room and take Billie's vitals. I'll be in shortly." Billie could not feel the emotions of this tall and bearded Neverbeing, but when he smiled and gently mussed her hair, she finally felt safe in this cold office.

Belinda filled out the questionnaire as the nurse took Billie's blood pressure and temperature. "You know something, Willow, I did not need to look at your chart to know that you were Queen Beeatrix's niece." "You didn't?" "Of course not. You are so lovely and beautiful, you could star in your own fairy tale or even wear the crown yourself someday." The nurse was sincere, and Belinda could see it, but Billie felt like she was just overextending her bedside manner. It was meant to make Billie feel like a million gold bits, but it was like Teacher Bess giving Billie a pumpkin sticker on a test she aced. 

"Billie, honey," comforted Belinda as she brought her in for a hug. Brainard came in with another physician and a different nurse.

"Willow, I have to warn you that this might hurt a little, but Nurse Bobbie will be as gentle as possible." The needle hurt Billie, but she was too depressed to react to it. The other doctor took the blood samples down to the lab down the hall. "Belinda, this may take a few hours. You and Willow can go down to the commissary or the movie room on the fifth-floor mezzanine. I'll psicon you when we get the results." Billie did not budge. She did not want to be in anymore unfamiliar surroundings. "Uncle Brainard, would it be okay if we stay here or in the waiting room?" Brainard looked over at the picture of his daughter and overcome by emotion, he gently nodded. "Absolutely, Willow. There is a vending machine down the hall if you want anything." 

A few hours passed, and Belinda cradled a sleeping Billie in her lap. From her perspective, Billie was as perfect as she could be. All of her children were special, and it had nothing to do with their stripes. Baxter lending his favorite magazines and Babs comforting Billie with a bath, those were not the actions of siblings who only felt pity for her. The truth was that Billie only saw herself in the mirror, while her family saw her every minute of every day, and they could not put into words what Billie meant to them. Just then, Brainard called them back to the exam room.

"Okay, I went over the results and asked for additional screenings. Willow, I never wanted to get your hopes up because I had a feeling this would be a possibility." "What do you mean, Uncle Brainard?" Brainard reached into the cabinet for a cherry lollipop as he searched for the right answer. "In the hive's past, the way stripelessness was treated was to run a genetic scan and generate a unique set of stripes that the humans would apply with special tattoo inks." "But?" Billie's one word, three simple letters like books on a shelf, yet it was like the detonation of a bomb. "Willow, our whole family line has a history of anaphylactic reactions to all dyes and tattoo inks." Boston and Barainard had discussed the possibility the night before and prayed to the Zetalords that Billie might somehow be immune. Brainard spent hours agonizing over the findings himself. How he still managed to appear calm was beyond his understanding., but his heart shattered to pieces when Billie cried into her mother's shoulder. "Willow, I am so sorry." "I understand, Uncle Brainard," sobbed Billie. Brainard had no idea what he could say to comfort her. Boston's artificial wings and stinger, Berna's special girth; Billie's strapless torso; for all the strides that medical science achieved, there was still nothing that could cure a patient's negative self-image. "Willow, being stripeless does not mean that you are defective. You are unique. Precious." Billie did not believe the nurse before, but she took comfort in Brainard's words. Belinda took the cellophane off the lollipop and offered it to Billie. She accepted. 

The next day at school was a little lighter for Billie when Teacher Bess said that they were scheduled for art class after lunch, but with Bess's blessing, Billie went straight to the art room with Dainty as her escort. "Billie, our friends are so excited to meet you in person, I have to give them the Vulcan nerve pinch just to get them through their lovesickness." Billie tittered, "You can do that with mouse paws?" "No, but I need to learn. Seriously, Cello and my cousin are so in like with you, it's almost like another pair we know." "We?" Dainty did not answer, she just opened the door to the art room. There, right at the front of the classroom, Demuria was kissing her special someone, and it was none other than Billie's big brother.  Billie looked on in shock.“Bax?” “Hey, honeydrop. I wanted to wait to tell you this, but Demi thought you were ready to know." 

"Know what, Baxie?" asked Billie. Demuria lifted Billie into her velvety fur and placed her on her lap. "Your brother and I -- we've been in love since we were your age. We exchanged engagement rings last month, and you know what that makes us?" Billie's eyes widened. Her heart skipped. She looked from Demuria to Baxter and back again.

"You mean... you will be my sister someday?" Demuria's smile grew tearful, "Oh, Billie, you little heartbreaker, as far as this family is concerned, you are an honorary Mousette. After everything you are going through, Dainty and I are your sisters as of today." It was more than what Billie ever dared to dream, but her friendships with Dainty, Cello, and Junie; and now Demuria and Della-Kate each wanting Billie to be family, her stripes felt less important than before, far less.

"Demuria," uttered Billie, under the spell of her new sister's charm, "you would want me as a sister?" 

"Yes. And you will find that there are many others outside of the Neverhive who would give their right and left arms to be your family." The evidence was right there all around Billie. Della brought out two Gladdie meals for Dainty and Billie, beaming at her with the same warmth as Belinda and Beeatrix. Baxter reminded Billie that Babs was going to take her to see Lady Dextra later that night. There was an unusually bright shimmer in their auras when they heard Dextra's name. If Cello was any indication, her aunt was a charmer and eager to meet Billie. For the rest of the day, Billie's excitement fought for her focus, but thankfully Billie was naturally adept at note-taking.