Insects

Jhonen Vasquez owns all of these characters.

There are thousands of them Insects, worms, bugs, PARASITES, swarming through us. Our lives. Our brains.

Johnny has a creativity thief. (Psycho D-boy) So does Devi. (Sickness) Todd seems to be setting up for receiving his own. Tenna has something a little worse.

Johnny has some minders. ( , to some extent) Devi does not. Todd is the minder. (Pepito and Shmee) Where is Tenna?

Johnny has not escaped. (the wall) Devi has. (her job) Todd is getting his running shoes on. Where does Tenna go?

Johnny, the slug, has a brain parasite. Devi the carpenter ant can lift 30 times her weight. Todd the larva has a chance to grow or die. There are millions of insects in this world.

Which one is the best?

The one pulling the strings.
_line break_

MMMM DEATH

Such a thought could only come to someone for whom death was an appetite fulfilled, a main course served alongside burritos and noodles. And it was, for her. And she really liked Devi and wanted to see this one succeed. She was so thoughtful and smart. So she needed testing.

Distraction. It was the worst thing she could be handed at this moment. Especially someone she liked and wanted to be friends with. Tenna was very surprised when Devi tripped her with that cat. She was also overjoyed. Her girl was going to make it. She was going to succeed. She would win. At last, Tenna could have a friend. At last Tenna could share her food and life and secret with her.

Tenna had been hoping but not very confident. She had another chance already lined up for herself. A small boy named Todd. He lived near the disaster area that had been left the last time she had tried to make a friend. The boy was so small and so scared. And she was vaguely sorry about who she was going to leave him with, but hot damn! She had done it and was going to hang on and never let go.

She had quit her old job. And everything was going to be alright. She was going to have time to draw and paint and write and play with her and….Devi? Devi, what's wrong? Stop screaming. Don't you like me?

_linebreak_

"But why? Why didn't she like me?" Tenna sobbed quietly, curled in on herself. Her heart was broken in two and hung heavily in her chest. Devi didn't like her in the end. She didn't want to be friends with her, didn't want to make a friend. "Why?"

"Hush, It's alright girl. Hush, there will be more," the comforting voice whisper to her. It flowed right out of her ears and into her heart, tenaciously basting the two pieces back together with each word. "It's okay" it lied. Of course it wasn't 'okay.' But it would be little more than dust in the wind with time, despite the anguish. "It's okay, we'll try again."

Tenna rubbed her bleary eyes. Her sobbing ceased. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She stood up. Her shoes thumped hollowly and echoed as she strode across the hard wood floor. "But what if it happens again?" She considered for a moment. "I hope it doesn't happen again."

"Me too." A pause, "Are you feeling better?"

"I am, thanks." A smile on her end. She turned around to face the floating toy. Mr. Spooky glowed an eerie purple ans tenna grabbed him and placed him back in her pocket.

"No problem."