It should have hurt more. I knew that, and I knew the pollen was still at work on my mind, changing me, preparing me for the world that was to come. The world after Earth, when the garden of my childhood would seem like little more than a dream that I had been fortunate enough to wake from when I moved on to the ever-changing stars.

Mandy looked at Tahlia with real hatred in her eyes, and I realized I wasn’t the only one thinking about the difference between how Lucas had been treated and how Tahlia had been healed. My human friends were prisoners of war, useful only because I cared for them, and I wondered how many versions of this scene were playing out on ships hovering high above the world, how many alien seeds had sprouted into people just like me who had humans they cared about and were trying to defend from the invasion they had spent their lives predicting.

We stood in a green and growing world, surrounded by the absolute vacuum of space, and I don’t think I had ever felt more alone, or more isolated.

“You’re looking well,” said Toni. She walked carelessly over to plop down on the root next to Tahlia, poking the other woman in the shoulder with one finger. “No more holes. Got any of that magic goo for us monkeys?”

“Show some respect,” snapped Jeff.

“Or not,” said Toni. “Me and Tahlia have an understanding, don’t we?”

“Hard not to, after you performed emergency medical care on me in a motel,” said Tahlia mildly. “Leave her alone, Jeff. She’s not hurting anything.”

“This is our place,” said Jeff. “Not hers.”

“Well, it’s our planet, not yours, but that’s not stopping you from being assholes,” said Mandy.

“Peace. Everyone, peace.” Tahlia looked to me. “What’s happening?”

“The invasion is happening,” I said. “They’re going to send us back to Earth. They have a scout ship ready to take us there. Do you want to come?”

“Yes,” said Jeff.

“No,” said Tahlia. When I blinked, she smiled and said, “There’s nothing there for me anymore. No friends, no family, and they’ll need someone to help them begin establishing the seed forests here. I understand trees. I know what they need to survive. I’ll stay, and I’ll make sure they gather the correct things to make a thriving ecosystem, and when they start bringing in the botanists and forestry experts from other parts of the world, I’ll already have established myself as the person to listen to. That’s all I want. Earth has made it very clear that it’s done with me, so I choose to be done with Earth, and stay where I’m needed.”

“Are you sure?” asked Jeff, his usual shell of anger and defiance cracking enough to let the scared, lonely person he was shine through. We wanted to connect so badly. We were so afraid of letting go. “We could protect you.”

“No,” said Tahlia. “You couldn’t.”