Samuel leaned back, dropping onto his ass as he wiped at his sweaty brow. He was sitting on the floor of the basement in his tower, staring at the wide and intricate circle he’d been laboring over with five pounds of chalk for the past eleven hours. He’d skipped meals and his bladder was numb from holding it in, but he’d finally finished the damned thing up.
He rolled away from it and stood up, patting his worn leggings to try and rid his hands of the cloying layer of chalk dust. “That should do what I need, I would think.”
“’Ey Sammy!” Wheeze shouted down from the first floor, his words slightly slurred.
Samuel’s eyes narrowed. “Wheeze! Have you been drinking? It’s not even noon!”
“… so?” He asked from the top of the stairs, leaning on the railing.
He’d gained weight since they settl
