[h1]Alison[/h1]

[i]Get away from me![/i] 

Alison felt a... ripple in her hand, like her arm was a pond and her skin was the pond after she threw a big pebble in it and Daddy scolded her for disturbing the ducks. Immediately, the centipede curled away from her and lashed out at the pod she was hiding behind, sliding its needles off the side with a [i]skritch[/i]. Then it fell to the floor, limp and curled up like a sleeping snake.

She could [i]feel[/i] the tension in the centipede, the energy coiled up inside, that sensation of utter strength. Then a voice filtered in from the outside world, calm and soothing. "...but we have magic too. So we can figure this out. Stay calm and move slowly." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, staying as still as possible in case the centipede woke up again. The bad man's face appeared in front of her, but he didn't seem to be grinning evilly, like a real villain would do. He wasn't laughing maniacally either. He seemed to be smiling at her.

[i]Maybe he's like the ugly duckling? He seems bad, but he's really good.[/i]

Slowly, Alison pushed herself to her feet. She reached out for the tentacle again in her mind, felt it hanging down as though it was a third arm. Cautiously, she tried to lift it up, and the tentacle roiled up with such force that the tentacles passed perilously near to the skinny man's eyes. 

"I... I... can c-control it now, I think. I-it must be my p-princess powers. That m-makes it so I can control the c-centipede." She flinched as she said the word, trying to move it slowly away from the man. "T-thank you, mister. I shouldn't have shouted at you." If Mummy were here, she'd agree that the place was magic, all right. Alison [i]never[/i] said sorry, or thank you. Even when Mummy scolded her, and made her put a penny in the Manners Jar every time she forgot. She just didn't see the need to.