Dane Harold

Dane Harold is Logan's childhood best friend, a musician, and eventually a Markless  radio host.

Biography
Dane comes from an extremely rich family—a fact which embarrasses him. A musician, he is the lead singer of the rock band he named the Boxing Gloves. Dane uses his musician persona to stand out at school.

Dane was close friends with Logan and Hailey until sixth grade. They went to summer camp together, spent weekends together, and were the school hover-dodge champions. During the summer before sixth grade, however, Dane realized that he was beginning to fall for Hailey. Simultaneously, Hailey realized she was beginning to fall for Logan. Confused, she asked Dane for advice on what to do about her feelings. The two got into an argument, and, as a result, the friendship between Dane and Hailey went cold. Dane continued to be Logan’s best friend, since Logan had not been involved in the problems between Dane and Hailey.

Swipe
Dane attends the same school as Logan, and they often hang out together. Dane also comes over to Logan’s house sometimes. It is on one such occasion that Dane discovers the fishing line that Blake rigged to spy on Logan. The friendship between Dane and Logan cools, however, when Hailey begins paying more attention to Logan. Dane does not understand that Hailey is merely acting as a spy for Peck, so he thinks that a romantic relationship might be developing between the two of them.

Logan learns that the Dust intends to kidnap Dane at the concert where Dane’s band will be competing, and he tries to warn his friend. Dane is too angry at Logan to listen. He goes to the concert and is chloroformed backstage by Joanne, Eddie, and Tyler. They then dragged Dane to the Fulmart, dumped him in a wheelbarrow, and carted him off to the warehouse to meet Peck. Dane evidently remained at the warehouse for the next month, reappearing to back Peck up during his meeting with Logan.

Sneak
"'Can I have my own radio program? Please?' --Dane"

Dane understands Logan’s actions in Swipe better than the Dust do, so he is not upset when Hailey brings Logan to the Hayes’s farm. After the DOME raid on the farm, Dane helps Hailey rescue Logan from the stream where he had jumped to escape. The three of them travel east together, hoping to reach Beacon City and find Logan’s sister. Dane is still sensitive about Hailey’s relationship with Logan, and they argue frequently as they travel.

When they reach the Village of the Valley, an underground Markless community in the Appalachian Mountains, Dane becomes interested in the radio program run by the village on the nationwide Markless station. He discovers that he can hear the radio program run by Logan's grandmother and Hailey’s mother, but he knows that their program will not reach all the way to Beacon City. Dane realizes that his struggle in dealing with Hailey is making him a third wheel at best. He also realizes that if he can stay in the village, he can use the radio to help Logan and Hailey keep in contact with their families. Ultimately, Dane decides to remain behind when Logan and Hailey continue on to Beacon City, and, after Logan is captured in Acheron, he helps use the radio to organize the Markless protests that allow the Dust to free his friend.

Storm
Dane continues broadcasting from the Appalachian village in Storm. After Hailey’s mother dies, she travels back toward Beacon City to rejoin the Dust. On the way, she stops in Dane’s village, and the two of them enjoy a happy reunion. Time, circumstances, and Logan’s recent arrest seem to have helped Dane learn to deal better with his feelings about Hailey. Hailey, in turn, seems to have grown more comfortable being friends with Dane again.

Physical Appearance
At Spokie Middle School, Dane liked wearing flashy, out-of-style clothing in order to stand out. His first appearance in Swipe was in a black shirt that changed shade with his body temperature, as well as pants decorated with a several protruding wires.

Personality
Dane is a rebel, partly to prove that he is not like the other rich kids on his street. He is friendly and outgoing, but he has sensitive feelings with a quick temper to match. As a result, he sometimes jumps to conclusions about other people’s intentions. Dane’s struggles with his feelings do not keep him from showing loyalty to his friends. His decision to let Hailey and Logan continue alone to Beacon City took a good deal of self-sacrifice.

Family and Relationships
Dane has a distant relationship with his parents. They seem to view him as a mess to be cleaned up rather than a real person, and the only place he feels comfortable in their house is his den. If he sets something down anywhere else, it will quickly be picked up, even if it is a candy wrapper in a corner of his bedroom. Dane feels displaced by the constant cleaning, but his parents do not care about his feelings. The only member of the Harold household that Dane really trusts is the live-in Markless housekeeper, George.

Skills
Dane is talented at playing “wailing mitts,” which sound like a cross between an electric guitar and a synthesizer. He is also a singer and songwriter, and he makes a good radio announcer, as well.