A Witch Like No Other (25 page)

“
Sure as ever.
She’
s right,
it
’
s
your choice.”

Ted nodded, mouthing
“Bye.”

“
Anytime,” she
said, pleased as she hugged him back.

Little did they know Pandora and Marlon was watching from
Marlon
’
s bedroom window, which overlooked the street their house
was on.

“
I’
ll kill her,” muttered
Pandora, as Marlon said “I
’
ll kill him.”

“
What’
re you killing him
for, camel mouth?”

“
What’
re you
killing
her
for?” Marlon retorted, and she
smiled.

“
I wont tell if
you wont.”

“
Deal.”

“
So what do you
want to do?” Ted asked lightly, angering Miriam. She knew what he
was up to. Dreamer didn’
t
know
what to do. Innocent as ever, Ted
said “How about you come back home?”

“
Ted-”

“
Just listen,”
he said gently. “You come back home, and you can see your mystery
friend anytime you like. Everyday for all I care,
I’
m not joking. You can
sleepover if she means so much to you, it
’
s no bother.”

He
’
s good, Agnes thought impressively. Way good.

Miriam thought so too, but she wouldn
’
t let him win so
easily.

“
Or the other
way round,” she said just as gently. “You can come home with me and
visit
him
anytime you like.”

Fury exploded in the pit of Ted
’
s stomach, but he said
“Or that too.”

“
I cant see the
coin,” Ted protested, and Agnes said “You have my word I wont
cheat- both of you.”

“
I’
ll take tails,” Miriam
said quickly, angering Ted. When he found out who she
was…

“
I’
ll take heads,
then.”

“
Wait- wait!”
said Dreamer, feeling isolated. “I’
ll make the choice, ok?”

“
Yes,” said Ted
and Miriam at the same time, amusing her.

“
I’
m going home- wait,”
she said, as Miriam
’
s jaw dropped. “I
’
m going to do this
fairly. Two weeks with Ted and two weeks with you.”

“
No!” shouted
two voices, startling Ted. “No, Mum! No!”

“
Who the hell
is this person?” demanded Marlon, storming down the stairs with
Pandora in tow. “Dad! Who are they?”

“
Some woman
who’
s forcing your mother to
do the unthinkable,” Ted answered bitterly, Pandora saying
“What
’
s her name?”

“
I
don’
t know,
‘
Dora. Boil
the kettle for your old man- his head hurts.”

“
Cool.”

“
Ask your
friend if that’
s what she
wants,” Ted said blithely.
“Fairness.”

Miriam opened her mouth furiously, then she closed it.
Dreamer
’
s green eyes sparkled as she said “What do you
think?”

“
Anything you
want,” Miriam said smoothly, making Dreamer smile.

“
Ted?”

“
Anything you
want,” echoed Ted calmly. “Good thing it’
s the first of August, huh? Or we
’
d be working out the
dates.”

“
And at the end
of the month you decide where to go,” Agnes told Dreamer, Miriam
and Ted saying “Ok,” fast as lightning.

“
Settled,”
Agnes said triumphantly, beaming. “Oh, you both are good at this
sort of thing. It’
s almost
some sort of game.”

“
A game
I’
ll win,” Ted said loudly,
knowing the mystery lady would hear. Cringing at his cockiness,
Miriam said “In your dreams.”

Dreamer and Ted spoke for a bit more, Dreamer telling him
she
’
d
be home in an hour. Already Ted was working out what they could do
for Dreamer in that hour. Run her a bath, lay out little
treats…

Miriam smiled back, saying “It
’
s a win-win. Are you
happy?”

“
Yes. Are
you?”

“
I’
m happy if
you
’
re
happy. That
’
s a yes,” she added warmly, and Dreamer
’
s smile grew.

“
Mama will send
you back for me, wont you Mama?”

“
Where
are
you
going?” said Miriam, startled. “You said an
hour!”

“
I’
m not going home,
I
’
m…
going somewhere else.”

“
Don’
t even think about
going where I think you
’
re going,” Agnes said firmly. “Leave that boy
alone, Dreamer- let things lie.”

“
I cant, Mama.
I still need to know what I need to know.”

“
You’
ll only confuse
yourself even more,” Agnes replied, shaking her head.
“You
’
re just like your father- reckless.”

“
Enough!”
yelled the officers, five holding Damon back and another five
holding George back.

“
Tell them
she’
s alive!” Damon shouted at
George, but George refused.

“
We was
hallucinating, Damon! Hallucinating!”

“
We
wasn’
t ha- let go of
me!”

“
How long am I
in here?” he yelled, an officer calling “One hour!”

“
But I
didn’
t- I
’
m not lying to
you!”

“
Well if your
magical girlfriend really is back from the dead, let her rescue
you! Let her take you for a walk in the park, Stile!”

Laughter erupted at the officer
’
s comment, Damon sighing
as he muttered “She
’
s not my girlfriend. And she really is
back.”

“
Frustrating
when they don’
t understand,
isn
’
t
it?” a voice said softly, and Damon turned to look at the speaker,
knowing who it would be.

Damon swallowed hard, scanning her face fearfully. Dreamer
stared back at him until he let out a breath, assured she
wasn
’
t
angry.

“
Yeah,
it’
s frustrating,” he said
hoarsely, then he swallowed again. “Um- I…”

She stood in the corner of the room, watching him struggle
to say something- anything. But he couldn
’
t. Dreamer let five
minutes of silence pass before she said “How are you,
Damon?”

“
Fine,” he
croaked. “You?”

“
Never been
better.”

“
Good-
that’
s good.”

“
When did you-
you know. Come back to life?”

“
About seven
months ago.”

“
How did your
family take it?”

“
As I expected
them to,” Dreamer answered coldly. “Speaking of my family-” Damon
flinched, knowing what was coming up next. “Tell me what possessed
you to assault my only girl, my youngest child.”

Damon shook his head, saying “I don
’
t know.”

He
drew back as Dreamer pulled out a magnificent wand- it
wasn
’
t
the silver wand he was accustomed to seeing, the nice silver one
he
’
d
seen since the age of eleven. This golden wand studded with
diamonds looked much more deadly- and that meant
Dreamer
was more deadly than before she died. She was more
powerful.

“
Either you
tell me or I’
ll plague this
entire prison,” she said icily. “You
’
ll all die within six
months, officers included.”

“
Dreamer, I-
please,” he said desperately, as her free hand reached for his
neck. Seconds later he was choking.

“
You’
d better talk to me,
Damon.” Her voice was just above a whisper. “Tell me why you did
it, and if you tell me you don
’
t know
again…”

She didn
’
t finish her sentence. She didn
’
t have to.

Swallowing with difficultly, he choked out
“You
’
ll be disgusted.”

“
I already am
disgusted,” she snapped. “You’
ve got five seconds to talk before I set this plague off-
one.”

“
Dreamer,
please-”

“
Two.”

“
I cant tell
you!”

“
Three,
Damon!”

“
No!”

“
Four!”

As
her wand started to emit some foul coloured gas, Damon realised she
wasn
’
t
kidding- he was stupid to think that she was. Dreamer would murder
over a hundred people without thinking twice or looking
back.

“
I
don’
t do halves and quarters,
it
’
s
not my style. Fi-”

“
All right!” he
screamed, and the gas cleared immediately.

“
I was your
friend first,” said Damon, willing his eyes not to fill. “I was
there before Ted- I was.”

“
So?”

“
I wanted you,”
said Damon bitterly, “But you wanted
him.”

“
So?”

“
Pandora looks
just like you,” Damon said, swallowing hard. “Spitting image.”
Dreamer didn’
t answer this
time. “So when I- did I what I did, I guess I was
pretending-”

“
Pretending she
was me? Damon, that is- that’
s… it doesn
’
t even have a name it
’
s so disgusting!” she
said angrily, as he hung his head in shame. “What were you
thinking?”

“
That she was
you. Didn’
t we just cover
that?”

Outside, an officer just happened to be walking by when
Dreamer said “If you ever cheek me like that again
I
’
ll
rip your head off, understand?!”

“
Understood!”

“
I should
murder you like you murdered me, you filthy son of a-”

“
Dreamer,
please!”