The tendril that had been covering my mouth and nose withdrew, taking the taste of alien pollen with it. The strange berry flavor still lingered on the back of my tongue. I tried to step forward, away from the pit, and wobbled as my legs refused to fully obey my commands. I began to fall. Jeff grabbed for me, only to collapse in turn, unable to keep his balance any better than I could.

This is it, I thought. We’re going to fall back into the pit, and this time, nothing’s going to catch us. This is it.

Someone grabbed my arm before I could hit the ground. I raised my eyes to the familiar face of Tahlia, beaming at me, as radiant as a woman who had just seen evidence of the divine. I glanced to the side. The senator was holding Jeff, smiling just as broadly. I had never seen either of them look so happy. It was unnerving.

“We need to move away from the pit,” I said.

“Why?” The senator’s expression turned mulish. He cast another glance at the depths, covetous this time, before turning to me. “What did you see that you don’t want to share?”

“Gravity,” I said. “Falling sucks. And I think you’re going to see plenty in a minute.”

As if in answer, the ground under our feet gave a lurch, small rocks and bits of gravel beginning to shake and dance. The sand was still soft with spilled blood; it slid, threatening to take us with it down into the depths. I pulled against Tahlia’s hands, and was relieved when she came with me, moving away from the edge.

The Swift and Second—and even First, strange and terrifying as she had been—had been kind. They had answered our questions, mine about what we were and how we’d gotten here, Jeff’s about how the ships worked and how our people could cross the gulf of space. They had been excited for the harvest, and about the potential of this planet. But us?

They hadn’t been excited about us as individuals. We were sprouts from the same seeds, and while they might delight in the idea of new brothers and sisters, they weren’t here for us. We were a bonus. If we fell into the hole and died, they weren’t going to mourn longer than it took to find someone else to act as their guides to this bright new garden.