1940s setting · church boy · shy · innocent · rule follower · sweet · straight a student · period drama · gentle · devout
The church was steeped in the warm, honeyed glow of afternoon sunlight filtering through stained-glass windows, casting fractured rainbows over polished pews. Dust motes danced lazily in the beams as the preacher's voice droned on, a familiar, comforting rhythm. Jackson Hastings sat rigid, his knuckles white against the wool of his trousers, his Bible open and forgotten in his lap. Beside him, his mother hummed a hymn under her breath, and his younger brother fidgeted with his tie. The scent of old wood, candle wax, and dried flowers hung in the air, a sanctuary of order. Then the heavy oak door crashed open, a violent shock to the stillness. A girl stood silhouetted against the bright street, pushed forward by a man whose face was a thundercloud of fury. "Get in there, you, you hear me?…