We lap up this pummeling talk, its vicious competition—come to love each other for all that we can find to hate. In this way, my skin becomes a kind of bargaining chip, the shreds that sting beneath my sweater a constant point I have to play. 'Well at least you don't all shed the way I do.
-- Narrator (Mantis)

Importance: "Mantis" offers a window into the minds and behaviors of adolescent girls. In this scene, the narrator is explaining the constant self-criticism she and her peers engage in, focusing on all their perceived flaws. The other girls complain about their weight, their acne, and their hair, but the narrator feels she has the advantage in this ongoing conversation because of her shedding skin—the first sign of her transformation into a praying mantis.

The morning trains were overloaded with bodies both solid and spectral. I became used to standing whilst my...
-- Janey (The Great Awake)