To Fall is to Die

Chapter Two (Isa)

Present Time

Isa sat by the bed, holding her younger sister's hand in her own. Becca was as pale as the sheets that she rested upon, as devoid of life as a dead geranium. Everything about her had been leeched, seemingly overnight. The tiny girl lying in the bed was only nine years old, ten years younger than Isa herself.

"How bad is it?" Isa's father, their only guardian, asked the nurse.

The nurse shook her head. "There are treatments that we can give, but frankly, only the Emperor could afford them."

Isa bit her lip, squeezing her sister's hand tighter. Would this have to be good bye? She wasn't ready yet, and she knew that she never would be. They had experienced so much together, and yet...it seemed like nothing at all. She had known that things wouldn't last forever, with Becca's condition, but it had all come on so suddenly.

One moment she had been reading Becca a bedtime story, and the next her sister had been gasping, unable to breathe. In that moment, the looming deadline of the Cup Admissions had sunken to the back of her mind.

Becca's lower lip was trembling, she knew what had gone unsaid. She wouldn't have much longer to live. Isa took a deep breath, thinking through the situation as she always did. They needed the money, but with father's low-income job as a teacher and neither sister being old enough, they could never get the cash. Unless...

Isa sat up straighter, letting go of her sister's hand. "I'll apply for the Cup, then." She announced. "If I win, we would be able to get the money we need."

Even though it seemed impossible, Becca's face grew even whiter. The nurse looked away, and their father just looked grim. It would be an impossible task, and they knew it.

"You don't need to do this." Becca whispered, pain flashing in her eyes. It was clear how desperately Becca needed this...wanted it, even. Without this possible intervention, she would die.

"I have to." Isa looked towards her father, seeking permission.

His eyes were sad as he looked down at her. "Isabella...we honor your sacrifice. Even if you don't make it to the tower, we will never forget you."

Easy enough for him to say. He was way too old to be able to compete. He hadn't been the one to see the boy, hardly even a man, falling from the sky. The boy with the wild eyes and outstretched hand...that could be her next.