Keeley Thomson (Book 3): Mistress of Souls by P.S. Power Read Free Book Online Page A

the desk officer who actually managed to relax a bit, since Keeley apparently had a name and knew the man in charge.
    "Wouldn't miss it. Clark?" Richards glanced past her at the man who shrugged.
    "I was thinking about taking the wife and kids. I'll make a point of it."
    With that Keeley waved and left quickly, not wanting to be late to school. Hopefully it would be interesting enough to keep her mind off of things for a while.
    It wasn't. It was just about the most average day she'd ever had at Raintree. The early morning classes did almost nothing, just covering the assignments done and handing out the next ones with minimal explanation, meaning they were all busy work meant to let the slower kids catch up. Lunch was normal enough too. The only difference there was that she saw Becky and Maria Gonzales and waved them over to sit by Hally and Eve before they could huddle together alone on the other side of the room. It made for a more interesting mix at the table, being that it was normally the cheerleaders' section.
    A few of them looked like they wanted to get snooty about it, since they were pretty and popular and Becky Hoader was a little chunky and had short curly hair that looked a little mousy. Maria was tiny and wore a mouthpiece to hold her front teeth in place still. The big headpiece was gone though and the girl was cute enough really, except for that.
    "Hi. How are you two doing? Sit. We'll make room." Oddly enough half the table just moved two places to the right, as if it was only natural. It kind of was, since they all did things like that every day, but that was normally when one of the head girls on the squad wanted it done. Keeley wasn't one of them, just friends with a few. Gary came and slid into place between her and Becky, his body too large for the space, meaning he pressed up against them both warmly. It was fine, except for the feeling of rage coming off of him still. Less than it had been a few days before, but still there. He tried to look pleasant and turned to Becky, who wasn't one of his close friends.
    "Hi. I'm Gary. You're Becky right? Eve and Hally were talking about getting you and Maria to come over this weekend. Kind of a night in. Watch a movie or two, eat too much, that kind of thing. I don't know where we're holding it though. Maybe at Keeley's house?"
    Because her mom would love that. Gary knew that too. At least that her mom was OCD and her dad was afraid to let boys within twenty feet of her.
    "I'll ask my mom. Um..." Keeley shrugged and looked sad, which she actually felt, a tear coming to her eye for a few seconds.
    "My dad left last night. For real. You know, just kind of took off. He's not coming back. I knew it was coming but..." She didn't let herself cry, but had to blot her eyes with a napkin, meaning she'd need to fix her make-up. Again. It was one of the hassles of the stuff. It took constant attention to keep looking nice.
    She got up to do that and gestured to her mostly uneaten food.
    "Want that Gary? I know you're always hungry. I probably won't be back. Anyone want to come with me?" It was meant to be inclusive, but surprisingly the only one that stood up was Barb the cheerleader. The girl was finished eating anyway, since a bag of carrot sticks wasn't exactly a big meal.
    "I will. Need to fix my face too. Later all." She sounded perky and looked it too. Her face was nearly too perfect, giving it a slightly bland look that was attractive while you saw her, but forgettable when you looked away. Her hair was brown and would have been more striking in a slightly richer color, but she came from money, which showed in her clothing and the fact that she'd had a nose job. It was good work, but Keeley could see where it didn't exactly mesh with her other features. That was a Demon thing though, not something most people would get.
    They were halfway to the girls restroom and its ever handy mirror before Barb said anything.
    "I know you didn't mean me, when you asked if anyone