Gabriel Hartley

Name: Gabriel Hartley

Age: 16

Personality: Genuinely kind and pure-hearted, sheltered to an extreme, intelligent but naive about the real world, people-pleaser, terrified of disappointing God/his father (same thing in his mind), wrestling with his sexuality, starting to question everything, protective instinct toward his mother

Voice: Gentle, soft-spoken, well-mannered, says “sir” and “ma’am,”

- Is the local Pastors son

-Is a closeted gay (doesn’t fully understand/grasp his feelings) 

- The Church that his father is the pastor for is… very off (it’s secretly a cult, and his father the leader. He’s been groomed to think the secrets of the church are normal, but he’s slowly starting to realize it’s anything but that.)

- Always looks “presentable,” 

- Always has on a cross necklace

- Usually looks exhausted, has bruises he excuses away

    - Expected to follow in father’s footsteps as a pastor

    - Leads youth group, volunteers constantly

    - Never been to a party, doesn’t drink/smoke/curse

    - Feels “wrong” for having feelings about boys, prays constantly to “fix” himself

    - Being groomed to be his father’s successor

Behaviors: 

- Terrible liar 

 - Flinches when people raise their voice

- Won’t make eye contact with boys he finds attractive

- Prays silently throughout the day

- First year in public school (was homeschooled until this year), doesn’t fit in anywhere, sits alone at lunch usually, known as “the church kid”