After James had eaten, he went back into the forest to look for Ella. He wanted to make things right as soon as he could. Otherwise, Ella might think he didn't care enough.

He walked through the trees until he heard footsteps behind him. He had visions of the black wolf pouncing on his back and ripping his muscles out past his spine. He froze and the steps halted too. Whirling, James bared his teeth and brought his hands up as claws.

Orlando raised his hands beside his head. "I surrender."

James rolled his eyes. "What do you want?"

Orlando lumbered up to him, each step sounding like a stomp. "Just wondering if you have seen the twins anywhere?"

James screwed up his face. "I don't think either of them want to see me for a while."

"They will get over it."

James picked at his teeth. There was a piece of someone stuck between them. "Maybe."

Orlando noticed his bitter tone and bellowed a laugh. "We are all friends James. You wouldn't have as much of a problem if you stopped screwing your friends."

"Jealous I didn't pick you?"

"Always. But come on, we need to find the twins. They aren't at home either." Orlando started to wander into the woods.

"You know I am kinda busy to be honest." James was walking the other way. "But I will help if they are still gone later."

Orlando waved over his shoulder at James and slowly disappeared from sight as he weaved through the trees.

James continued into the forest with his hands in his pockets. His memories of this forest were not great. Most of them involved him disappointing his father and Eddie laughing at him. It was hard for him to distinguish one of the days from the others.

But there was a single time when he hadn't hated the place.

He had been about seven and still hadn't had a growing phase. His legs were too small to keep up with his brothers as they ran ahead and crashed through the bushes.

"Hurry up, baby!" Eddie had yelled back in his usual taunting manner.

The tone he used made James want to catch up more and he powered ahead. But no matter how much effort he put in he couldn't make his legs move faster. His brothers were a blur, their vampire speed already starting to develop, but James was as slow as human.

He gasped, folding his stout body in half and putting his hands on his knees.

"Guys!" He shouted past his shortness of breath. "Guys wait up!" when they didn't return, James felt the sounds of the forest baring down on him. He was suddenly surrounded by a million monsters who made new and usual sounds. A twig snapped and he jumped.

Clenching his chubby hands into small fists, he started to hum to try and ward off the tears coming on. It was a tune that Robert had taught him, something their mother had taught Robert before she died. But James couldn't do it right and it wobbled out of focus until it was unrecognisable.

Sitting on the ground, legs folded beneath him, he started to cry. At first, they were silent tears that were bigger than his eyes. Then a steady stream of little ones came out along with some whimpers he was ashamed of.

"He is still back here!" It was Eddie again and James tried to sniffle away the evidence before Eddie would see he had been crying.

Eddie came through the bushes. He was twelve and covered in pimples. His hair was greasy and stuck to his forehead. James thought he had become quite smelly, but he didn't say anything. He didn't want to further the rivalry between them.

Eddie smacked his lips together and took in the sight of James. "Hey. Are you crying again?"

James shook his head, not trusting his voice.

"You're lying." Eddie accused and came up beside James. James had expected to get punched or for Eddie to inflict some kind of arm-twisting torture on him. Instead, Eddie put his arm around his shoulders and walked him in the direction they had run.

"Robert is looking for you. He said I had to be nice if found you." Eddie didn't look at James while he spoke, but James stared up into his face.

He was starting to look like their Dad but softer. He didn't have the frown lines or the clenched jaw. James vowed to be more like Eddie, always relaxed and cool. He wiped away the last of his tears and copied the way that Eddie walked. It was a swagger unique to his brother so he must have looked like he was having some kind of fit.

They reached Robert who was waiting for them in the clearing. The clearing was their special place where they came to give out about their father or Mrs. Greene if they annoyed them. Having vampires for guardians meant that they couldn't moan in the house without the victim of their complaints hearing them. So, they had found the clearing, a space in the forest devoid of trees where the river touched. James came and sat beside Robert on the grass. His eyes were still red, but he put his chin high.

Robert sat as if he was going to start meditating. His eyes were heavily lidded, and he smiled like he was in a dream state.

"Hey you," Robert said.

Eddie plodded to beside them and landed down the with a thump. "So, dad said that I need to stop talking to Dora."

"Is that the human girl?" Robert asked.

"As if there are any other girls," Eddie countered with a frown.

James leaned against Robert's shoulder. His cheek smudged up into his eye. Robert leaned his head against James's briefly.

"She is seeing someone else anyway," Robert told him.

"Who cares? She is still..." Eddie looked at James and seemed uncomfortable. Shuffling to hide one side of his face from James, Eddie winked at Robert. "She still let me... touch things."

Robert snickered and shook his head. "You have no idea what you are even talking about."

James nodded along with Robert. Eddie's face had gone red and James liked seeing him flustered.

Eddie narrowed his eyes at James. "You don't even know what a woman is." He sneered.

"He still knows what I am talking about." Robert sat away from James, almost making him fall, then gently nudged his shoulder.

"He does not!"

"I do!" James was high pitched, and he sat tall beside Robert. He had no idea what Robert was saying but he liked being part of the team.

"What is it then?" Eddie stuck out his tongue.

Before James could speak Robert held up his hand and they both fell silent.

"It's our secret Eddie. Besides we have secrets too." Robert gave Eddie a meaningful look that James didn't understand. He tilted his head as he watched Eddie battle with himself. His pimple dotted face contorted into many shapes.

"Fine." He conceded and James was shocked to see him give in so easily. Then he turned a grin on James. "But if you are such a big boy then go and stick your hand into the river." Eddie pointed at the riverside for emphasis.

It seemed that Eddie was not in favour of allowing James to get away with pretending to be more grown up than him. James gulped down a huge lump of spittle. He and his brothers had said for a long time that the river was haunted by the people who drowned there while trying to escape the wolves. The wolves would always let the humans try and run away whenever they started to hunt them. They wanted the chance. So, as Eddie told them one night, humans often fell into the water and drowned there. Their spirits were now trapped there and pulled in anyone who entered the water.

James looked at Robert, but he was looking at the water. The river growled across at him and James wanted to plug his ears. It was teasing him, it seemed to say "Come on and try little boy. How will you ever be like your daddy if you can't even face us."

"I don't want to," James mumbled.

"Come on. Don't be a baby," Eddie teased, poking James in the side of the head.

James rubbed at his head and glared at Eddie. "You aren't going over either."

"We will." Robert stood up and offered James his hand.

James stuck his miniature palm into Robert's large one. He was cold and James liked how his skin felt like his brothers.

Eddie had turned a bit green. He looked at the river and back again. "We are going?"

Robert smiled gently and faked ignorance about Eddie's fear. "Yea come on. There are three of us to face the ghosts now."

It would only be later in life that James realised that Robert wasn't ever afraid of the ghosts. He never believed in them. At the time, James was filled with adoration as he looked up at his brother, a superhero in disguise.

Eddie pulled on the collar of his t-shirt. "Sure okay." He came and stood beside James. He was now added onto the end of the row, and the three of them were together.

James watched Eddie clenching and unclenching his fists. James reached up and took his hand. Eddie's eyes dropped down to James and his mouth fell open a bit. Closing his mouth, he nodded at James and squeezed his hand.

Robert started walking first, pulling James along with him and hence Eddie as well. Not wanting to look like a wuss, Eddie started to speed up too. James was now being pulled forward by the two of them. He forced his shaky legs to keep up.

The grass was whispering under his feet and the river's shout was getting louder and louder. James wanted to close his eyes as he thought about the ghosts that were lurking, waiting for him.

Their bloated and wasted faces floating about in the water. One of them would look at him and he would realise that it was there just for him. He would be taken into the water, but his brothers would be left behind.

When they got to the edge of the water, Robert knelt down, and Eddie fell to his knees. James was jerked to either side as they dropped within seconds of each other. He sat facing the water, trying to hold his breath enough to hide his fear.

Robert stuck his hand in the water and James closed his eyes. He didn't want to see his brother being dragged under. He clenched his hand tighter around Robert's, vowing that if the spirits wanted him they would have to fight James for him. He felt a tug on his hand and opened his eyes to face the monsters. But there were none. It was just Robert pulling at him. when he looked at Robert's hand he was shocked to see that it was fine. The water chimed past and over his skin.

James let go of Eddie's hand and thrust his own hand in, keen to do it before Eddie did. When he looked to his other side, Eddie had his hand in the water also.

"I did it first," Eddie said.

"No, you didn't!" James took out his hand and shoved Eddie.

Eddie fell onto his side on the grass, reaching up and trying to drag James with him. Robert kept the small boy upright.