For a while the twins kept in close contact but soon Faith's new life became hectic and she forgot to 'phone or write. Buffy was a little hurt, she still didn't understand why Faith had gone but she was also busy with other things. Besides, she always knew if Faith was Ok the connection between them wasn't weakened by distance and when Faith threw a hissy or jumped for joy it was always Buffy, miles away, who knew why.
On their 9th birthdays the twins sent each other cards and presents but after that even tenuous communications petered out. Buffy would perhaps have tried harder to keep in touch with Faith if she hadn't seen how much pain her mother felt whenever she received a letter or 'phone call from the daughter she couldn't see. Faith simply wasn't bothered. Her father didn't encourage her to strengthen old ties, so as long as she knew her sister was alive and well all was 5 by 5. By the time her bruises started appearing Faith hadn't spoken to her sister in 2 years. Buffy still could tell that something was wrong but neither of them listened much to the connection any more. It was kind of a mortal danger warning otherwise things were just too confusing. Maybe if they used it more things would have been different but maybe different would be bad, who knows?
Faith wasn't helpless by any means. She taught herself to fight both defensively and offensively but Hank Summers was a man not to be crossed. He could quite easily throw his daughter across a room if he so wished and frequently came close to doing so. It was lucky that Faith didn't easily hurt and healed quickly but she still missed days of school and got herself a name with social services. Once again Faith hardened her young heart and as she did so she seemed to grow older, acting in a way alien to most pre-teens.
As time wore on Faith grew more and more headstrong. She learnt how to keep her emotions under wraps, although she always felt them to the extremes. This combination gave her quite a reputation and very few kids dared to cross her, unfortunately her father still did. Faith also grew more beautiful with long raven coloured hair, striking eyes and a slim, toned body. Buffy also grew more beautiful with time, her heart was kind and her spirit shone beyond the sulkiness that comes with teenage years.
If someone was watching both twins, as perhaps someone or something was, they would have seen two winding paths, both going through shadows and sunlight, up hills and through brilliant valleys with similarities and great variations but not meeting until…..well that's for later.