A Witch Like No Other (51 page)

Marlon shrugged, hating the hurt that was beginning to show
on his sister
’
s face as he said “Obviously you need James more than
me.”

“
That’
s not true.
I
’
ve
always put family first, and you know it.”

“
Why did you
kiss him, Pandora?” sig
hed
Marlon, shoulder
’
s falling.
He looked like a six year old being told Santa
couldn
’
t make it this year for Christmas. Pandora imagined Baby
Julian looking just like that when he was six. “How long have you
been hitting on each other?”

“
Don’
t say it like that,”
Pandora said, cautiously moving closer to him. “Listen, since
before Mum came back- before I met Alice-”

“
That long?”
said Marlon disbelievingly, but Pandora said no.

“
Remember when
James said
hi I and I bolted
upstairs?” Marlon nodded. “Well… he gave me his number that night,
when you came back from wherever. He wanted to help me.”

Marlon
’
s memory was all too clear. He remembered James
telling him to help Pandora while they were out too… they discussed
it in the car…

“
But I
didn’
t talk to him, I swear,”
Pandora said, pleading in her eyes. “You have to believe me- I
tried to destroy his number with my box.”

“
And it
didn’
t work?” She said no.
“Why the hell not?”

“
Mum,” said
Pandora softly, looking at the kitchen door. “She
wouldn’
t let the paper vanish-
it was still there the next day. I had a feeling she was alive, but
I didn
’
t have any proof.”

“
Mmm,” Marlon
answered. “So… when did you talk to him, then?”

“
When you blew
his nose off. Seriously,” she said, when he gaped at her.
“I’
m not denying I had a crush
on him, because I really did. But I didn
’
t use his number at all,
or talk to him until his nose got blown off.”

Marlon remembered Pandora
’
s behaviour towards his
friend.

“
So
that’
s why you was so cold to
him- you liked him.”

“
What, did you
think I’
d act all giggly or
something?”

“
Most girls
do,” said Marlon, smiling, then his face fell.
“‘
Dora-”

“
It’
s ok,” said Pandora
quickly, knowing he was about to apologise. “Don
’
t worry about
it.”

“
Just act
normal around each other when you’
re around me,” Marlon said. “Please.”

“
Isn’
t that what
we
’
ve
been doing?” said Pandora, amused. “If it wasn
’
t for the kiss you never
would
’
ve guessed we were going out.”

“
True,” he said
grudgingly, then he moved closer to her. Reaching out, he pulled
her into a hug and kissed her on the forehead. Pandora
smiled as he held her, mumbling
“I
’
m
sorry I acted like a jerk today.”

“
It’
s all
right.”

“
No it
isn’
t,” he said firmly.
“Tomorrow, when we get back home, I
’
m going to call James
and say sorry for trying to break his nose.”

“
Why
don’
t you go visit him? He
lives in the area now.”

“
Yeah. Yeah, I
think I will.”

“
This feels
nice,” murmured Dreamer, as Ted massaged her shoulders downstairs
in the living room. Miriam glanced up from her book,
amused.

“
The
massage?”

“
No. Yes,” she
said, as Ted prodded her in the back. “Yes it does, but
I’
m talking about the
children. They all went to bed smiling… happy.”

“
Looks like
Marlon and ‘
Dora made up,” Ted
said, adding pressure to his hands. Dreamer was unsuccessful in
stifling her moan, Ted smirking as Miriam glanced up again. Dreamer
bit her lip, apologising.

“
Maybe
we should go to bed,” suggested
Miriam, but Dreamer and Ted both said no. They
didn
’
t
feel tired one bit. Miriam pouted, feeling like she was the mother
and they were her naughty teenage children.

“
Bed,” she said
firmly. “Ted, you’
ve got work
in the morning- and so have I. Dreamer, you have to be properly
awake when Baby Julian gets up- and if you stay up any later you
wont be. Let
’
s all have a hot drink, and then get ready for
bed.”

Ted and Dreamer sighed, Ted
’
s hands falling to his
sides as Dreamer said “Yes Mama,” in the sweetest voice
imaginable.

“
Yes, Dreamer-
yes…”

Miriam
’
s jaw dropped, and she hissed “Is he
serious?”

“
Dreamer…”

“
Teddy
Bear…”

“
Dreamer…”

“
Yes,”
whispered Dreamer, and Ted whispered “Don’
t stop, Dream…”

“
Dreamer, I
cant!”

“
Shh! Ted,
baby,” she whispered.

Ted smiled in his sleep. “You
’
re so
beautiful.”

“
Open your eyes
and look at how beautiful I am, baby.”

“
Look at me,”
whispered Dreamer, and he blinked.

“
Aaaaargh!!”

Dreamer collapsed, laughing her head off as Ted scrambled
away from his lover
’
s best friend, tumbling off the other side of the
bed.

“
Teddy, it
wasn’
t my fault! You started
it, talking in your sleep-”

“
I was
dreaming!” he said, outraged. “You took advantage of the
dream!”

“
I
didn
’
t
mean to frighten you, Ted-” Dreamer struggled to stop laughing. “I
was only joking with you. Your face!”

Miriam burst out laughing as well. She
’
d never seen Ted look so
horrified in all the time she
’
d known him.

“
I’
d pay big money to see
that again,” she told Ted, who glared at her.

“
Miriam,
don’
t mention this to anyone
at work, especially your boss.”

“
Tony would
find it ever so funny- ok,” she said amusedly, when Ted made
throttling movements. “But when everyone asks me why I keep
cracking up when there’
s
nothing amusing happening-”

“
Tell them you
suffer from mental health or something.”

Dreamer and Miriam burst out laughing again, Dreamer saying
“What a wake up call, right Teddy?” Ted scowled at her.
“It
’
s
soon seven o clock. Get your shower while I wake Marlon and
Pandora. If you leave at eight you
’
ll be back home at
around nine, nine thirty.”

Ted
’
s face fell. “Do we have to go?”

“
Yes,” smiled
Dreamer. “You and Miriam start work at eleven, and Marlon and
Pandora need to go and see James.”

“
Right,” he
said glumly, as Baby Julian called “Mummy!”

“
He’
s awake,” smiled
Dreamer, and Miriam said “The noise must have woken him
up.”

“
Mummy,
Mummy!”

“
Coming
sweetie,” called Dreamer, and they heard him giggle.

“
I’
ll go to him,” Miriam
offered, but Dreamer shook her head.

“
It’
s ok,
I
’
ll
go. Get yourself sorted out.”

“
Ok.”

“
I need some
sticks,” Pandora said, slumped on the sofa with her rucksack.
Marlon looked at her.

“
What
for?”

“
To hold my
eyelids up,” she answered, and he smiled.

“
Hello!”

“
Hey, little
man. Did you eat all of your breakfast?”

“
Yep!”

“
Yes,” Dreamer
corrected gently, and Baby Julian said “Yeees.”

Ted smiled, saying “You remember my name,
don
’
t
you?”

“
Yep! Yeees,”
he said, when Dreamer raised her eyebrow at him. “Ted!”

“
Good boy,”
smiled Ted, and Baby Julian giggled.

“
Where you
go?”

“
To
work.”

“
Ohhh.
Where Marlon and Dorwa
go?”

“
Home.”

“
To you
house?”

“
Yep.”

“
Yes,” Baby
Julian said shyly, and Ted and Dreamer laughed.

“
Teddy, how am
I supposed to teach him to talk properly if you’
re saying exactly what he
’
s saying?”

“
Sorry Dreamer.
I forgot,” smiled Ted, while the baby asked “Teddy?”

“
My nickname,”
Ted smiled, but that big word skipped over Baby
Julian’
s head. In minutes he
was calling the friendly man Teddy instead, as if the name Ted
never existed.

“
Ready to
go?”

“
Ready,” called
Ted, Marlon nodding. Pandora didn’
t react.

“
You
look
brilliant,” Dreamer said
softly, and Ted smiled at her.

“
Thanks, Dream.
Um… I’
ll call you at lunch,
ok?”

“
I go too,”
said Baby Julian, eyes filling. “Mummy, I go too!”

“
You cant,
honey. Ted’
s got a lot of work
to do.”

Baby Julian
’
s face crumpled. Feeling his heart wrench at the sight
of him weeping, Ted said “I can take him with me if you
want-”

“
He
hasn’
t known you long enough
to trust you, Ted.” Dreamer smiled at him. “If you get as far as
the door with him I
’
ll be surprised.”

“
Mummy!!”

Dreamer burst out laughing. “Don
’
t you want to go,
baby?”

“
No!”

“
Told you,”
Pandora said to Marlon. “You owe me two pounds.”

“
Bye
Teddy!”

Paul Black appeared at the foot of
Dreamer
’
s giant bed, looking at them thoughtfully.

“
Spitting
images of each other,” he murmured, sitting down in
Dreamer’
s armchair and smiling
at his only child, and his youngest grandchild. “Spitting
images.”