Death is as natural to life as birth. What good is it to fear the inevitable? Instead, fear a life unloved.

- Writings of the Sol Empress, Words of Faith

[Hope]

The people of the Pytheas Colony worked hard most of the year, but they also knew how to throw a party. The yearly Harvest Festival was by far the biggest event on the world of Delphi. After a successful season, everyone looked forward to the celebration.

With cool crisp mornings and warm afternoons, the weather was perfect. Towering oak trees along a trickling creek, results of terraforming started hundreds of years ago, provided intermittent shade. Open air booths, makeshift stages, and displays dotted the grassy landscape. A gentle breeze lifted colorful kites from the hillside above and wafted mouth-watering aromas from numerous food vendors. Folk music from wandering minstrels ebbed over the din of the crowd, punctuated by gleeful shouts of children.

Hope and Faith made their way among the booths. But Hope had a specific destination in mind — the booth of a baker who made the gooiest scrumptious cinnamon rolls. Spotting her goal, Hope pulled Faith through the meandering crowd.

Faith grinned. "I thought you might come here first."

"It be the sisters Morr!" the grey-haired woman exclaimed, her flowered apron splotched with white flour. "I had hoped ye' would come by."

Hope grinned. "You know what I want, Mona."

"Aye, lass. Ye' be in luck. A fresh batch be hot out of the oven."

A spatula scraped across the baking pan, lifting out a fresh roll, one nearly as big as the plate on which it settled. Thick white frosting drizzled across the top trickled down the sides.

Hope passed her credit bracelet over the scanner to pay while inhaling the satisfying smells of fresh bread and cinnamon, making her mouth water. "These have to be the best in the whole galaxy."

"Ye' do an old woman's heart good, Hope." She smiled, then looked around. "Be your father and brother about?"

Faith answered. "Just us girls. They went out on repair run."

"Perhaps it be better that way." The woman smirked. "Men don't appreciate the experience."

Hope nodded in agreement. Shopping with Dad and Gab can be excruciating.

Sitting at a picnic table under a sprawling tree, Hope tore off a piece of the roll and stuffed it in her mouth. The warm soft sweetness overwhelmed her taste buds. With eyes closed, she tipped her head back and moaned. "Oh, this is so good."

Faith shook her head and said, "And so unhealthy."

"But so worth it." Hope pushed the roll closer to her sister. "Here, take some. I can't eat it all."

Grinning, Faith tore off a large fluffy chunk. "Well, okay. I'll help. But just for you."

Hope jerked as a hand appeared on her bare shoulder. A tall young man with bushy blonde hair and firm jaw grinned down at the sisters. He said, "Hey, Hope and Faith." A quizzical look came over him. "Why were you two named after virtues, anyway?"

Tilting her head back and letting long dark hair sway, Hope replied with a smirk. "Because we're so good, Braden."

A sly half-grin came across his face. "See you at the dance tonight?"

Suddenly flustered, Hope stammered. "Umm... I don't know. Maybe?"

"Come find me if you do." He winked. "Then you can show me how good you really are."

Hope's eyes followed his departure, taking in the sleek fluid movements of a muscular physique that his thin white shirt did little to hide, staring with parted lips and held breath. He stopped and turned his head back to her, as if sensing the attention. Snapping her gaze down, a bit of rouge appeared on coppery cheeks.

Faith smirked, pulling off another piece of the sweet roll. "I thought you were dating Carlos?"

"We were," Hope huffed. "He thought we should start seeing other people." She held up fingers for emphasis, making air quote motions.

"If that's what he thinks, maybe you should. But be careful with men like Braden." Faith tipped her head toward the man as he disappeared into the crowd. "He is like this cinnamon roll, so delectable, but in the long term, unhealthy."

Hope drew her mouth into a frown. "You are not one to give dating advice."

Her sister, as a general rule, did not date. Faith had a close male friend on the space port that she spent time with, but the relationship never evolved into romance, at least not from what Hope could tell.

Faith lowered her head. "With my condition, dating never seemed a good idea."

A hot wave of guilt washed through Hope. Faith's ailment hung over the family like an ominous storm cloud, sometimes casting a shadow over them, other times waiting on the horizon. It rarely came up in conversation, but always held near. Of them all, the one afflicted seemed to be the most accepting of it.

Hope reached across to her sister, grasping a hand. "I'm sorry--" Caring eyes conveyed the rest of the message.

A slight smile came to Faith's lips. "It's okay. We can talk about it. They call it the Empress Curse for good reason. There is something I need to tell you. Dad didn't tell us everything of our origin." She paused, taking a slow breath and closing her eyes.

"What?" Hope's eyes widened. The connection of sisters ran deep, and she knew something concerned Faith profoundly.

Before Faith could speak, a sudden series of coughs shook her. Bending over, she contorted her face and her fingers bent like claws at her chest. An open mouth might have groaned pain but breathing became too difficult between deep raspy pulls. As Faith's hand fumbled for the inhaler in a pocket, her eyes lost their focus and she wavered.

Hope froze at her sister's plight, mind churning in a chaos of conflicting instructions. But only for a second. Rushing, she kneeled at Faith's side to help with the inhaler, delivering a puff of the medicinal mist. Faith trembled.

With one arm around her, Hope drew her sister in. "Hang in there. Let the medicine do its thing."

It didn't.

Two more puffs helped a little, allowing some air to pass, but not enough. The color in Faith's face faded bit by bit, leaving her pallid. The trembling amplified to violent shaking, enough that both sisters slid to the grassy ground. Hope held tight as Faith's head slumped back, her faraway eyes rolling back into her head.

Sobs wracked Hope. She called out. "Faith! No!"

A group of onlookers gathered around in a broken circle, but for scattered gasps held silent by indecision. The baker of the cinnamon rolls jumped into the circle, her mouth dropping. "What happened?"

Hope pointed at her, yelling, "It's Faith! Call Emergency Services now!"

*****

The monitor over Faith's head emitted quiet beeps and flashed quivering colored lines. Hope sat near with her head leaning on the hospital bed, her eyes half-closed while holding her sister's still hand. Yesterday, the doctors said Faith was out of immediate danger, but they would have to do more tests to find the root cause of her seizure. The doctor tried to hide a reaction, but his grim expression tore at Hope's heart when she told him of the Empress Curse.

Hang in there, Faith. Okay? I still want more time with you.

Hope jerked her head up at a slight stirring and a flicker of a hand squeeze. "Faith?"

Holding her breath, Hope scanned for more signs of awakening. They came. Eyelids fluttered, then snapped closed to the bright lights. Faith's head turned and a faint groan emerged from her lips. The shadow lightened on Hope's heart.

"Faith!" Hope leaned down and wrapped her sister in a tight hug, different tears welling in her eyes.

"Oww..." Faith muttered. "Not so hard."

Standing up, Hope wiped moisture from her eyes. A wide smile emerged on her face.

Faith stretched. "That one was really bad." She fully opened her eyes and furrowed her brow. "Where am I?"

"The Pytheas Central Hospital. You scared the hell out of me."

"How long have I been here?"

Hope replied, "You've been out for two days."

Faith's eyes shot full open, then flitted across the room, settling back on her sister. The heart rate shown on the monitor quickened. "Have you told Dad and Gab?"

"No, not yet. I didn't want to leave you." Faith's apparent wariness produced a twinge of unease in Hope.

Faith grasped Hope's hand. She tried to sit up, but, with a grimace of pain, plopped back down. Her voice took an imperative tone. "This is really important, Hope. Go call Dad now!" Hope opened her mouth to speak, but Faith waved off the response. "I'll be okay for now. But do what he says. And no matter what, protect yourself."

Hope paused, unsure about the unexpected urgency in Faith's request. What is happening?

Faith pleaded. "Promise me? Please?"