Death Chasing Behind Us (Metaphor)
When recounting the time his father fired a handgun toward his and his mother's fleeing backs, Castle comments: "My mom and I kept running, down the staircase into the street, breaking into the darkness with death chasing behind us." In this metaphor, Castle refers to the lethal threat his father poses as "death." While no physical entity is actually chasing him and his mother, Castle employs a flourish of language to illustrate how it feels to him as though he is running from the grim reaper.
Like a Mountain of Dead Flies (Simile)
After buying his usual bag of sunflower seeds from Mr. Charles, Castle takes a seat on a bench by the running track and observes the Defenders' track practice. Annoyed by Lu's cockiness and believing he can run faster, Castle gets up to challenge the sprinter. Castle comments: "I stepped over all the sunflower seed shells that had piled up between my feet like a mountain of dead flies, and walked." In this simile, Castle compares his spit-out sunflower shells to a mountain of dead flies, emphasizing how he has transformed the savory snack into a lifeless pile of saliva-darkened shells that he finds no more appetizing than a mound of dead insects.
Eyes Burning Through the Headrest (Metaphor)
After proving his skills by crashing the Defenders' track practice, Castle is invited by Coach Brody to join the team. Castle says his mother probably won't let him, so the coach convinces Castle to let him speak to her about it himself. On the way home in the coach's taxicab, Castle spots his mother walking, and invites her to get in. She reluctantly gets in the backseat, wary of what Castle is doing in this stranger's car. Castle can sense her skepticism and judgment from where he sits in the front, commenting: "She was sitting directly behind me, but I could still feel the heat of her eyes burning through the headrest, scorching the back of my neck." In this metaphor, Castle speaks of his mother's intense stare as though it is literally powerful enough to burn through layers of fabric and cushioning to burn the skin on his neck. In reality, he merely imagines her look of disapproval and experiences the physical sensation of flushed skin that comes with being in trouble.
Backflips in My Nostrils (Metaphor)
During the Chinese restaurant meal to which the coach treats the newbies, Castle orders Peking duck. When the plates reach the table, however, the coach takes everyone's cutlery and chopsticks, saying he won't give them back until each person reveals something about themself that most people don't know. As Castle's desire to eat builds, he comments: "I stared at my duck, the smell of it doing all kinds of cartwheels and backflips in my nostrils." In this metaphor, Castle emphasizes the ecstasy-inducing scent of the roast duck meat by speaking of the smell as though it is a figure capable of doing gymnastics in his nose.
Legs Becoming Wooden With Fear (Metaphor)
While handing out team uniforms, Coach Brody neglects to mention Castle's name. When Castle asks about the omission, the coach reveals that he knows Castle stole his silver running shoes from Everything Sports. Instead of giving him a uniform, the coach makes Castle sit out the practice, leaving him to stew in the discomfort of not knowing what his punishment will be. Castle comments: "So I just sat there, my legs becoming wooden with fear." In this metaphor, Castle illustrates the anxiety-induced numbness in his legs by likening the feeling to what it would feel like if his limbs transformed into solid logs of dead wood.
