I spent the night at a police station. They told me that my rest took priority since I was still a minor and still growing. I wasn't placed in a holding cell, but instead a room officers on the night shift usually used. It took me ages, but I eventually fell asleep, only to be woken up by some officers many hours later.

People in blue sat me down in a room. Everything about it was plain. Plain walls, plain sofas, plain paintings hanging on the walls. They had given me a mug of hot chocolate but it sat on the table, untouched. Two marshmallows were floating in it, staring back at me like a pair of large white eyes. I sat there twiddling my thumbs until two women came through the door. One was tall and wearing a blue police uniform with dark brown hair tied in two pigtails. They almost resembled the floppy ears of a rabbit. The other was shorter and curvier, dressed in civilian clothing with a shorter haircut. They sat on the sofa opposite me and the taller one spoke first.

"Hi there. My name is Officer Judy Hopps and I work with the police. This is Ms Cassandra Hamada, she's a social worker." The shorter one spoke, "You can just call me Cass. What's your name?"

"Rapunzel."

"Last name?"

"I don't know."

They glanced at each other, exchanging a look that I couldn't quite read.

The taller one spoke again. "We talked to Ms Calhoun just now. The lady who called us. You wanna tell us a little about your situation?"

I then repeated what I had told Calhoun, my palms getting sweaty. Of course, I had to be far more detailed, stopping every time they asked me to elaborate, or asked me a question I didn't know the answer to.

"We've sent people to your apartment to assess the situation. We'll have an autopsy done and that'll confirm her cause of death. You said you had polymorphic light eruptions? We'll have to get you tested for this as soon as we can."

"Do you have any family you know of, Rapunzel? Anyone at all?" Cass asked, leaning forward in her seat.

I shook my head. "I don't even remember my parents. This photograph is the only thing I have of them," I pulled it out of my pocket and passed it to her, letting them examine it. "My father is dead, but my mother… My aunt let my mother's name slip in an argument. Her name is Arianna. I don't know if she's still alive. I don't even know where she might be."

"Well," Cass passed the photograph back to me, "we're going to look into it. Right now, we need to get you tested for polymorphic light eruptions as well as any other conditions you may have. After that, you'll be staying with me as a foster child since you're still 16. Is that alright with you?" Speechless, I could only nod, my stomach a tangle of knots. She smiles, "great."

XXX

"Rapunzel, meet Baymax. He's a special doctor and will be available all over the world soon, but for now we keep him for police use." Cass and I were in a sterile looking room, me sitting on a bed with a papery sheet on it while she stood opposite me. Next to her, a huge white balloon looking thing rose from a red casing. Two black dots and a horizontal line made up his facial features. "Hello. I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion." His voice was robotic and yet somehow comforting.

"Isn't he neat?" Cass asked, grinning from ear to ear. "My nephew designed him, you'll meet him later. He'll be able to help so many people."

"What seems to be the trouble?" The robot spoke again, waddling closer to me. I looked at her inquisitively. "Go on," she encouraged.

"Um… hi, Baymax. I was... wondering if you could tell me if I have this thing, they're called polymorphic light eruptions. Apparently if I-"

"Polymorphous light eruption, also known as polymorphic light eruption, is a rash caused by sun exposure in people who have developed sensitivity to sunlight," he quoted from what I assumed was an online database, his eyes blinking.

"Yeah, that… how do I know if I have it or not?"

"A simple test can be administered to detect the presence, or lack thereof, of polymorphic light eruption. Please, roll up your sleeve."

Hesitantly, I rolled up the sleeve of my jacket and extended my arm. He reached out and took my arm in his sausage-like fingers. "I will now administer the test." In a nanosecond, mechanical whirring noises filled the room and one of his arms transformed into a large lamp, shining a bright light on my arm. "This is a lamp that emits light and solar energy similar to that of the sun but without the radiation, which is stopped from reaching Earth from the stratospheric ozone."

"Woah." It felt warm and a little tingly.

"Are you feeling any itching or discomfort?"

"No."

"On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain?"

"Zero? I don't really feel anything really."

Baymax retracted his sunlamp thing and stepped back. "It appears you do not suffer from polymorphic light eruptions."

My heart sank at that, my knees quaking. "No… no that can't be… I have it. I mean… I have to have it. Are you sure?"

The robot looked at me, his head cocked. "The chance of me providing an incorrect diagnosis, [articularly non physical illnesses, are slim to none. Why are you unsure?"

"Because if I don't have it then I could have been outside all this time and I could have gone to school and talked to girls and I could have been normal instead of being trapped in a tower all my life." My chest was heaving, my body trembling. I felt that same balloon welling up in my throat.

Cass sat herself next to me, putting a hand on my thigh. "Rapunzel, I'm so sorry…"

"Why would she make me believe that? That's 16 years of my life, gone." My fists were balled up, pressing firmly into the thin mattress so hard I think there was an indent.

"Preliminary investigations from the police have shown that your aunt wasn't the best person," Cass said softly. "Something wasn't right up here, an over possessiveness," she tapped her temple. "But you're free of that now. We're going to take care of you, no more lies." She wrapped an arm around me, gently pulling me close. This seemed to do the trick as I felt my body calm and slowly stop shaking.

"Would you like me to complete the rest of the examination?" Baymax's voice rang out, drawing our attention. I shrug, "Sure, might as well."

"Please stand up and extend your arms outwards." I did as he said, planting my feet shoulder width apart and extending my arms outwards so I looked like a "T". His eyes went a bright red and a light erupted from them, brushing me over from head to toe before disappearing. "Medical examination complete. No allergies or life threatening illnesses detected. Vitamin D deficiency present but can be treated through a higher exposure to sunlight as well as the consumption of fatty fish, mushrooms and egg yolks. One unique physical feature present - hermaphroditism, more commonly known as intersex, the presence of both male and female genitelia." I blushed beet red and looked down at the floor.

Baymax cocked his head in confusion. "You seem upset. My apologies, was that an inaccurate diagnosis?"

"No, it's not that," I assured him. "It's just something I've kept secret. My aunt said it was a birth defect and I would be killed if people know about it."

Cass looked at me with a mix of surprise and sympathy. "Hun, we're not in the 19th century anymore. People are more accepting now and this is more common than you think."

"Really?" I asked inquisitively.

"Trust me. I speak from experience." That line tugged at my mind, but I didn't want to risk potentially making her uncomfortable by asking more questions.

"Medical examination complete. Do you have any queries?" Baymax waddled over to me.

I shook my head, a small smile tugging at my lips. "No. But thank you, Baymax."

"Have a lollipop," he said, pulling a red lollipop from seemingly out of nowhere. I took it and watched in amazement as he folded himself back into his red case, waving as he went.

"Well, young lady, you must be itching to get some proper rest," Cass said, pulling me up. "As I said before, you'll be staying with me until we find a proper home for you. You can take your things from the apartment."

XXX

They'd taken the body as well as most of the things from Aunt Gothel's room. At the time, I had just felt numb. Now looking back, I realise that was just me processing my grief, and realising that I felt no remorse for what happened. No sadness. Nothing.

The more I looked around the only home I'd ever known, the more I realised it was less of a home and more of a prison. The locks on the windows, the extra locks on the doors, not meant to keep people out but rather to keep me in. My hair still sat in a pile on the kitchen floor, the knife gleaming menacingly on the counter. A few officers were still around but all they did was shoot me sympathetic looks as they collected what they needed.

"Do I have to take everything?" I asked Cass.

She shook her head. "Only what you want to. You need to make sure you have enough clothes to last a few days, but we can always pick up more if you need. And, of course, any personal items, if you have them." We were standing at the door to my tiny room and its attached bathroom. Cass glanced at the metal that kept my room bolted from the outside. "I'll give you some privacy. Take all the time you need. I'll be right outside"

It felt strange unlocking my room door. That was something my aunt had always done, the lock something I'd never been allowed to touch. My room seemed smaller. Tiny bed, suffocating walls. The only thing that made it seem bigger was the mural I had painted on. It covered all four walls, showing a castle sitting atop a hill. The starry night sky was lit up with lanterns floating up into the air. It seemed like something out of a fairy tale, and although I was young when I painted it, I think it was one of my best works to date. Unfortunately, I couldn't take the walls with me.

Things I did take included some of my clothes. I threw them into a duffel bag. Why I even had one, I have no idea. Not like I ever used it. Hoodies, sweatpants, pyjamas, boxers, bras, character socks all went in there. My paints and pencils, of course. They were the cheap stuff but they got the job done. Some charcoal and paper for drawing. My favourite books. My computer was strictly monitored so I just left it sitting on my desk, not even bothering to take anything on it. The final thing was Pascal, a toy chameleon I had since I was a baby. He was worn with age but still comforting to have. Apparently my mother had given it to me so it was one of my only memories of her. Sighing, I left, closing the door behind me, not even bothering to look back.

"Ready?" Cass asked as I came outside.

"Ready."

XXX

We had been driving for about ten minutes I was sitting in the passenger seat of Cass' car. It was a cool May afternoon so she kept the windows down. The breeze whipped through my short hair, messy and unkempt.

"I'm assuming you haven't seen much of San Fransokyo?" she said, trying to make conversation.

I shook my head. "Nothing that I remember. All I've known is life on my street. I've not seen anywhere else." I let out a gasp as we approach a massive structure. A large red bridge acted as a highway for what seemed like hundreds or even thousands of cars.

"This is the Golden Gate Bridge. It's one of the city's treasures. I drive on it every day to get to and from work."

"It's amazing."

Cass shrugged, obviously already accustomed to its majesty. "Anyway, as I said earlier, you'll be able to meet my nephews. Tadashi and Hiro. They're both super nice and are crazy good inventors. They can take you around the city if you ever want to get out and see the sights."

"Thank you, I look forward to it."

We drove in silence for a moment as I soaked in the city's elegance.

"Cass?"

"Yes?"

"Do you know what's going to happen next?"

She hesitated for a moment. "I do."

"Are they allowing you to tell me?"

Her fingers drummed on the wheel as the city zoomed by. "Well… first of all, your safety is priority. We need to make sure you feel alright and don't feel like you're in any danger. Your aunt's family, if she had any, will make any necessary funeral arrangements-"

"I'm not going." I was surprised at myself and how cold my voice came out.

"Of course. That's understandable. It's your choice entirely." Cass made a turn off the highway and we drove our way through a tangle of smaller streets. "After that, my team and the police are gonna work together to try and find your family."

"Are you going to find my mother?" I asked excitedly, sitting up in my seat.

She lets out a soft giggle. "That's the plan, yes. We don't have much to go on for now but I'm confident we'll get there. Speaking of get there," she pulled over. "We're here."

Cass had pulled up to a cozy looking cafe, what seemed to me like family-owned. It was called The Lucky Cat Cafe on the corner of a busy street. "We live right upstairs. We have to pass through the cafe to get there. It was my sister's." She helped me with some of my things and we made our way up. As soon as we got through the doors, the most intoxicating scent hit my nostrils. I followed it and my eyes fell on a display case housing a variety of pastries, all calling out to be eaten. Cass noticed me staring. "You'll have plenty of time to try everything in that case later."

It was about mid-afternoon, and people were greeting Cass as we passed. It felt so strange being surrounded by this many people, or any people at all. I found myself shrinking back a little but Cass reached behind to grab my hand comfortingly, leading me upstairs.

"Umm… curious question but have you told your nephews about me?" I asked as we made our way up the stairwell.

"Your circumstances? No. That's for you to decide whether or not to tell them. They're used to having foster kids around so you don't have to worry. They're good kids and I know they'll make you feel right at home here."

I smiled. "Thanks. I appreciate that."

"Tadashi! HIro! We're back!" Cass helped me put my things in what I assumed was the spare room. It was spacious, way more than my old room, with a queen size bed and a gorgeous view of the nearby park. We turned to see two boys standing in the doorway. One, who I assumed was Hiro, looked to be a bit younger than me, with a messy head of black hair. The other, Tadashi, was older and had a black baseball cap on with red and gold lettering. He was wearing a collage t-shirt which read "San Fransokyo Institute of Technology".

"Boys, this is Rapunzel. She'll be staying with us for a while. Rapunzel, these are my nephews, Tadashi and Hiro." They both greeted me enthusiastically but I just waved rather sheepishly,

"I really like your hair!" Hiro said with a bright smile.

I ran my hand through my hair, still not used to its now short length. "Thanks…" I said quietly. I noticed the brother exchange a glance. They probably weren't used to someone being so socially awkward, but to be fair I hadn't interacted with literally any other people so I cut myself some slack.

Tadashi spoke up. "Hey, tonight Hiro and I are meeting some of my friends from school for dinner. You should come with! If you want."

A warm blush spread to my cheeks. "I wouldn't want to impose…"

"Come on, it'll be fun,' Hiro chimed in.

I glanced at Cass who looked back at me encouragingly. "Well, if you guys insist…"

"Awesome! We leave here at 6, you can settle in for now if you want." The boys left but Cass lingered. She took a step towards me as I plopped myself on the edge of the bed, tucking my knees under my chin.

"Are you alright, hun?" she asked, sitting herself down next to me.

"Am I doing this right?" I asked, hanging my head.

"What do you mean?"

"Being here, walking around, talking to people?" My eyes were wide with panic. "I'm sorry, I'm just… really, really not used to this."

"Hey," she put a hand on my shoulder. "Considering you spent your entire life talking to only one other person, you're doing fantastically."

"Really?"

"Really," she reassured me. "And if things ever get too much, too overwhelming, you come and tell me, alright?"

I nodded. "I will, thank you."

"You can just relax and get comfortable. I know you'll have fun with the boys tonight. Tadashi's friends are all super nice and you'll fit right in. They're an... interesting bunch, but entertaining nonetheless, and guaranteed to give you a good time." She got up and made her way towards the door. "I'm down the hall if you need anything, alright? I'm working from home today so I'll be available anytime."

"Thanks, Cass." She left, leaving me alone in the foreign room.