Jace Rain: A twelve-year-old boy. He is incredibly smart. He’s an athlete. He could go the distance. And yet he has never felt like he was worth it. Self-doubt surrounds him like metal to a magnet. He was never his parent’s favorite. He has been homeschooled the past twelve years of his life, never interacting with another human being besides his family. It’s not a question of whether or not he amounts to anything 一 it’s whether or not he believes that he does.

Jace Rain sits with his legs crossed on the creaky wood planks on the floor. His head swivels as he takes in his familiar surroundings 一 the cool air reminding him of a refreshing cup of lemonade, the smell of fresh baked apple-pie that his mom will bring up any minute, the half-light created by the lantern that sits on his dresser beside his bed, which has blankets and pillows and sheets and books and flashlights all strewn about. He sighs with pleasure, stands up and crawls into bed, pulling the covers up over his head, produces a book thicker than his head and a flashlight from the folds of the blanket, and begins to read. The comforting smell of paper makes his eyelids flutter and his head lolls, and suddenly, he is asleep. In his dreams, he knows that he will be visiting his twin brother, who has been there to sympathise with him since the day he died….

#setting

REALIZATION
Jace has buried himself in the fantasy of stories, trying to hide from life. But truly, he wants to be a part of something. He wants to belong, like his brother did.