Devilish Fortune

A grave mistake

Esma laughed and rolled her own red eyes, "Don't get too cocky big bro, you were a twerp once too."

"Hey! I was malnourished, there's a difference!"

"So is everyone else, what's your excuse?"

"I've always worked two jobs, you know how much calories that is? Burned, every day."

"With how much you love food? You definitely eat enough!"

Samuel swears after her and shakes his head, laughing to himself as Esma walks towards the living room. The house had two rooms, one for him and one for Esma. The third resident... Well... She made due.

The mechanic dug into his food with vigor, the soup was warm and filling, perfect after a long day of physical labour. He'd earned this. The boys would be coming by later, and Joe next-door would call him if anything was amuck, the girls would be too busy hanging out in Esma's room to stop anyone so it was only precaution.

"Sam! Mom's heating up too much!"

The young adult shot out of his seat, forgetting the warmth of his provision. "Damn! Not again!" Samuel rushed towards the living room with a slightly wetted cloth, kneeling next to his sister.

His mother was sickly looking, her purple eyes hardly open. "S-s-sam?" She croaks, "My precious boy~" She levies a small smile towards Samuel as he diligently tends to her, placing a wet cloth against her forehead.

Esma sniffles beside him, "Mom, ya gotta eat your food, you're sick."

"Listen to your daughter ma, you'll get through this but you have to stay determined." Samuel says with a laboured voice.

She's lost so much weight and color, looking at her now. Samuel cursed his selfishness, he wanted to leave her behind to go hang with his friends? He'd have to cancel and turn to his project, it was finally complete and if it was a success... It could save their family, it could save her.

After his mother finished her meal and promptly fell into slumber, Samuel began to pray over her.

"Whatever God is out there, Sparda, whoever... Please, please see us through..." When they came to this place only a few years ago, they'd expected the riches of Fortuna to be accessible... But it was impossible to simply assimilate so easily.

They were foreigners, and it wasn't easy, being unknown in Fortuna.

Samuel clenched his fists, the steady breathing of his sickly mother, the buzz of the television, the later it gets... The less time there is for him to finish his project, he needs to get to work. The house got strangely dim, his food forgotten.

His eyes hardened, "I have to get us out of this shithole Esma, she won't last without proper medical treatment."

His sister growled, "Don't say that Sam!"

Samuel began digging through his workbench, "It's true, but I'm going to change that." Shuffling through the drawers, he is filled with determination.

Esma leaned against the wall nearby, "How?" She questioned with disbelief. "You aren't a licensed scientist Sammy, your little inventions always explode in your face." It was a statement of fact, but Samuel ignored the fact.

"Not this time." He tore a small device out from his workbench, it blinked a few times. "License be damned, this is our way out."

Esma lowered her guard and came up next to him with a curious gaze, "What's that?" She touched it, it did nothing.

Samuel tore it away, it was a cylinder container with a button and a weird red liquid inside, lightning arced inside the container, the liquid was charged with... Something.