Hello dear reader! This is a new story I've been working on which has a more developed plot than my other ones. It'll be kind of slowburn Rapunzel x Arianna and be warned, there will be incest, so don't like, don't read. Hope you enjoy, and I'll try to post chapters weekly. Without further ado, the story...

"Bend over"

My cheeks blushed a deep scarlet, "Mom, what the heck."

"You heard me young lady," she tapped the kitchen counter, her bright green eyes boring into me. "Don't keep me waiting any longer."

XXX

Right, I should explain myself first. Hey there. Hi. Hello. My name is Rapunzel and my life is literally like a movie.

Some key information about me. I'm intersex, meaning I have both male and female reproductive organs. I have breasts like a normal girl but something a little different between my legs. Well, not little, but… well you get the picture. I also spent the first 16 years of my life locked up in my manipulative aunt's apartment not knowing I had a choice in anything until she died and left me to figure everything out on my own. Let's start at the beginning, shall we?

When I was little, too little to remember anything, my parents separated. My dad got full custody of me and took me to another state, closer to family apparently. I wouldn't really know, because he died a few months later. My mind holds no memories of him to this day, just an old photograph of my family I keep in my wallet. He's holding me as a baby, his eyebrows big and furrowed, a short yet bushy beard on his chin. My tiny hand is gripping it, pulling slightly making his facial expression a little pained. My mother was in the picture but someone, either my father or my aunt, had torn off her head, leaving that as my only severed image of her.

After he died, I went to stay with my Aunt Gothel, his sister. She seemed kind enough, being the only family I ever knew. The only downside is that when you live with someone your entire life, you can't see their manipulation for what it is, it just becomes the only thing you know. It becomes the norm. Aunt Gothel lived in a tiny unit on the 14th floor of a tall apartment building. According to her, I had polymorphic light eruption, which meant I had to stay inside or the sun would give me terrible rashes. She, "out of the goodness of her heart", worked from home and homeschooled me, keeping me inside all the time. I didn't get to meet other people, I didn't get to play with other kids, I didn't get to leave. My room locked from the outside and that was where I stayed whenever she went out to run errands. She always kept the keys on her. The only experience of people I ever got was watching them from above, seeing them walk and drive and ride bikes and talk and dance and party. I could watch movies and tv but didn't have any social media. There was no connection between me and the outside world. She wouldn't let me go out in the day even to a shady place, and she told me night in the city was dangerous. Maybe that was how I missed all the signs of her true behavior.

Aunt Gothel never got violent with me. It seemed, at the time, like she really cared. She cooked for me, entertained my interest in painting and told me I was like a daughter to her. Though, a few months after I turned 16, she changed. I knew I had a thing for girls since I was in my early teens, reading things online about the LGBTQ+ community and such. Looking back, it makes sense I suppose. My attention was always focused on all the women on the street below rather than their male counterparts. When I finally worked up the courage to tell her, she went ballistic.

"Absolutely not. I won't allow it." We had been sitting face to face in the kitchen. She got up in a fury, slamming her hands down hard on the table.

"I wasn't asking for permission," I retorted. "I know myself, I've been sitting on this for a while and I thought I would be able to trust you enough to tell you."

"How would you know? You've not even left this apartment!"

"Because you keep me locked in here!"

"You know that's for your own good, Rapunzel," she was pacing the floor. "The sun hurts you and night in the city… even I don't go into the city at night."

"But when I sit at my windowsill during the day my skin doesn't feel irritated or anything."

"That's not the point right now. You are not to leave this apartment, is that understood? You're different from other girls, if you step out there…" She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "People don't like those who are different. Staying in here is the safest option for you. And since you're in here, you wouldn't know whether or not you have any attraction towards women and therefore you do not. Have I made myself clear?"

"No!" I gripped my hair in the complete frustration of it all. "I was born this way, I know myself more than you would know me."

"A relationship happens between a man and a woman. Anything else is unnatural. Frederic and Arianna knew-"

My eyes widened. "Arianna?" Aunt Gothel had talked about my dad lots of time. They didn't have the best relationship so it was never to sing his praises. But I had never heard of my mother before then.

She paused, getting slightly pale when she realised what she had revealed. "You are not a lesbian and that is final."

"Aunt Gothel, you can't dictate what I am and what I'm not!" I argue, tears welling up in my eyes. She just glares at me, before reaching into a drawer and pulling out her knife. I freezed, worried I hit a nerve and she was gonna stab me. Aunt Gothel always kept her knives sharp.

"You know who's allowed to like girls?" She stepped closer to me. "Boys." She was next to me now. "So you might as well look like one." My breath hitched when she grabbed my hair which nearly reached the floor after having never been cut before. "You already have the genitalia to match." Her words cut through me like a dagger. I barely had time to process them as she slid the blade under my hair and made one confident swoop. All I could hear was my own strangled scream as my golden locks fell to the floor. I turned to look at her, my gasps turning into sobs, but she had just put the knife down and went to her room, slamming the door behind her.

I felt like I could barely move. It was as if roots had sprung forth from every limb I had and kept me pinned to my chair. My heart was pounding, the blood rushing behind my ears. The golden strands of my hair surrounded me, fanning out on the floor. It felt like a balloon was welling up in my throat, making it near impossible to breath. Hot tears were running down my face, dripping off my chin and onto the counter below.

Eventually, I did pick myself up and drag myself to my room. I didn't even bother to change, I just curled up under my covers and willed myself to sleep, hoping I could just stay asleep forever. In the moment, I wished the most horrible things upon my guardian. She was awful and my own hatred for her boiled over. Never would I have expected my wishes would work.

The argument happened in the morning, but it wasn't until way past midnight that I realised something was amiss. I stayed in my room, the door unlocked, obviously, for hours, just staring at a wall. I didn't feel hungry, I didn't feel restless, I just felt numb. Nothing was heard from the other side of the apartment, no sound or movement whatsoever. I decided that I should be the one to say something, that maybe if I did she would be less harsh on me. I dragged myself to Aunt Gothel's room and knocked on the door softly. No answer.

"Aunt Gothel?" I had called into the wood. Still nothing.

Hesitantly, I turned the knob. It was all dark inside. Aunt Gothel was under the covers. No sound could be heard. Shaking, I approached her bed. "Aunt Gothel? I'm sorry about earlier, are you-" Not a sound as I reached her bedside. Reaching out, I flicked the table lamp on, illuminating the room in a faint yellow glow. She was asleep, her curly black hair fanned out on her pillow like a strange halo. Her skin seemed paler than usual. Maybe she was sick?

Although she was older, much older than my father would have been, she looked young, with only the faintest of wrinkles. "Aunt Gothel?" My voice had sounded so soft at the time as I used my hand to nudge her shoulder.

She didn't even stir.

I leaned over a little, pressing my ear to her chest. There was no movement, no rise and fall. When I placed my finger under her nose and over her mouth, I had felt no inhale, no exhale. I pressed two fingers to her neck, trying to find a pulse. Nothing. "Shit," I had said, taking a step back and running my fingers through my short, messy hair. "Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit…" I stammered, my eyes going wide with panic. My heart was ready to beat straight out of my chest.

There I was, alone in the apartment, an emotional wreck, with a dead woman. What, the actual hell, was I supposed to do?

I remember weighing my options in my mind. I could go out into the dangerous world, one I had never stepped in before, to try to find someone who would help. Or, I could just leave it, leave her and try to live off what we have in the apartment. Though, even I knew the second idea was a bad one. We only had food to last me so long and eventually the body would start to smell. That last bit was what made me leave.

The main door unlocked from the inside so that wasn't a problem. What I had been concerned with was being attacked. I put on a pair of sweatpants and a thick hoodie, at the time thinking it would be harder to get stabbed if the material was thicker.

Clearly, I was ready for the outside world.

Bracing myself. I unlocked the door and stepped out into the hall. It seemed normal enough, long with an elevator at the end. Apparently, I lived in #14-01. Making my way to the elevator, my pulse increased. I pressed the button, waiting with my stomach in knots. It came and I entered, pressing what I assumed was the ground floor. Soft music played as I descended, getting closer and closer to my destination. It seemed peaceful, I didn't get why she kept me inside when the world seemed so… normal.

Ding!

Okay, Rapunzel, I had thought. Just walk out and find someone who can help you. People are nice, I'm sure it's fine.

It was approaching summer but the air was cool, making my hair stand on end. The street was always busy, with bars and restaurants that stayed open to the early hours of the morning. I walked down the street, trying to work up the courage to talk to someone, anyone.

"Hey there, girl."

Okay, maybe not anyone.

"What's a pretty lady doing out here all on her own?"

There were two burly men standing outside of an empty sleazy looking bar, both redheads. One had an eyepatch while the other had long sideburns down the sides of his face. I shrinked back a little. "H...h..hi, so sorry to bother you, but…" my voice trails off as they moved in closer, keeping me cornered against the wall. They towered over me and their large forms casted me in shadow.

"Haven't seen you around here before, you're new in town?" asked sideburns, putting his arm out to stop me from getting away.

"Why don't you let us show you around? We know the best sights in the city." Eyepatch had his face so close to mine I could smell the blend of cigarette smoke and whiskey on his breath, making me gag. God damn it, I should have brought the knife. "Oh, n...no, it's alright, I can find someone… else… to…" Sideburns cut me off as he pressed a finger against my lips. It felt rough and calloused. "No need to say a word, girlie. We'll give you just the right help you need." My eyes were wide with fear and panic as he reached towards my chest when-

"What is going on here?" We turn in unison to see a woman standing outside the bar. I think I had to bite down on my bottom lip to stop my jaw from dropping. She was beautiful. Tall and slim with short blonde hair cut into choppy pixie cut. She wore a black tank top and navy blue jeans which showed off her curvy figure. Her icy stare seemed to shoot right through them as they backed off a little, Sideburns putting his arm down.

"Nothing, Calhoun," Eyepatch grumbled, "we were just trying to help the girl out."

"Didn't look like it," she crossed her arms over her chest and shot me a sympathetic look. I could feel the warmth spread to my cheeks. "You know the rules. The land right outside my bar is still my land, my property. You two better fuck right off before I call the cops on you for harassment."

The two thugs glanced at each other before walking off, their tails between their legs. "You okay, kid?" I jumped as her attention turned to me. "Those Stabbington brothers are always trying to lure poor girls into their grasp."

I looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Sorry, they're called the Stabbington brothers?"

She just chuckled dryly, "you can't make this shit up." I was utterly flabbergasted, having never talked to anyone aside from my aunt before, much less a stunning woman who was on the brink of making me drool. "So what're you doing out here anyway, kid? You seem too young to even step into a bar and it's way past midnight. This ain't the nicest part of town either."

The events of the past day seemed to overwhelm me at that point and I felt tears spring in the corners of my eyes. "I need help," I said softly, my whole body shaking.

Her expression went from one of slight annoyance to one of concern. "Oh, of course, sugar, I can help you. Come in, the bar is closed but I can sit you down." Calhoun wrapped an arm around my trembling shoulders and led me inside, shutting the door behind us. It was an 80's looking place, reminding me of an old arcade. There were even old games like Pac-Man and Space Invaders lining the walls to match the look, whirring and beeping quietly. She sat me down in one of the booth seats before sitting next to me, gently putting a finger under my chin and making me look at her. "What's your name, hun?"

"Rapunzel."

"I'm Calhoun. Tamora Jean Calhoun. You wanna tell me what's wrong?"

"My aunt is dead."

There was an uncomfortable moment of silence as hot tears began to stream down my face while she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"I'm so sorry," she broke the silence, taking my hand in hers. "When did she-"

"Today. I live in the apartment building across the street. She's still there."

Another long bout of silence befell us.

"I'm sorry. I'm making you uncomfortable. I didn't kill her if that's what you're thinking."

"No, no, it's just…" Her brow furrowed as she considered her choice of words. "Does anyone else know?"

I shook my head and took a deep breath. "No. It was just the two of us. I don't know how it happened. We got into an argument this morning because I tried to come out to her not knowing she was a massive homophobe, then she hacked my hair off with a knife. She went to her room and when I went to look for her she was in bed but not breathing and I couldn't find a pulse. I don't have a phone and I've never been outside the apartment ever because I have polymorphic light eruptions and my aunt said I would be attacked if I did and I didn't know what to do or who to call so I just came down here to try and find someone who could help me. My parents separated and my father died when I was a baby so I never knew either of them and my aunt never let me step foot outside the apartment ever so I kind of have no idea what I'm doing here." I gasp for breath, tears streaming down my face.

"Right…" she said after a moment, reaching for her phone in her pocket. "I think you need more help than I can give you, darling."