Formidable // Sally Face (2)

F o u r

The date was February 9th. Violet stood in the bathroom of Sal's apartment, mindlessly combing through the same strand of hair over and over. She stared into the reflection of her dull, lifeless eyes. Even on the day of her parents' funeral, she was numb. Not a shred of sadness, remorse, or even anger resided in her soul. She felt nothing.

Sal made his way toward the door, which she had left wide open. "Hey," he said in a hushed tone to alert her of his presence. He made slow strides in her direction until he was positioned right behind her. The pair made eye contact in the mirror, causing Violet's hands to freeze in place.

"Hi," she whispered. She immediately noticed that his hair wasn't in its usual pigtails. However, it was a bit neater than it normally was when he let it down. He sported a black and white suit and it seemed that he'd even given his prosthetic some extra care when cleaning it. 

His azure eyes traveled to her back, where her dress had yet to be zipped. Violet shuddered as his warm hands brushed against her bare skin as he reached down to grasp the zipper and pull it up. His movement was slow and gentle, as if he was intentionally taking his time.

"You look beautiful," came his soft voice, slightly muffled by the prosthetic.

"Thank you, Sally. You look handsome."

The young girl watched Sal in the mirror as he finished zipping her dress and placed both hands on her shoulders. She let herself lean into him, taking in a slow breath. She knew she needed today to happen, but somehow, she couldn't be more opposed to it. She never envisioned herself attending her parents' funeral so young. But, Larry was right to take the initiative that he did. She needed closure. She needed to close this chapter of her life and push forward. 

"Larry told me everything is ready whenever you are," Sal told her, giving her shoulders a light squeeze.

She nodded. "I guess I'm ready now."

Larry had gone all out with the funeral. Of course, Sal, Ash, and Todd helped, but he'd done the vast majority of the planning. Two memorials were put together underneath his treehouse. On the right was her mother's, which was decorated with an array of red roses. A framed photo of her was placed in the middle of the set-up. Her father's memorial was organized similarly but in the place of roses, there were cardinals. Candles surrounded both of the arrangements. Their flames flickered in the soft breeze.

As soon as the group saw Violet and Sal approaching, they stepped forward to offer their condolances to Violet. Ash and Neil gave her tight hugs, Larry rubbed her arm, and Todd patted her on the back. Maple and Chug hung back, but still offered their support with sympathetic smiles.

Everyone gathered around the memorials as Larry stood before them. He cleared his throat before beginning a short speech.

"We gather here today in memory of Sebastian and Josephine Sinclaire..."

Violet's eyes were glued to her mother's picture. She was beaming at the camera with glimmering eyes and perfect teeth. Josephine, though a bit bizarre at times, was a wonderful person and an even better mother. She was perfect in any way. There wasn't a thing in the world that she wasn't good at. Anyone who was so blessed as to have her in their life sure knew how fortunate they were. 

Yet, she was ripped away in an instant.

Finally, after months of feeling virtually nothing, despair ripped through Violet's body. Tears rolled endlessly down her cheeks as a sob escaped her lips. She dropped her head into her hands, unable to stare at her mother's smile for another second. 

Sal wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into his side. It was strangely relieving to hear her cry. He'd hardly seen any emotion whatsoever from her since the day her father died. This felt to be a reminder that his Violet was still here. That she wasn't just an empty shell. Still, it pained him to see the girl he loved cry.