Page 173 of Naughty Nelle

“Ah, yes,” she replies.

Finally! A mirror!

“I’ve read your case history. Quite complex, indeed. Has anyone ever told you what you look like?”

“Actually, I had a magic mirror that did a pretty good job until this little shrew named Snow White got it distracted.”

She zooms in closer and circles my head. Talking about someone being in your face.

“Your nose is too long; your lips are too big; your cheekbones are too high, and your eyes, although a lovely shade of green, are too far apart.”

Her words hit me like a cannonball. “Liar!”

“Jane, having to face the truth is the start of recovery.”

“Give me a mirror!” I demand.

She pulls out a tiny glass object from a pocket.

“Give me that!” I grab for it.

She zips off before I can snatch it. “No, Jane, this is my magic mirror.”

Clasping the small object in her tiny hands, she examines every inch of my face. I try again to snag the mirror, but her trail of fairy dust is blinding me.

“Ah! I’ve discovered a freckle.”

A freckle!?I bolt to a sitting position, clutching my stomach like someone’s punched it. I knew all the sunshine around this place would do me in. I’ll never be the fairest again! I’m ruined!

A mixture of rage and despair boils inside me. Grasping at air, I finally snatch the looking glass and hold it up to my face. I don’t see a damn thing. That’s because it’s a magnifying glass, not a mirror. I refuse to believe her. She’s deliberately messing with my head. She deserves to die!

I hold out my hands and get ready to smoosh her between my palms. Clap! She flits off just in the nick of time.

I rub my prickling hands together as she flutters overhead out of reach.

“You have numerous imperfections, but they come together in an interesting, attractive way. Remember, Jane, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”

“Are we done here?” I say, gritting my teeth.

“No, Jane, we’ve just begun.”

A chime from the clock sounds.

“Time’s up for today. I’ll see you here tomorrow at the same time.”

Like a shooting star, she’s gone, leaving a streak of sparkling fairy dust in her wake.

I choke. Obviously, I’m not getting a massage.

Every muscle in my body is twitching from that bogus therapist. She thinks I’m going to see her tomorrow? Not a chance in hell. I’m going to figure a way out of here. The good news is I’ve got a map. Following it, I head back to my room. I’ll take a quick nap to unknot my body and brain, then study it. Seriously, how hard can it be?

The moment I step foot inside the castle, Fairweather thrusts a bucket and mop at me.

“Ha-ha! It’s your day to do the floors,” snickers Sasperilla.

Flossie tosses her a feather duster. “You’ll be keeping her company.”

Scary-Skinny scrunches up her face in disgust.

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