Disposable

Seating on the floor and resting her head against the bed, Lady Spiral desperately cried, her sobs echoing softly through the room. The Queen appeared in the doorway, her presence filling the space. “Oh honey, don’t cry. Mama is here for you,” she cooed, kneeling beside Spiral. She stroked her hair gently, fingers threading through the strands in a soothing rhythm, but nothing could stem Spiral’s grief. Her sobs continued, unrelenting.

Moments passed before the Queen spoke again, her voice a mix of sweetness and indifference. “You know, princes come and go. When you are Queen, you’ll meet hundreds of them in a single year.”

Spiral froze, her breath catching in her throat. She blinked, stunned, as the words sank in. “How do you know…?” she whispered, barely able to speak through the shock. Her voice trembled. “Y-You… sent me away…” Slowly, she pushed herself away from the Queen, stumbling as she stood, her body trembling in disbelief.

The Queen’s gaze hardened. What had once been tender now twisted into something colder, more calculating. Her lips thinned, eyes narrowing with a flicker of disgust. She could sense the challenge—one she had dreaded, but now knew was inevitable.

“You know, honey,” the Queen’s tone was sharp, dismissive, “I actually did you a favor. They die so easily, it’s best not to get too attached. They’re… disposable.”

Spiral froze. Disposable. The word echoed, hollow and damning. Her breath hitched, chest tightening as heat surged beneath her skin.

Her eyes widened, then narrowed, pupils shrinking to slits. Her jaw clenched, a sharp twitch in her cheek betraying the storm brewing inside. Fingers trembled, then curled into fists, nails biting into her palms.

A crackle split the air. Sparks danced at her fingertips. Her breaths grew shallow, trembling—not with shock, but with rage.

“Disposable?” Spiral’s voice cracked. Her aura flared around her, emitting sparks of electricity, wild and dark. Wings emerged from her back as she levitated. The room began to shift, reality itself warping under the weight of her power. Furniture and decorations rattled, shifting and bending as though the very space was bending to her will. Winds whipped through the chamber as shadows deepened, and the air crackled with the ominous charge of purple lightning. A bolt nearly struck the Queen, but she stood unmoved, unflinching.

Before Spiral’s fury could fully erupt, the Queen raised her hand. With a simple gesture, she absorbed all the chaotic energy swirling in the room into herself. The storm died in an instant, leaving Spiral drained and hollow, her body crumbling to the floor like a rag doll. Her eyes now stared blankly ahead. The room settled back into stillness, though it remained a mess—furniture scattered, decorations askew, and the lingering aftermath of the storm evident in the disarray.

The Queen moved swiftly, appearing before Spiral in a blink, her hand gripping Spiral’s neck and slamming her against the wall. She lifted her effortlessly, holding her in place as Spiral’s feet dangled off the ground.

“Listen, honey,” the Queen hissed, her voice dripping with venom. “This is my Hive. Your little adventure could have destabilized everything. This is a game, and right now, it’s in our favor. Play by the rules, and you can enjoy the privileges. Step out of line, and you’ll lose everything.” She paused, her eyes narrowing further. “I am sparing you. You should be grateful no one else discovered your involvement.”

With that, she released Spiral, dropping her unceremoniously to the floor. Spiral crumpled, shattered within, her mind barely clinging to consciousness as the Queen turned and left her there, discarded like the “disposable” lives she had spoken of. The workers, having sensed the disturbance, watched in silence, but none dared to act. As the Queen hastily passed through them, her head down and one hand over her forehead, as though nursing a headache, she barked an order. “Clean up this mess!”