The Hive: A Young Adult Dystopian Romance (The Enigma Trilogy Book 1)

by S. K Munt

  ‘You couldn’t have warned me that you were going to do that to him?’ Reeve snapped, whirling back to face her again. He kept walking backwards though, like he couldn’t get away fast enough, and seeing him glower at her like that- like she was the one with the stone heart now- made her heart twist. ‘Do you have any idea how proud I was, for having brought you together? Then for thinking I’d helped mend the rift?’ He scowled at her. ‘I sat there and watched him read it you know, grinning like he was gonna high five me! But the next thing I knew, he was weeping. Weeping, Finn!’

  Finn sucked in a breath and took off after Reeve, already aware that the blinds in Maya’s little port window were widening, like her younger neighbour was peeking through and watching.

  Oh great! Finn thought, remembering the way she’d heard Maya screaming in the middle of the night, the evening before. Now two of us can have nightmares about how much being a teenager can SUCK from hereon out!

  ‘I’m sorry!’ Finn hissed, rushing barefoot after Reeve, who was still facing her, but looking at her with so much scorn that she could barely catch her breath to form the words: ‘I didn’t think it through!’

  Reeve came to an abrupt halt, looking shocked as she shoved the sleeves of his bright white hoody up his tanned and lightly freckled arms. He was wearing crisp white denim shorts and a sage green tee with the hoody, which made him look like he belonged on an equally white and gleaming yacht, not on a barge, and definitely not in a trailer park- nice or not. ‘Wait… so you do want to make it work? You haven’t even read the-’

  ‘No,’ she panted, ‘I meant what I said in my letter-’ but Reeve scowled, pivoted and then immediately stormed off again, forcing her to follow him, rolling her eyes as she did because boy, was this kid dramatic! ‘But I didn’t warn you about it because I didn’t want it to be your burden to bear!’

  ‘Whatever…’ Reeve said, not looking back. ‘Either way, everyone’s really upset so congrats Finn- you’ve evolved from being the one that everybody hurts, to the one who hurts everyone!’

  Finn pulled up, feeling every bit as rattled as her stairs probably did, as a result of having Reeve stomp all over her emotions. She looked down at the letter, sniffling when she saw how messily Bailey had scrawled her name that time. God… she quickly opened the letter, feeling ill. How hurt is he? And how angry is Paige?

  Finn,

  I don’t know what to say: I’m heartbroken. Completely and utterly devastated. I want to come see you, to see if I can fix things, but I’m still needed here to help the family this weekend, which means I can’t get away. Reeve, hero that he is, says he’s gonna bring this straight to you and try to reason with you but I…

  Finn groaned and lowered the letter before she even finished it. Seconds ago she’d been prepared to let Reeve huff off, but something about the way Bailey had praised Reeve for being his big hero had rubbed her the wrong way, so before she knew it, she was stalking after Reeve again, knowing that this wouldn’t be the last time Bailey’d lose a girlfriend he might have been able to hold onto, if she didn’t say what need to be said to his incompetent ‘wingman’ first!

  Reeve had moved fast on his long legs though, and was already stalking up the gangplank of the barge by the time that Finn had gotten to the dock. She hesitated, clinging to a pylon when she saw that Reeve was wiping tears from his own face before adjusting his white hat lower on his forehead, because seeing him so upset made Finn wonder if she ought to just hold her tongue. But then she remembered the way he had kissed the top of her head the day before, as tenderly as though she were precious to him, and that was all it took to get her eyes overflowing with hot tears of her own.

  ‘You’ve got some nerve, for saying what you just said to me!’ she bellowed, once the gangplank had been retracted and closed between them like a barrier. He looked up at her and glared when he saw she was shaking Bailey’s letter. ‘I’ve cause Bailey pain? Ha! You’re a thorn in his side, and probably always will be, until you wake up to yourself!’

  Reeve stepped closer to the stern of the boat. ‘Because I fixed him up with someone as wishy-washy as you are? Believe me- I’m aware of that! And don’t worry, it’s the last time I’ll be fixing him up with anyone without getting to know her better first!’

  ‘Solid plan!’ Finn released the pylon and clapped her hands slowly and joylessly. ‘Because that’s what he needs- you fighting more of his battles, and making him look weaker in comparison! You spending more time with the girls he wants to like him and meddling in his affairs when what you need to be doing is staying out of them!’

  Reeve scowled at her, but the boat was beginning to pull away from the dock and it had an engine, so it made a lot of chugging sounds as it stirred up white water, meaning that he had to lean over in order to be heard as he yelled: ‘It’s not meddling if I’m asked to help! And don’t even try to pin any of this on me when it’s pretty clear to us all of us- except maybe Bailey- that you’ve already met someone else, right? Like that prince everyone was going on about the other night? Or maybe it’s that Lance dude with the abs-’

  ‘Argh! You son-of-a…. you know what?’ Finn gulped hard, stepping to the very edge of the dock as she cupped her mouth and yelled: ‘You’re right Reeve- there is someone else!’ She paused there, revelling in the cathartic drama of it all as his eyebrows vanished up under the brim of his hat. ‘In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve fallen madly in love with someone since the night Bailey and I met!’ Reeve’s face went so red it was practically purple and he opened his mouth like he was going to call her every name under the sun, but before he could say another word she threw down Bailey’s letter and yelled: ‘But it’s you, you idiot! You with your flirting! You with your charm! You with your wonderful letters…’ another sob escaped her throat as she threw up her arms and concluded: ‘You cost him his girl Reeve, so keep that in mind next time you make his love life your business okay? Because when you were around, you were all I could see!’

  ‘What?!’ Reeve literally clutched at the life preserver on the back of the boat, which would have made Finn laugh it hadn’t been so tragic! ‘Are you fucking with me?’

  ‘I wish I was!’ Finn choked out, as she began to turn away, feeling the hot tears sliding down her cheeks in rivulets now. ‘Maybe then it wouldn’t hurt so much!’

  ‘W-wait! Finn! Wait!’ Finn hesitated and looked back, in time to see Reeve waving his arms through her veil of tears. ‘Don’t leave!’

  Why not? Finn thought, as she shook her head and forced herself to turn away. What’s Mr Fix-It going to do now? Assure me that I’m not the only hapless idiot that’s fallen under his spell, and guarantee that I’ll grow feelings for Bailey eventually? Ha!

  ‘Wait! Stop!’ Reeve’s voice was hoarse. ‘Finn- I love you too!’

  Reeve’s words hit her so hard it was like a tsunami had slammed into the dock, practically knocking her off her feet just as the shockwave had the night of the Strike. But she knew there was no way anyone could have talked to her the way he just had and still have meant a tender word after, so she sobbed and quickened her pace, letting the earth shift carry her away from him this time, so she wouldn’t be tempted to stumble his way and into the water instead.

  ‘Oh sure!’ she croaked, thinking of all the cruel things he’d said, that had been the cruellest. ‘Just save it Hayes! You’re already sailing back to your-’

  ‘Oh no I’m not!’ Reeve bellowed and then there was a massive splash, and Finn spun around, hands going up to her mouth when she saw that Reeve had hurled himself directly into the water, and was now paddling frantically back towards the shore. Towards her.

  Holy crap! was the only thought she had. Maybe Amory should have built a nuthouse after all- for all of us!

  ‘I mean it, Monroe! Don’t you take another step away from me!’ Reeve spat out water as he stroked for the edge of the dock, with his hat in one hand now. ‘Not if you meant any of what you just said…!’

  Finn didn’t know what to
make of that turn of events, (and judging by the number of passengers that had rushed to the back of the barge to see what was going on, no one else did either) but she couldn’t move at all, so she merely stood there, clasping her mouth dumbfounded as a soaking wet, ginger head emerged on the other side of the dock and then began to haul himself up over the edge.

  If this is a sick joke, I’m gonna kill him and feed him to the Outcasts! Finn’s hands lowered a little bit more, as did her guard. But if he’s for real… her heart thumped forcefully, like a Strike-struck engine turning over for the first time in years.

  ‘Please tell me you’re not kidding? That you just didn’t say that to make me feel guilty?’ Reeve spluttered, looking wild-eyed but excited as he rolled, soaking wet, onto the edge of the dock. ‘Because I’m not joking, okay? And I know I’m probably going to lose my best friend over this…’ water rained out of his close as freely as her tears were falling over him as he pushed up to his feet. ‘But I’ve been crazy about you from the first moment we met- and I can’t keep pretending otherwise anymore- not if you like me too!’

  ‘You’ve liked me since the Strike?’ Finn whispered in disbelief, lowering her bladed hands enough to cup her poor heart.

  ‘No- since before then! Back when we were kids!’ Reeve shot forward and grasped her elbows, holding his hat pinched between his fingers as her jaw dropped. ‘Don’t you get it? I didn’t go out there for the meteor shower that night Finn- I saw my chance to be alone with you and I raced for it! Didn’t you notice I got out there like, seconds after you did? It was because I’d been watching you all night, trying to think of something to say to you, to break the ice! I would have done it sooner, and almost approached you at one point to ask if you wanted to go swimming, but then you went and sat by Hadley and-’ he threw up his hands. ‘I chickened out, you see?’

  Finn’s heart seized. ‘Now I know you’re messing with me!’

  ‘Nope! It’s true!’ Reeve shook her elbows gently, looking more like an excited puppy than a feral fox now. ‘That’s why I couldn’t tell you what my type was- because it’s you and always has been! And if you want to come back to my place right now, I can even show you all the places I’ve scratched our initials into hearts all over Tower-Hill over the years as proof of that!’

  Astonished, Finn lifted her hands to shield her mouth again. ‘But you told Bailey the only desirable Hive girl had a boyfriend-’

  ‘I meant you, dumb-ass! You had a boyfriend!’ Reeve shook his head, spraying water everywhere while Finn gaped at him, wondering if he knew how removed she was from being a ‘Hive’ girl, even now. ‘Geez… you know, everyone always gives me a hard time about always blurting out the first thing that comes to my mind! But I tell you- I’ve never worked so hard in my life to choose my words as carefully as I have over these last few weeks, and I’m not sure if I’m relieved that I fooled you or disappointed, because I thought you were smarter than that!’ He inched a little closer to her, so he was dripping onto her feet and stunning her with how incredible he looked wet. ‘But not only were you my first crush, Finn, but you’ve been my only crush, over and over again, because every time we met, I fell for you in a new way!’ He swallowed hard. ‘Do you have any idea how many times I begged my mother to let me go to the Pen school so I could see you as often as Paige did? Not just since the Strike either- but since I was like, eight!’

  ‘Eight?!’ Finn repeated. ‘Who has serious crushes at eight?’

  ‘Me!’ Reeve flushed and shrugged. ‘Thanks to you.’

  Finn felt the world around them begin to spin, like the atmosphere was pressurising them, inching them closer and closer together. ‘That’s why you were offended that I didn’t remember you?’

  ‘I was crushed,’ Reeve swallowed hard and jogged her elbows gently. They were wet but warm, and his grasp on her was solid- like he never intended on letting go now. ‘Then you made fun of me for being young and bratty, and I knew I’d just embarrass myself by trying to make a move on you then… so I didn’t. But I’ve thought about you every day of my life since then anyway, and only went to that Gala because I was hoping to see you there!’

  ‘No,’ Finn breathed, certain she was going to pass out.

  ‘Yes!’ He nodded his head, spraying water everywhere. ‘I begged Paige to find you and bring you to me for a reunion, but then I saw you dancing and…’ his voice trailed off and he leaned in, so that his forehead rested against hers. ‘God, I didn’t want you to come to me anymore. I just wanted to stand there and watch you.’

  ‘Ohmigod…’ Finn lowered her hands to clasp his elbows back, while her heart began to hammer against her ribcage, like it was trying to get to his. ‘Does Paige know?’

  ‘No. I sometimes suspected that she did, like on Monday at her place, when she took me aside to warn me that I probably needed to back off for a while to give you and Bailey the chance to get to know one another better…’ he winced. ‘But because we only ever crossed paths a couple of times while I was so young, it probably never occurred to anyone to think that you’d made the lasting impression on me that you had, you know? But you had Finn- I thought about you all the time; that fun, sweet, spunky, pretty blonde, who was always up for anything but like, always just out of my reach age-wise, distance-wise and then…’ his face clouded before he dropped his face in his hands. ‘Shit. Bailey’s gonna kill me, isn’t he?’

  Finn swallowed hard. ‘I- I don’t know,’ she stammered. ‘I guess it depends on what we do next… yeah?’

  Reeve looked up at her sharply, his green eyes smouldering with desire, suspicion and just a hint of that jealousy again. ‘Is there any doubt in your mind, as to what we’re going to do next?’ He ran his fingers back through his hair then delicately braced her jaw in his fingertips. ‘As to what you want to do, with the way we feel?’

  Finn trembled, but shook her head. ‘No,’ she whispered, surprising even herself, because as hard as she knew her very soul had wished for this moment, she’d never actually entertained the idea of being with Reeve in any real way, and was a bit shocked to realise the strength of her feelings for him, because they were already dwarfing her desire to be a good person that took the high road by running away. ‘I’m scared that someone’s gonna get hurt-’ she bit her lip, imagining Bailey retreating back into a dark corner, and Paige dismantling her limb by limb, ‘terrified, actually. And I hate the idea of being that slut that comes between two friends that are as tight as you two are...’ tears pooled in her eyes again as she reached up and tentatively touched his face, mind blown to think that there was a chance that he could be hers. ‘But not as scared as I am at the idea of letting you go now that I know it’s actually possible to keep you!’

  Reeve sighed as his golden-tipped lashes fluttered shut. ‘Thank god.’ Then he turned his face to gently kiss the edge of her pinkie finger, and Finn’s breathing hitched, as a crackle of electricity sparked at the point of contact again. ‘Because I don’t know what I’d do, if I didn’t get to keep you now either!’

  What if true love isn’t just a concept they made up to get us buying books and movie tickets? Finn marvelled at the intensity in his gaze, which were sparkling the way her heart was. What if that joy I felt when I saw him the other night, and the ease I felt in his company at the quarry that time, and the way he says he’s always felt about me based on equally fleeting moments, is proof that there’s something real between us that can’t just be chalked up to hormones? I mean, I don’t want to cause Bailey or Paige pain, but I don’t know if I can go back to living a life that doesn’t have him in it either! Or even if I should, if we both feel THIS intensely about one another!

  ‘I don’t understand though…’ Finn swallowed hard. ‘If you liked me so much, why did you set me up with Bailey? And why did you bring a date to a place where you’d hoped to see me?’

  Reeve’s face contorted, but he laced his fingers through both of her hands and when she felt that he was trembling again, she felt a similar shiver race
through her. ‘Mostly because it all just happened so fast. I mean, I didn’t even know that Telle and I were on a date, until Hadley made a joke about it being our first date on the way over, which was news to me because I thought we were all just going as a group, you know? Then, after I saw you, I was standing there wondering how I was going to approach you now, when Bailey came over and started going on about how you were the girl of his dreams.’ His expression became pinched. ‘Truth be told, I had two instincts then: one was to throw him over the balcony and make it look like an accident…’ he chuckled so Finn would know he was joking, ‘and the other was well, to want to do whatever it took to keep him looking so bloody buoyant for once, you know?’ He sighed. ‘I said I’d introduce you, but I didn’t say I’d fix you up, and was just gonna wait to see if you went all gaga over him the way the Hive girls once had, or if maybe you’d be more excited to see me. It looked like you actually were too- excited to see me, that is- and I thought: ‘Yes! She’s smiling and hugging me back…! I might actually have a shot here, if I man-up… !’ He sighed. ‘I was even about to spin this cute line I’d worked on! But then Paige opened her big mouth about Telle and then Bailey came out of nowhere with this like, freak wave of self-confidence and the next thing I knew, I was just along for the ride, you know? And there wasn’t a single way to get you and I off it alone without making myself look like an asshole, or without blowing my chance to spend a whole weekend with you.’ He lowered his gaze. ‘I considered fessing up all weekend, not just to you, but to Bailey too- especially after it became clear to me that I literally could not keep my hands off of you, and every time he raved about how amazing you were, I pondered just saying: ‘I know okay? In fact… know how you’re always asking me why I’ve never chased another girl before or kissed one? Well SHE’S the reason-’