enchanted
chapter 13, "you can't be here."

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"Where's dad?" Rory asked Esme when she rounded the corner of the stairs.

"London," Esme smiled, turning her attention back to Henry.

"Can I go back to school?" Rory asked while looking down so it was mumbled.

"What?"

Rory cleared her throat, "Can I go back to school?"

"Do you think it's safe?" Esme asked before there was a harsh knock at the door. Rory closed her eyes already knowing who it was.

"Is Tommy having a laugh?" she huffed while opening the door. "Why are you here?"

"Because Tommy says I'm your blinder for the day," Isaiah muttered, equally as annoyed about the situation. Rory rolled her eyes and let the boy in while she ran upstairs to get changed.

She came back down wearing her green dress that Esme bought her with her hairbrush and ribbon in hand for Esme to put in her hair. "Will you put this in my hair please?" she asked with a smile.

Esme nodded her head towards the chair for her to sit on and began brushing her hair. "Any particular reason you want to go to school?" she asked.

"I don't want to end up being as dumb as Finn, can't read or write and I don't want to end up like that so I've decided I'm going to ignore people and not let them get the better of me or lose my temper," she replied.

"Who are you and where's my Rory gone?" Esme asked sarcastically tying the ribbon in her hair to seal her plait.

"I'm mature now," she answered making Esme laugh.

"Mature but you still sleep on my side of mine and your dad's bed?" Esme asked.

"Shush, don't tell people that," Rory muttered before pointing to Isaiah. "You tell anyone what she just said and I will cut you," she threatened.

"I won't say anything calm down," Isaiah murmured. "Are you ready to go yet?"

"Yes, calm down," Rory huffed, jumping off the chair and made her way outside. "You're not walking me, piss off go find Finn or Freya or something and I won't tell Tommy."

"Fine by me," he replied and made his way towards to find Finn leaving the girl to walk by herself.

•❃°•°❀°•°❃•

Rory was late since she made a stop at the stable to see Dusty before her Uncle Charlie ushered her to school in the promise that if she went when he said, he wouldn't tell John or Tommy. As Rory ran down the hallway to get to her class she saw a girl looking lost so she approached her. "Are you lost?" she asked the girl who was standing looking around aimlessly.

The girl jumped not realising the blonde was standing there. "Uh yeah I don't actually know where I'm supposed be, I'm new. Me, my mum and brother moved in two days ago and I don't know where anything is," she rambled losing her breath.

"Do you know who you're teacher is? I might be able to show you," Rory tried calming the nameless girl down.

"No, no I don't want to get you in trouble it's fine I'll find my own way," She panicked.

Rory shook her head, "I'm already in trouble for being late I might as well have a good excuse for being late."

"If you're sure, I think she said I've got Mr Johnson," she replied.

Rory groaned, "I've got him too come on, I'll walk with you." And they began walking down the hallway.

"I'm Evelyn. Evelyn Miller," the girl informed Rory.

"I'm Aurora, well Rory is what my family call me because I haven't got any friends actually because I'm a Shelby," she cringed after saying her last name knowing the rest of the conversation would either go one of two ways. The first way being Evelyn runs away and doesn't speak to her again or she realises she actually isn't like her family and stays her friend.

"Well, I don't judge people by the last name despite what rumours people say about people. My dad told me before he died to never judge anyone because we don't know what they've been through," Evelyn told the girl turning to look at her while smiling.

"So you're not going to fan girl over my family or run away because you're scared?" Rory asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"Nope, I need all the friends I can get and you're nice enough. I mean you're the only one who helped me everyone else just stared at me," she told her.

Rory rose her head to look at the time, "We're already forty-five minutes late shall we just skip?" then she bumped into someone.

"I hope you're not skipping school, Aurora, not on your first day back," the voice said and Evelyn watched Rory's face turn into a scowl.

"Isaiah, why are you here? And where's Finn or Freya?" she asked after rolling her eyes. "I told you to stay away from me."

"Finn told me to act like your friend because you have none except him and he's not here," Isaiah smirked.

The blonde smacked his shoulder, "I do have friends that aren't Finn! Lottie's my friend!"

"Oh yeah and I'm the next prime minister," he chuckled. "Lottie is Freya's friend."

"You hate me remember or are you in one of your weird moods where you decided to like me and then suddenly hate me again?" Rory questioned him, her arms folding over her chest.

"Tommy's orders, not up to me," Isaiah rolled his eyes.

"There it is," Rory rolled her eyes. "The bad mood, hating me Isaiah is back and anyway I don't need you to be my friend I've already got one and you'll just pick and choose the days you decide to like me and I'm not doing it anymore, you either decide you like me and I'm not the annoying nine year old anymore or you stay away from me. Evelyn meet Isaiah, he's a prick and my uncle's best friend. Isaiah meet Evelyn, she's nice and my friend so leave her alone," Rory introduced them. "Now tell me why you're actually here," she demanded and the boy scratched the back of his neck, something he did when he was nervous.

He cleared his throat and said, "Your dad and Tommy told me to keep an eye on you. Make sure you're not getting into trouble."

"I'm only going to tell you this once just as I've told Tommy, I don't need you or anyone to look out for me, I can handle myself, go ask Charles I mean after all I did break his nose twice. So take yourself and your peaky blinder cap away from me and my friend before you scare her away, please," she said sternly, begging him slightly.

After a staring contest, he gave in, "Fine but if Tommy asks-"

"If Tommy asks you wouldn't leave my side," she rolled her eyes and he walked away.

Evelyn smirked at Rory, "You like him."

"I do not," she tried to deny but her face went red and her voice cracked slightly, something she did when she was lying.

Evelyn didn't look convincing but hummed anyway, "Whatever you say."

"Rory," Lottie tapped the girl's shoulder.

"I'm sorry about Betty you know," the blonde told her. "But I'm not sorry for punching her brother, he deserved it."

"It's fine, I forgive you don't worry," Lottie smiled. "Who's this?"

"This is Evelyn, my new friend. Are you proud of me, I made a friend," Rory smiled before she turned to Eve. "This is Lottie, she's basically related to me."

Eve waved at the girl, "Hi."

"It's nice to meet you," Lottie smiled at the younger brunette. "You've both got about two minutes until your next lesson so if I were you, I'd just make your way there and I'll see you both soon."

•❃°•°❀°•°❃•

Lilian Davis placed her book on the table beside her so she could go answer the door. The woman opened the door to see a person she thought she would never see again. "You can't be here, Thomas," she attempted to close the door.

"You wanted to see your daughter," he spoke bluntly.

"And I said I wouldn't do it behind John's back," she reminded him. "I've hurt them both enough already."

"Billy threatened her," Tommy told her in an attempt to get her to listen to him. "I know you think by staying away you're keeping her safe but you're not because he found her." Lillian's face paled at Tommy's words.

The redhead shook her head, "He can't have found her, he didn't know she even existed. I swore to John I'd keep him away from her, from the both of them."

"Arthur Senior told him about her," Tommy replied.

"Arthur Senior as in your dad?" She took Tommy's lack of response as a "yes" before she continued. "Look, Tommy I don't know what you think you've achieved by coming here or where you found where I live but I can't stop my dad from doing anything especially from staying away from away from John and Aurora. And I'm also not coming back to Birmingham without John's permission, I refuse to hurt her even more."

If there was one thing that Tommy remembered about Lily it was that as much as she wanted to she just couldn't stay away from Rory. She had missed twelve years of her life and he knew she wasn't going to miss anymore. The blue eyed man left the redhead to stand in her doorway figuring out how she was to get to Birmingham without John or Rory knowing and then convincing Billy to stay away.

•❃°•°❀°•°❃•

After school, Evelyn and Rory walked to Rory's house accompanied by Isaiah who walked behind them taking Rory's shoe off.

"Isaiah I swear on my life, I will take that cap off your head and cut you," she threatened before Esme opened the door.

"Isaiah, stop annoying her for christ's sake I can't deal with her complaints anymore," she told him and opened the door more for the girls to walk inside.

"Who's this?" she asked as they sat down at the table.

"This is Evelyn my new friend. Evelyn this is Esme my step mum," Rory introduced them.

"Nice to meet you Evelyn," Esme smiled.

"Nice to meet you too," she smiled back.

"Why aren't you at work?" Rory asked Esme.

"Took day off," she shrugged. "Either of you hungry?"

Rory nodded and looked towards Evelyn who nodded aswell.

"I've got biscuits, bread you can have either butter or jam or both on it if you want it's up to you too," she told them and they both answered they'd eat bread and jam.

The door slammed shut a few hours later meaning John was home. "Why do you always slam the door?" Rory asked walking down the stairs with Eve following.

"Because I can," he replied bluntly. "Who's this?"

"My friend, Evelyn," she replied just as blunt.

"Will you walk her home with me because I'm not allowed to go anywhere by myself remember?" she asked her dad. "You and Tommy were the ones who made the rule."

John stood back up and put his coat and hat on again, "Come on then."

When they got back home Rory went upstairs and got ready for bed then fell asleep mid conversation with Katie and Alice.