Keeley Thomson (Book 3): Mistress of Souls by P.S. Power

funhouse mirrors, stretched and warped in places, blank in others. It was the gaps she was interested in. If you looked into them hard enough you could see what they led to, some of them decently far away. The one closest to her right now was her target. She had to move carefully though, because it was so nearby she nearly overshot and had to turn around, making a much smaller step to get back.
    Then she took another straight step, this one twisting left somehow, and came out standing next to the sofa as planned. Nearly. She was on the wrong side of it, but it was pretty darned close for a first try. Just at that moment the door had opened, with Clara and her mom walking in. That wouldn't have been a huge deal of course, except that the pain was nearly crippling as it tore through her head. She couldn't let it show though. Shutting the pain down didn't work either, so she forced a smile and tried not to look weak.
    "Clara. Sherry." Her voice cracked a bit, which showed distress. It got an odd look from the Hsreth who recognized it for what it was.
    That meant it was time to spin up a lie or two before things got out of hand. There could be no signs of weakness in front of her people, or they'd get scared about what had done it. First though she had to fix herself and fast.
    "Sorry about the mess in the kitchen. Do you two think you could find me something else to eat? Major situation came up. I dealt with it, of course, but I could use a snack." She tried to make it sound all happy and sweet, and nearly even made it.
    That decided the matter in her mind once and for all. She was definitely going to try out for the school play.
    As soon as they left she sat down and tried to master the pain. She needed to heal and let her mind change she remembered, focusing on that instead of the pain, trying to make it happen as fast as she could without losing consciousness. Ten minutes later a nice tray of food that looked professionally prepared came out, being carried by Clara.
    "Here you go. Mistress." She bowed.
    "Thank you. This looks wonderful. How did the wedding go?"
    Clara actually took a full step back, but recovered from the shock of the question quickly enough, looking only a little scared. She knew enough about Greater Demons not to trust a seemingly good mood, didn't she? Her personal experience was much broader than most.
    "Splendid. Your Sherry worked a true miracle with the flowers. The bride's mother cried when she saw it you know. They'd lost their deposit to a wedding confidence scheme and couldn't afford what anyone else would have charged for the last minute work. That we managed to bring it in for the agreed upon cost saved the day I think. Good people and not poor, but an extra twenty thousand dollars would have strained the budget to breaking I believe. We did get leads for three more events because of that however. Sherry and Eve stayed to help clean up as well. I've rarely seen a florist do that. That kind of quality help can't be bought normally. The rest of the evening went well, of course. The bride was lovely and the groom looked like a lumberjack stuffed into a hideous powder blue suit, but it was perfect anyway." The woman actually seemed pleased with it and nodded to the tray, which was empty.
    "More then? Did you want something different? I could make some pastries I think, with what's left in there."
    "Sounds great. Don't take too much time though, you've had a busy day already. I have more to do, but you need to be back to your own place, living your life, not here waiting on me. I would like it if you could look in on my other people in the next few days and make sure they're all happy with what they're getting food and clothing wise? Especially Rebekah, since she's an employee. I need to do that myself, but you have the expertise to make sure they aren't just getting enough, but what they should have." It was a real point. She could afford some good things now, so she might as well make sure that the