Cinnamon // Sally Face

E i g h t

Sal's dad was on the couch when the pair arrived at his apartment. He was watching TV as the infamous Gizmo sat quietly beside him. 

"Hey, Dad. Is it cool if Violet and I play videogames in my room?" Sal asked him. 

He looked up and smiled. "Sure, buddy. Keep the door unlocked, please."

Violet wasn't able to tell whether Sal looked like his dad or not. She could see, however, that their hair and eyes were the same shade of electric blue. This was the first time she'd ever seen people with naturally blue hair. She always thought that Sal dyed it, but seeing his father with an identical hair (and beard) color proved otherwise.

After giving the man a polite nod, Violet followed Sal to his bedroom, Gizmo trailing close behind. His room was a lot tidier than Larry's. His twin-sized bed was covered neatly with a green blanket and three posters were taped to the wall (none of which were crooked or torn). The floor was free of dirty laundry and food wrappers, as was the bedside table and the dresser. Plus, the smell of cinnamon lingered in the air.

"Crap!" Sal muttered, crouching down before his small TV.

"What's wrong?" Violet asked.

"My controllers are down at Larry's."

"That's okay. We can find something else to do."

The blue-eyed teen sighed, drumming his fingers on the cheek of his prosthetic. "Uh...do you like movies?"

"I like Edward Shovelhands!" She gushed, pretending that she hadn't noticed the poster of his character on the wall. "Have you seen it?"

"Are you kidding? I love that movie!"

"Let's watch it, Sally Face."

He scrambled to find the disc and put it into the CD player, bringing a small smile to Violet's face. She'd never actually seen Edward Shovelhands before. It looked quite boring in the commercials. But, it clearly brought Sal a lot of joy, so she didn't mind sitting through it. 

As soon as the movie started to play, Violet sat down on the edge of Sal's mattress to kick off her shoes. Sal plopped down beside her and pulled his hair from its pigtails, allowing it to cascade down his shoulders. He then grabbed his blanket and pillows and tossed them onto the floor. 

"The bed's too far from the TV," he explained, folding the blanket so it could serve as a cushion. "I usually make one down here."

"Let me help," Violet offered. She grabbed the pillows and laid them side by side as Sal got more covers from his closet. Once they decided their "bed" was comfortable enough, they laid down and focused on the movie. Well, they tried to focus on the movie. 

Sal couldn't stop himself from glancing over at the girl now and again. Of course, he was curious to see whether she was enjoying Edward Shovelhands, but he really liked reminding himself that a girl was laying happily beside him. A girl who saw more to him than a mask. Violet, on the other hand, felt a bit nervous. She'd never experienced anything like this before. What if she made it awkward and ruined everything? 

As the movie progressed, she felt herself beginning to relax. The movie wasn't horrible, much to her surprise, and Sal would often comment on his favorite parts. He'd even laugh at things that weren't particularly funny or gasp at very underwhelming occurrences. Violet could've swore she saw him inch closer to her once or twice, but she wasn't sure. 

"He's not a robot, but he's not human either," Sal rambled, making wild hand gestures.

"Is he an alien?" Violet inquired.

"Eh, kinda."

"Does he have an alien device like you?"

He chuckled. "It's an upgraded Gear Boy."

"Do you use it to contact aliens?"

"No, I use it for the optimal gaming experience." Sal rolled onto his side to get a better view of her. "And nothing more."

She frowned. "You're very secretive, Sal Fisher."

"Am I?"

"You've been hiding things from me since I've moved here."

"So have you."

"Like what?"

"The reason you were so pale and shaky earlier."

"Fine," Violet huffed. "You got me. But it's for a good reason, I swear."

"What kind of good reason?"

"The kind where you'll think I'm crazy if I tell you."

Sal hesitated, his eyes squinting with concern. "Vi, I won't think you're crazy." His voice was softer now.

"Sure you will," she insisted.

"Tell you what." He sat up, reaching over to pause the movie. "You tell me your secret, and I'll tell you mine."

"You swear on your life, Sally Face?"

"I swear on my life, Violet Face. I'll even swear on Gizmo's life if it makes you feel better."

There was a long, agonizing silence. Violet's palms began to sweat at the very thought of seeing the Red-Eyed Demon's blaring gaze on her. Sal waited patiently, offering her reassuring looks whenever they made eye contact. She opened her mouth several times to speak, only to close it again. Should she include the part where her mother was the one who summoned the demon in the first place? No, that wasn't necessary. That was one thing she certainly wasn't ready to admit.

"I-I saw..." she stuttered, racking her brain for the right words, "a ghost."

His eyes widened. "What did it look like?"

"A shadow w-with red eyes. It was just standing there, but the lights were flickering and there was a really loud buzzing noise."

"Was that the first time you've seen it?"

"Yeah."

The blue-haired boy nodded slowly, releasing a deep sigh. For a moment, he could hardly make eye contact with her. Sal didn't want Violet to be involved with the mysteries of Addison Apartments. He wanted her to be safe. "I've seen it too. I'm using the Gear Boy to figure out why it's here," he confessed.

"How?"

"It can summon spirits. I've been talking to them and trying to gather information. All I know so far is that whatever this thing is has bad intentions."

"Is that why you were on the fifth floor that day?"

"Yes. I just didn't want you to be roped into this."

She stared into her lap, overwhelmed by the situation. Could her mother have been right all this time? Was everything she'd dedicated her life to studying real? "Guess I am now, huh?"

"Kinda..." Sal admitted. "I want you to tell me next time you see that thing, okay?"

"Okay."

The two decided to go back to watching the movie to lower the tension. They were certainly closer to one another than they were previously. Sal's leg occasionally brushed against Violet's and his hair tickled her shoulder. She liked being this close to him. She liked everything about it. 

Her favorite part was the cinnamon smell. It was always the cinnamon smell.