A Witch Like No Other (43 page)

“
Mummy!”

“
Stop that,
Ted! You’
ve frightened the
baby!”

“
Who cares
about the stupid baby?” spat Pandora, though she cringed as Julian
discovered a new octave. “Cant Mum get him to shut up?”

“
No!” yelled
Baby Julian, tears falling. “No, Mummy! No open it!”

“
It’
s Mama and Papa out
there, honey. Don
’
t you want to see them?”

“
No!”

The baby struggled in her arms, but Dreamer
didn
’
t
let him go.

“
Come on
sweetie, calm down for me. Calm down for Mummy, ok?”

She was so close to the front door everyone got ready for
when she
’
d open it, but the baby screamed even more. Turning away
from the door worriedly and walking with him into the kitchen,
Dreamer placed him in his play crib. It was a giant cushiony box
which Baby Julian normally enjoyed bouncing around and napping in,
but now it felt like a prison.

“
Mummy!”

“
Hold on,
honey- hold on.” Dreamer could feel a migraine coming on, a big
one. “Let me get the door.”

“
No!”

“
Yes, baby.
It’
s Paul-Paul and Nana,
look!”

“
What’
s all this noise
for, son?”

“
Paul-Paul,” he
wept, crawling to a corner and sitting there.
“Paul-Paul!”

“
I missed you
so much!”

“
I missed you
too, sweetie.” Dreamer kissed her forehead.

Ted stared at her hungrily, taking in her beautiful face.
Two years his junior, Dreamer looked like she was twenty four
maximum- a student. He knew she
’
d never look a day
older, but she would grow more beautiful.

“
How- how are
you?” he asked weakly, and she nodded nervously.

“
I’
m fine.”

“
You’
re ok with…” he
gestured at the crib hopelessly. “Your baby.”

“
Yes. Yes I
am.”

Ted could feel his anger draining away. He could never stay
angry at Dreamer Black for long- and he wasn
’
t sure if that was a
good thing.

“
Mummy,” sobbed
Baby Julian, making Dreamer turn. “Mummy!”

“
I’
m right here, honey. I
wont let anything happen, I promise.”

“
What, does he
think we’
ll kill him?” said
Pandora tactlessly, and Dreamer looked at her
thoughtfully.

“
Is that what
you’
re thinking,
sweetie?”

“
I- I- no,” she
said, shaking her head. “I just don’
t want anything to do with him.”

“
Me either,”
Marlon added stonily, and Dreamer looked at him as well.

“
That’
s fine with me,
Marlon. I knew you wouldn
’
t, which is why
I
’
m
living here in my own home. Away from you.”

Marlon and Pandora bristled under their
mother
’
s penetrating stare, feeling uncomfortable. The
words
‘
away from you
’
danced around their brains, both of them looking
at each other. What did that mean?

“
Yes, lets,”
Agnes said quickly, sensing the feelings her daughter was having.
“Dreamer, stop those cruel thoughts and come to the
table.”

“
Yes Mama,”
Dreamer answered, as Baby Julian sniffled in his crib. Walking over
to the thing and smiling down at her son, she asked “Better now,
sweetie?”

Baby Julian gazed up at her, eyes filling. He thought Mummy
left him there and forgot about him, but he
couldn
’
t verbalize that thought. Instead he lifted his arms,
Dreamer reaching down and picking him up.

“
What do you
want Mummy to give you for tea, baby?”

Baby Julian thought hard, screwing up his face as he
thought. Pandora and Marlon watched him icily, sitting at the table
slowly. They didn
’
t take their eyes off him for a second. Ted looked at
them, whispering “Calm down, you two.”

When everything was done, she smiled happily. Then she
pouted at the baby, saying “Come now, darling,
we
’
ve
given you almost ten minutes.”

Dreamer thought he
’
d forgotten the
question, so she repeated it.

“
No,” Paul said
immediately, and Dreamer burst out laughing.

“
Be nice,
Papa.”

“
You spoil that
child with cookies, little one.” Paul folded his arms, looking at
her. “There hasn’
t been a day
since he met you he hasn
’
t asked for cookies.
Before he met you he didn
’
t know what they
were.”

“
Well, what did
you give him?”

“
Fruit and
vegetables,” Paul said, and Dreamer laughed again.

“
Papa, you cant
be serious.”

“
I certainly
am,” Paul said as he sat at the head of the table. “Right
son?”

“
My
one!”

Pandora had an urge to snatch the muffin quickly, but she
held off. Dreamer glared at her and she recoiled, eyes immediately
filling over. She couldn
’
t remember a single time
in her life when her mother looked at her like that.

“
Sorry,” she
mumbled, Dreamer looking at Marlon as well.

Marlon held his hands up, saying “I
’
m not thinking about
it.”

“
It?” Dreamer
repeated, Agnes laying a hand on her arm warningly.

“
Dreamer,
don’
t. Stay calm, yes
honey?”

“
But
Mama-”

“
Little one,”
said Paul, and Dreamer looked at him. “Let it go.”

“
Let it go or
let
them
go?” Dreamer answered casually, and Paul
smirked.

“
Both, little
one.”

“
Paul!” said
Agnes, glaring at him. “You’
re
not supposed to egg her on.”

“
Cant I answer
my child?” Paul answered, Agnes snapping “Not when
you’
re encouraging her to
close her heart on her family!”

“
Well, if
they’
re thinking cruel
thoughts about the baby, then-”

“
Be quiet,”
Agnes said coldly, as Pandora and Marlon stared at their knees.
“Put yourself in their shoes, Paul. What would you do?”

“
I’
d be glad of another
sibling,” Paul answered coldly. “No lie, Agnes.”

Agnes closed her mouth, knowing Paul was an only child like
herself. After their parents found out what they were, when they
were around thirteen, both pairs decided never to have any more
children for fear they
’
d be as weird as their first.

Agnes and Paul were cast out on the street on the very same
day, when they found each other. It was on that day they vowed
they
’
d
have revenge on these stupid mortals who thought they were better
than them because they couldn
’
t do zilch, vowed to
stick together no matter what happened.

“
Never mind
Memory Lane, Agnes. Let’
s have
this tea.”

“
My grandson is
talking to you, Ted.”

“
He’
s not anymore,
look.”

“
Baby,
you’
re making a mess,” Dreamer
said amusedly, and he giggled.

“
I share,
Mummy. See?” He picked up a piece, holding it out to Pandora.
“Hello! Look, I share it!”

“
You no like
it?”

“
I- I do,” she
said, looking down at her hand. “Thank you.”

“
What you
name?”

“
Um…
Marlon.”

“
Maaarlon,” he
repeated slowly, and Marlon nodded. Baby Julian looked at Pandora,
asking “What
you
name?”

“
Pa- Pa…
Mummy?”

Everyone laughed, Dreamer saying “You can call her
‘
Dora,
sweetie.”

“
Dorwa.” Baby
Julian giggled, repeating it. “Dorwa!”

“
What are you
thinking, honey?”

“
He-
he’
s kind of cute,” Pandora
said truthfully, and Marlon nodded.

“
So can I,”
Dreamer said quietly, as Julian squirmed in her lap.
“Ted?”

“
Why are you so
quiet?”

“
I… I was just
thinking, that’
s
all.”

“
You
don’
t need my permission to
speak to him,” Dreamer said, Paul as well. “Just answer him, or
he
’
ll
ask you again later.”

Baby Julian
’
s face lit up. “Ted!”

“
He likes
learning new things,” Dreamer explained, when they looked at her
with a small smile on their faces. “But the best time was
when-”

“
He discovered
he had a mother,” Paul said, and everyone looked at him.

Pandora, Marlon and Ted shifted guiltily in their seats,
thinking the same thing. They hadn
’
t thought for one second
about what it must have been like for Dreamer, finding out she had
another child.

“
Um… how did
you feel when you found out about the baby?” Ted asked cautiously,
and Dreamer looked at him. She took a moment to answer.

“
I was shocked
at first.”

“
I can
imagine,” muttered Pandora, Dreamer continuing “But when I saw Baby
Julian, I loved him more than anything in the whole
world.”

The hurt hit the three of them at the same time: they
looked away from her. Dreamer smiled at them, saying
“Anything
.
Not anyone.”