A Witch Like No Other (19 page)

“
So perfectly.
‘Both he and Mama…’ wow.”

Dreamer smiled as she walked back into the living room,
stopping when Miriam
’
s jaw dropped.

“
What are you
looking at?”

“
I
didn’
t notice your gown,”
Miriam mumbled, embarrassed. “It
’
s lovely. And it looks
very expensive too.”

Miriam smiled, repeating herself. “It
’
s lovely,
Dreamer.”

“
Strangers
thought so too,” Dreamer replied, amused as she sat down. “Just
before I came here an Italian man ran across the road, nearly
getting hit by a bus.” Her smile grew. “Then he did
this:”

Dreamer placed a hand over her heart, saying in a deep
voice,
“Amore.”

“
You’
re lucky he
didn
’
t
try and abduct you, Dreamer.”

“
I’
d have liked to see him
try,” said Dreamer, placing her wand on the coffee table. It
sparked menacingly, Miriam looking at it in wonder. The gesture was
made on purpose, Dreamer clearly meaning that nobody could trouble
her in any way.

Swallowing some tea, Miriam asked “How
’
s Pandora?”

“
Pandora is
fine,” Dreamer said with a smile. “Much happier.”

“
I knew she
would be.”

“
It’
s more you than Alice,
and you know that,” said Miriam, amused. Dreamer never wanted to
hog the limelight. She preferred to blend in the background, though
with her that just wasn
’
t possible.

“
Alice has
helped too,” Dreamer said in Alice’
s defence. “She has.”

“
Yes, by ten
percent. You’
re the other
ninety.”

“
How’
s Ted?” Miriam asked
bitterly.

“
Ted’
s fine,” Dreamer
said, sighing. “He
’
s just fine.”

“
No. Please
don’
t ask me
anything.”

“
What’
s going on with you
and Ted?” Miriam asked, and Dreamer scowled as she looked at her.
Were her ears not working?

“
I love Ted,”
Dreamer said slowly and clearly, enunciating each word.
“Don’
t think I
don
’
t,
because I do. But-”

“
You
don’
t love him in the same
way,” Miriam said, and Dreamer nodded. “Well, at least you know
what you feel.”

“
That is true,”
Dreamer answered, and Miriam smiled. Perfect English again. “I feel
as if he is my brother, not my lover. I’
m… not the same.”

“
Yes you are,”
said Miriam firmly. “You just don’
t feel the same.”

“
I suppose,”
said Dreamer heavily. “I don’
t
know what to do, Miriam. I guess I
’
ve become bored of Ted
now. I
’
ve been his lover for eighteen years- fifteen if you
exclude the last three. I
’
m not satisfied
anymore.”

The words were unkind, but honest… and Miriam loved them.
She was sixteen again, and she
’
d first heard of Ted
Stone. She hated him more than anything for taking Dreamer away
from her. And then she was back in the present, thirty three again…
Miriam was shocked to find she was still hurting over everything
that happened. Though she tried not to, she felt glad Dreamer felt
this way about Ted, who had once been her sun, moon and stars.
Without Ted Dreamer felt she was nothing- once upon a time.
She
’
d
finally gotten through that phase- finally!

Miriam saw this as a payback opportunity for
Ted
’
s
taking Dreamer away from her all those years before. If Dreamer
meant what she said, then Miriam could finally be back in her life-
properly.

Dreamer didn
’
t think anything of Miriam
’
s silence. She sipped
more tea, then continued “I know it
’
s not good-”

“
Why- I mean,
of course it isn’
t,” Miriam
said, catching herself just in time. She was just about to demand
why it wasn
’
t good Dreamer was over Ted. “No it
’
s not good, not on
Pandora and Marlon. But- but don
’
t think
it
’
s
not good for you,” she pressed on quickly, Dreamer looking at her.
“Don
’
t
even think about forcing yourself to stay with him for their sakes,
because you
’
ll be unhappy. Pandora and Marlon will know
you
’
re
unhappy and it will make them unhappy too. Same with
Ted.”

Dreamer didn
’
t answer that. She didn
’
t look as if
she
’
d
even heard. Miriam watched her curiously, wondering what was going
on inside that head of hers. Dreamer didn
’
t speak for almost ten
minutes, her tea cold by then. Hesitating first, Miriam asked “Are
you ok?”

“
Hmm? Oh. Me?
I’
m fine,” said Dreamer,
smiling at her.

Miriam smiled back as she raised the cup to her lips, made
a startled noise, then she picked up her wand and tapped the side
of the cup with an annoyed expression. Miriam
’
s smile grew as steam
rose from the cup, Dreamer saying “Tea grows cold too
quickly.”

“
I agree,”
Miriam said, putting her own cup down. “Um…”

“
When are you
going back home?”

“
Maybe at
eight, if you don’
t mind me
staying.”

“
No, of course
not, why would I mind if you- you can stay, I…” Miriam trailed off,
embarrassed as she realised Dreamer was frowning at her sudden
speech impediment. Swallowing, she shook her head.
“Sorry.”

“
Don’
t be,” said Dreamer,
amused. “I suppose it
’
s been too long.”

“
So long,”
sighed Miriam, nodding. “We’
ve
been apart for ages.”

Really and truly, they hadn
’
t been together properly
since they were sixteen. Miriam was in America half the time, she
was besotted with Ted. Miriam had all the time for her, but she had
none for Miriam. Dreamer recalled telling her friend she wanted to
see her once every three months.

“
I’
ve been cruel to you,
haven
’
t I Miriam?”

“
I
didn’
t mean to- well I did,”
Dreamer said as an afterthought, making Miriam laugh. “I meant
every word at the time, but-”

“
Now you regret
it,” said Miriam, and Dreamer scowled at her.

“
Do you always
know the answer, Miriam? What to say?”

“
It comes with
the profession,” Miriam answered as a yes. “Why?”

“
It’
s nice, but… annoying.
Very, very annoying.”

“
Hey, I helped
you a lot of times,” Miriam said defensively. “Every time you
called with a problem or for advice, I gave you a good
answer.”

“
True. We only
stayed in contact because of the phones.”

“
If we
didn’
t have phones
we
’
d
never have stayed in contact,” Miriam said, shuddering at the
thought. “I
’
d be a wreck.”

“
Mmm. How was
you when you heard I died?”

Miriam
’
s smile faded as she remembered. Dreamer waited,
interested.

“
I… I cried
every night for a year and a half. It near enough killed me,
Dreamer.” Miriam’
s eyes filled
as she looked at her friend. “I wasn
’
t eating much, I was
scared of sleeping because I
’
d dream of
you.”

“
Hence my
name,” said Dreamer amusedly, but Miriam didn’
t smile.

“
Tony helped me
get through it. Alice’
s
father,” she added, when Dreamer looked puzzled. “He was dealing
with divorcing his wife and getting custody of Alice at the time,
but he didn
’
t get to have her.”

“
What a shame,”
said Dreamer dryly, not really interested.

“
So this man
helped you get over my death?” said Dreamer, wanting to keep the
subject on target. Miriam nodded again.

“
He
didn’
t want me to fall ill
from depression, he was worried. He didn
’
t let me carry on
working, but I still went to the clinic to see him.”

“
Yes, and I-
no,” said Miriam, as Dreamer smiled at her. “No, Dreamer! He was
never a lover of mine; he’
s
not really interested in love since Elizabeth left him.
We
’
re
just friends. Friends!
Friends,”
she repeated
in a spooky voice, and Dreamer burst out laughing.

“
You’
re so funny
sometimes, Miriam. I missed you when I came back six months ago,
when I was staying with Mama.”

“
Yes. I missed
all of you.”

“
I’
m glad,
then.”

“
So you should
be,” Dreamer answered, getting up. “I should go.”

“
What? So
soon?” said Miriam disappointedly, looking at the clock.

“
It’
s almost eight,” said
Dreamer, looking around for her shawl. Miriam reached to pick up
her wand for her- “Don
’
t!”

“
I’
m sorry, I was
only-”

Miriam pouted, remembering their days at school,
Dreamer
’
s brilliant silver wand. She said the same thing back then,
and nearly went mental when Damon tried using it as a pencil at a
homework club.

“
Will you come
again, Dreamer?”

“
Yes.”

“
Promise?”

Miriam knew she sounded childish, but she
didn
’
t
care. Dreamer pulled her into a tight hug, Miriam inhaling her
sweet vanilla scent with delight. She even laid her head on
Dreamer
’
s shoulder like a baby.

“
I promise
I’
ll come again,” Dreamer told
her, letting go. “Ok?”

“
Ok,” said
Miriam, feeling much better after the hug. Much happier anyway,
because Dreamer Black never broke a promise. “Call me as soon as
you get home. Tell Pandora I said hello too.”

“
I
will.”

Pandora sat cross legged on the carpet cuddling Shadow,
downstairs in her living room. She wasn
’
t going to bed until
Dreamer came home. Ted brought her a mug of hot chocolate, placing
it on the coffee table.