CREEPIE

When Creepie skitters back into the warm, dark nest she calls home, she is greeted with open wings by her two adoptive parents, Caroleena, a praying mantis, and Vinnie, a vampire mosquito. Since Caroleena and Vinnie have an interspecies marriage, they can't have natural children so, in addition to adopting Creepie, they've adopted dozens of other orphan bugs of every species. Creepie's parents have raised her well - voracious Caroleena teaching her to go out into the world unafraid to gobble up everything life has to offer, and New Age Vinnie teaching Creepie to be nonjudgmental and love her fellow earth-residents. ("Hey, we were all larva, way back when.")
Creepie loves her bug family, but she's iffy about human beings. She definitely doesn't feel like one of them and still looks at them from a bug's perspective: as giant two-legged slugs who only think they run the planet; insects were here for millions of years before them and will be here long after they're gone. Creepie feels no malice towards humans, she just looks at them with a clinical, detached eye, much like a scientist looking at a bug under a microscope. She is curious about them and their ways, but not because she wants to emulate them. She just figures that since she's forced to live amongst them, she might as well figure out the best way to deal with them.
Because she hasn't been socialized with humans, Creepie is oblivious to distinctions like race, class or money. Creepie treats everyone the same, from the most popular kid in school or the lowliest nerd. She's not intimidated by anyone, and she's not afraid to tell the truth - which she delivers with understated humor that's not always appreciated, i.e., when she tastes Chris-Alice's health muffins, "Hmm... Nice and dry, with a woody aftertaste. I know some termites who'd love to get the recipe." She's a girl of few words, but she chooses them well. While Creepie is ordinarily cool, aloof and low-key, she'll leap into action to save a bug in trouble, and she'll stick up for the underdog of any species.
Creepie knows she doesn't fit in, and she really doesn't care. She's totally comfortable with herself so, if other people can't deal with her or think she's a freak, that's their problem. Think Napoleon Dynamite with pigtails, and without the llama. Creepie has no idea about what is appropriate human behavior. She doesn't walk, so much as skitter, she breaks up food into tiny crumbs before she eats it, and she'll perch on the back of a chair rather than sit on it. She roots for the monster insects in horror movies and boos the gun-toting humans trying to save the world. Since no one in Creepie's family has a credit card (she's never even been inside a store!) Creepie has developed her own sense of style. Her favorite colors are black, purple, and acid green.
Creepie is REACTIVELY PROACTIVE. In other words, she's "different" and she's not going to push that on anybody else, but when other people try to force her to participate in their activities and/or conform, Creepie pushes back. She is always true to herself, doing things in her own unconventional buggy way and refuses to go the same vanilla route as everybody else, even if there are unexpected consequences for herself and everybody else.
Creepie is well-prepared academically for school - she's been taught by bookworms and has read her way through the vast library at Dweezwold mansion. She often impresses teachers with her knowledge of literature, though her take on what she reads is a bit off. (She thinks Kafka's "Metamorphosis" was the first reality makeover show.) After the freedom of growing up in a "natural" environment, Creepie has a hard time dealing with the regimentation of school. Half the time she doesn't know what the rules are and the other half of the time the rules don't make any sense to her i.e. she doesn't understand why she has to get up and go someplace else just because a bell rings, and when the hallway is crowded, she doesn't see why she's not allowed to crawl through the air vents to get to her next class.

Caroleena

Picture Angelina Jolie as a praying mantis and you're looking at Creepie's mom. Sultry, svelte and strong, she towers over most of the bugs in the house, including Creepie's dad. Caroleena is a loving mother but also a man-eater, literally. Caroleena has a strict policy: She rarely eats friends or family... anymore. Caroleena has ultrasound ears which allow her to hear things no one else can, especially when Creepie mutters in disagreement under her breath. And with her stealthlike abilities, you never know where she'll spring up. She's a loving mom but runs a very strict house. Caroleena has very little trouble keeping her kids, OR her husband, in line. ("Don't make me eat you!") Her family knows she doesn't mean it literally - but they're still not taking any chances.

Vinnie

Creepie's dad is a vampire mosquito with the sinister, dark appearance of the bloodsucker he used to be. He used to see the whole human race as his own private juice bar. When Vinnie adopted Creepie, however, he knew he had to change, so Vinnie became a vegan. He's adopted his new, healthier lifestyle with all the fanaticism of a convert. For the most part Vinnie is able to stick to his blood-free diet but every once and awhile he gives in to temptation and goes on a blood binge, getting so bloated he blows up to three times his normal size. Then, he's overcome with remorse and swears never to fall off the wagon again. Vinnie has adopted a New Agey philosophy to go along with his new lifestyle, encouraging all his children to find themselves, be themselves, and go out and spread their wings. Creepie would rather stay home where it's dark and warm, but Dad gently prods her to take chances, explore, and discover her world, spouting New Age jargon that makes Creepie roll her eyes. In his silky yet slimy voice, he'll say things like: "I'm picking up some negativity. Your inner firefly isn't glowing!" Dad's "it's all good" mentality sometimes puts him out of touch with what Creepie's going through. Caroleena is much larger than he is, more dominant, and an insect-eater, so Vinnie is always careful to keep her well-fed and happy. But he likes it that way. "Oh, I love it when you threaten to eat me!" Both mom and dad are nocturnal. When Creepie comes home from school, they're usually both asleep, dad hanging upside down with his cape-like wings wrapped around him.

Gnat

Gnat has big eyes (literally). He's Creepie's younger brother and he loves to annoy humans. His greatest thrill is his patented Human Eyeball Divebomb. Gnat, is an "Extreme Bug,"who gets a rush out of trying to avoid the human hand, the fly swatter, or the Giant Foot. He regularly hitches a ride to school in Creepie's backpack, and once he's out, he's always buzzing around Creepie and getting them both in trouble. He takes every challenge head-on, especially plate glass windows and doors. He's always getting slammed, swatted, and knocked around, getting squashed, flattened, even dismembered - but he always miraculously survives Creepie is annoyed at her brother's presence in school, but she's philosophical about it. ("You can't pick your relatives. Can't spray 'em with insecticide, either.") Gnat is crazy about girl-bugs and thinks of himself as a chick-magnet. Gnat will do anything on a dare, no matter how gross, and if no one dares him, he'll dare himself!

Pauly

Another one of Creepie's adoptive brothers is Pauly, a stinkbug (or clown beetle). Stink is an apt term for Pauly - both in terms of what goes in and what comes out. Pauly will eat anything, especially rotting food and garbage, and he can always be found face-first in the nearest garbage can. And, when Pauly feels threatened, he'll emit a stench so bad the leaves on the trees will wither and Creepie's hair will curl. Pauly is Chuck's reluctant partner in crime. Pauly has a lot more common sense than Chuck and can see trouble coming, but Chuck's such a great salesman that he can always talk Pauly into his latest scheme. Pauly gets them both in trouble, too, when he ventures into the garbage cans in the cafeteria. The cans are fiercely guarded by the wiseguy roaches who have a lock on the garbage business at school and don't want anyone invading their turf. When the hammer inevitably falls, or the fly swatter, or the rolled up newspaper, does a headstand, the stench pouring out of his butt in a noxious cloud, clearing the room and even setting off the school smoke alarm. Still, Pauly's always ready to follow Chuck into their next adventure. Pauly is a clown in the true sense of the word, a good-natured goofball who has a talent for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, and often ends up putting his foot (or all six of them) in his mouth.

Beauregard Butterworth II (Budge 2)

Budge is Creepie's first and best human friend at school. Huge, hulking, and African American, he has a deep, quiet voice. Budge's father played college football and wants his son to follow in his footsteps, but Budge has no interest in football. He's much more interested in science, especially entomology. Creepie has never seen a living creature as huge and scary-looking as Budge, but she likes his quiet intelligence and the fact that he accepts her for who she is. She feels safe with him. Once Budge finds out the truth about Creepie, he keeps her secret and earns her trust. Budge works downtown at the"Tiki Chalet" restaurant. Budge is drawn to Creepie for many reasons: their mutual interest in bugs, the fact that they're both loners, and that Creepie is non-judgemental. He also thinks she's adorable, though he'd never admit this to her. Creepie is attracted to him, too, but she's not ready to deal with that yet.

Chris-Alice Hollyruller

Chris-Alice is class president, editor of the yearbook, captain of the girls' wiffle ball team, president of the pre-college prep college prep club and plays bass trombone in the stage band. Chris-Alice's parents would like her to do even more, but after Chris-Alice's nervous breakdown last year, they decided to cut her some slack. Chris-Alice is an organizer, a do-gooder, who's always campaigning, even when she's not running for office. So, when Creepie shows up at school, Chris-Alice goes out of her way to befriend her, even through Chris-Alice thinks Creepie is way weird. Creepie appreciates the fact that Chris-Alice, unlike most of the other kids at school, is reaching out to her. On the other hand, Creepie finds it annoying that Chris-Alice is always signing her up for school activities without even asking her first. Creepie also has to keep her distance from Chris-Alice because Chris-Alice's father is the local exterminator. If Chris-Alice's father ever found out about Creepie's living situation, her entire family would be wiped out. Chris-Alice can sense Creepie's hiding something but, can-do person that she is, she'll stop at nothing to figure out what it is. All this tension and secrecy is complicated by the fact that Chris-Alice lives next door to Creepie's family. Though there are ten-foot hedges surrounding Dweezwold Mansion, this is much too close for Creepie's comfort. She and her family have to be constantly on their toes - or claws - to keep the Hollyrullers at bay.

Carla & Melanie

Carla and Melanie are the meanest girls in school, unless you happen to be rich, good looking, or a movie producer, in which case they'll kiss your ass. Carla and Melanie are Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie wanna-bes who walk around school followed by a techno-geek with a video camera who's shooting them for the reality series that exists only in their minds. Carla and Melanie call each other every morning to coordinate their outfits. In fact, they call each other dozens of times each day on their cell phones, even when they're in the same room. They plan to become movie star fashion designers with record deals, and are always rehearsing songs. Their overly embellished vocal gymnastics make it hard to tell one song from another. They are always laughing at their own jokes, which nobody gets, though if they stare at someone long enough, they might get a nervous laugh. When not posing for the camera or making fun of the way Creepie looks and acts, Carla and Melanie work together at Taco Pirate, a fast food restaurant. Creepie looks at Carla and Melanie as mindless drones, the embodiment of everything she doesn't understand about human beings. By the way, Carla and Melanie's cam-boy appendage occasionally catches some of the bug antics on his videotape but something always happens to erase the tape before he can show anyone the "evidence."

Harry Helby

Harry Helby is M.S. 13's resident boy hottie, a vain metrosexual who's even more into hair products than Carla and Melanie. Harry's so popular with the girls that he schedules them in his PDA, even for short conversations in the hall - i.e. he'll be talking to a girl, his PDA beeps, and he says, "Next!" Then the girl has to leave and the next girl comes up to talk to him. Carla and Melanie are always fighting over him, over which one he likes more, though they're barely blips on his radar. In fact, he literally has radar on his PDA and if a girl is cute she shows up on the screen, and if she's not she doesn't register. When Creepie passes by, Harry's radar shows a spider-shaped blip, which Harry thinks is a glitch in the program. Harry has a secret almost as deep and dark as Creepie's - he sniffs people's hair when he thinks they're not looking!

Ms. Monserratta

The principal of Middleborough Upper School, Ms. Monserrata, is Latina-American. An authoritarian and strict disciplinarian, she rules the school with an iron fist, despite the fact that she's even shorter than Creepie. It's hard for Creepie to conform to the principal's strict rules of behavior, so she's always coming up against her. This is bad enough, but it gets worse because every time Creepie gets in trouble, Ms. Monserrata wants to set up a meeting with her parents - a meeting Creepie makes sure will never happen.

Dr. Pappas

Creepie's homeroom and first period science teacher, Dr. Pappas is a methodical and meticulous fellow, especially when he's dissecting frogs or large insects. He's a Niles Crane type, a bit pompous and boring and his lectures put students to sleep, though he doesn't seem to notice. His classroom is full of insects and animals, both pickled for dissection and alive in cages. Creepie often gets in trouble for trying to free the creatures before they go under Pappas's knife - and some of the live ones pose problems for Chuck, i.e. that frog with the really long tongue.