Selcouth

I sat on my thin mattress, watching the door. I had a plan to leave. I had to get out of here already. I needed to see the world.

“Rapunzel, I know you’re mad at me but I’ve got an early birthday present,” her voice echoed from the doorway.

“I’m not mad. I’m sorry for what I did. I’d like to see my present.”

She came in, bringing something behind her.

I kept my hands behind my back, letting her get closer to me. I moved my hands, forming a ball of light. I threw it in her face and she yelled out, covering her eyes. “Rapunzel, how dare you blind me?”

I got up, running out of the basement.

“Get back here!”

She came out, chasing me through the small house. I turned a corner, running and grabbing a knife from the kitchen.

I kept running, turning another corner and stopping behind it. When she came around it, I plunged the knife into her. Her eyes were wide as she looked at the weapon, choking on her own blood.

I stepped away from her, taking deep breaths. This was my chance.

I watched as the woman fell to the ground, bleeding out and coughing up the same red liquid that poured from her stomach. I ran to the front door, unlocking the bolts. Freedom was mine.

I took off running out of the house, leaving the home. I slowed to a stop as I noticed the business of the city around me. The buildings were so tall, looking out over everyone who resided here.

I stopped, looking up at a gold clock that stood on a pole. It was so fascinating. There was so much I could learn in this world.

“Ma’am, are you alright?” a lady asked.

I jumped, backing away from her. “Who are you?”

“My name is Shelly. I want to know if you’re okay.” She got something from her bag and started touching it before putting it to her ear. “Yes, I’d like to call an ambulance. There’s a young woman down on Fifth Avenue, by the Flatiron building. She looks unhealthy. She looks to be underweight and she has a bandage around her arm and no shoes. There are bruises around her neck. She’s walking, but she needs medical attention.” The woman looked at me again. “Are you okay?”

I coughed, looking at my surroundings. The light in the sky was so bright. Sun. They called this the sun.

In just a few minutes, loud sirens came towards me. I covered my ears and the woman grabbed me as I nearly fell to the ground.

Some men in uniforms came out of the ambulance and came over to me, checking my body. “We’re going to take you to a hospital. Okay?”

I looked at the man, coughing. “What’s a hospital?”

“It’s where we take care of you and make you feel better. Come on.” He helped me into the back of the ambulance. They closed the doors and two more drove us to this hospital they spoke of.

I put my hands on my stomach, closing my eyes. Hunger used me to its will, controlling everything I did. I curled up and looked around the small space.

“What’s wrong?”

“I need food.”

The man opened up a small bag of crackers, feeding me some. “Here you go.”

I ate them, beginning to feel better.

“Can you tell us what happened to you?” he asked me.

I coughed. “She wanted to use me. Mother used me for her selfish needs and kept me locked in that basement since I was a baby.”

He gave me more crackers and a water bottle. “Don’t worry. We are going to make sure you’re safe now.”

“I am safe. I killed her. She tried to kill me so many times.” I closed my eyes, drowsiness settling in. It wasn’t long before the darkness took me to another place.

When I opened my eyes again, I was in a different place. This place was bright and lit up by many lights. I was in some sort of bed and a woman in a blue outfit came in. She smiled and checked some machines next to me. “How are you feeling?”

I cough. “I feel fine.”

“Do you know your name?”

I nodded. “Rapunzel. My name is Rapunzel.”

“That’s a beautiful name. Where is it from?”

“I’m not too sure. I know I have a birthday coming up as well. It’s always on the fourteenth of the sixth month of every year. That’s what Mother told me.”

“Oh, really? Maybe we can use that. The paramedics said you were held captive your whole life.” She stood by my bedside.

“I was. She held me in the dirty basement. I tried so hard to escape but it was nearly impossible. She caught me. I finally escaped. I wanted to see the world for my eighteenth birthday.” I looked at my feet.

She nodded and smiled. “Eighteen, huh? That’s a pretty big birthday.”

“It is. I looked at my arms and then hers. “Why am I smaller?”

She sat down on my bed, being careful of my limbs. “The woman who kept you in that basement deprived you of basic needs. She didn’t feed you enough. You were not able to go out and get exercise. You haven’t had much sunlight and you’re in an extremely vulnerable state. It’s going to take some time for you to get your muscle back.”

“Why don’t I have breasts like other women?” I touched my chest.

She grabbed my hand, squeezing it lightly. “It’s not abnormal for a woman to have a flat chest. Some women never develop in that area and it’s perfectly okay. You don’t have to have breasts to be beautiful or be a woman.”

I looked at her breasts, then my own. “Mother said nobody will want me without breasts.”

“Your mother is wrong. Don’t listen to her. She hurt you.” She patted my hand. “I must go but I will be back very soon.” She left my room.

I sat up, looking at my body. I seemed to be intact. I glanced at some people outside of my room, watching them walk back. I tilted my head, looking at one of the men. He was in the same blue clothes as the lady who left my room. He was talking to someone else, looking at some papers in his hands.

His skin was darker than most of the people here and definitely darker than my own. His hair was pretty curly on top of his head. He glanced in my direction, noticing me staring at him. He had a little beard and dark eyes. He seemed so interesting. Something about him caught my attention that nobody else could do.

The woman came back and smiled. “I brought you some more food. We’re going to try to help you eat. After this, I want to take you for a walk and get you used to the basic stuff in life.”

I nodded and grabbed the plate of food. I looked at her and pointed to the man outside my room. “Who’s he?”

She looked at him and looked back at me. “That’s Roman. He’s a male nurse.”

“Nurse?”

“Yes, nurses are... I don’t want to say lower. They have some skills and deal with certain things other doctors don’t. Doctors deal with big stuff and we deal with smaller things. We keep an eye on patients more than doctors normally do. We are all here to help our patients in the end.” She smiled.

I started to eat. “Roman. Nurse Roman.”

She nodded a bit. “He is handsome. I will not lie. But I do want you to know that even if you think he is cute, patients cannot have relationships with the staff here.”

“What do you mean?”

“Romance. Kissing. Hugging. Being friends is okay but wanting to kiss and be romantic is not okay between patients and staff members. I know this is all new to you but I will be here to help.”

I looked at my food. “What’s your name?”

“Janet. You can call me Janet,” Janet smiled at me.

I smiled in return.

After I finished eating, Janet took me out of the hospital for a walk in the field. It was to help build my endurance and Vitamin D, she said.

I looked over at the woman and smiled a bit, observing the smile that plastered her pink lips. “What are you so happy about, Janet?”

She looked at me. “We saved you. From the story you told, you’ve been missing for eighteen years but we saved your life. You’re alive today and that’s what matters. It makes my day when we find a missing person alive after so long.”

“Have we found my real family?”

“I haven’t. I will be researching into it to help you. Although the police will do better than I ever could on the busy hours I have. We will find your family. I promise.”

I nodded, looking forward as we walked on the grass. It felt so nice beneath my toes, keeping my feet cooled unlike the cement would do.

“When we find them, I’ll be able to go home. I’ll have a real home.”

Janet rubbing my back. “Of course. Until then, you can stay here. We will be monitoring your progress and health. As long as you are a found missing person and under eighteen, you are covered. Unfortunately, you’ll be eighteen in a few days. When that day comes, we will not be able to keep you here due to your age. You’ll be legally responsible for yourself and your medical bills. You’re a minor until then.”

“Will we find my family before that?” I looked up at her.

“We hope so.”

We continued walking around, enjoying the sunshine. Janet looking at my hair, admiring it. “I have never seen a girl with such long hair before.”

“Mother never cut it. She said it looked prettier this way.”

“Do you like it long?”

I shrugged. “I’ve never cut it.”

Janet touched my blonde hair, nodding. “Why don’t we give you a haircut? It’ll make you feel new.”

I smiled. “I’ve never had one before. This is so exciting.”

She chuckled. “So you’ve said.”

She took me back inside and I sat down in a chair in my hospital room. Janet called in some people to cut my hair for me.

They sprayed it with water, brushing through it.

Janet came around to my front view. “How short would you want it?”

“Maybe you can cut about halfway. I just want it to be shorter than it is but still long enough for many hairstyles. I want the opportunity to do my hair.”

Janet nodded at the people behind me and they continued. It was a strange feeling as they messed with my hair, cutting off most of it. It made my hair feel funny but it also took the weight off. My head became lighter.

Once it was over with, Janet brought me a mirror, showing me what it looked like now. I touched my hair, smiling at the gentle curls that stopped at my hips. “I love it. I really do.”

She put the mirror down and sat in front of me. “I’m so glad you love it.”

I continued to touch my hair. “I feel so pretty.”

“Rapunzel, you are always pretty. Don’t let anyone tell you anything else.” She rubbed my knee.

“I’d like the opportunity to dress up nice one of these days.”

“You will. Don’t you worry. When your birthday comes, we will have a celebration for you. I will dress you up like a princess.”

“A princess? What is that?”

She sat back. “She’s the daughter of a king and a queen, dressing in fancy gowns. She is a strong woman who is not afraid to fight back but is still very feminine. You will wear a big gown.”

I tilted my head, trying to picture such a thing. “I want to wear a pretty dress. This sounds like a lot of fun.”

Janet gave me a big smile, nodding a lot. “It should be fun. You deserve to feel like a princess after everything you’ve been through. That woman was cruel. You are beautiful and every woman deserves to feel like a princess if she so pleases.”

I whispered to myself with joy in my tone, “A princess. I will be a princess.”