Wrangling teenage emotions is hard enough on good days, but what if on bad days they could manifest as giant flesh and blood monsters?
Pacific Rim meets Friday Night Lights as knee-jerk rebel Sage Sawyer is forced to join her high school "tourneytub...
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Sunday morning and the memory of Friday night's game still boils in Gee's gut.
But she has to keep it all inside. She can't let it out. Not here.
Jubilee Deliverance Church, her father's congregation.
There he is, standing proud at the front, firm hands gripping the pulpit, his voice like a wild pounding river of honey coursing over all assembled. Coursing through them. Father Tucker O'Toole; in his element.
On top of serving as Captain of Jupiter's Humor Pacification Brigade, Gee's Dad also happens to be the founder and pastor of this church. He tries to keep busy, as "idle hands are the Devil's playthings" etc, etc...
Genesis gazes up at him now, with her mother sitting to her left. On her mother's lap sits the littlest O'Toole, Susie. To Gee's right, the rest of the O'Toole clan is also here, as always: Benjie, Judie, and Obie. Her little siblings' faces display the entire spectrum of boredom. Genesis is appalled, but the only person she can do anything about at the present moment is herself. So she straightens up, even more than she already had been, unruffles her flowery dress, and tries to give her dad's sermon her undivided attention.
"We live in a fallen world, brothers and sisters, yes we do!" Tucker says.
"Amen!" Comes the inevitable reply from the fellowship behind the O'Toole's front row.
Tucker nods, then as ever, rolls on: "But though we may live in a fallen world, we must hold ourselves to an almighty standard for we, in this room, are God's children. And God's children do not cower from the lions roaming the earth. We will not cower from the monsters at the door. No, God has armed us with holy fire and mechanical swords, our great and noble tubs, to do His holy bidding. To seek out the monsters and pacify them. In this House, we go about the business of the Lord!"
Genesis's father is reaching a crescendo now, as his captive audience rises to its feet and begins clapping and stomping. This is usual for Gee's Sunday mornings, so it isn't any wonder she finds paying attention for the entire service to be nearly impossible, try as she might.
Whether it was the game Friday night or something else, Gee's mind begins to wander. Not to thoughts of Sage Sawyer. Genesis wouldn't dare. Not here.
Instead, she thinks back to the summer. Back to a certain orchard in Trumpet Falls. Her parents had sent her to Apple Blossom, a bible camp out there, where they hoped she would meet decent Christian kids, away from Jupiter High's ungodly hordes.
Genesis had indeed met a decent Christian kid there.
Nathaniel Jessup. Nate.
With the easy smile and the forever swept brown hair and the blue eyes always searching for something just beyond the horizon.
