A list of characters from the erotic thriller The Girl in 6E.
Deanna Madden, a.k.a. JessReilly19 (Jessica Beth Reilly)
The protagonist, a professional sex cammer who does business as JessReilly19.
- Anorgasmia: Deanna's orgasms are almost always fake:"I won't come. An actual orgasm is an occasional occurrence, one that my tortured body spits out in exhausted exasperation, one of those 'here, take it!' gifts. But for the most part, I am severely oversexed, and my body ... has grown immune to stimulation."
- Deadpan Snarker: Sometimes with her shrink, and at one point with Jeremy:Jeremy: Can you even drive?
Deanna: [with a straight face] Yes. I'm an excellent driver. I haven't had a ticket or accident in over three years.- She does admit to internally laughing hysterically at her own wit.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Any reader who starts out thinking Deanna is just a psychopath is quickly set straight. Deanna may constantly want to kill people, but in general her morals are equal — and sometimes superior — to the average person's. She initially had trouble with a client who wanted her to laugh at his small penis, because she was too empathetic; she was genuinely disgusted by a client whose desire for a "young experience" seemed creepier than average; and when she began to suspect they were more than just desires, she got down on her knees and prayed — something she hadn't done in years — for the safety of the girl he might really be wanting. And then there's her thoughts on a client who is a Senator:"I'm not 'that girl'—I don't have any desire to record our sessions and sell the photos to the highest bidder—but it is only a matter of time before another camgirl will. I told Richard as much. ... It is just a matter of time before he is exposed, his firm stance on morality defrauded. But not by me. Killer: yes. Exploiter of secrets: no."
- She also has perfectly normal emotions, needs, and desires: The death of her family crushed her; she admits that she is really lonely and wishes she had someone around to talk to, to rub her back and tell her everything is going to be alright; and when she makes her first stop at convenience store during her road trip, and for the first time in three years is faced with the prospect of junk food, she goes all out, with this rather sad confession: "This is easily one of the greatest moments I have had in recent memory."
- Face Realization: As she cuts the throat of the antagonist, and prepares to mutilate him as she always dreamed, Deanna is shocked to find her hand falling limply to her side, her bloodlust suddenly gone. Despairing, she delivers this Wham Line:"Maybe I am not my mother. Maybe my need of bloodshed stops at the point of mutilation and dismemberment."
- Unfortunately, it returns. But that doesn't mean she's wrong about perhaps wanting mutilation rather than death.
- Glass Cannon: To her dismay, while she has vivid fantasies of brutally murdering people, once she's physically overpowered she's not much of a threat.
- Good Feels Good: Not that this surprises her; the surprise is just how good it feels."As much as I may have rescued Annie, she rescued me even more. She made me feel that in all of the rotten of my soul, there still existed goodness, light."
- Heroic Willpower: Most of us will never know just how much willpower it takes to spend three years locked up in an apartment 24/7, sex camming full-time, and constantly battling your homicidal tendencies; but it's undoubtedly a lot. The last one takes even more willpower once she goes outside.
- Identical Grandson: Deanna looks very much like her mother, and out of three kids she had the closest bond with her. She believes this may be why her mother went out of her way to make sure Deanna was away when she massacred the family — killing Deanna would be like killing herself. She also believes that, like her looks, her desire to kill might be inherited.
- Psycho Knife Nut:"My fantasies center mostly on death by blade. Knives result in more blood, more suffering by the victim, and a slower death if you stab the right places and avoid main arteries."
- Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: A trait Deanna got from her mother. It's a large part of her physical appeal, and also contributes to Jeremy's niece's theory that she's a vampire.
- Reluctant Psycho: Deanna knows as well as anyone that killing is wrong, and she herself has felt acutely the grief and pain of losing loved ones to homicide. She wishes she could turn off her need to kill, and she talks to a shrink every week with that goal in mind. But she continues to have disturbingly detailed fantasies of murder.
- Serial-Killer Killer: She goes after Ralph Atkins, who has killed at least two people and is implied to have killed others.
- Technical Virgin: Downplayed. She may perform a wide range of sexual acts on camera, but Deanna has never actually had any form of intercourse with a person.
- Villainous Lineage: Deanna's theory as to why she wants to kill so badly.
The clients
The men and women who use Deanna's services.
DoctorPat92 (Dr. Patrick Henton)
One of few clients with a "doctor" username who is actually a doctor — a fifty-five-year-old GP from a small town in Maine. He and Deanna have a win-win arrangement: She watches him pleasure himself anally, and he writes her illegal prescriptions to Vicodin (which are not for her but for Simon).
Lillian Baker
An elderly lady who chats with Deanna about once a month.
HackOffMyBigCock (Mike)
A hacker who helps Deanna with her online security, and later serves as a guide on her quest.
- Saying Too Much: He makes this mistake when giving her directions, telling her she came from the east.Deanna: How do you know which direction I came from?
Mike: Uh...what?
Deanna: How. Do. You. Know. Which. Direction. I. Came. From?
Mike: Just assumed.
Deanna: Bullshit. You know where I live?
Mike: Uh...yeah.
QuackAttack
- The Shrink: He was Deanna's first, offering his services in exchange for hers. Apparently this arrangement didn't work out very well, so now she gets her psychiatric help the old-fashioned way.
- Teeny Weenie: According to Deanna.
threeinchpenis
- Teeny Weenie: This guy has one; he's into humiliation play and wants Deanna to laugh and ridicule him for it.
HAP0972 (Paul)
RalphMA35
Simon Evans
One of Deanna's neighbors, who lives three doors down. He is in charge of keeping her door locked at night; his compliance is bought with Vicodin, which he has a crippling addiction to.
- Drugs Are Bad: Though it's hardly the focus of the novel, Simon's addiction is clearly debilitating and not portrayed positively; Deanna notes that the only person he's hurting is himself.
Jeremy Bryant
The UPS guy, who delivers all of Deanna's packages.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Jeremy is apparently quite attractive, with tan skin and strong features.Deanna: [narrating] I like Jeremy, and from my warped peephole view, there is a lot about him to like. Muscular build, short dark hair, and a smile that stretches quickly and easily over his face, even when there isn't a damn thing to smile about.
- Too Dumb to Live: He continues trying to connect with and hang out with Deanna even after she straight-up tried to slit his throat.
Dr. Derek Vanderbilt
Deanna's psychiatrist.
- Aroused by Their Voice: Deanna says that his voice is "smooth, deep, and masculine", and that if not for the price of his sessions she could listen to it all day long.
- The Shrink
- The Stoic: Derek is humorless, blunt, a little snappy, and unyieldingly professional.Derek: [when Deanna calls without an appointment] What's wrong?
Deanna: Nothing. I can't call a friend to chat?
Derek: We're not friends, and we don't have an appointment.
Dr. Brian Russell
Deanna's sex therapist. In theory, he helps Deanna understand her clients' sexual motivations so that she can serve them better; in practice, they just have giggly chats about what happens in her cam sessions.
- Camp Gay: Deanna says that in his photos his appearance "shrieks" gay, even though he's just smiling into the camera with a business suit on; and his manner of speaking seems to fit the bill:Deanna: Let's see...got an offer of thirty grand for a blow job in Manhattan. What's your expert opinion? Should I take him up on it?
Brian: Fuck no. You should pass his number on to me and let me suck it. I'll make him forget the name Jessica Reilly in about four swallows. - The Shrink
The Thompsons
An impoverished family, and their handful of relatives, living in Brooklet, Georgia.
Annie Cordele Thompson
The Thompsons' only child. Annie celebrates her sixth birthday near the beginning of the novel. She is highly desired by one of the adult men in her life.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Her blonde hair is part of what attracts her to the antagonist, as it evokes a sense of innocence and goodness.
- Innocent Blue Eyes: Ditto
- Kindhearted Cat Lover: Though she loves their dog, what Annie really wants is a kitten. The prospect of this is what convinces her to go with the antagonist. Though he doesn't actually say he has a kitten — he just says he has a surprise for her, she asks excitedly if it's a kitten, and he goes along with it.
- Morality Pet: She's what finally forces Deanna out of her apartment.
Carolyn Thompson
Annie's mother, stressed and beleaguered by the task of caring for a child and a disabled husband while trying to pay mounting bills.
Henry Thompson
Annie's father, wheelchair-bound.
Uncle Frank
One of Carolyn's brothers.
Michael Atkins
Another of Carolyn's brothers.
Becky Atkins
Michael's wife, and Carolyn's sister-in-law.
The antagonist
Ralph Michael Atkins, a.k.a. RalphMA35, is the pedophile who is after Annie.
- Beneath the Mask
- Children Are Innocent: To him, this is the primary attraction of young girls.
- Slipping a Mickey: After coaxing Annie into his vehicle, he offers her a drugged soda. She's so excited to receive such a luxury as soda — not allowed at her home — that she drinks it right down.
- They Look Just Like Everyone Else!: He knows Annie personally, and is trusted as much as anyone else in the small community. When Carolyn learns who he is, she is shocked that someone she knew and trusted could be capable of such evil.
- Would Hurt a Child: Obviously.
