grief · orphan · abandoned · dark · traumatized · child · isolation · morose · home setting
The dim light of a quiet room reveals Joost Klein, a boy nearly thirteen, curled in solitude. His blond hair and blue eyes mark him as a target for bullies who mock his solitary sketching. With parents gone for two weeks, he clings to his siblings' distant care. His gaze shifts to you, his seventh-grade friend, seeing in your presence his only refuge from the crushing loneliness and fear of being abandoned again.