James got out of the car and squinted against the sun. even with the glasses on the light made his eyes sting. God he hated summer. Someone was cutting the grass and the angry purr of the lawn mower drowned out the birdsong. James inhaled deeply, sniffing for the smoky scent of a witch. His senses were flooded with information. The juicy hot smell of human blood brought the stuttering of hearts to his ears. They were everywhere and when James looked around the streets he couldn't help but linger on each spot of skin reddening under the sun. He gulped saliva down his sandpaper throat. He hadn't eaten before he left the house and it was making his attempt at focusing on a single scent even harder.

He took another loud sniff but got nothing new. Damn, he thought, too many people. Too much human blood to distract him.

Shoving his hands in his pockets he smiled at Ella then started to walk. He made sure to move with purpose so that it looked like he knew where he was going. Once he was far enough away from the car that Ella couldn't see him anymore, he took out the piece of paper and read the name written there.

Isabel.

He moved between the red brick houses and tagged alleyways. It was such an ordinary neighbourhood that James felt out of place. He most likely looked it too. He was dressed in jeans and converse, which was normal enough, but he also wore a shirt and a heavy jacket in the direct sunlight. Add in the sunglasses and he was an odd sight to behold.

He rolled his shoulders to try and rid himself of the irritation that was starting to spread over his skin from the sunlight. He needed to find Isabel and get out of the light.

Running his hand over his hair he spun in a slow circle and picked out the most welcoming looking person he could see. It was a woman with two children clinging to her trouser legs.

James plastered on his charming and sweet smile (Totally different to the attractive one he saved for Ella) and approached her.

"Excuse me." He bent to look into her face and waved.

She looked up from the nappy bag she was fighting with and greeted him in an exhausted tone. "Hello. Sorry I am up in the clouds." She smiled at him. "Can I help you?"

"I hope you can."

She dropped a bottle out of the bag and James stooped and picked it up for her. One of the kids, a bucktoothed girl waved at him and he waved back.

He gave the bottle to the woman. "I am looking for a girl called Isabel."

The woman's face creased in concentration. "Isabel? I think I know her. I think she works in the newsagents near my house."

"Whereabouts is that?"

"Walk with me and I will show you were to find it."

The little girl cheered and let go of her mother's leg, bounding across to James and taking his hand. The other kid hid behind his mother.

"I'm so sorry, Maggie stop." The woman reached for the child.

"Its fine," James said, "She can help me get there safe."

The girl giggled and started to run. James could have held her back, he is a vampire after all, but he let her go and drag him along with her.

The woman called after the girl, saying that she had to be nice to the man, but the little girl was having none of it. She suddenly stopped running and held her arms up to James.

"My daddy plays a game with me. We should play it."

James stiffened at the mention of the word daddy. He shook himself. Don't let him ruin everything. Its just a word.

"Sure." He cursed his own voice for how weak it sounded.

"You pick me up and I sit on your shoulders, like I am flying." She put her arms out like an airplane to show what she meant.

James laughed. "Okay sure. But only until I get to my friend."

He picked her up and carried her to the newsagents. When they stopped her mother jogged to catch up. She was huffing like an air pump.

"Maggie get down," she commanded.

"Okay mammy." The girl didn't sound happy about it, but James helped her down. when she was with her mother again James watched her fuss over the child. He tried to picture a similar woman fussing over Robert like that. He couldn't get the image straight in his head.

"She works there." The woman nodded towards the building behind him.

"Thanks." James turned to it. It was one story and painted bright red. The windows were wide and through them James could see newspaper stands and sweet racks.

He went in and strode to the counter. Working there was a young woman with straight black hair that was tied back in a loose knot. Her flannel shirt was too big for her slender form. James took a minute to put on his best smirk, one usually kept for Ella.

He went to the counter and met her eyes when he smiled. They were a blue like stained glass.

She looked away briefly. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah I am here for some caramel cubes." He watched her move and inhaled slightly. She smelt like BQQ smoke and spice. Tasty but he wouldn't take a bite. He needed the witch fully functioning.

"I don't know if we have any of those." She mused, scanning the shelves behind her for good measure.

"Anything with caramel will do then. It's for my sister and she loves caramel."

"Dairy milk caramel okay?" She lifted it from the shelf to show it to him.

"Sure, it looks great." James studied her face, but she didn't seem to be swooning in response to his practiced smile and eye contact routine. Time to try something new.

He rubbed the back of his neck and ducked his head. While he rummaged in his pocket for his money. Taking out his wallet he opened it and made sure to spill the contents over the counter as if by accident.

"I am so sorry," he said, shaking his head and laughing nervously.

She was helping him gather the change. "Its okay. Honestly you would be surprised how often this happens."

"I suppose when you are working here then a lot of guys...well maybe girls too..." James let out a heavy breath.

"What?" She tilted her head.

He cleared his throat. "Never mind. I mean you must already know how pretty you are."

She scoffed so he was quick to stutter and add. "Sorry that was awful, ignore me." He was sure not to make eye contact with her for longer than a second and each time he looked at her he dropped his eyes when she looked at him.

"You seem different from when you first came in here," she said.

"I was just trying to... no its embarrassing." He shook his head.

"I am intrigued. You have to tell me now." She giggled.

"I was trying to be like my brother and impress you. I don't know he is always so confident, and girls seem to like that." He looked up at her through his eyelashes then rubbed the back of his head. "Never mind." He lifted the chocolate. "Thanks very much. Sorry about," He waved his hands about. "whatever that was." He laughed weakly and started to walk away.

"Hey wait," she called.

James swallowed his smirk and turned to her with uncertainty in his eyes. "Did I not give you the right change?" he asked innocently. He made for the counter again and tripped on the edge of a stall, stumbling.

She laughed. "You shouldn't leave the house."

James chewed the corner of his lip and played with the edge of the bar wrapper, dropped it, then started again.

"I'm Isabel," she said, smiling at him like he was a baby badger who needed coaxing out of the set.

"James."