A Witch Like No Other (42 page)

Cruise stopped, worried Ted
’
s eyes would leave his
head.

“
Mr
Stone?”

“
Go on,” Ted
said hoarsely, looking at him. “Was that the last one?”

“
There’
s only one
more-”

“
Show it,” said
Pandora, Marlon as well. Cruise obeyed, all of them staring at the
photo of Miriam pulling a blanket over Dreamer as she slept, on the
sofa. Dreamer looked real drained in that photo.

“
What happened
to her?” Ted demanded worriedly, Cruise quickly saying “The baby
didn’
t sleep all night- so
neither did she. She had to call her friend over because she had a
terrible headache, and she was worried about her baby.”

“
It’
s not hers,” spat
Pandora, and Marlon nodded. “It cant be.”

“
It’
s not mine either,”
Ted said quietly, and they looked at him.

Deciding the silence was way too intense, Cruise went back
to the main menu, saying “Here
’
s the videos of the baby
if you
’
d like to-”

“
We
don’
t want to see them,” said
Pandora, but Ted said “Play them.”

“
Mummy, I want
cook-cook peas.”

Pandora
’
s stomach tightened as Dreamer smiled at him. Judging
by the awkward movements of her father and brother, they felt
jealous too. Anyone could tell Dreamer adored the baby, whatever
his name was.

“
You
didn’
t even eat all of your
oatmeal, sweetie.”

“
I no like
oaty. I want cook-cook!” the baby giggled, adding
“Peas.”

“
Breakfast
first, cookies after.”

“
Turn it off,”
he said quietly, and Cruise looked at him.

“
Don’
t you want proof that
Miriam is the mystery lady?”

“
I said turn it
off! Now!”

Cruise obeyed quickly, Ted
’
s face in his
hands.

“
I think you
should see for yourself that Miriam Hughes-”

“
We’
ll take your word for
it,” Pandora said, joining her father. Marlon was staring at the
screen as if something was still on there.

Cruise straightened his collar as he said
“I
’
ll
leave the DVD with you.”

“
How much do
you want for your work?” Ted asked, head bowed so he
wouldn’
t have to look at him.
“I
’
ll
write you a cheque.”

“
Keep the
money. I don’
t need
it.”

“
Are you
sure?”

“
Yeah. I uh… I
hope you sort everything out between you, Mr Stone.”

Ted nodded as Cruise turned to leave, Marlon walking him to
the door. After it shut forcefully, after Marlon came back into the
living room, Ted said “I don
’
t know what to say, you
two.”

“
That is
not
her baby,” hissed Pandora, as Marlon spat the same words
out. “She must have adopted him, and then changed his eye
colour.”

“
Well
it’
s possible,” she said
crossly, folding her arms. “Right?”

“
It’
s hers,
‘
Dora.”
Ted
’
s
mind was spinning, his heart racing to keep up with it. He repeated
himself as Marlon yelled it isn
’
t.
“It
’
s
hers.”

“
Dad, it cant
be!” said Pandora frustratedly. “It takes nine months
to-”

“
I know,
it’
s hurting my head. I cant
work it out,” said Ted miserably. “I really cant.”

“
Call Grandma
Agnes and Paul,” Marlon said, eyes filling. “Now, Dad!”

Pandora sat in a corner, unable to move as she stared at
her father
’
s lifeless body. Damon Stile? How? When? If that was his
baby, and Dreamer was a month pregnant before she died, that meant
she had an affair with Damon. But she died, so how could the baby
be alive? Pandora
’
s eyes filled as she tried to make sense of
everything. Did Dreamer know what Damon was doing to her all along?
Maybe she laughed with him about it, maybe-

“
Stop!”
screeched Agnes, appearing in a flash of red light with Paul.
“Don’
t you dare think of my
child in disgusting ways like that, Pandora! She
didn
’
t
know for sure until the day she died!”

“
For sure?”
Pandora repeated, hurt. “So she thought he did stuff?”

“
She dreamt,”
said Agnes furiously, as Paul knelt beside Ted.
“Dreamt,
child, do you
hear me? She didn
’
t know if they were just nightmares or something real,
she was as confused as I was!”

“
She
didn’
t know until the day she
died,” Marlon said quietly, looking at his sister. “Trust me
‘
Dora, Mum
would never have-”

“
What about
that baby?” Pandora said, biting the words out. Already she hated
the beaming little brat. Marlon’
s expression became dark too. Agnes chose not to answer
her, knowing that her words might somehow influence them to do
something terrible to her baby grandson.

“
What
happened?”

“
You passed
out,” Paul said, hauling him up gently. “Hello again,
Ted.”

“
Paul,” Ted
said weakly, then he remembered everything. “Tell me I was just
dreaming, Paul- Agnes. Everything… it was just a dream.”

“
Now
isn’
t the time for denial,”
Paul said curtly. “We
’
re going to stay here with you until your anger
wears out. Agnes will help calm you.”

“
You’
re going to stay
with… no. No!” said Ted angrily. “You
’
re the one who saved
that baby in the first place-”

“
You’
re telling me you
would have let him die?”

“
Yes!” said Ted
frustratedly. “It was
nothing
. Just…
nothing!”

“
I agree, Ted.”
Paul spoke calmly. “But I knew it would become something- my
youngest grandchild. I’
m not
surprised at you being angry with me, but surely, you cant possibly
wish I left Julian to die.”

“
That’
s his name?” spat
Pandora from her corner.
“Julian?”

“
He’
s a lovely baby boy,”
said Agnes lovingly. “Your brother.”

Marlon exploded furiously, shouting “That brat is
not
our brother!”

“
He’
s nothing where
we
’
re
concerned!” said Pandora angrily. “Nothing!”

“
He’
s nothing to me
either!”

“
Obviously,”
snapped Paul, temper rising. “Because he isn’
t yours!”

“
We’
re going to stay with
you, Ted.” Agnes was the only one who was still tranquil. “You,
Marlon and Pandora need to calm down. We
’
ve foreseen the things
that will happen while you
’
re angry.
We
’
re
going to wait until you are at peace again, and then take it from
there.”

“
We’
re not going to
college,” Marlon said, glaring at Agnes. “We wont.”

“
Suit
yourselves,” Agnes answered. “Now, get showered and dressed for
bed, the pair of you. Come downstairs for a last mug of hot
chocolate, and then off to bed you go.”

“
Yes Grandma,”
muttered Pandora, suddenly feeling small. “Come on, camel
mouth.”

“
Camel mouth,
Ted?”

“
They call each
other names when the mood suits them,” Ted explained, head
throbbing. He must have landed hard. “For Pandora, Marlon is camel
mouth and for Marlon, Pandora is hermit.”

“
Very amusing,”
Paul said with a small smile. “Do you feel calmer?”

“
No,” Ted
confessed. He looked ok, but inside he was raging with hurt, anger
and fear. With that baby suddenly on the scene, where did that
leave him and Dreamer?

Upstairs, Pandora called Alice while Marlon dialled
James
’
number.

Alice didn
’
t know what to say, for the first time ever. Neither
did James.

“
James is a
prat,” Marlon said, looking at his sister. “He
didn’
t-”

“
Make it
better, I know. Neither did Alice,” Pandora said bitterly.
“I’
m taking time off college.
I don
’
t care if I get thrown off the course.”

“
Ditto.”

“
Marlon,
Pandora,” called Agnes. “Come and have your tea,
darlings.”

Pandora
’
s eyes filled as she looked at her brother.

“
Mum always
makes us a nice tea. With muffins and stuff.”

Marlon
’
s heart panged as he nodded. “Yeah, I
know.”

“
I want to see
her,” Pandora said. “We’
ll get
Paul to take us.”

“
Ask
Paul to take you,” Agnes scolded, at
the foot of the stairs. “And call your mother first, to see if
she
’
s
up for seeing you.”

Ted looked at her hopefully. “What
’
s her number,
Agnes?”

*
*
*

Baby Julian jumped in Dreamer
’
s arms, eyes snapping
open as the house phone rang.

“
Mummy!”

Julian laid down obediently, Dreamer pulling the duvet over
him. She took her time, hoping the caller would hang up, but they
didn
’
t.

“
Hello, good
night. Dreamer speaking.”

“
Hello?”

“
You’
ve woken my son up
just after I put him to sleep,” she said coldly, looking at Baby
Julian as he fidgeted under the duvet. “He
mightn
’
t go back to sleep for a long time, thanks to you. I
suggest you talk, or I
’
m going to send a charge of electricity down the
line.”

“
Papa!” she
said, surprised. “What’
s the
matter? Why are you calling?”

“
I’
m not,” Paul said,
chuckling. “My former son-in-law is calling-”

“
Ted??”

“
With your
children and mother at his house.”

“
Oh,” said
Dreamer, suddenly realising everything. “Um…”

“
Dreamer, you
didn’
t tell me you was
pregnant,” croaked Ted. “Why?”

“
I thought- I
thought- Papa, Mama, please bring my family to me.”

Paul clasped Ted
’
s arm while Agnes took
Marlon
’
s hand in one of hers and Pandora
’
s hand in the
other.

“
We’
re on our
way.”

“
Knock-knock
coming, Mummy. Big knock-knock.”

“
Don’
t be afraid, baby.
Mummy wont let them do anything to you.”

She could already feel the negative energy issuing from
Ted, Marlon and Pandora- and they weren
’
t even there yet. And
Baby Julian could sense it too, the forceful knock which Ted would
give-