Disclaimer: I don't own Growing Up Creepie
Summary: 'Any other day, she could have laughed it off. It wasn't possible, it was against nature itself, but it now was staring her in the face; Creepie was raised by bugs.'
Warning: might be a little O.O.C?
...
"So... this is your family?" Chris-Alice asked, gesturing o the occupants all around the room, sitting uncomfortably on the small sofa.
Creepie winced, but nodded, fidgeting in her seat.
"And... these... bugs raised you?" She nodded towards Carolina and Vincent, whom were currently watching over the discussion from the corner.
"It wasn't just us." Carolina interrupted, crossing her arms as though offended "The whole family pitched in!" She waved them around the insects currently flying, crawling, digging through the house, the smallest skitter making the insectaphobe jump.
"Every insect from the smallest termite to the largest bumblebee helped raise our little Creepula." Vinnie explained, fluttering over to the girl currently trying to scoot away as politely as possible "From the earthworms in the library to the Madagascar hissing roaches in the basement, everyone pitched in."
A twitch of a smile graced the corners of the petite girls mouth as she remembered fond memories of pupi-hood.
Chris-Alice shivered "And... your okay with that?"
"Okay with what? Look Chris-Alice, I know that bugs are gross icky things that you are extremely uncomfortable around to you, bur to me... they're family. Being 'okay' with them would be the same as being 'okay' with your family. And you like your family, right?"
"Of course! We Hollyrullers are one of the most family-oriented families in all of middilington!" She was still reeling. Her best friend. The one she did everything with, one of her most favoritist people in all of the world (Besides Budge, and Carla, and Stacy, and- well, lots of people!) was raised by the very things that scared her most!
But... it made sense. Why did Creepie know so little of the outside world? Because bugs taught her, and bugs also had limited knowledge of the human world around them. Why was she so good at gymnastics? Because bugs hung from walls and ceilings and crawled into small places and she had to learn to keep up with them from a young age. Why did she know all the strange facts she did about bugs? Because they were her family, and Creepie was the type of person who'd want to know everything about her family, especially if they had or knew something related to insects.
"And I like mine. A lot. Its the same thing, you love your family and I love mine."
"But... but... Their not human, Creepie!"
And where did that put their friendship? She liked Creepie, she really, really, did! She was super kind and lots of fun to be around! But... her daddy was an exterminator. What would he think if he found out?
He'd laugh, that's what he'd do. He'd laugh and laugh, going on about a Hollyruller's sense of humor. But then he'd stop, and once he realized she was serious he'd break out the toxins. Creepie would never forgive her, and she didn't know if she'd be able to either.
"I didn't even know I'm human until a few years ago!" She argued "It doesn't matter anyway. So what if they aren't human? They're nice and they cared for me as one of their own. That's enough for me, and I'd hoped it'd be enough for you. You'll just have to accept that."
Accept anything to do with Creepie? In a heartbeat. Accept her heritage and family? That might take a little while...
A pot bubbled over in the kitchen. "It seems we were so preoccupied we forgot check on dinner." Vinnie started the long flight to the kitchen in hopes of salvaging something edible for their non-human counterpart "I'll get it, lovebug."
A small, insect hand touched hers. She jumped, trying not to rudely pull out of Carolina's small but strong grip (She was Creepies mom after all, and she was trying her best to be polite) "Chris-Alice, dear, would you like to stay for dinner?" She smiled. Or, at least, Chris-Alice thought it was a smile.
She shuddered. Stay here and possibly meet more of Creepie's 'family'? Thanks but no thanks! It was hard enough not to freak out at all the ones she could see flying or crawling around in the corner of her eye, but all of them together at a dinner table? She wouldn't be able to handle it! "Er, no thanks Mrs. Creecher. I'm just... gonna go home."
Creepie hopped lightly off the small sofa onto the floor "I'll walk you."
The street was dark and empty as they silently made their way down it, the lights flickering on and off as eerie shadows moved with the light.
"Uh... Chris-Alice?" Creepie kept up with the fast pace the Hollyruller had set the best she could, but she could only manage to stay behind her. "Look. I'm not going to ask you to accept this, or even talk to me again, but I have to ask you to keep this quiet."
"From who? My dad?"
"From everyone. If anyone finds out, they'll take me away!"
She had to talk to someone! She couldn't keep something like this to herself! It'd tear her apart! "Can I at least tell Budge?"
Creepie coughed, awkwardly avoiding her gaze. "He already knows."
Chris-Alice stopped, halting the girl behind her with her back and causing her to stumble back a few steps. She whipped around "You told Budge but you didn't tell me!? How is that fair!? Budge and I have been friends since Pre-school, Creepie, pre-school! We don't keep secrets from each other, especially on stuff like this!"
She didn't answer, instead trying to find the wording that currently escaped her.
She skittered down the street, Chris-Alice now being the one forced to give chase. The duo stayed that way, silent, Chris-Alice steaming and Creepie pondering the correct way to go about the discussion, until finally the cheery outline of the house became visible.
"Chris-Alice?"
"Yeah?"
"You know when you were a pupi- I mean kid, the spooky stories people used to tell you to scare you?"
"Yeah?" She shivered again remembering nights spent curled up under the covers from protection from Mr. Scaryface. "What about it?"
"Well... I used to hear scary stories too."
"You did?" Bugs told their offspring spooky stories? Who knew? And what did this have to do with the conversation at hand?
"Yeah, all the time. But, they weren't like your kind of stories. We didn't hear about the 'Mr. Scaryface' who haunts your home and gives you nightmares. We heard about the big, bad, exterminator that wore a weird mask, killed your colonies, and stuck what was left under glass on his kitchen wall."
"You did?" That hurt. A lot. Sure daddy was a little... strange in his methods of exterminating, but it wasn't like he was a bad guy!
She sighed "Yeah." She turned back to the taller girl. "That's why I didn't tell you. Its not that I don't trust you or favor Budge or anything like that. Its just... your dad... your dads not exactly... open to strange things, especially the things that have to do with bugs, you know?"
Now that she thought about it, it explained a few more things to. The instinctive shivers (she'd sworn they were from excitement) she got around his equipment, the utter disgust he received from her whenever he made a bug squishing joke, all of it. Creepie was raised by bugs, and bugs didn't like exterminators..
Wait. Why was it so easy to think like that? She'd only known for a few hours, yet the pieces were falling into place in such a way it wasn't bothering her as much as it should have. Creepie was Creepie, and it would've been stranger if she had a normal family to an insect one.
"Creepie... I'm sorry."
"For what?"
For what? For what? How could she even say that? She'd been unknowingly rude about her family, sent her cat (A bug-eating cat, she might add!) over to be taken care of, and had her babysit her cousin, the exterminator in training! If she were Creepie, she would have sworn she was trying to kill her family off! "For... you know, everything. It wasn't right of me."
"You didn't know." She smiled, well, the closest she got to a smile, anyway. "Besides, it was kinda fun. You know, besides the whole bug-killing part."
Chris-Alice smiled wide and hugged her tight. "I won't tell anyone, I promise. And we'll always be BFF's, no matter what."
Creepie pulled back, confused "What do fruit flies have to do with this?"
"Not fruit flies silly! Best friends forever."
"Oh, right! I should've remembered that.."
"Anyway, I've gotta hurry in! I don't wanna be late! A late Hollyruller is hardly a Hollyruller at all!"
Creepie waved as she dashed up the steps, watching the door close with an almost non-existent click. A few moments later, a small pill bug and a wolf bug crawled out from under the collar of her shirt. Gnat flew up, even to her forehead, whilst Polly comfortably nestled himself onto her shoulder.
"Creepie think she tell?" Gnat asked, eyeing the brightly colored house.
"Nah, I don't think so." She smiled "Friends keep each others secrets, its what they do."
Polly tugged on her sleeve, his usual mode of distance transportation out of reach. "Well, come on! It's almost dinner time, and moms ordering pizza!"
"Pizza Yum!" Gnat grunted, speeding off.
"What happened to dinner?"
"It got burned." He tugged again, insistent. "Come'on! Gnat's gonna eat it all before we get home!"
Taking one last look at the warm household behind her, she started back up the street. "You two are such pests."
Alright, I know I should be working on 'Bug Girl'. I haven't given up on it, I swear! I've just been really busy, and lots of other ideas popped up.
Review please! No flames!