Tamia stood just outside the yellow police tape as the first signs of daylight crept across the sky. She stared at the tagged stakes marking where the body had landed two nights before, an area now covered by a mottled carpet of brown and yellow leaves. The forest landscape changed almost daily as fall approached, with different varieties of leaves dropping off to expose the crooked, winding branches behind them.

Two nights ago, in the rain and darkness, the troopers had come. The ambulance had arrived, lights flashing. Radios barked out garbled commands while paramedics bent down around the body. More cars and trucks had rolled in, bringing investigators wearing plastic gloves. She’d felt like she was on a movie set, watching an army of actors swarm around her. Suddenly, she’d found herself inside Dr. Block’s bungalow, a change of dry clothes being pressed into her hands. Then, just as suddenly, holding a mug of tea, answering questions while an officer scratched out notes: “I heard a noise and went outside . . .”

“Tamia.”

She snapped back to the present and looked at Dr. Block.

“Are you okay?” asked the older woman.

Tamia took a deep breath and nodded. “I’m sorry I didn’t stay out here with you the past couple of nights.”

Dr. Block waved away her apology. “I didn’t sleep here either, thanks to my neighbors.”

“Have you heard anything else from the troopers?” The investigators had already told them about the scorch marks on the tree, as well as the lighter and accelerant found near the body. They would just have to check fingerprints to make the case. The troopers suspected that he had been involved in the recent spate of fires in the area. But they didn’t have a motive yet, and they still couldn’t say with certainty if he’d been acting alone.

Dr. Block shook her head. “No, nothing new. All they’re saying is to keep my eyes open and report anything suspicious. But then, you reported something pretty damn suspicious and they didn’t want to hear it, did they?”

“Can you blame them?” Tamia didn’t want to believe it herself. She knew she sounded like a crazy person, describing what she’d seen the tree do to that man. The officer had asked her a bunch of questions and told her he wanted to talk to her again later—presumably when she wasn’t still in shock and babbling nonsense.

“And when you talk to them again,” asked Dr. Block, “what will you say?”

“What do you mean?”

“Will you tell them the truth?”

“All I can say is what I saw,” said Tamia.

“Good. They’ll try to tell you that you were just seeing things, you know, that the victim simply fell out of that tree, and what you saw—what you thought you saw—was just a trick of the light. They won’t be able to explain why the hell anyone would climb up a tree in the middle of a thunderstorm, but that won’t stop them from saying that’s what happened. And the truth is—” Dr. Block stopped, glancing over to the crime scene. “Come with me.”

She led Tamia inside the bungalow and closed the door. “The truth is,” said Dr. Block, “the trees are mutating. They’re watching and listening, and their capabilities are changing much more rapidly than I ever thought possible. Their language abilities are growing more sophisticated, and now they’ve learned to physically defend themselves.”

“Dr. Block, someone just tried to set fire to your house in the middle of the night. Shouldn’t we be glad the tree kept that from happening? I mean, who’s the bigger threat here?”

“Ah, but was it defending us, or itself?” Dr. Block asked. “The tree had the burn marks, not the house.”

“What does it matter? Everything would have gone up in flames if it hadn’t acted.”

“Yes, but we can’t make the mistake of thinking it’s on our side just because its actions benefitted us.”

Tamia blinked. The trees knew her and Dr. Block. Why wouldn’t they be on their side?

“We have to look at this objectively,” cautioned Dr. Block. “It may appear they think like us, because we’ve given them a tool to communicate with us. But they’re not human. We can’t assume they have the same instincts or reasoning we do.”

Tamia detected an unfamiliar edge to the scientist’s voice. “Dr. Block, do you want to, maybe, come up to Seattle for a couple of days? Get some rest? My parents have a guest room.” Tamia had brought her overnight bag, but would be glad not to use it.

The older woman exhaled and rubbed her eyes. “I’m fine. I just haven’t had much sleep. I must have sat up all night listening for—I don’t know what.” Dr. Block let out a terse laugh. “I never thought I’d hear someone advise me to get out of the woods and head into town to get away from it all.”

The sound of an engine and tires on gravel outside turned their heads. “Must be Channel Eleven,” said Tamia. “They’re early.”

“Let ‘em wait,” muttered Dr. Block.

Tamia smiled. That was more like the Dr. Block she knew. “Let’s cancel the last appointment today,” she said. “Get on the road before too late. I’ll call my folks and let them know we’re coming.”

“Hmm, apparently I missed the part where I said ‘yes.’”

“Come on, why sit around here and wait for them to try it again?”

“ArborTech? Something tells me they aren’t going to be so quick with their matches now, not with this death and the investigation.”

Tamia’s thoughts flashed back to the rain and thunder and screams, lightning on thrashing branches, the mangled body lying on rain-soaked ground. The tree’s movements had been so deliberate and precise—it was no accident. “Do you still feel safe out here?” she asked quietly.

Dr. Block examined her face. “You’re not referring to ArborTech, are you?”

Tamia looked down at her feet. The muffled sounds of the news crew unloading equipment outside filled the silence. “I’m talking about them,” she admitted, gesturing toward the window. “The trees. Like you said, how do we know what they’re really thinking?”

The scientist shrugged. “We don’t, not yet.”

“How do we know what sets them off? I mean, animals defend their young, so what will they do if you happen to step on a sapling or crush a seed?”

“Hey, weren’t you supposed to be getting me to relax?” asked Dr. Block, annoyed. “Yes, some animals fight for their young, but others just lay their eggs and leave. In any case, these aren’t animals.” She looked out the window. “We’ll just have to watch them closely, and make sure they know we mean them no harm.”

The news crew’s voices grew louder and there was a knock at the front door. Dr. Block put a hand on Tamia’s arm. “The more we learn about the trees, the better. Let’s go.” Tamia nodded and followed Dr. Block to the door.

Dr. Block stopped abruptly and turned to face her. “Tamia, I almost forgot to tell you, Dr. Nystrom finally called me back.” She shook her head irritably. “He seems to feel safe enough to come out of his hole now. He’s been making observations as well, and wants to compare data.” She pursed her lips. “I suppose a meeting in Seattle would be convenient enough for both of us. That is, if I’m still invited.”

Tamia smiled. “I’ll drive.”