A fluffy pillow hit my head with the strength of a bullet. I blinked twice and turned around to face my older sister.

"Bitch! Snap out of it already!" she cried, clearly mad at me. She had probably been calling me for a while now.

"I've told you I don't like it when you call me bitch, Cass," I protested frowning and throwing back the pillow.

"You weren't responding," she shrugged.

I sighed and gazed back to the sun in the horizon.

"What did you want?"

"What's going on with you? You seem completely spaced out."

I lowered my sight.

"I was wondering if… I'll be eighteen tomorrow, maybe mom will let me out already…"

Cassandra shrugged again, pretending she didn't care, but I knew better: I knew she had always been kind of jealous of how our mom protected me. I couldn't figure out why would she, while I longed to be allowed to go out like her.

I knew it was unusual, like criminally unusual, but my mother had forbidden me to go out without her or my older sister since I was five years old, and they didn't usually take me with them wherever they were. So I had spent the most of my life locked up inside my house.

I knew my mother did it because she wanted to protect me, but sometimes I felt like I was drowning in the air.

"Cass?" I insisted "Do you think she will?"

She glanced at me and then at her phone, so I realized I was annoying her.

"Honestly, Rapunzel, I don't think so, but then again, you will be eighteen! Legally, she can't keep you here if don't want too 'cause that'll be kidnapping".

I said nothing. Cassandra was my older sister and sometimes we were best friends but some others she behaved like this and I wasn't sure where I was standing.

"Cass…?"

"What now, Raps?"

Do you hate me?

"Nothing. It's just I think I'm going to go out tomorrow, on my own."

She looked up from her phone and smiled to me.

"Now, that's my sister."

"But I don't want to defy mom… she only wants to protect me"

Cass rolled her eyes.

"Back with same old Rapunzel. Just because she wants you safe, it doesn't give her the right to be sickly overprotective".

"Cassandra!"

How dared she say that about our mother?!

"Look, Raps," she said tossing her phone aside and coming to the couch to sit with me. "Your problem is that you're the kindest person alive…"

"Um, thank you?"

"...but if you really want to be happy, you have to stop prioritizing everyone else's needs. So get the hell out tomorrow and be pretty well aware that it will scare the living shit out of mom…"

"Cass!"

"...but it will make you happy."

I stared back at her hazel eyes and I wondered for a second if she was right to think such things about our mother.

"Don't tried to justify it, Rapunzel," she barked as if she had read my mind. "I personally never agreed to keep you here but, hey, I wasn't the one who was almost kidnapped when I was a toddler".

The jealousy was there again. For a second I wondered if that was why she never took me anywhere with her —out of vengeance…?

"Maybe I can try reasoning with her. I mean, she doesn't think the people who tried to take me away have been waiting thirteen years for me, does she?"

"Certainly not. But, Raps, it might not be them but there's still people out there who will try to hurt you".

Few times I felt wrath coming up my throat and this was one of them.

"Why me?! Every woman is in danger and they make their lives out there!"

Cass smiled and I suddenly covered my mouth.

"I'm so so sorry, Cass," I mumbled ashamed.

"It's okay. I like to know my fierce and spoiled little brat is somewhere inside that kind and thoughtful lady".

I frowned, not sure how to feel about her answer.

"I still don't see why I should be locked up in here. All girls…"

"You aren't like other girls, sis. You are… valuable in the underworlds"

What

Cass seemed kind of uncomfortable talking about the matter.

"I'm not half as pretty as you are," I said. Cass was a goddess in flesh: big bright eyes, smooth skin, red full lips, hourglass figure, tall… she was amazing and as far as I knew no one had ever tried to kidnap her. "And you've never…"

"It isn't about beauty, it's your innocence. You have no idea how much some men… some people would pay for a girl with your… ingenuity."

I got it. Still…. I sighed again.

"Anyway, you should go upstairs if you aren't ready to talk to mom yet. It's almost night and she'll be here any minute now."

Almost night?!

"Oh my gosh! Yeah, I will, and… uh, I think I'll sleep now."

I ran to my room and shut the door behind me. It was almost time.

I opened the window and undid my braided bun —I never undid it in front of my mother and my sister because they never liked I had my chocolate hair long. According to my mom, long hair was a contributing factor in 70% of rape cases and Cassandra, who claimed to know about this things, supported that statement.

Then I tried combing my hair, which was kind of a big deal since it was waist-long. I began letting it grow two years ago, when Eugene started seeing me.

Every night he used to bring me some present, most of the times candy, but once in a while he also got me jewels and dresses. I knew they were all stolen and I didn't exactly love that but neither could I throw them away. I chose my favorite dress —long and dark red velvet with golden figures— and very big round rose quartz stones in the rough for earrings —they were very heavy but he said they were good for lo so they were my favorites.

I applied a bit of makeup stolen from my mom and from Cass. Cass wasn't a big fan of makeup not perfume or cute clothes or any girly things —she was pretty much a tomboy since I could remember, she was always getting in trouble for picking fights since kindergarten and she had enlisted in the military local school at fifteen; at the time I was nine years old and so fascinated with her —or maybe with the idea of going out camping— that I wanted to follow her exact steps. She was quite good with the whole soldier thing and loved her job. My mother, on the other hand, was very proud of her beauty and wore every kind of things that helped her enhance that beauty, so unlike Cass she had plenty of stuff I could borrow without leaving an actual trail.

The only problem was that she and Cassandra looked so alike that it would've been easy to think I was adopted or something, since I looked nothing like them: they had raven black hair, hazel eyes and pale skin while I had chocolate brown hair, viridian eyes and tanned skin. In other words, none of their colors for makeup looked good on me.

But if Eugene ever noticed that, he never told me. No one would think a guy would care about stuff like that but Eugene did, he was so proud of his very handsome and good-looking appearance that he usually liked to point out how others could enhance theirs, always remaining them they would never look as good as him. At least, that was what he said to me.

By now, you must be wondering how I met Eugene if I had never left my house. Well, Eugene was one of that kind of things that prove destiny and fate exist.

I met him when I was sixteen and he was twenty-three. I know what you're all thinking: disgusting, she was a child and he was a sick pervert!. Well, he isn't, I was sixteen, I could make my own decisions and i think that whole thing of "consent age" was bullshit: I don't know if their entire generation usted to be mindless puppets before they turned eighteen but I knew mine wasn't. And you can be fooled at any age, you don't have to be a minor to, so I fully thought bullshit like statutory rape was unbelievable: rape is when you force someone and just because you are sixteen it doesn't mean you weren't horny and actually wanted to do it.

I used to think about all of that minutes before Eugene climbed up to my bedroom. I firmly believed it, but I knew if my mom —or Cass— ever found out about Eugene getting in my room every night, she wouldn't hesitate in accusing him with the police of statutory rape, even if I explained my entire reasoning to her, them or whoever, it wouldn't change a thing and he'd be in jail for a pretty good time.

While I hated to keep things from my mother and sister, I couldn't risk it. Not when the whole reason why we had met in the first place was to keep him out of jail.

That was my most precious memory.

Two years before

It was my 16th birthday and, just like every birthday since thirteen, I hoped my mom would already let me out on my own.

But she didn't and I was stuck in my room crying to myself like the past three birthdays. At least I could feel some air while sitting in the window as I contemplated the sunset.

I loved the sun. I had always felt dragged to it, I liked to wake up early just so I could sit in the window and feel the sunlight in my skin. The Sun was so warm, so bright and it shone for everyone. It made me feel less lonely and even after Eugene came into my life, the Sun was my faithful and loveful companion.

But back to that night, I was still sitting on the roof out my window hours after sunset, I didn't know what time it was but I was sure Cass and my mom were already sleeping. They would've freaked out if they had seen me sitting "outside" so late at night.

I was singing to myself when I saw a guy —a very handsome guy— running from the other street. He suddenly stopped to catch his breath and looked around desperately. That's when he saw me in the roof.

"Hey, beautiful!" he shouted smiling, clearly desperate but still charming. "Would you like to give me a place to stay for a few minutes? I know I'd love to spend those with a lady like you…"

Wait, was he talking to me? I babbled something not even I understood and he looked more and more upset every next second.

"Please?" he called again.

I felt fear, remembering everything my mother had told me about bad people and, especially, bad men who would try to take advantage of me. And I felt stupid for being afraid when I yearned for freedom.

"Miss, I beg your help, please!"

I bit my lip and before I could regret it, I answered:

"Come up here! There's a stair in this side!"

He smiled in relief and came straight to the wall and climbed. Well, if he didn't need the stairs, he could have came before but he'd waited up until I told him he could. Then he couldn't be so bad, right?

When he reached me, I thought I'd have to say something but he passed by my side and got in the room.

"Beautiful, you should come inside too," he whispered offering me his hand. I did and just as I was putting my feet in the floor he pulled me against the wall and I felt panic: what was I thinking? How could I let a total stranger inside my house, my bedroom, in the middle of the night?

Then I heard sirens and suddenly I realize the man I had just snuck up in my room was escaping the police.

Mom was right, I was a hopeless idiot.

"You…!" I said about to turn to the window and ask for help, but he covered my mouth.

"Please," he whispered, "give me the benefit of the doubt."

The police left quickly to the next street and just when we stopped hearing the sirens, he let go of me.

"Thank you so much, miss. You just saved five lives," he smiled, somehow even more charming without the desperation of before.

I didn't even know how to react.

"I… you…"

He looked at me curious.

"You know, I've never seen you here before. I didn't know Cassandra had such a pretty cousin".

"Do you know my… her?

He smiled, a bit surprised.

"Everybody in this neighborhood knows her. She's the head of the campaign to send me and my brothers to jail".

What now?!

"Jail? Why would you...?"

He chuckled.

"Right, you ain't from around here. I can swear you are in presence of a decent man, beautiful."

I frowned. He had literally just avoided the police.

"Why'd Cass want you in jail?"

"She says we are criminals, thieves. Which is true to a certain point," he quickly added, probably because of the look of my face.

"What are you saying?"

"Hey, baby, we do what we have to to survive: sure she had told you about us! The guys in the old orphanage? The criminals of Dark Street? The minions of the Baron? For the record, we're minions of no one, it's just we have worked for the guy before".

I couldn't believe anything of what he was saying, mostly because I couldn't process the fact that there was a thief hiding in my room.

"No? She hadn't?"

"Thief," I said to myself, but he frowned thinking it was for him.

"Yeah, thieves. But you know what? I have a ten year old brother and two five year old sisters to fed and an funny idiot for a partner in crime so you can say I'm the head of a family. Easy to judge from a nice, warm and comfortable house. You're just like Cassandra. Any way, thank you for hiding me, I'd really appreciate it if you don't offer you testimony to the police when you tell Cass I was here and she pushes you to. But I know you will".

He was actually upset and under his cynical facade I could see he was in fact scared I would do that.

"I won't do that. I'm not Cass's cousin, I'm her little sister."

He stopped with one leg already on the roof and glared back at me.

"What did you just say? Her sister? I've never seen you around"

"That's because I never… I don't usually go out."

He came back, curiosity gleaming un his brown eyes.

"Young sister, did you say? How old are you?"

"I turned sixteen today".

He went pale.

"Holy crap! I just spend twenty minutes in the room of minor… holy crap!"

I didn't know much about the world but I did know about law and statutory rape, mom and Cass talked about it a lot. And I already thought what I do now about statutory.

"How old are you?" I asked him, he should be around Cass's age.

"Twenty-three," he mumbled, his mind clearly far away.

Cass was twenty. This guywas very much older than me.

"You know," I said, slowly, "nobody has to know you were here. Nor my mother and especially not Cass."

He studied me for a bit before smiling.

"Alright. Then I owe you two."

I giggled.

"Now," he said hesitatingly, "if I may, how didn't I know Cass had a sister? Did you just move or something?"

I couldn't meet his eye, suddenly embarrassed.

"No, I've been here my entire life. I mean… my mom doesn't let me out much because she thinks it's dangerous for me."

I could tell for his face that he wasn't buying any of it but it was the truth.

"I know it's hard to believe but… when I was five, some guy tried to kidnap me. Sure you remember, Cass says it was quite a gossip for a good time and you must've been twelve."

He blinked surprised.

"Yeah, I heard… actually, I knew pretty well the guys who tried to kidnap Gothel's youngest daughter but… I thought she'd sent her away".

I smiled weakly.

"No, she rather kept me very close."

His face was priceless.

"Oh my gosh, this is like a V.C. Andrew's book"

"What?"

"Nothing," he shook his head. "If you allow me, I'd like to visit you tomorrow, I have a few things you might like."

I smiled. I knew I shouldn't have said yes.

"But you'll have to do this again and this same time. Cass and my mom can't know I'm seeing someone".

He smiled.

"I'd be glad to be your Romeo and climb that wall every night. Can you give me you phone or I give you mine?"

Shit. I tried to ignore the embarrassment again.

"I don't have a phone. I know, my mom is a bit crazy".

He dismissed it quickly and lightly.

"Then I'll be here tomorrow some point in the night. Is that okay?"

I nodded exited as I had never been in my life.

"Yes!"

He turned around to go to the window, but he stopped a few steps ahead.

"I just realized I don't know your name".

Oh, right, dumbass me

"It's Rapunzel."

He made a flourish before me and I couldn't help giggling.

"Eugene Fitzherbert at your service, my lady."

That's how it all started. He kept coming for many days and nobody knew, he swore not even his brothers and sisters did because they weren't exactly good at keeping secrets, and regardless of the fact that we were just friends, we knew nobody would ever believe us.

That particular night, however, I was finally eighteen, I was legal and even if it didn't mean that we were going to tell everybody a guy seven years older than me was sneaking in my room, now the greatest danger was my mom and Cass going crazy. Never again jail.

I waited a little too exited. He was going to be there as soon as it got dark enough to climb or so he had said. The only street light near to my house was broken so it was going to be easy. Or so I hoped.

Later, a few hours later, I finally heard a knocking on my window.

"Oh my gosh," I mumbled and opened it quickly. There he was —his brown eyes shone in the darkness when he smiled and jumped inside.

"You're late!" I scolded smiling widely.

He laughed it off and shook his brown hair that manly way I literally dreamed of.

"Happy birthday, sunshine," he whispered handing me a purple box with a golden bow.

"You didn't have to, Eugene," I said, thanking the darkness for covering my blushing face.

"Of course I had to! It's your birthday, brunette."

"I mean, yeah, but you already bring me a present every night"

He laughed sitting on the pale pink floor.

"You can't call a bunch of candy a birthday present, Green Eyes."

I rolled my eyes. I hated his unassuming ways —it was charming when we met, but now I knew it was only because he loved it when other people named his qualities, like, his generosity.

"Well… what you think?"

I turned around to show him my red dress and my earrings.

He smiled widely, almost laughing.

"You look stunning, sunshine." He got up and took a step to my closet and picked two emerald green long earrings, "but try these".

I was disappointed for not being able to impress him, but I did what he said.

He smiled again.

"Now you look like a princess! That dress looks way better on you than it did on Stallyan".

I frowned.

"Please try to not remind me that everything you've given me was stolen from your ex-girlfriend."

He laughed.

"Not everything!"

I smiled too.

"So, won't you open it?" he asked sitting in the floor again.

I took the purple box and sat next to him.

"What is it?"

"Open it."

I did. There was a pink smartphone inside, new and everything.

"Oh my gosh! I love it! You didn't have to!"

He smiled as I hugged him as tight as I could.

"Did you buy it?"

He chuckled.

"Not exactly, but it's new. That's all that matters!"

I didn't really care this time, he knew how much I wanted a phone.

"Listen, brunette, I have to tell you something."

What? My spirit fell to the floor instantly. It was very unusual for him to look sad.

"What is it?"

"I'm giving you a phone because I have to leave this town as soon as possible"

What?! I couldn't even say anything.

"Your sister's most recent protest against us is working, I…"

"I don't know anything about it"

He sighed.

"Cassandra has been trying to convince the government we shouldn't be allowed to keep our little brother and little sisters. And it's working, the judges in the case want Lance and I to prove our incomes if we want to keep Varian, Kiera and Catalina with us."

I didn't know how to feel. I had never hated Cassandra like I did in that moment.

"I… don't know how to help you," I whisper miserably.

He smiled brightly again.

"We are running away tonight"

"Tonight? Don't leave me, please!"

At this point I was already crying. He caressed my hair and kissed my forehead.

"It's okay, sunshine, we'll keep in touch with your knew phone".

He embraced me and let me cry in his chest.

"I have to go, Rapunzel. I know you won't come with us but if you ever want me to come back to rescue you from your crazy mother and sister, all you have to do is ask"

I sobbed, I knew I wouldn't go with him right now. I didn't want to break my mother's heart.

"Why is Cassandra so mean?" I wonder aloud.

He laughed bitterly.

"I think she wants my little brother all for herself"

I looked for his eyes confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Hasn't she told you anything about adopting a kid recently?"

Oh, she had. She had been talking about moving to her own apartment and adopt a kid. She also said she wanted a ten year old because she wanted to skip the diapers and crying part.

"She wants to convince the judges that Varian would be better living with her than with us."

I couldn't believe it.

"I have to go, sunshine. I know I'll see you again."

I could only watch as he climbed down and left. I felt like I was going to die.

I gazed at him until he waved one last time before walking to the next street.

Then I sat on the floor and cried all night, until my mother and Cassandra opened my door the next morning and yelled "happy birthday!". And even then, the only thing I could do was look back at them.

I spent the day like a zombie. I assume my mom and Cass were scared I would ask mom to let me out because after a few hours they let me alone.

I don't even remember the rest of the day.

Until the night, 24 hours after Eugene left. I was in the garden watering the plants and flowers when it hit me: the ivy going away through the cracks of the wall. Escaping. I loved the garden, it was like my peace of real world.

Then I saw the ivy going out and I couldn't help it —I went back to my room, took a few things and jumped to the roof.

A/n:

Leave me a review if you want me to continue! Next chapters would be author's POV