A Witch Like No Other (5 page)

“
Oh.”

“
So how about
it, Pandora?” asked Miriam. “Let me in your life?”

“
No, I… all
right then. But I bet ten pounds you’
ll leave me soon.”

“
Don’
t be
ridiculous.”

“
I guess
I’
m getting there,” said
Pandora thoughtfully. “First I had just two people in my life for
over two years, and now I
’
ve got
three.”

Pandora didn
’
t come home until eight that night. Ted was
practically ripping his hair out with worry: she was always home by
four latest. It wasn
’
t his rule of course, but he had gotten so used
to Pandora
’
s ways that it hadn
’
t occurred to him she
might want to stay out later.

“
Where’
ve you been?”
demanded Marlon, rushing downstairs in nothing but a towel around
his waist, his hair dripping with water. “I
’
ve been worried sick,
Pandora! You
’
d better be grateful I didn
’
t call the
feds…”

Pandora
’
s smile was so broad it lit up her features, revealing
the girl they loved and lost the minute Dreamer was pronounced
dead.

“
Dad,
I’
m sorry you worried, but…
first I had just you two, and now I
’
ve got a third person to
spend time with.”

“
Who is he?”
demanded Marlon, but Ted knew what she was going to say. Pandora
shook her head at her brother, saying “Not a boy, idiot. I hate
boys and I hate girls too. I hate people. I’
m talking about Miss Hughes, Marlon.”

“
The shrink?
What about her?”

“
Her and Mum
were friends. She’
s my
godmother.”

“
What!”
exploded Marlon. “Your godmother?? Since when?”

“
She told me
everything when I went there,” said Pandora happily. “She even told
me the church I had the ceremony in and everything, and she talked
about Grandma for a bit too- and I never really spoke about
Grandma… isn’
t it nice, Dad?
Why didn
’
t you tell me?”

“
I
didn’
t want you to think she
was taking your mother
’
s place,
‘
Dora.”

Pandora
’
s smile faded as she thought about that.

Marlon was seething. “Why didn
’
t you tell
me?”

“
Come on son, I
didn’
t know until your mother
died.”

Marlon
’
s expression cleared immediately, then he
scowled.

“
You want to
watch her, ‘
Dora.
She
’
s
really attached to you. Remember what happened last time when
certain people were attached to you?”

“
Shut up,
Marlon!”

“
Pandora,” said
Ted firmly, but she didn’
t
respond. “
‘
Dora, stop thinking about it. See what
you
’
ve
done?” he said to Marlon, who shrugged.

“
I’
m just warning her,
Dad.”

“
Yes, and are
you going to warn her if she makes new friends too?”

“
No,
I-”

“
Get some
clothes on, Marlon.”

Pandora scrawled Damon Stile
’
s name down frantically,
placed in in her golden box and lit the candle. Closing the lid and
watching as the box began to glow, she breathed deeply. Soon Stile
left her mind totally, Pandora whispering “Thanks, Mum.”

Dreamer had taught her so much. Pandora climbed into bed,
wondering about her godmother. It wouldn
’
t hurt to have a woman
figure in her life, would it? And Miriam was very fond of her, for
some wild reason. Pandora knew it was because she was friends with
her mother, and had watched her grow from a distance, through
pictures and letters from Agnes and Dreamer. How did she know that?
She just did.

Ted knocked on her door, Pandora calling
“Don
’
t
come in!”

“
Will you come
out, then? I miss my little girl.”

“
Dad,
we’
ve got tomorrow to talk.
And Saturday too.”

Ted laughed, saying “I only want a hug,
‘
Dora.”

Ted knew that of course, but it couldn
’
t hurt to try for the
thousandth time. Pandora gritted her teeth before saying “I
don
’
t
want one, Dad.”

“
All right
then. Sleep tight.”

“
You
too.”

Pandora
’
s alarm went off at ten a.m., Pandora rolling over in
bed.

“
Why do I even
have a cell phone?” she muttered, sitting up slowly. “I mean,
it’
s not like I get calls
anyway. I should give it away.”

She swung her legs out of bed into her slippers, yawning as
she looked at her golden box. Where did Dreamer get it from?
Grandma Agnes, probably. And the spell book as well. Pandora
smiled, knowing that Ted would go berserk if he found out she stole
Dreamer
’
s dusty old book from her bedroom, along with the magical
box and crystal quartz, and her wand. Her
wand,
Pandora
thought hungrily.

Ted had burnt all of Dreamer
’
s things in anguish,
except her pictures. Marlon stole some of her things too, but
Pandora didn
’
t know what things. She didn
’
t care. She had her
mother
’
s wand and spell book and box and crystals, and
that
’
s
all she needed. Ha, thought Pandora smugly. Witch in the
making.

“
Pandora,
I’
m sorry for getting at you
last night.”

“
I was being an
idiot-”

“
As
always.”

“
And
I’
m sorry.”

Marlon looked at Ted, who said “Pandora, your
brother
’
s talking to you.”

“
Cant you see
I’
m reading, Marlon? Talk to
me afterwards.”

“
I give up,”
said Marlon angrily, getting up. “I’
m going to watch TV.”

“
Try getting a
job,” Pandora replied, turning a page.

“
You’
re such
a-”

“
Nothing worse
than you, big brother.”

“
Hey,” said Ted
warningly, when Marlon opened his mouth furiously.
“It’
s still morning time. What
are we doing today, then?”

“
I’
m staying home,” Marlon
said, looking daggers at Pandora.

“
I’
m staying in my room,”
Pandora said flatly, then she glanced Marlon
’
s way. “Keep out of my
way, Marlon.”

“
I’
ve got nothing to say
to you anyway.”

“
Bye
Dad.”

“
Bye,” said
Pandora, not even looking at him. Ted smiled, feeling that they
were getting somewhere. Before Pandora wouldn’
t even have acknowledged his leaving, and now… he
knew he had to thank Miriam.

“
Just call
her,” said Marlon, annoyed. “Stop moping around.”

“
I’
m taking my time,
little sister. And I want to see if you
’
ve got the guts to call
your godmother.”

“
If you
wasn’
t such a loser maybe
I
’
d
share her with you.”

“
If you
wasn’
t such a freak
I
’
d
consider your offer.”

Pandora
’
s eyes flashed. “Why don
’
t you flip James over
and suck his-”

“
Pandora!” said
Ted, surprised at her. “Curb your tongue.”

“
St.
Peter’
s Clinic. How may I help
you?”

“
Uh…” Pandora
swallowed. “Is Miriam Hughes there please?”

“
She’
s in a meeting right
now. Can I take a message?”

“
Well, I- um… I
just…”

“
Yes sir. Have
a good day.”

“
See what being
a loner does to you?” said Marlon, shaking his head. “You cant even
talk to other people anymore.”

“
She was a
stranger!” said Pandora, eyes filling. “I didn’
t know what to-”

“
Never mind,”
said Marlon reassuringly, as the doorbell went. Ted opened it to
James Henbit, Marlon’
s best
friend.

“
Wassup, Mr
Black!”

“
Hello James,”
said Ted wearily. James was one of those people who could do your
head in just by smiling at you.

“
Marlon, you
ready to go?” James looked their way, then he exclaimed in
surprise. “Pandora! Hey girl, how you doing?”

Pandora opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She
hadn
’
t
seen James since she was fifteen, him sixteen. He was a guest at
her birthday party… then they moved away. Marlon refused to lose
contact with him, expectedly. They
’
d known each other
forever. But Pandora changed big time. Now she
couldn
’
t stand people at all.

“
Pandora?”

“
You
weren’
t kidding,
bro?”

“
No,” said
Marlon heavily. “Come on, let’
s go.”

Ted knew she was in, she just didn
’
t bother answering him.
Marlon wasn
’
t back yet. Ted dropped his briefcase on the kitchen table,
then he sat down as he thought of his late wife. He felt angry that
she had betrayed him, sad because she was gone.

“
Dreamer?”

Pandora flicked through Dreamer
’
s spell book,
recognising her grandmother
’
s handwriting, shortly
followed by her mother
’
s.

She heard the crash in the kitchen, but
didn
’
t
go and check it out.

“
Dad probably
passed out,” she joked to herself, then he heard
Ted’
s footsteps on the
landing. Slamming the book shut and pushing it under her bed, she
grabbed a newspaper and sat innocently as he knocked.

“
Can I come
in?”

“
If you have
to.”