"I've seen the contents of the box, of course, but they are mostly unopened. I felt you should be the one to do that." I looked at Cass curiously as she edged the box closer towards me.

"Are you really su-"

"Hun, just look."

Throwing her a final suspicious glance, my trembling fingers curled around the corner of the box, carefully lifting the lid. I don't know what I could have been expecting at the time, but it definitely wasn't what I saw.

Novant Health Medical Park Hospital, North Carolina

Rapunzel Leah Hollen

Born at 0832 on the 12th of May 2015, at 5 pounds 3 ounces, the daughter of Frederic Otto Corona and Arianna Katrin Hollen

"My birth certificate?" I studied it with intense care, taking everything in. "Hollen…" When my eyes fell upon my mother's name, I couldn't keep myself from gasping. "I took my mother's last name!" My hands were shaking, tears brimming in my eyes. Cass met my gaze, silently encouraging me to dig a little deeper.

Although it was a surprise, what was even more shocking was what I saw underneath it.

Rapunzel Hollen

#14-01, Sunlight Apartments

13 Hillview Avenue

San Fransokyo

California

Letters. Dozens and dozens and dozens of unopened letters, all addressed to… me?

I tipped the box out onto the table, watching all of them spill out. Flipping one of the envelopes over, there was another neat scrawl in identical handwriting.

Return address:

Arianna Hollen

7 Hartcrest Lane

Winston-Salem

North Carolina

"It… it's my mom… She's in North Carolina… that's across the country." Cass nodded at me encouragingly, willing me to read on.

Taking a deep breath to psych myself up, I opened one of them.

25 December 2022

My darling Rapunzel,

Merry Christmas! I hope your Aunt spoils you silly with presents this year. Oh, my sweet girl, I wish I could be there with you. I want to be with you to open your presents on Christmas morning, but for now, this letter will have to suffice. You're getting older, 7 years already, my gosh! I know you don't yet understand why I can't be with you right now, but I promise. I'm working so hard, saving up for a trip to see you. It's just taking longer than I thought.

Regardless, I hope your day is full of love and happiness. Maybe even snow! That would be fun, wouldn't it? I can imagine that you'd absolutely destroy your Aunt Gothel in a snowball fight.

Lots and lots of love,

Mommy.

"All these letters… Mom..." Another.

12 May 2028

Happy birthday my lovely girl.

I suppose you're no longer a girl. Today, you are 13, growing into a young woman. I know you haven't been writing back to me. Maybe you're angry that we're separated, which is fair. But I miss you so much, my dear. I've tried calling lawyers and the like but your Aunt refuses to grant me custody. Though, I suppose I still need to save up and make sure I can give you the best life imaginable. One day, I'll explain everything, but it's best that it be done in person. A letter won't cut it.

Sorry, I'm going off topic. I want you to know that being a teenager is tough. I won't sugarcoat this for you. People will be difficult, pick on you for being different. They'll try to knock you down just so that they feel a little bit better about themselves. But if you're anything like me, I know for a fact you won't take any crap from anyone. You will be brave, you will be defiant, you will be strong willed and you will be kind hearted, doing all of it with the same joyful smile you had as a baby. I know you will.

I love you so much. Every day I have to spend apart from you breaks my heart. One day, I will get to you. I'm trying to move closer to you, but it's across an entire continent. It's a difficult feat, but I will make it to you if it's the last thing I do.

Here's to someday spending a birthday together with you, love.

Mom.

"Why have I never seen these?" Another.

18 July 2031

My dear daughter,

Sometimes I sit in my room, wondering how you're getting on. How you're growing up. Are you artsy like me? Do you love nothing more than to spend an entire day with some charcoal and a sketchpad? Do you ever wonder the same of me?

When you were born, I had a room made for you. A little baby nursery. I painted a mural on the wall. A fairytale scene with lanterns filling the sky. Your father thought I was crazy. He said a baby wouldn't be able to appreciate that, but I did it for the fun of it, because I knew I appreciated it, and that eventually, you would too. Every night until we were separated, I rocked you in your crib, singing you the lullaby my mother sang to me. It was the only thing that got you to sleep.

It was never my choice to leave you. To have you stripped away from me. I'll explain everything to you when we can meet. I know you must have questions and I don't trust Gothel to tell you much of… well, anything really. I'm so close to striking an exhibition deal which will give me the money to find you. The trials and tribulations of an artist, I suppose. Sometimes, I wish I had taken a different path. Maybe that would get me to you sooner.

As always, I hope to hear from you. Soon. Ever.

With love,

Mom.

"My mom… she's alive. She's alive and she wanted me… she wants me." Another. This one was already opened, the envelope ripped right where the glue kept the paper together…

4 March 2032

My precious Rapunzel,

I have fantastic news!

"Oh my God… Cass! LIsten to this…

After years of working and trying, I've done it. My exhibitions and shows and commissions have provided me with enough money to move to San Fransokyo! I'm so, so, so sorry it took me so long. I've missed you so much but your blasted Aunt told me… well… she told me things I didn't want to believe.

I did try calling her to tell her but she wouldn't hear it, so my only chance left is to tell you through this letter. It'll take me some time to plan everything and get settled in, but I'll be in time to come find you just after your birthday. Goodness, my little girl will be 17." I was tearing up and silently read the rest of the letter through bleary eyes.

If you're still upset with me, I beg you to at least have an open mind, I don't know what they've told you, but there must be a reason you've stayed silent all these years. I want to find you and explain my side of the story to you, so please, let me at least try. My new address is written on the back of this page. As soon as I can make it over, I'll come to find you, whether Gothel likes it or not. We've been separated for so long, my dear. I hope you're as excited to meet as I am.

All my love,

Mom.

I looked up at her with tears streaming down my face. "How… where…"

Cass cut me off. "The new tenant was doing some home renovations. When the floorboards were removed in what used to be your aunt's room, they found this coupled with a bunch of moving plans. I'm assuming Gothel opened the letter to find out Arianna was coming to meet you and she didn't want her to get to you. She had made plans for you two to move to the next state over. The new tenant brought it straight to the police, who then brought it to me, who then called you because this is the start of something big. The answers you've been looking for."

I shook my head. "There are no answers in the letters. She said she wants to explain in person. Her address is here, on the back of the page." I handed Cass the slip of paper which she inspected intently. "I guess she never made it to San Fransokyo in time. Maybe she went there and couldn't find me? What if she's still looking for me? What if she searched for so long and resigned to her fate and went back to North Carolina? Oh, Cass, what am I gonna do? I have her address, I need to get to her, I have to go find her!"

"Woah woah woah, calm down, feisty." Her voice was quiet and gentle, her hands soft as she reached out to hold mine. "I know you're eager. I know you're excited. These are the answers you've waited years for. But although this is hard to hear, we're not entirely sure if your mother is safe. I need to do a background check on her, meet her in person first to make sure it's safe for you."

"But… she's here. She's not across an entire continent, she's right here!"

"I know it's frustrating, but it's standard procedure. It's hard to tell someone's personality and character through writing, the reality is neither of us know her true nature. We absolutely cannot risk putting you in a situation that isn't safe for you. Not after everything you've gone through. You understand that, right?" The look she gave me was one of sympathy.

My shoulders slumped. "I guess so…" Cass did have a point. Better wait a little more instead of jumping straight into the arms of another abuser. Although I understood it, I still wasn't happy about having to wait.

"Hey," Cass touched my chin with her finger gently. "Chin up. I promise I'll arrange a meeting with her as soon as possible." She paused to type something into her computer's search bar, squinting at the results. "This address isn't too far from where we stay, maybe an hour away? And now we have a full name to work off, so that's a plus!" Her smile was infectious and had me feeling better within minutes. "But you're going home, hun."

My cheeks turned a rosy pink. "I'm going home."

XXX

"So what's this you need help with?" Hiro asked, flopping on my bed. Tadashi was perched at my desk, laptop in front of him, typing away at some scientific looking document.

"Research," I replied, sitting next to Hiro. I had spent the time waiting for them to get back from the university pouring over the letters, taking in each and every word, each stroke of her pen. It looked like she was a little old school or just liked the feeling of it, because the way the ink was thick in some places and thin in others made me think she wrote with a fountain pen. Every detail had me enraptured, how she dotted each "i" with a little circle, how she never quite closed her "a"s, how the tails of her "y"s curved a little too much but still fit in with the rest of her handwriting. They dictated tales of her growing up. How she was learning how to ride a bike and accidentally crashed into her neighbour's rose bush, thorns and all. How she would chase any ice cream truck within a three mile radius. How she would always double knot her laces so she could just slide her foot in and out of her slightly oversized sneakers. There were also stories of me as a baby, how she would sing to get me to sleep on my most restless nights, cradling my small body in her arms and rocking me to sleep. I studied each one as if I had to take in every minute detail before they disappeared altogether, leaving me with nothing.

"I have a name to work with, that's enough. Tomorrow, Cass has arranged to meet my mother for the first time, see if she's in a fit state to regain custody of me. But, as I'm sure you two know, I have zero patience and need your expert research skills, as scientists." They looked at me cluelessly. "I need you to help me stalk my mom online,' I said, making it clear.

"Oh, sick," Tadashi said, opening a new tab on his laptop's search engine. "Everyone is easily stalkable nowadays thanks to Facebook's lack of privacy. How's it spelt again?"

"First name Arianna with two 'n's and last name Hollen, like 'pollen' but with an 'h'."

"If she struck an exhibition deal, there might be articles about her. I'll check international news, you check local?" Hiro asked. Tadashi nodded in agreement and they got to work. Hiro was looking on his phone while the sound of Tadashi's fast typing filled the void of space.

"No way!" Tadashi called triumphantly.

I bolted up and stood by his shoulder. "What what what? What is it?" Then the title of the article he was looking at caught my eye. The News&Observer: Interview with up and coming artist Arianna Pollen. "When was this?"

"The date says the 3rd of March, earlier this year," Hiro observed, materialising behind me. "I guess your mom only just hit her artist debut."

Tadashi scrolled down a little and something stopped me in my tracks. "Stop! Is that her?" I asked. He squinted at the screen, reading the caption. "I guess so," he finally said.

I was breathless. She looked just like me. Well, an older version of me. Her eyes were big and bright green like mine, and her facial features looked really similar too. The key difference was her long brunette hair, a similar shade to mine, which reached her waist, pinned back in a neat sort of updo which looked like something that may have been popular 200 years ago. Not that it didn't look amazing on her. She looked amazing. Beautiful. I couldn't stop staring. The way the photo was taken made it seem like she was staring, beaming right at me.

Tadashi read aloud, "Arianna Hollen, 37, struck an exhibition deal with the Marc Davis Foundation early this week, with her large scale charcoal portraits depicting the human form in a new and visually exciting way. After graduating from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) in 2018, Hollen had struggled to draw an audience to her work. Despite rejection and prejudice, she persisted and after nearly 20 years, has finally attracted the recognition she deserves."

"There's an interview!" Hiro pointed out. They glanced at me, waiting for the word.

"Play it."

"Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview, Ms Hollen."

"Thank you for having me, I'm happy to be here."

Her voice made my ears blush.

"First, we're all itching to ask, what has kept you going after all these years? You're a freelancing artist which does not provide much stability seeing as you live paycheck to paycheck. Anyone else in your shoes would have submitted and found another path, why led you to persist?"

"Well…" She fidgeted a little. It looked like it was her first time on camera. "I wanted to show people that you need to keep persisting in the face of difficulty. Art is my passion. It's my life. I wanted to be able to make my own rules and not be dictated by some corporate design company. Not that all design companies are bad because of course that can be a viable career path for anyone who chooses to go down that route but it's not for everyone and it's different strokes for different folks and while I've tried it I personally prefer my freelancing work." My mom reminded me of me whenever I got nervous. "But yes. I think it's an important lesson for everyone that if you set your mind to something, don't stop until you get it. I've been working towards this for years. Every time someone told me to just give up and try something else, I told them no because I knew my breakthrough would come, and I was right."

"What would you say was your biggest inspiration?"

"Charcoal in itself is a very dark medium. Usually drawn to portray dark subject matter. My career up to this point has been difficult and that on top of a messy divorce in my early 20s, positivity was hard to come by. Something that kept me motivated was hope. I wanted to use something dark and transform it, because pain can be transformed into new opportunities and new experiences." Her face scrunched up a little, deep in thought. "I would say that my biggest inspiration, my rock that has kept me going is a very special member of my family in San Fransokyo."

"Is she talking about me?" I asked, wide eyed.

"Who else?" Tadashi laughed, patting me on the back.

"Now that you've gained local recognition here in North Carolina, what are your plans for the future?"

"It's taken me years to get to this point. Years of planning and preparation. Smaller commission works have allowed me to live my day to day life as well as save some money, but my collaboration with the Marc Davis Foundation has given me the final push I need. In the coming months, I'm packing up my little studio and moving across the country, all the way to San Fransokyo."

"The art scene there is quite magnificent."

"Indeed it is. And while going there would increase the chances of my work reaching a national, even international audience, I have family there. A very special girl who I've been working my whole life towards seeing again."

"Well, once again, thank you so much for being here. We at The News&Observer can't wait to see how your career progresses. All the best for the move. This girl must be a very special one."

Mom turned her face towards the camera, her face boasting a happy smile. "She is." Then the screen cut to black.

"How're you feeling?" Hiro asked hesitantly. I think I burst both of their eardrums when I let out an excited shriek.

"She's an artist! Did you guys see that? She looks just like me, I can't believe it. I think even if we hadn't found her, if I saw her on the streets I would have to stop her and say 'Hi sorry are you Arianna cool my names Rapunzel and I'm your daughter I don't even have to second guess myself here because I mean come on the resemblance is uncanny'." I leapt onto the bed, jumping up and down in pure joy. "And wow did you see her works in that interview in the background? They look absolutely stunning. Almost as stunning as her!" Wait, what? "No wonder I'm so into art, I must have gotten it from her, and if she's anything like me, she'll be absolute trash at math but that won't matter because she's an artist and we found her and she's amazing! Oh, guys, thank you so much for helping me!" Jumping off and nearly twisting my ankle, I ran towards them and pulled them into a hug, which they eagerly returned.

"I'm glad you found her, Rapunzel," Tadashi laughed, stroking my now messy hair.

"You've been waiting for this for so long," Hiro added. "You deserve every bit of this."

I fell back on my bed, a little out of breath. "I can't believe she did all this for me… she was trying to find me all this time." Then a thought hit me. "What if she meets me and doesn't like me?"

They looked at me in surprise. "What do you mean?" Tadashi spoke.

I shrank back. "You know you might spend so long thinking of something and thinking that it will be amazing. You get an image in your head of what it's supposed to be like. We've been apart for nearly two decades. She's waited to find me for ages, worked her ass off while I was none the wiser up until a few months ago. I'm afraid she'll be disappointed with what she fi-"

"How could she not like you!" Hiro interrupted. "You're her daughter, for God's sake! Rapunzel, you're talented and kind and funny and witty and she would be blind to not see that. She's going to love you. I know she is. And you're going to be just fine. You've found a home here. A family here. You'll be able to do the same with her."

I sniffled a little. "You really think so?"

"I know so."

A/N - Hello dear reader! I needed some happiness this week so here's a slightly more hopeful chapter. Again, next chapter will be out in a week and until then, stay hydrated and wear a mask x