Family
Jake has a small family. Its only him and his parents, Ella and Rick, directly. He has a couple of aunts on his mother's side, and his grandparents, all of whom live in other parts of the world with their families or for their health. Jake's main family is his extensive tropical fish eco-system.

History
Since an early age, Jake has always had what ever he wanted, regardless of expense or rarity. Being an only child helped in this, and being proclaimed a genius by his parents also helped immensely. Luckily for his parents, Jake was only ever interested in books and items that would be useful in his interests. The most expensive thing shis parents ever had to buy him (aside from his wall long tank of tropical fish) was a top-of-the-range telescope for his sixteenth birthday.

He was considered a genius around the age of five, at which time he was forming perfectly coherant sentances, and could easily amuse himself with whatever anyone gave him. Also at the age of five he could write in joined up hand-writing, with the occasional spelling mistake. Due to his obvious cranial superiority, his parents thought it best for him to be home schooled by a tutor. Though this proved an explemplory idea, not being around other children also set Jake back a fair amount, to the extent that his social skills are practically non-existant. When put in situations with others, he expects them to do exactly as his parents do, which is clean up after him, and do everything which relates to manual labor, for him. Not only does this not make Jake very popular, but it also means that when asked to do simple, everyday tasks, Jake kicks up the biggest fuss.

Though his parents care for him was not misguided. Around the same time as Jake was discovered to be unnaturally bright for his age, it was also discovered that he was badly asthmatic, and that he had an almost fatal allergy to some dust types, which meant that Jake had to carry an inhaler with him everywhere he went. Though he gradually began to grow out of it, he figured out how to trigger asthma attacks whenever things weren't going his way, and often used it as a trump card. Even as a sixteen-year-old, he still reverts to forcing asthma attacks to get his way - only occasionally though now.

Although Jake doesn't really let on about what he really thinks and feels, he is a very lonely boy. During the summer, when those in high school can hang out together and socialise, Jake spends his time in doors studying for the various tests sent to him in the mail by his tutor. More than anything, he wants friends of his own age, that he can communicate with, get on with, and have fun with. Without worrying that they'll think he's strange for being home taught, nor that they mind he is so much brighter than the average sixteen-year-old. Because although he treasures his gift, he also finds it a burden, because whenever he has tried to befriend other kids his own age, like his next-door-neighbours; they're often put off, and think he's freakish because he is that much brighter.