A Witch Like No Other (35 page)

“
She was calm
at first, but then she grew frightened! Paul, help her!”

Paul cupped Dreamer
’
s face in his beautiful
hand, staring at her.

“
Dreamer.” She
didn’
t react. “Little one…
wake up.”

“
P-Papa…”

“
Shh,” he said
gently, as black tears fell down her face. “I’
m here now.”

“
Agnes. You
look beautiful.”

“
Where have you
been?” Agnes said furiously, as Dreamer sobbed into his shoulder.
“Your child needed you more than ten times in the past-”

“
Hush,” Paul
commanded softly, and Agnes fell silent. “Hold her.”

“
Hmm… they
didn’
t even get to feel my
wrath.”

Paul Black towered above them, looking no older than thirty
years old. Agnes indeed looked the same as she watched him look
down at the bags of popcorn and hot dogs disgustedly, then he said
“It
’
s
revolting. They actually would have watched you die without a
second thought, carried on with their lives- perhaps even have gone
to work afterwards. I will never understand why the mortals hate us
so much, Agnes. Never.”

“
They fear us,”
Agnes replied softly, black patches on her grey robe. Paul
remembered his child, pulling her out of Agnes’
s grasp.

“
Dreamer, look
at me.”

“
Look at me,
little one.”

Dreamer lifted her head, Pandora, Marlon and Ted cautiously
climbing the platform. They stopped when they caught sight of their
mother
’
s face, then they ran over desperately.

“
What happened
to her?!”

“
Be quiet,”
Paul said, glaring at them. “It will go away.”

“
Are you
sure?”

Paul decided not to answer that. If he said it will go
away, then it will. He didn
’
t feel the need to
comfort and reassure them.

Ted watched him put his index under his
daughter
’
s chin and tilt her head up, saying “Repeat after me,
little one. I will be fine.”

“
I- I will be
fine…”

“
Nothing can
hurt me,” Paul said gently, Dreamer swallowing as she looked at the
stake she was tied to. Then she said “Nothing can hurt
me.”

Paul made her repeat similar lines, Pandora watching in awe
as her mother
’
s eyes lightened, the black tears ceasing as she spoke.
Soon Paul was staring down into his own eyes it felt like, dark
green and beautiful.

“
There,” smiled
Paul, and Dreamer smiled uncertainly. Then the smile faded away as
she looked at her father, saying “Don’
t leave me again.”

“
I wont,” Paul
said gently, as her eyes filled. “I wont ever again. I
promise.”

“
I
don’
t want to stay here.
I
’
m
coming with you, wherever you
’
re going.”

Dreamer smiled, everyone
’
s hearts racing as they
looked at her.

“
Dreamer,” said
Ted desperately. “You cant- you wont go?”

That
’
s when Dreamer remembered her family. They was gazing at
her earnestly, begging her with their eyes not to go.

“
For a small
while,” Agnes told them gently. “You’
ll have her back.”

Pandora didn
’
t believe that, looking at her brother. He
thought the same thing, but he shook his head. Grandfather or not,
this was
Paul Black.
The last thing they wanted to do was
anger the sorcerer.

“
I have issues
to sort out with my daughter,” Paul replied, looking at him
thoughtfully. The boy really did love Dreamer more than anything.
“What I want you to do is stay strong, Ted. For your
children’
s sake.”

“
That I cant
tell you.”

“
My parents?”
asked Ted desperately. “I forgive you. It was an accident, I know
it was- she doesn’
t have to
go-”

Paul smiled and shook his head. “It
’
s not about your
parents, Ted.”

“
Then-”

“
Dad,” said
Marlon and Pandora at the same time, making him stop short. “Listen
to him, ok?”

“
Smart
children,” smiled Paul, but before they could look at him he
vanished, along with his wife and child.

“
It looks like
our first house!”

“
It
is
our first house,” Paul replied amusedly.
“Let
’
s
go inside.”

“
He acts like
he owns the planet! He cant just take her away from us!”

“
Calm down,”
said Ted wearily, stomach gnawing. He didn’
t have his wallet on him, so he
couldn
’
t buy the kids something to eat. He didn
’
t know how long it would
take for them to get home either.

“
You
should’
ve told Paul she
wasn
’
t
going anywhere, Dad!”

“
Didn’
t you hear her? She
said she wanted to go with him!”

“
Then you
should’
ve told
her
she wasn
’
t going anywhere!”

“
And get
blasted by Paul for ordering his daughter about?” Ted laughed
bitterly. “I didn’
t have a
choice in the matter, and neither did you.”

Pandora shivered, then she scowled. “This is so
embarrassing- we
’
re in our pyjamas! And I swear we
’
re not even
halfway-”

Miriam
’
s jaw dropped as she drove, then she slammed her fist
on her car horn. Ted and his kids whipped round, staring as she
pulled over.

“
Miriam!”
breathed Pandora, relieved as they ran to the car. “Hi!”

“
Get in,” she
said, leaning over and opening the passenger door for Ted. Marlon
and Pandora got in the back, thankful for her arrival.

“
I’
m so glad
you
’
re
my godmother,” said Pandora, rubbing her arms to get warm. Miriam
looked back at her with a smile, saying “Even if I
wasn
’
t
I
’
d
have told you to get in, silly.”

“
Not really,
because loads we knew drove past us-”

“
Including
James,” spat Marlon, but Pandora said “Come on Marlon, he was with
his mother. He wasn’
t driving,
was he?”

“
Ok, fine. But
he still could’
ve told his
mother he wasn
’
t coming!”

“
I know,”
Pandora said, looking out the window as Miriam pulled away. Miriam
watched her through the rear-view mirror, knowing the girl had a
crush on James. Had anything happened between them since their last
talk? She’
d have to find out
another time.

“
Miriam, I cant
thank you enough,” Ted said, as Miriam turned up her heater for
them. “We would’
ve either
starved or frozen to death.”

“
I cant believe
nobody helped you,” said Miriam angrily, stopping at a traffic
light. “How can they be so cruel? Especially to
Dreamer!”

“
It’
s because
she
’
s
a witch,” Ted answered bitterly. “She cant change who she is,
Miriam. I know some of them didn
’
t want this to happen, I
can tell. Some people weren
’
t cheering, just
standing there looking sick. They
’
re probably the ones who
called Dreamer
’
s hotline.”

“
Exactly,”
Pandora burst out. “Magic lovers undercover.”

“
That nearly
rhymes,” said Marlon, smiling at his sister. “Cool.”

“
Don’
t worry,
‘
Dora.
Everything
’
s going to be ok.”

“
He took my
mother,” Pandora spat, looking at him. “And she’
s not coming back unless she wants to, and even
if she did he mightn
’
t let her. You heard what he said, he
would
’
ve taken her without her consent.”

“
Paul said
they’
ve got issues to sort
out,” mumbled Marlon, Miriam listening silently as she drove.
“Maybe when they
’
re sorted-”

“
It depends
what the issue is,” Pandora snapped, Ted saying “That might just be
an excuse, ‘
Dora. Remember,
Paul
’
s
been away for years. Maybe he just wanted to catch up with his wife
and child.”

“
True,”
muttered Pandora, then she scowled. “It’
s still not fair! Who the hell does he think he is?
Just because Europe and the rest of the world is dead scared of
him, it doesn
’
t mean I am!”

“
Ok
‘
Dora, ok,” said Marlon,
grinning at his sister. He loved it when she lost her cool. “You
cant do anything, all right? But I say if she
doesn
’
t come back in two months we go get her. Two months is long
enough to sort issues, right Dad?”

“
Right,” Ted
said, smiling at him as Miriam spotted KFC across the
road.

“
Good thing is
Dreamer doesn’
t have to go to
that woman,” Ted said between bites of food. “I
’
d rather her be with her
parents than her.”

“
What woman?”
asked Miriam, though she already knew.

“
Some friend of
Dreamer’
s who wants to take
her away from us.”

“
Her!” Marlon
burst out angrily. “When I find out who she is-”

“
What about
Denise?” asked Pandora. “Remember Denise Jessica, Dad?
She’
s got that fancy
restaurant in the city, loads of adverts on screen.”

“
Denise would
never do that to us, ‘
Dora.
Remember how close we all was to her before she became the
restaurant owner?”

“
I’
d like to see her,”
Pandora said broodingly, sipping her Coke. “Maybe you should ask
her if she knows anything about all of that, Dad.”

Ted nodded, saying “I
’
ll give her a
call.”

Miriam felt a little guilty as she watched the man seated
across from her eat, knowing he didn
’
t have a clue
that
she
was the mystery woman who
’
d corrupted
Dreamer
’
s mind.

“
I’
m so tired,” muttered
Pandora, and Marlon said “Ditto.”

“
Sleep,” Ted
said gently, Miriam adding “We’
ve got about two hours to go. When you wake up
you
’
ll
be at home.”