The centipede writhed and clacked along the floor.

“Kill it!” said Verena.

“Wait…” Tiggy picked up a large jar of ping pong balls in her big green hands and unscrewed the lid, emptying the balls onto the floor.

Verena looked about for something heavy to hit the centipede with. “Why don’t we have a golf club or something useful…?”

Tiggy scooped the centipede up and shoved it into the jar.

“Hey, wait, we should probably kill it,” said Verena.

“Noo…” Tiggy screwed the jar shut and the centipede wriggled around in it.

“Huh.” Verena peered into the jar and pulled a face. “What d’you want that for? A pet?”

“Better ‘n killing it,” said Tiggy. She held the jar up in one of her green hands. “Ooh, look. It is made of wood. Weird.”

“What if the disgusting thing escaped from the jar?” demanded Verena. “It’s one of the last things you’d want to find in your bed, even if it is just wood. I know the clay worms in the garden are your friends, but this…?”

“Clay worms are funny,” said Tiggy happily.

“Yeah, I know you like it when the clay worms crawl up you,” said Verena. “But centipedes… they’re so leggy! And how in the world do we have one made of wood lurking in our bedroom. We’d better show Mum and Dad.”

“They might be asleep,” said Tiggy.

“So? We can wake them up. Come on.” She took Tiggy’s free hand and tugged in the direction of the door.

00O00

After Corey and Nadine made love, Corey fell asleep. Nadine was aroused, and still wide awake. She smiled fondly as she gazed at Corey’s face. “Sweet dreams,” she murmured, snuggling up to him. He looked so peaceful. Nadine nuzzled his cheek and he smiled and murmured. What was he dreaming about? Nadine liked to guess. Maybe it was last summer when they holidayed at the seaside? If so, Corey was dreaming of the azure waves and the golden sands. Tiggy had been delighted by the tiny crabs, and let them run over her large green hands. Corey had tried sea fishing. Verena had criticised his old Whiz Kids fishing manual, because the little boy on the front had been wearing bright clothes which goes against the manual’s instructions. Verena also said that fishing was boring, but Tiggy contentedly sat beside Corey for a while to keep him company, sampling the tiny fish he used as bait. Corey eventually caught a small dogfish and gave it to Tiggy to eat while the rest of them had ice cream. Such a picture perfect scene… Nadine cuddled close to her husband, wishing she could share in his dream, whatever it may be.

There was a thump and the door flew open. Nadine sat up. Verena was outlined in the light from the landing. “Mum! Mum! Tiggy’s caught a huge bug! I bet it was going to attack us.”

“It’s alright, Mum. Don’t worry.” Tiggy’s low, gravelly voice, followed by the sound of her heavy footfalls on the stairs. “I caught the bug.”

Nadine pushed her hair away from her face. “My dears… What bug is this?”

Verena came into the room. “Huh. Dad’s asleep. Can’t he hear me?”

“He’s tired,” said Nadine, putting her finger to her lips.

Tiggy now stood in the passageway, a towering figure, she would have to stoop to get through the door. “Let’s not disturb him then.”

“Quite right,” said Nadine. She slipped out of bed and onto the landing. Tiggy held out the jar with a huge centipede clattering around in it.

“Goodness,” said Nadine. She peered close to it. “Hm. Wood. Not a natural bug. I’d best put it in my magical dampening cupboard. Just to be on the safe side. It needs analysing.”

“Hope it’s not poisonous,” said Tiggy. “It could be our pet.”

“Your pet, maybe,” said Verena, wrinkling her nose. “You’re the one who likes creeping things.”

00O00

The bug was deposited in the safe. The next morning, Nadine set out to teach her daughters the basics of combat. They stood out on the lawn, Corey looking on.

“Tiggy, darling, you’re legs are very strong, so if you have to defend yourself, these boots will be a great help.”

She had a pair of iron clad boots. Given Tiggy’s size and strength, a Giant Slayer would be closer to her feet than her fists. An ogress or ogre-girl’s has very strong legs to support her greater than human weight.

Tiggy wrinkled her shiny green nose. “I don’t wanna hurt anyone.”

“I know, sweetie,” said Nadine, patting her arm.

“This is only for self-defence, Tig,” said Verena. “I don’t actually want to hurt anyone either – unless they’re a Giant Slayer.” Verena glowered and clenched her fists as she added that last part.

“Listen to your mother, Tiggy,” said Corey. “Following her combat advice always did wonders for me.”

Nadine grinned at him, but she remembered all too well how anxious she had been when Corey was on his first mission and in real danger for the first time. That had been their mission together. When he had made light of the danger, she had been torn between exasperation, and a desire to hug him tight, because really it was adorable that he was so silly...

Tiggy practiced kicking over metal dummies.

“Good kick!” said Verena, as Tiggy send one flying with a resounding clang. “See how it went flying?”

“Don’t think I could kick a person like that,” said Tiggy uneasily.

“Aww…” Nadine patted Tiggy’s arm again. “I’ve got a custom made weapon of the Goo-Trap for you.”

Nadine referred to her gadget for firing sticky pink webbing to incapacitate villains without hurting them. The one made for Tiggy had a long handle that could reach down and fire webs when Tiggy waved it with enough force. The ogre-girl proved she could ensnare training ground dummies quite easily.

Verena was keen to learn combat. Nadine thought it best to give her a light bolas to try out first. “Now darling, the important thing is focus. This is the stance to take.” Nadine demonstrated.

“I have to do the most ridiculous cavorting for cheerleading. And I give the lessons now,” said Verena. She glared at the wooden mannequin and twirled the bolas. The ropes and balls whirled through the air and clattered on the carved figure.

“Bravo!” Nadine clapped.

“That’s great, doll!” said Tiggy.

“The bolas is too easy,” declared Verena.

“Stay confident,” said Corey.

00O00

Nadine walked Tiggy and Verena to school on Monday. Tiggy had been nervous about stepping outside the house. The thought had given her butterflies in her stomach. But she wasn’t worried now. Now she walked alongside her mother, and her heart swelled with pride. Her Mum could handle anything.

The sisters’ first class was English, which they had together. When they entered the classroom (Tiggy having to stoop to get through the door) they noticed that the blackboard had been taken off the wall.

“What idiot did this?” grumbled Mrs McDonald.

“I c’n help!” said Tiggy.

“OK, dear,” said Mrs McDonald.

Tiggy picked up the board in both hands, lifting it easily and hooking it back on the wall.

The set text was Change Is For The Better, by Lola Robertson. The plot follows the anti-heroine Opal Tempest on her descent into madness and villainy. Opal worries about her fading beauty, and has the mad obsession to steal the looks of a glamorous young lady.

“What can we say about this scene in chapter twelve?” asked Mrs McDonald.

Verena raised her hand. “The storm is a pathetic fallacy – it’s the weather reflecting Opal’s mental state. Growing old terrifies her. Her mind is like a storm, because she’s so jealous of a younger lady.”

“It’s weird,” blurted Dan Marogy. “She’s making a fuss about nothing. What do wrinkles matter? It’s not like she’s green and huge.”

This was all too obviously a jibe at Tiggy.

Verena turned, her blue eyes flashing. “What did you say, Bogey?” she snapped.

“It’s alright,” mumbled Tiggy looking at her desk.

Mrs McDonald clapped her hands together for silence. “Was that a kind or funny thing to say?” she asked of Marogy.

“Uh…”

“Then why did you say it?” she shouted. But she was content to leave the matter at that.

00O00

Next class was history, covering the start of their age - the Modern Mystical Era. In this age, magic exists, but humanity rules the world. After class, Dom joined Tiggy, Verena and Verena’s cheerleader friends as they walked down the corridor. Tiggy and Verena smiled at him while the other girls looked a bit put out, looking at one another and raising their eyebrows.

“Magic still exists, but it isn’t much use,” said Dom, referencing the class. “It’s not like it’s ever helped me.” He touched his eczema marked face to emphasise the point. “And neither has medicine.”

“Mm hm. Have you tried steroid cream?” asked Kimmy.

“I’ve tried everything,” said Dom tersely. “And you can see how well everything I’ve tried has worked. Wish I a complexion like Tiggy’s. I think she looks cool.”

Tiggy felt her face growing hot. She was glad she couldn’t blush. “Aw, that’s such a sweet thing to say. Thanks,” she murmured.

Verena chuckled and patted Dom on the arm. “Good thinking. And I wouldn’t worry about the eczema. It’s only a matter of time before there’s a cure.”

Tiggy and the rest had to part ways then – because Tiggy was rubbish at Maths, she was in the Biology set – the kids who could do maths took Physics and Chemistry, but not biology. This was down the vagaries of those who ran Crystal Prep.

The biology building had a really strange and unsettling mixture of smells. Verena had assured Tiggy that she would find the Chemistry labs even worse.

In Biology Lab 3, Tiggy had to sit at the back on a special mat, because she was too big for a flimsy lab stool. As usual, no one wanted to work with her when they had to do practical work in pairs.

At that moment, a dark haired boy came hurrying into the lab, ten minutes late.

“Late again, Elliot?” said Miss Crawley, the Biology teacher. “You can work with her then.” She pointed at Tiggy.

“Hopefully it’ll improve your timekeeping skills.”

The class sniggered. Elliot sighed and walked to the back of the lab to Tiggy’s bench. Tiggy smiled at him as he sat down.

Tom Barnes turned round and said in a weird monotone voice to Elliot: “E.T. Phone home…”

“I do not look like that boy in E.T.” snapped Elliot.

“Yes you do,” smirked Barnes. “And she’s green, like an alien.”

“Silence!” snapped Miss Crawley. “Today, you’ll be dissecting a ram’s heart, and making a diagram…”

Oh dear. Tiggy really disliked this kind of practical. Not only did she feel sad for the poor ram, but a ram’s heart was raw meat. When she was served a plate of raw meat, she immediately felt hungry. This was pretty embarrassing. She really hoped her stomach was not going to rumble at the sight of the heart on the plate. Some part of her wanted to pick it up and eat it. Obviously her ogre genes. Maybe it was to her what a big cheeseburger would be to the other teens. She picked up the scalpel. It was so tiny in her fingers. She smiled at Elliot. “Do you want to dissect it, or shall I?”

But Elliot looked soft of pale and ill.

“Are you OK?” Tiggy peered at him anxiously.

Elliot grimaced at the heart.

“You uh… don’t like the heart?” murmured Tiggy.

Elliot shook his head.

Tiggy raised her hand. “Miss Crawley…”

“Antigone Harris, get on with your work,” said Miss Crawley, not looking up.

“Elliot isn’t well,” Tiggy insisted.

Miss Crawley tutted and walked over to their bench and glared at Elliot. “What’s wrong, boy?”

“He looks green… like she does!” jeered Tom Barnes. “They’re a couple.”

Miss Crawley smirked.

“I – I feel … dizzy,” said Elliot. “I might have ‘Flu.”

“Fine,” said Miss Crawley, curling her lip. She pointed at Tiggy. “Take him to the nurse.”

Tiggy got to her feet and held out her hand to Elliot, but he didn’t take it. They left the lab.

“I don’t want to go to the nurse,” said Elliot when they were outside. “This is stupid…” He shifted his feet.

“Wanna talk about it?” asked Tiggy.

They sat down on a metal bench. It withstood Tiggy’s great weight just fine.

“This is stupid,” said Elliot. “It’s… I don’t like having to dissect a heart. I could do the sheep eyeballs, but the heart… ugh! This is so stupid…”

“It’s not stupid,” said Tiggy. “I don’t like having to cut up a sheep’s eyeball or its heart.”

“Huh,” said Elliot. “Glad it’s not just me. Never thought you’d have trouble with it.”

Tiggy smiled at him. “Even someone with ogre blood doesn’t like cutting up the heart.”

“Yeah…” Elliot looked up to make eye contact with her for the first time and smiled slightly. He had grey eyes. “Actually it would be more surprising if your Mum and Dad were squeamish. They went on a pretty scary adventure. I’ve read about it, but I think the best parts have been taken out of the PG rated novella. Their story’s still pretty cool, even with the censorship.”

Tiggy smiled at him. “That’s nice of you to say.”

Elliot touched her arm and his cheeks flushed faintly pink.

“Are you sure you don’t need the nurse?” asked Tiggy.

“Yes. Hold on a minute…” Elliot put his hand on top of hers. Her hand made his look so little! His hands were as small as Verena’s. Adorable baby hands. “You know your Mum and Dad went on a mission to Firestorm Isle and went to a warlock’s underground lair? Um… the Warlock’s their friend now, right?”

“Mum saved his life,” said Tiggy. “But they’re not in contact or anything now.”

“Huh. It might not still be the Warlock ruling Firestorm Isle now,” said Elliot. “I bet there were others who fancied the position for themselves. It’s quite possible that someone has taken over from the Warlock now.”

00O00

Chemistry was over and Verena and the other Cheerleaders congregated in the bathroom. Kimmy held up a Mythic Life magazine. “Look at this. The contester for the County Pageant from Turquoise Glade High has been announced. It’s Selina White.”

Verena took the magazine. “Wow. She is beautiful. Is she really only my age?”

Selina had a perfect sculpted face, a complexion like freshly poured cream, cherry lips and silky hair as dark as midnight. She looked older than fourteen. Serious. Mature. The article said her nickname was ‘Snow.’ Snow White?Sounded weird. Verena gave an inward sigh. She didn’t fancy her chances in a beauty contest against Snow White.

At that moment there was a terrible cackling sound, reverberating in Verena’s head. Verena looked up, and with a sick feeling, she saw Mirror Girl in the bathroom mirror. The demon was cackling like mad and pointing at the picture of Snow White.