forget me not ~ q.hughes

1.4

Quinn's family home was cozy. Family pictures lined the walls, and they already had fake ferns winding up the staircase railing. Rory stopped in the entryway, Quinn had already taken off his shoes and disappeared into another room, she could hear light voices floating down the hallway and assumed he was talking to his mom about the stranger he'd brought into their home.

Aurora just stood still by the front door taking it all in. She toed off her shoes and burrowed her hands farther into Quinn's jacket that still laid over her shoulders. Taking a step further into the home, she looked at one of the many pictures that lined the wall opposite the staircase. She recognized a young Quinn, and two younger boys- she thought she remembered him saying he had brothers. The boys were huddled together on an outdoor rink, cheeks flushed and hockey sticks one the ice posed for a picture. She smiled softly, looking at the next one. A family portrait. Two smiling parents, and three little boys wearing button-down shirts. The photo was probably taken at the grocery store.

She envied their normalcy.

Rory would never have that. She would never have the two loving parents and unbreakable sibling bond. She would never feel like she was worth it.

Aurora was so lost in her thoughts she didn't even notice Quinn approaching her. His hand lightly resting on her shoulder jolted her out of her thoughts. "Hey," he mumbled, "My mom wants to talk to you." She looked back at the pictures one more time before following him through the hall.

The kitchen wasn't anything special, oak coloured cabinets and a greige countertop. A sliding door opened to what she assumed was the backyard. A blond woman sat at the kitchen table, a mug of steaming liquid set out in front of her, and a kind smile rested on her face. Aurora noticed that she and Quinn looked very similar.

"Hi sweetheart," the woman said, the soft smile remaining on her face. Quinn's hand still rested on her shoulder. "Quinn said you need somewhere to stay tonight?" Aurora nodded at her question. "I've just boiled the kettle, did you want a cup of tea? Or hot chocolate?"

Rory perked up at the mention of the warm chocolate beverage. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had one, "yes please." she spoke timidly.

The woman's smile got bigger, "Great! Quinn makes it the best, he's always in charge of making it when the boys come back from practice." She looked over Aurora's shoulder at Quinn, and he gave her shoulder a quick squeeze before stepping away. "Why don't you take that big jacket off, and we'll get you settled." She kicked out the chair across from her, a silent invite for Rory to sit down.

Aurora let the older boy's jacket fall off her shoulders and onto the back of the chair as she sat on the edge of the kitchen chair. "I'm Ellen."

"Aurora." She introduced herself, and the woman- Ellen perked up a bit. Until she looked over Rory's uncovered arms. Ellen's eyebrows furrowed down as she scanned over her forearms and biceps.

"Aurora." Ellen spoke almost sternly, causing Rory to look up from where she was picking at her fingers, "You don't have to tell me everything, I will never make you talk about something you don't want to." Ellen sighed deeply, "But I need to know. Are you safe in your home?"

Rory thought for a moment. The obvious answer was no. But she had heard about what happened in foster care, most of the time it was worse than what she was going through now. And she had no other family members to take her in; she could barely even remember her father and there was no guarantee that he was a nice person. At the end of the day, she had a roof over her head, and food in the pantry. She shouldn't even really complain about her life, some people had it so much worse.

"Yes, I'm safe." She spoke clearly. She'd gotten good at this facade she puts on. For teachers, counsellors, peers. She was used to it.

There was the loud sound of a spoon hitting the empty sink behind her. She turned around to see Quinn rolling his shoulders back slightly and taking a deep breath.

Ellen smiled kindly at her, and patted the hand that rested on the counter top, "Okay sweetheart. Just know that you can ask for help if you need it." Ellen wrapped her slender fingers around Rory's and gave them a slight squeeze. "Quinn will get you settled in the guest room. You can stay as long as you need." With one more squeeze and a smile, Ellen retreated from the kitchen and up the stairs.

Quinn set the steaming cup in front of her and she instantly wrapped her cold hands around the mug. He took a seat where Ellen had just left. "We can help you. Rory, you are not safe in that home." He tried to catch her eye to make his point but she avoided it.

"I don't need help." Rory's mind screamed at her to just accept the older boy's help. To just reach out and take the rope that he was throwing at her. "It's only another couple of months, and then Theo will get drafted and it will be fine. I'll go back to being the invisible child, and he'll be somewhere across the country and I won't have to see him again." She had made up her mind.

Quinn sighed. He knew he wasn't going to change her mind, one thing he learned about Aurora Hansley in the four months he'd known her; she was stubborn as all hell. "Come. I'll get you some clothes and let you sleep." He got up from his seat and led her to the staircase.

"You can stay in here, I'm just the next door over, and the bathroom's across the hall. Let me just grab some clothes." After he'd opened the door he disappeared into the room next door. Rory entered the room to see a double bed in a plain cream coloured room. The walls had the generic homegoods prints on the wall, and a candle sat on the dark wood nightstand.

Quinn returned a few moments later with a hoodie and a pair of sweatpants, "They're gonna be too big on you, but you'll be warm at least." He gave her his signature lopsided smile, although it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'll see you in the morning I guess." and with that he walked out, and closed the door behind him.

She whispered a thank you to the closed door.