Victoria Menard has had a hard life. She's an orphan and a thief... and perhaps even a murderer. Worst of all, her only friend is a talking spider named Chester that lives in her head. For the last eight years, Victoria and Chester have traveled the world, seeing the sights, learning half a dozen languages, and terrorizing communities indiscriminately. Now sixteen, Victoria wants her independence. But the parasite inside her won't let her go. Chester...