It didn't take long for the two troublemakers, Georgie and Erica, to be hauled back into the living room.
Of course, the "trouble" wasn't just about the two of them blowing up an old TV with firecrackers. There was a bigger issue at hand: when George and the Barrys rushed into the alley, they caught the two of them passionately making out.
Back in the living room, Georgie knew he screwed up. Under his parents' stern gaze, he hung his head, looking guilty.
Beside him, however, the rebellious Erica just stared out the window, looking completely defiant—like she didn't care what happened next.
"I am so sorry about this. I'm going to have a serious talk with Georgie..." George Sr. said awkwardly, trying to apologize for his son.
"It's not your fault," Linda glared at her rebellious daughter, clearly ready to leave. She turned back to George. "Thank you for the hospitality, but I think it's time we get going."
She turned to her husband. "Go get Paige."
With the kids getting caught red-handed like that, neither set of parents was in the mood to keep chatting.
---
Over at Meemaw's house, Paige heard her father calling for her. She set down her chess piece. "Looks like I have to go. By the way, it was really nice talking to you."
Paige smiled as she said it.
Actually, they really had just been talking. As for the chessboard in front of them? It had been sitting there for ages, and they'd barely made a move.
"I got a lot out of our chat, too..." Mike smiled. He mentally reached out and crushed the glowing [Intelligence +1] orb he had just swiped from her. "If you ever need anything, you can always find me. I promise to be a good listener."
"Thanks." Paige glanced at Mike one last time before getting up and walking out.
---
Once the Barry family was gone, Mary glared furiously at her oldest son.
Clearly, the family hosting had been a disaster. for Mary, who valued family image above all else, this was a huge blow. And Georgie, thanks to his earlier stunt, was definitely shouldering most of the blame for tonight's failure.
Seeing his wife about to explode, George Sr. quickly jumped in to reprimand his son. "Georgie, you were way out of line this time!"
While speaking, George shot his son a subtle look and yelled, "Go back to your room and think about what you did! Don't come out until you know you're wrong!"
"I'm going..." Georgie, catching his dad's drift, dodged his mother and sprinted into his room.
"Oh, sure, just keep protecting him..." Mary, having lost her target, naturally turned her rage toward her husband.
---
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the Barrys' car was incredibly heavy.
Without outsiders around, the gentle look on Linda's face completely vanished. She glared at her eldest daughter through the rearview mirror and snapped, "Do you have any idea what you did today? You embarrassed this entire family."
Linda looked utterly disappointed.
"I don't need you to tell me what to do. In your heart, Paige is the only daughter that matters anyway," Erica shot back.
"You think I want to be on your case?" Seeing how disobedient her daughter was, Linda was genuinely furious now. "Look at what you're wearing. Your hair is a mess. You don't look like a good girl at all. You look like a little streetwalker..."
"That's enough, Linda," Mr. Barry cut in, hearing his wife cross the line.
However, his attempt to make peace just turned Linda's anger toward him.
"All you do is work! You don't care about this house at all. If you did, our daughter wouldn't be acting like this!" Linda was clearly blinded by rage.
Mr. Barry's high income meant his clinic was always busy. In terms of providing a solid financial foundation for the family, he was doing exactly what a husband was supposed to do.
He wanted to defend himself, but seeing his wife's aggressive state, he suddenly lost interest in arguing.
After tearing into her husband, Linda looked at her younger daughter. "What was going on with the Cooper boy today?"
Paige, who had been zoning out, replied, "I just played a game of chess with him. I don't know what you mean."
Seeing her younger daughter looking so detached, Linda sighed, her tone softening into a lecture. "Paige, you need to make more friends. Sheldon is a child prodigy just like you; you two should get along..."
Clearly, Linda was worried that her genius daughter couldn't make friends.
Paige had her own thoughts on the matter. She wanted to tell her mother that she could handle her own life. But seeing the genuine concern on her mother's face, she couldn't bring herself to say it.
Instead, she annoyedly turned her head to look out the car window. In that moment, she looked a lot like her older sister.
---
Two weeks passed. Halloween, November 1st, was getting closer. It was a major holiday with significant meaning.
Ideally, through the scary elements of the holiday, people are supposed to realize the value of peace.
Of course, for the church, this day was also a prime opportunity to spread the gospel. Truth, goodness, beauty, and God's love for the world!
Before dinner that night, Mary gathered everyone together to show them a video recording.
It was an interview Pastor Jeff had given recently.
The host asked, "Do you think the 'Hell House' event is too bloody?"
On screen, Pastor Jeff explained, looking a bit unconfident, "Not at all. Actually, the 'Hell House' event allows people to feel pain, which helps them realize the greatness of God..."
Then, the TV showed footage from the Medford Church's previous Halloween events.
Honestly, the "realistic" performance of Hell House shown on TV was enough to make even Mike—who usually had nerves of steel—feel like it was rated R.
In the end, the host's evaluation of the Medford Church's past events was simple: It's going to traumatize the kids.
"Alright, everyone saw that. What do you think?" Mary asked.
For the church, the Halloween event wasn't just about spreading God's love; it also had the task of pulling in donations.
After being called out on TV, if the Medford Church didn't change things up this year, they probably wouldn't get any sponsors.
Mary's mission this time was to organize a totally different kind of Halloween event for the church.
"I think the old stuff was fine. No need to change it," Missy spoke up first. You could tell the little girl had guts.
"No, we have to change it," Mary vetoed her daughter's opinion immediately.
"How about this..." Mike thought for a moment and suggested, "Aren't we trying to preach God's love? The church can totally play off of Hell House by creating a contrast—like a Heaven House. With a comparison, people can intuitively recognize truth, kindness, and beauty."
The fact is, you need contrast to highlight how precious goodness is. Just showing the "evil" side is a bit low-brow.
Plus, content that highlights "goodness" definitely wouldn't have any bloody scenes. That would solve the awkward reputation the Medford Church had been stuck with for years.