enchanted
chapter 31, isaiah to the rescue?

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Rory had travelled back to Birmingham with John and Arthur as they went on some business and left her with Esme. "Mum?" she called walking up the stairs.

"Boy's room!" she shouted back, standing up straight when she heard Rory run up the stairs.

"Can I go to Eve's?" she asked.

Esme looked up from stripping George's bed, "I thought you two weren't speaking, Frey said you two weren't speaking."

Rory's eyes widened as she stuttered, "Oh no, we're fine now."

Esme paused what she was doing to look at her daughter, "You're lying. You never lie, Ro, not to me anyway. What's going on?"

"Nothings going on I just wanted to know if I could go to Eve's because Finn's there so he can walk me to the school to meet Frey and Lotts," she grumbled.

Esme sighed knowing better than to push her into talking, "Fine but take your gun because there's no blinders about."

"How did-?"

"You're not very sneaky with it," Esme replied putting her hand on her hip and the girl rolled her eyes. "And make sure your dad doesn't find it, he's already found the empty bottles which are adding up. Again." The woman gave her a stern look.

"What?" The girl gulped and avoided eye contact with her mum.

"You forget I have to clear out your wardrobe every so often," Esme told her, not looking at her. "Go before I change my mind and make you stay and help me clean and if I find any more bottles I will be telling your dad and your uncles and your aunt Pol to make sure you can't get behind the bar and sneak them again."

"I'm going," Rory announced before she ran down the stairs. "Bye!"

"Bye!" Esme laughed until she heard a bang.

"You know she just ran into the door right?" James asked popping his head round the doorframe.

"I'm okay!" Rory's voice travelled up the stairs and Esme ran down the stairs seeing Rory rubbing her head.

Esme laughed, pushing her hand away, "You're so clumsy, that's really red you're going to have a lump."

"I thought I was going slower than I was," she whined before leaving her house.

"That girl is unbelievable," Esme sighed with a small smile.

James nodded, "Tell me about it." The blonde boy began walking up the stairs again until Esme cleared her throat making him turn around again. "Yes?"

"Have you seen or heard her acting different recently?"

"Is this about the bottles dad found?" he asked hesitantly, looking to the door where his sister was minutes ago.

"Yeah but not only that have you seen the way she flinched earlier when Katie went to hug her or-"

"I think you're overthinking this, she doesn't like people touching her. She's always been like that, you're the only person she's ever hugged after dad married you."

Esme looked at the boy, who hadn't taken his eyes off the door, "Go."

"Where?"

"To find her. She'd never admit it but you're her favourite brother, she trusts you more than the rest of us."

James turned back around, eyebrows furrowed like Rory does when she's confused, "You know that's not true right? She trusts you more than anyone even my dad."

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"What's wrong?" Eve asked when she opened the door as the boy knocked on the door extremely loud.

"Is Rory here?"

"No? Should she be?"

James' face fell, panic washing over his face, "She told mum she'd be here."

Isaiah poked his head over the girl's shoulder sat the mention of the girl's name, "Did she say anything else?"

"No, she just said 'Can I go to Eve's?' and mum said yeah and she was off then mum asked me if I'd noticed if she was acting any different and the only thing I've noticed is the drinking but-"

"She's drinking?" Isaiah asked, looking between Finn and Eve who both held guilty looks on their faces.

"That's not important right now. I need to find her," James waved him off bringing the teen's attention back to his panicked state.

Isaiah shot Eve and Finn a dirty look before following James out, "She'll be alright, we'll find her. Me and James are going to check the cut." He pointed at Eve and Finn, "You two go check the stables and if you see Frey and Lotts on your way get them to check the field."

The four of them went their separate ways, James still panicking, he knew deep down that Robert had something to do with his sister's sudden disappearance.

"She'll be alright," Isaiah tried to calm the boy down.

"Do you think he's got something to do with it?" James asked.

"Yeah," Isaiah agreed with a nod. "Rory doesn't lie especially not to your mum well at least she hasn't started lying until he showed up."

When they got to the cut their suspicions were confirmed when they saw Robert in Rory's face, shouting at her. "Wait," Isaiah pulled James back. "Just watch first."

"I didn't tell, it's not fault they're not as stupid as you think," Rory snapped as he was shouting at her.

"You should count yourself lucky that we're at the cut because I swear I'd give you a black eye," he spat.

"For what? For defending my family. Have you heard yourself? You're a paranoid, pathetic little boy," Rory replied defending herself.

Robert let out a scoff while glaring at her, "You're not being serious right now."

"Are you kidding me? I'm not being serious? Have you heard yourself, you're sat there accusing me of telling my mum and dad that you keep bruising me and you're accusing me of cheating on you when I haven't seen Isaiah since the other week. I'm done with you. We're done," she told him, beginning to walk past but he gripped her arm stopping her.

"Get off me," she pulled her arm from his grasp. "I told you, I'm not doing this shit with you anymore."

"You will do what I say otherwise who knows what I'd do to Evelyn or Isaiah or maybe even Finn? actually no they're too easy. What about Katie or Alice or James, I know he's your favourite?" he asked, with an smile on his face that looked evil.

When hearing his name, James gave Isaiah a pleading look. "Just listen."

"You touch even a hair on their heads and I will cut you myself," Rory threatened.

He let out a dry laugh, "I won't touch them if you don't leave."

"You're not negotiating me for the people I care about," she said, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Oh, but I am. You have no idea what I'm capable of."

"And you have no idea of what I'm capable of," she replied, twisting his wrist to make him let her arm go.

"You and me are going to have a bigger problem than I already have with you" Evelyn told the boy, crossing her arms with Finn standing behind her looking confused.

"Oh look who it is, Rory's best friend and her uncle. Come to save the damsel in distress?" Robert asked.

Isaiah and James also appeared behind him making her clench her jaw, knowing this would only make him get really mad, angrier than what he would already be because she fought back. She gave her brother a questioning look which he avoided.

Robert yanked his arm from Rory's grip, looking between the four of them, smirking and leaned into Rory whispering in her ear, "You've really gone and done it now."

Rory remained emotionless and watched him walk away before turning to Isaiah, "Why can't you lot just leave things alone I was dealing with it and why are you here? I told you-"

"You don't have to play mum anymore, Ro. You need someone other than yourself to look after you," James interrupted her.

"Is that where the bruises are coming from? Rory is he hurting you?" Isaiah asked, making James go over to Eve where she kept an arm around his shoulders watching as Rory shook her head while Evelyn nodded.

"Shut up," Rory told Evelyn, pointing at her.

"I'm telling dad," James told them.

"Don't you dare J, you can't," Rory begged.

"Why not?" Finn asked, now aware of what was actually happening.

Rory sighed, "Because he will go after you-"

"So? I can handle him," Finn interrupted.

"Let me finish speaking, he will go after you lot, Katie, Alice, George and I refuse to get you lot involved in my mess all because I chose the wrong boy and can't get out," she replied sitting back down on the bench with her head buried in her hands.

Isaiah looked confused, "What do you mean?"

"Well, he's not who I really want and he knows that but because I'm basically stringing him along he's punishing me for it but he won't let me end it so I can have who I want because he's decided he'd rather make it so we're both unhappy rather than break up and get with who we really want," she told him.

"Who do you really want?" Isaiah asked again.

You.

"Doesn't matter, it's not it's ever going to happen anyway," she replied.

Isaiah had walked Rory and James home and despite everything in him screaming at him to tell Esme and John about Robert but they all kept their mouths shut and it was not discussed again.