Bruiser

Tennyson is a 16-year-old high schooler and a central, point-of-view character. He is often hot-headed, getting in fights at school and being seen as a bully, while also taking it upon himself to protect his twin sister, Brontë. A lacrosse player, he is one of the more popular students at school, and initially he largely ignores Brewster, using his nickname “Bruiser” throughout his first set of point-of-view chapters. While he is often ignorant of his surroundings and himself—not understanding that he is a bully or that Brewster is taking away his negative emotions—he is also intelligent and capable of self-reflection, and Brönte convinces him to give Brewster a chance.

Tennyson is a dynamic character who changes throughout the course of the text. After discovering that Brewster is taking away all of his negative emotions, he decides that he does not have the willpower to leave Brewster’s presence and free Brewster from his emotional burden. He also uses Brewster’s ability for his own gain, allowing Brewster to take the physical exhaustion and pain away during his lacrosse matches in order to win. However, after Brewster drowns in the pool, Tennyson makes the realization not only that allowing Brewster to take his emotions is dangerous to Brewster, but also that there is value in