A Witch Like No Other (4 page)

“
You mean he
’
ll-!!”

“
Promise me
you’
ll look after my baby
girl, Miriam. Promise me.”

“
Dreamer, you
can possibly know you’
re going
to-”

“
Promise,
Miriam!”

“
I
promise!”

Dreamer hung up then, not wanting to take the conversation
any further. Miriam, mind spinning, tried calling back but the
phone was turned off. A day after Dreamer
’
s murder Miriam ran
straight to the police and told them what she knew. Ted also
happened to be there as she ran to the officer in charge of the
case, saying “Dreamer had an affair with her killer. She called me-
she knew she was going to die-”

“
Where is
Pandora?” she asked desperately. “Please Ted, tell me.”

“
She’
s in hospital,” Ted
replied, looking away. “It turns out Damon-”

“
Yes yes, I
know- will she be all right?”

“
No,” said Ted
flatly. “She’
s in shock- she
witnessed the whole thing.”

“
No,” said
Miriam, shaking her head in disbelief. “No! How? When?”

“
I was at work.
Marlon was at football practice, Dreamer was home with Pandora.
Pandora’
s refusing to tell the
police what actually happened, she just keeps saying it was him. He
killed her.”

Ted
’
s eyes filled, Miriam
’
s too. They walked in
silence, then Miriam asked “What about Agnes? Does she
know?”

“
She called
beforehand, telling me I must stay with Dreamer. I told her I
couldn’
t, I had a very
important meeting at work-” Ted
’
s hands balled into
fists; he was angry. “If only I did- Dreamer might still be
here.”

“
You cant blame
yourself,” started Miriam, then she felt annoyed. Why did she
always use her mentor technique? Why didn’
t she say that what Ted was saying might be true? If
he had listened to Agnes Dreamer might still be alive.
She
’
d
been a mentor for so long it was now a part of her.

“
Um…
here.”

“
Please contact
me as soon as Pandora leaves the hospital. I’
m her godmother. I love her, Ted- like my own
daughter.”

“
She’
ll immediately think
you
’
re
trying to take her mother
’
s place.”

“
I want to work
with her as well,” explained Miriam. “I’
m a mentor- that
’
s my workplace on the
card, and work number.”

“
So we
don’
t have to tell her who you
are?”

“
No,” said
Miriam painfully. “Not for a while, anyway.”

“
Why
didn’
t Dreamer introduce you
to the family, uh…” Ted peered at the card before saying “Miriam
Hughes?”

“
I’
m not sure, but I did
travel a lot. I was never in one place.”

“
I
see.”

“
Promise me
you’
ll call and let me see
Pandora?”

“
I
promise.”

“
Earth to Miss
Hughes,” said Pandora, scowling. “I didn’
t come here to watch you gaze into space, you know. I
could be at home in my room.”

Miriam smiled at her, loving how feisty the girl was.
“I
’
m
sorry.”

“
Pandora, I…
sit down.”

“
Would you like
to know what I was thinking, love?”

“
Not
really.”

“
I was thinking
about your mother,” Miriam said gently. “About you.”

“
Get a cup of
water, Pandora. You may not like this…”

“
I knew you
was,” Pandora said flatly, an hour later. “I could
tell.”

“
You could tell
I was your godmother?” said Miriam, bemused. “How?”

“
I have
dreams,” Pandora said shyly. “Like my mother used to.
Isn’
t that what you told me?”
Miriam nodded. Pandora was eighteen now: there was no need to hold
anything back. “I never told you, but you looked real familiar when
I met you three years ago.”

“
Oh honey, you
should have said.”

“
Yes, I know.
I-” Pandora hesitated. “I have a box.”

Pandora nodded. “It
’
s made of pure gold; it
was my mother
’
s.”

“
Dreamer had a
box… that’
s interesting. Is it
a magical object?”

“
Yes,” Pandora
said, nodding. “When I’
m…
upset or angry, I write.”

“
Yes, you did
tell me that.”

“
I write it
down, and I put the paper in the box. Then I light the
candle.”

“
Candle? What
candle?”

“
That’
s just it, I
don
’
t
know. When I write it appears in the box.”

“
And you light
it?”

“
Yes, and I put
it in the box on top of the paper.”

“
Pandora, you
could have started a fire.”

“
It’
s magic, I said,” said
Pandora impatiently. Miriam smiled at her, wanting to hear more.
Pandora had never looked so exultant.

“
Go on,
love.”

“
And I put the
candle on top of the papers, and I close the box and go to sleep.”
Pandora hesitated, then she whispered “It glows. Bright yellow, so
I don’
t need my lamp
on.”

“
But three
nights ago Marlon barged in on me, and he saw it
glowing.”

“
What did
Marlon say?”

“
Nothing,”
scowled Pandora. “He just stared at it. And I told him not to tell
Dad and he stared at me too, then he backed out of the room and
closed the door.”

“
Do you think
he was scared?”

“
Marlon’
s not scared of
magic. Our mum was a witch, remember?”

“
Yes, I
remember.”

“
He
doesn’
t take it seriously,”
grumbled Pandora. “This morning he was grinning like a Cheshire cat
when he told Dad about the box.”

“
Oh no,” said
Miriam, though she was smiling. She thought Marlon a delightful
boy, though Pandora was her favourite. She remembered when they had
both come to meet her. Pandora didn’
t answer her when she said hello, but Marlon smiled and
shook hands. Then he stepped back and said “No offence Lady, but I
don
’
t
need a shrink. I
’
m all right without one, because I
’
ve got my Dad to talk to
about my Mum and stuff.”

“
Of course it
is,” Miriam said soothingly. “Would you like to leave?”

“
Yes please.
Come on, Pandora.”

Pandora looked at him, then back at Ted, who was waiting.
Then she looked at Miriam. Miriam thought nothing of it at the
time, but now she knew that when Pandora
’
s green eyes had scanned
her face it was because she was experiencing some sort of déjà
vu.

“
Would you like
to stay and talk?” Miriam asked her gently, hopefully.

“
You keep
thinking,” complained Pandora, as Miriam smiled. “I might as well
go back home now, you’
re not
even doing your job.”

“
I’
m thinking three years
back-” Pandora went rigid in her seat, Miriam quickly adding “When
we met properly.”

“
Can we just
start the session please, Miss Hughes?”

“
Pandora,
I’
m your godmother.”
Miriam
’
s smile was ravishing: it felt so good saying those words.
“You don
’
t have to- you can call me Miriam.”

“
I
don’
t want to.
I
’
m
not used to it.”

“
Well, you
don’
t have to be so formal now
that you know.”

“
I just said
I’
m not used to it,” Pandora
said heavily, drumming her fingers on the chair arm. “Besides, I
want to talk for once. Just because you
’
re my godmother it
doesn
’
t mean you can start slacking, you know.”

“
Well said,”
smiled Miriam. “How are you, Pandora?”

“
Fine.”

“
Can you tell
me what’
s on your
mind?”

“
September,”
said Pandora, sighing. “I have to go to college.”

“
I think
that’
s a very good
idea.”

“
I’
m going to drop out
anyway,” she said, shrugging. “You know I- I…”

“
You have a
problem with socialising since your mother died?”

“
Say Dreamer,”
said Pandora sadly. “You was friends, right?”

“
Very close
friends, but love, you just told me I cant start slacking on the
job.” Miriam smiled as Pandora scowled at her. “Right?”

“
Right, you
flipping…”

“
So, Pandora.
You have a problem with socialising.”

“
Yes. I hate
it, and now I have to go back to college again. I dropped out of
the last two courses,” said Pandora, shrugging a shoulder. “I hated
them. Why was I doing a load of Science? I don’
t want to be a scientist.”

“
Pandora,
you’
re eighteen now. You know
you can choose whatever you want to choose,” Miriam told her
gently.

Pandora shrugged, saying “I did choose them when Dad
suggested Science. Nobody made me. I wish there was some sort of
magic course; that
’
s why I chose Science. Loads of experiments and stuff,
right?”

“
But Pandora,
you also like to write.”

“
Yes Miss
Hughes, I know.”

“
Would you like
me to help you choose a course for September? If
you’
d like, I can gather some
prospectuses and we
’
ll-”

“
Are you
allowed to do that, Miss Hughes?”

Miriam knew she said it to goad her, but she
couldn
’
t help reacting.

“
Pandora,
I’
m your godmother. Stop
thinking of my job, ok darling? To be honest I
’
d really like to take
you out one day, just us. Shopping, the cinema, you name it. In
this office I am your mentor, but think of outside it.
Wouldn
’
t you like to know me a bit more? Your godmother? Right now
all you have is Ted and Marlon. You can have me as well,
love.”

“
Pandora,
I’
d never leave on my own
accord. I promise.”

“
What if we
have a big falling out?”

“
We’
ll work it
out.”

“
What if I tell
you something you wouldn’
t
like?”

Miriam laughed. She couldn
’
t stop herself- Pandora
looked so worried!

“
Pandora,
remember I’
m your mentor. For
three years we
’
ve been talking, and you
’
ve told me plenty I
didn
’
t
like.”