Violet wasn't at all surprised by the appearance of Larry's bedroom. Dirty laundry, soda cans, and paper plates littered the floor while various gory posters were plastered all over the walls. There were even a few handmade paintings hanging up.

"Hey, dude!" The boy greeted her from a beanbag chair in the corner. "You live around here?"

"I live on the third floor," she replied.

"Nice."

"I said she could hang out with us for a while if that's cool," Sal said, plopping down on the beanbag opposite Larry.

He shrugged. "Sure."

Taking the spot on the floor beside Sal, Violet tuned in to what Larry's radio was playing. It was mainly just someone shredding on the electric guitar with the occasional series of violent screams. Although she wasn't a fan of such heavy music, Larry and Sal seemed to enjoy it. Both of them were tapping their feet to the drums.

"You like Sanity's Fall, Violet?" Larry inquired.

"Oh, uh, it's okay," she stammered, trying to avoid being rude.

His eyes widened. "Okay?! It's the greatest fucking band in the universe! It's so far beyond okay!"

"Maybe it's just this song you don't like," Sal suggested in a much kinder tone. "Change it to something more mellow, Larry."

Larry obliged, tapping the fast-forward button on his radio a few times. The tone of the music changed almost entirely. Slow guitar strums, softer singing, fewer drums; it was a vast improvement.

"This is better," Violet commented. "I like this one."

"Sanity's Fall has something for everyone," Larry gushed, pushing his long, dark hair behind his shoulders.

"So, how's your mom's research going? Any discoveries since the move?" Sal asked.

She rolled her eyes. Why did they have to bring that up? "No, not really."

"I wouldn't be surprised if I found out this place was full of cultists," Larry said. "All kinds of weird shit happens around here."

"Like what?"

"Well, when Sally Face first moved in, some creep slit a woman's throat over a toy pony. I saw it with my own eyes, man."

Violet had never heard someone refer to Sal as "Sally Face" before. She chose not to comment on it. "That doesn't sound like something a cultist would do."

"He could've been undercover."

"I think a cult would have better undercover jobs than a man obsessed with toy ponies."

"I dunno, shit's weird, man."

"Anyway," Sal interrupted, "let's not scare her off, Larry. I'm sure telling her murder stories isn't settling."

Silence fell over the trio, leaving them to listen to the mellow tones of Sanity's Fall. Violet's curiosity about Sal grew stronger by the minute. There was no doubt that he was hiding something from her. He didn't hesitate to escort her from the fifth floor as soon as he caught her up there. Now he was acting secretive about the peculiar happenings in Addison Apartments?

Aside from that, she could hardly pull her focus from his mask. She wasn't frightened or intimidated by it in the slightest. If anything, she was confused. Something told her that this wasn't a matter of self-expression or attention-seeking. Other than his appearance, Sal was a normal teenage boy. One thing was for sure: her mother could never see him. She'd find a way to tie his mask to The Devourers of God in a matter of seconds.

"Violet, are you sure you're comfortable on the floor?" The blue-haired boy suddenly asked, concern hinting in his voice.

She smiled. "I'm fine, don't worry about it."

"Here," he pushed himself onto his feet. "You can have the beanbag."

"Look at Sally Face being all chivalrous," Larry cooed, jokingly.

"It's better than being an asshole," he remarked.

"It's okay, really," Violet insisted. "I should be heading home for dinner, anyway."

Sal joined her as she headed toward the door. "I'll walk you, then. See you later, Larry."

"Later, dudes."

> > >

"Sal?"

The pair were in the elevator on their way to the third floor.

"Yeah?"

"You'd tell me if it was dangerous here, right?"

His mask shifted downward as if he was frowning beneath it. "It's not that it's dangerous here," he explained, stepping out of the elevator as it opened, "it's just...mysterious."

"How so?" She questioned.

"Just the overall ambiance of it, I dunno. It's weird."

"So it's safe here, just weird?"

"Pretty much."