Flora 717

Flora 717 comes from the lowliest of the sister kin, a flowerless group, tasked with the lowest job in the hive -- sanitation. What is more, Floras usually cannot speak, are small, and have no sense of smell. Flora 717, while born into this caste of sorts, is exceptional. In a world where bees are given numbers and there is no emphasis on the individual, Flora has many gifts: she is large and fast, has a knack for flying, can read scents and codes, can make Flow and wax, and can speak. Her gifts benefit her for the early part of the narrative, until she distinguishes herself so much that she gains the wrong kind of attention.

In addition to her physical gifts, Flora also displays strength of character. She is devoted to her Queen and her kin. She is willing to stop what she is doing to help a...