A Witch Like No Other (18 page)

“
Really.”

“
Yes. So
what’
s going on with you and
Ted?”

“
Who? Oh, Ted.
I love him,” said Dreamer slowly, “But…”

“
You’
re not in love with
him,” Denise finished, Dreamer
’
s nodding.

“
Exactly. I
don’
t love him like I did
before I died.” She sighed, asking “What am I going to do, Denise?
It
’
s
going to tear the family apart!”

“
Call your
mother,” Denise said soothingly. “She’
ll know what to do.”

“
What do
you
think I should do?” asked Dreamer, looking at
her.

“
Well…
Ted’
s still the most gorgeous
guy I
’
ve ever seen,” Denise said, smiling at her friend. “Maybe
you should talk with him about this.”

“
Just tell him
I don’
t love him as a lover
but more like a brother?” asked Dreamer, amused. “Just like
that?”

“
No, silly.
Actually, yes. I mean no. I don’
t know!” said Denise, as Dreamer laughed at her.
“Don
’
t
laugh, this is about your future.”

“
Good,” smirked
Denise. “I don’
t think Ted
will take it too hard.”

“
Why not?”
demanded Dreamer, stung.
Everybody
takes
Dreamer hard.

“
Because
he’
s got on fine without you
for three years,” explained Denise. “And it
’
s only been three days.
The longer you leave it, the more it
’
s going to hurt. I say
you just sort this now. Tonight.”

“
Tonight?”
Dreamer repeated, then she shook her head. “My
children.”

“
Wow,” said
Denise, loving it all. “This keeps getting better!”

“
Excuse me Miss
Jessica, Mr Antonio is asking to see you,” a waitress said meekly,
popping her head round the door. “What to do?”

“
Tell him
I’
m unavailable,” Denise said,
waving her away. “Go on.”

“
Yes Miss
Jessica.”

“
Being the
manageress rocks,” said Denise happily. “They love me.”

“
They tolerate
you because they want to get paid,” Dreamer countered, and Denise
pouted at her.

“
You tell it
like it is.”

Marlon sank down on the sofa, bones aching. He was
exhausted. He
’
d just finished playing ball with James in the fields,
after an entire morning of training, a match at noon and then more
training afterwards, in the early evening. After losing their first
game, it made Marlon and James even more determined to win. He and
James stayed in the park after training, challenging each other one
on one at football. Now it was eight p.m., and they were
starving.

“
Let’
s order pizza or
something!” called Marlon, and James said ok.

Marlon picked up the house phone, then he put it down and
picked up his mobile. Pandora hadn
’
t left his head today:
he needed to hear his sister.

“
Hello?”

“
Hi Pandora,”
he said, feeling warm. “Did you have a good day?”

“
Yeah I do. How
was your day?”

“
You lost the
game, didn’
t you?”

“
I… yeah,” said
Marlon, scowling. “Yeah, we lost.”

“
Well
there’
s still more games, so
cheer up.”

Marlon was surprised. “We lost our first game,
that
’
s
not good.”

“
Yeah, but if
you lose again and win the other three you’
d still get the cup. Use your brain, camel
mouth!”

“
Who are you,
and what have you done to my sister?”

Pandora laughed at him. “In answer to your questions, I had
a really nice day. Meaning I
’
m in a really nice
mood.”

“
I see,” he
said, thinking hard. “Did you meet a guy or something?”

“
I spent the
day with Alice,” Pandora said, “And I’
ve decided to be her friend because… she
’
s quite fun. I like
her.”

“
Oh my,” said
Marlon, highly amused as James walked in holding a can of Sprite
for him. “Pandora actually wants to socialise?
It’
s a new day!”

“
Pandora?” said
James before he could stop himself, and Marlon nodded.

“
She’
s finally making
friends again, J. This is brilliant.”

James smiled and nodded, glad Marlon
didn
’
t
find anything strange about his expression or tone of voice when he
said her name.

“
What are you
doing, camel mouth?” asked Pandora, stomach fluttering a little.
“Getting wasted?”

“
No
I’
m not, actually.”

“
Well
you’
re about to. On junk food
or something.”

“
So what?” he
said, more amused than annoyed. “It’
s not a crime.”

“
Mum’
s back,” said
Pandora, voice full of love. “I
’
m going.”

“
Don’
t you dare hang
up,
‘
Dora! I want to speak to her!”

“
Speak to her
when you get back,” Pandora answered, amused. “Bye.”

“
She’
s so annoying!
You
’
re
so lucky you
’
re the only child, James!”

James didn
’
t answer, pretending to be immersed in a pizza
leaflet.

“
Hello, good
evening.”

“
Hey Dad,” said
Marlon, deciding against asking for Dreamer straight away. “Guess
what happened- we lost.”

“
Ah well,” said
Ted, not disappointed. “You had fun, that’
s what counts.”

“
Exactly. What
did you do today, then?”

“
Lazed
around.”

“
You?” snorted
Marlon. “Ted Stone? The workaholic?”

Ted laughed, saying “Since Dreamer came back things
haven
’
t quite been how they used to be, Marlon. Pandora
didn
’
t
bother looking out the window for passers by before she left the
house. I haven
’
t thought about work either- I feel like
I
’
m
flying. And Pandora smiles a lot more too.”

“
And
I’
m real happy,” Marlon added,
smiling. “This is great.”

“
It sure is.
But… have you noticed anything different about Dreamer?”

“
She’
s the same with me
and
‘
Dora,” said Marlon carefully, “But it
’
s like
she
’
s
got a problem being alone with you now, Dad. She leaves the minute
it
’
s
just you two in the room- don
’
t lie,” he said, when
Ted started to talk. “You two need to sort everything out
properly.”

“
Maybe
you’
re right. Son, just
between me and you-”

“
I think your
mother doesn’
t love me
anymore.”

“
Aw, Dad.”
Marlon felt real sorry for him. “She does, I promise.”

“
Not in the
same way.”

“
How can you
tell, Dad? Get lost,” he added sharply to James, who was trying to
listen. James glared at him and picked up the house phone to order
their pizza.

“
I just can.
She basically admitted it when she said something died in her the
night she was killed.” Ted drew a deep, ragged breath. The hurt he
felt was beginning to show, and it frightened Marlon.

“
Dad,
don’
t you dare get depressed
over this. If she doesn
’
t love you then… get over it.
That
’
s
the best thing. Oh!” A horrible thought struck him as he stood
there. “She isn
’
t seeing someone else?”

“
She wants
Damon Stile,” Ted said, angering Marlon.

“
What?”

“
I think
she’
s seen him
already.”

“
Dad-”

“
After she got
back- maybe the day after or-”

“
Shut up, Dad!
Shut the hell up! She cant want that psycho- not after everything
he did to her and Pandora! You’
re talking crazy!”

“
I’
m being serious,
Marlon. She
’
s got her eye on someone else.”

“
You
don’
t know that.”

“
How long have
I known Dreamer for?” asked Ted wearily. “I know.”

Miriam cursed violently, hating herself for longing to see
Dreamer Black. She thought those days and feelings were long gone-
but they were back with a vengeance. It had taken all of her
strength and willpower to get over Dreamer
’
s dismissal of their
friendship, over her death, over their friendship. It had taken all
of her friends and family and a psychiatrist to help her forget the
past; the mornings she
’
d meet Dreamer everyday to go to school, forget
the messing around in class, and the weekends
they
’
d
spend together having fun- forget how much she loved Dreamer. And
now… Miriam threw a cushion across the room in anger. Everything
she
’
d
worked so hard for was slowly slipping away. The independence, the
ability to get on without her friend. Miriam slowly picked up the
house phone, then she slammed it down. She was
not
calling
her.

Agnes would help her. As soon as Miriam reached for her
diary it vanished. Miriam shrieked, then she heard
Dreamer
’
s laugh.

“
Scared you,
didn’
t I?”

“
Hello my
friend,” said Dreamer amusedly, and Miriam smiled.

“
What are you
doing here? Nobody comes to my house.”

“
I’
m not nobody,” Dreamer
replied smoothly. “Or am I?”

“
No,” said
Miriam quickly. “No you’
re
not.”

“
A bungalow. I
always thought you’
d go for a
mansion, Miriam.”

“
That’
s more your style,”
Miriam said, suddenly embarrassed of her home. “Um… would you like
a drink? Can I get you anything?”

“
I’
m fine,” Dreamer
replied, picking up a photo and looking at it closely. Miriam
hovered about, watching her breathlessly.

It
wasn
’
t
a question, it was a statement.

“
Yes,” Miriam
said before she could stop herself. “Yes you do.”

“
I take back
what I said: I’
m pretty
thirsty.”

“
Hot please,”
Dreamer replied. “It was pretty nippy outside.”

Miriam rushed to the kitchen and boiled the kettle, pulling
out two mugs, tea bags and sugar. Dreamer looked around the house
while she waited, taking in every tiny detail. Miriam knew she
didn
’
t
bother asking because she knew what the answer would be.

“
You have three
bedrooms?” said Dreamer interestedly from the passageway, and
Miriam called “Two are for visitors really. One of them
hasn’
t been used yet, and the
other one
’
s for my parents when they visit from America. They came
last year.”

“
Interesting.”

“
I always
wonder where Papa is,” Dreamer said as she looked in the bathroom.
“I’
d love to have both he and
Mama over.”