A Witch Like No Other (2 page)

“
You’
re welcome,” she said
icily, then she smiled at Pandora. Marlon seemed unfazed by the
fact his mother could do magic, but Pandora was the opposite. She
loved it. She wanted to be just like her mother.

“
Bedtime,
Marlon and ‘
Dora,” said Ted,
knowing that a million thoughts must be zooming around his little
girl
’
s
brain. He was glad that Marlon didn
’
t care for magic, but he
was concerned for his daughter. Pandora pouted as Marlon did,
making their parents smile. They looked like twins. Pandora ran and
kissed their mother goodnight as Marlon hugged Ted happily, then
they switched places for Pandora to hug Ted and Marlon to kiss
Dreamer, then they both ran upstairs to bed, Pandora tripping
Marlon up mischievously so she could reach her room
first.

“
Did you see
Pandora’
s face when you- you
know.”

Dreamer shrugged a shoulder. “She
’
s fascinated by
it.”

“
Exactly, and I
really don’
t want her to
be.”

“
Why, Ted?”
said Dreamer sadly. “Are you ashamed of me?”

“
What? No,”
said Ted, as she turned away from him. “Dreamer?”

“
I’
m going for a walk,”
she said, sighing. “Just a small one.”

“
I’
ll wait up for
you.”

“
No- you need
to get some sleep. I don’
t
want you-”

“
I’
ll wait up for you,”
Ted repeated firmly, kissing her hand. Dreamer smiled as she pulled
on her coat, then she walked to the front door.

“
I wont be
long.”

As
soon as the door closed behind her Ted walked to the window and
looked out. What he saw made his stomach drop three inches. Dreamer
had entered his friend Damon Stile
’
s house- the front door
closed.

He
had a mind to dash across the road and demand what was going on.
But then he knew that Dreamer would never betray him, ever. She and
Damon got on brilliantly, everyone knew that. In fact, Damon knew
Dreamer first, and Dreamer
’
s frightening mother
Agnes had predicted her only daughter and Ted were meant for one
another. It was also Agnes who had turned Damon into a toad, Ted
thought ruefully, the minute he offered to baby-sit
Pandora.

“
I should have
known,” Ted muttered, and Marlon looked at him.

“
Dad?”

Pandora was busy reading the newspaper. It
didn
’
t
look like she heard him. Ted sighed as he looked at his daughter,
not answering Marlon. Stile changed her forever. It was all his
fault. Dreamer
’
s murder, Pandora hating anyone who
wasn
’
t
a relative, her refusal to socialise- it was all his fault. If only
he could turn back time.

Ted shook his head as if trying to get rid of his thoughts.
He couldn
’
t think of that now. He needed to focus on his
kids.

“
What was I
saying to you two?”

“
Not me,” said
Marlon indignantly. “Pandora.”

“
The
conversation ended,” said Pandora coldly, looking at her brother.
“Yes I do have a box, I’
ve got
plenty. I just use them to store things.”

“
Get you,” said
Marlon, grinning. “She couldn’
t stick to the legend, could she Dad? It
’
s not
Pandora
’
s Box, it
’
s Pandora
’
s Boxes!”

Pandora rolled her eyes and went back to reading the paper.
Ted smiled as he collected everyone
’
s plates and cups,
putting them in the sink.

“
So
what’
s on the agenda for
today, kids?”

“
I’
m going out with the
guys,” Marlon said. “Er… can I, Dad?”

“
Sure you can,
son.” Ted smiled at him. Even though he was nineteen, Marlon still
had complete respect for his father. “Pandora?”

“
I’
m going to my room to
pretend I don
’
t exist,” Pandora said without looking up. “Maybe if I wish
it enough times it
’
ll finally come true.”

“
Go where, big
brother?”

“
Anywhere you
want.”

Pandora closed the newspaper, looking thoughtful for a
minute. Then she shook her head, saying “It
’
s ok.
I
’
d
rather stay in my room.”

Marlon looked at Ted, who smiled and shook his head. The
smile meant
‘
You tried, son. Don
’
t try and force
her.
’

“
Besides, I
have to go see Shrinkabell,” Pandora said, looking at Ted, who
burst out laughing with Marlon. “It’
s Thursday, right?”

Ted nodded. “I wont be long at work,
‘
Dora, so-”

“
You
don’
t have to come, Dad.
I
’
ll
be fine.”

“
Pandora
darling, how are you?”

“
Fine, Miss
Hughes. Just fine.”

Miriam frowned, concerned with how down Pandora sounded.
She started counselling Pandora three years ago, and had come to
love her like a daughter even though the first rule of her
profession was
never get
attached to the client.
Miriam
found she didn
’
t care. She was close friends with Dreamer at school,
but had moved abroad in their last year. When she finally moved
back home she found that Dreamer had a beautiful baby boy- in the
blink of an eye. Miriam thought then that if she stayed Dreamer
wouldn
’
t have gone off track with this mystery boy. Her life was
ruined- or so she thought. Dreamer wasn
’
t letting a baby stop
her from doing what she wanted: she returned to college, had fun
with her friends and was still very popular. If Dreamer
didn
’
t
care about the baby, then neither did they. So nobody really felt
anything changed when the baby girl was born- but Miriam did. She
hated whoever the father to these children was, for taking Dreamer
away from her.

Dreamer didn
’
t care, she carried right on with her life,
Miriam thought with a small smile. That was so typical of Dreamer.
But then again, Dreamer must have missed her, because her mother
called.

“
Stop this
nonsense, Miriam. You’
ve no
need to be jealous of Ted.”

“
That’
s his name?” Miriam
said disgustedly. “Ted?”

“
He’
s a lovely boy. His
parents want him to wed Dreamer.”

Over my dead body,
Miriam thought furiously.

“
She’
d never marry
him.”

“
Dreamer is in
love,” Agnes replied. “And she’
s not even eighteen.”

“
So?”

“
So she may
marry Ted. I leave the choice up to her.”

“
Dreamer, you
wont marry him. Will you?”

“
Now you want
to talk?” Dreamer answered coldly. “What’
s the point?”

“
Dreamer,
I’
m sorry for what I did- I
can come back if you want-”

“
But I
don’
t want, so stay in
America.”

“
Please
don’
t marry him,
Dreamer!”

“
Why
not?”

“
You just cant!
You’
ll forget all about
me!”

Dreamer softened for a minute. “No I
wouldn
’
t, I promise.”

“
Just
don’
t marry him,” begged
Miriam. “Please?”

“
Why?”

“
Because
I…”

“
Oh boy,” said
Dreamer, amazed. “Why didn’
t
you tell me?”

“
We’
ve been friends since
forever,” wept Miriam, ignoring the question. “And now this- this
Ted guy, and his stupid kids-”

“
My
stupid kids,” Dreamer interrupted,
though she wasn
’
t really angry. “We
’
ll live happily ever
after, exactly. I knew you
’
d
understand!”

“
That
wasn’
t what I was going to
say, and you know it!”

“
Give me your
address,” Dreamer instructed. “That way we can write to each other
or something. I’
ll send you a
picture of my er… what was it again? Oh yeah, stupid
kids.”

“
I
didn’
t mean that, I
just-”

“
Forget it,”
Dreamer said firmly. “They’
re
not the point right now.”

Wiping her eyes, Miriam asked “What
’
s the point,
then?”

“
Ted Stone is.
I’
m marrying him whether you
love me or not.”

“
Fine!” shouted
Miriam. “Fine, marry him! See if I care!”

“
I wont bother
seeing, because I know that you do.”

Miriam slammed the phone down and ran to her room, throwing
herself on her bed. She cried every night for a whole month. Two
months afterwards Dreamer
’
s mother Agnes called,
telling her Dreamer did marry Ted, but refused to give up her last
name. Miriam laughed: good. Dreamer Black sounded so cool. She
couldn
’
t imagine a Dreamer Stone.

Miriam begged Agnes for Dreamer
’
s address, Agnes giving
it without hesitating. Miriam wrote Dreamer a long letter of
apology, though she wasn
’
t exactly sure if
Dreamer would reply. She wrote almost five pages, weeping as she
did. She promised Dreamer she
’
d be there for her from
now on, and wouldn
’
t do anything to upset her. Miriam missed Dreamer so
much it was starting to hurt. She wouldn
’
t eat. She could just
about sleep. She was always cold. Dreamer
’
s absence had a
tremendous effect on Miriam, and her parents were starting to
worry. Miriam couldn
’
t tell them the reason she was so depressed was
because she missed her best friend, instead making up a feeble lie
about a boy back in England.

Dreamer didn
’
t reply to the letter, but Miriam knew she
received it. She wrote another, asking Dreamer for a recent picture
of her. Dreamer didn
’
t reply until Agnes found the letters and forced
her, Miriam thought as she smiled a little. Dreamer simply sent the
picture as requested, with a picture of Ted Stone, and her two
children.

Miriam called Agnes, asking her to give Dreamer her number.
Dreamer took the number, but she didn
’
t use it. So Miriam
called Agnes again, frightening the woman as she demanded for
Dreamer
’
s contact details. Agnes knew how much Miriam loved her
child, praying she loved Dreamer as a sister and nothing more as
she gave the numbers.

“
I’
ll come back, Dreamer-
I promise. I wont leave again.”

“
You say it
like I begged you not to go,” Dreamer replied icily. “Did
I?”

“
No no, you
didn’
t. But you had to have
minded a little bit-”

“
To be honest,
Miriam, I did miss you a little. But I don’
t anymore.”