He studied her for a minute as if to see whether she told the truth. Finally, he relented. “Okay, but we’ll just stay for a little while, okay?”
She nodded, then knelt down to run her hands across the grass. It wasn’t as soft as it had been before. She pulled up a few blades and sniffed them. It was beginning to hibernate and had lost much of its smell. Fane held a hand out to her. She placed her hand in his, following him across the yard, trying to push from her mind the fear of what she was doing.
Fane led her around the side of the house, the place he always came to wave to her. They stopped while he looked, then they hurried across the large expanse of lawn. On this side of the house there were a couple of large stone fountains and multiple empty flower beds. They ran to the gate. Just before they exited, Rapunzel turned to look at the house.
It was a monstrosity. She’d known it was large, of course, but she couldn’t have fathomed the size of it. From the greenhouse she’d only had a view of the backside of the house and hadn’t been able to see the whole thing. From here she could see the bulk of it. It was misshapen, with odd appendages, scaffolding leaning against one side. It was tall and imposing. She could now understand why Fane had been shocked at the size of her rooms. She realized they hadn’t seen even a small portion in their wanderings.
“Everything all right?” Fane asked, squeezing her hand.
She nodded. “Yes. Fine. Let’s go.”
chapter
*.*
21
.**
Rapunzel knew what cars were, of course. She’d seen them in movies, read of them in books, and seen them on the Internet. But she’d never seen a real one—since her window did not face any streets—let alone ridden in one. Fane put the seat belt on her, and she was grateful once they began moving. The vehicle rumbled beneath her, the world speeding past outside the window. She wanted to look at that world, but each time she glanced out the window a new wave of terror engulfed her and she felt as if she would throw up. So she kept her eyes firmly planted on her lap, concentrating on her breathing so Fane wouldn’t see her anxiety, afraid he’d insist on taking her home if he did.
When they stopped and Fane got out, she exhaled a loud breath, sucking another in deeply, trying to still her thrumming heart. Fane walked around and opened her door, which was a good thing since she had no idea how to open it herself. She climbed out of the car and looked at the house they were at.
Candles flickered everywhere, lining the sidewalk and porch and scattered across the lawn. There were tombstones on the lawn as well. Rapunzel thought it odd that they would bury their dead in their front yard, but that could be normal for all she knew. Ghosts hung from the tree branches and carved pumpkins lined the front of the house.
Rapunzel could hear the music pounding from within the house. Fane took her hand as they stepped up to the door. Before knocking, he turned to her with a question on his face. She knew what he asked. This was the point of no return. She nodded.
A girl opened the door. Rapunzel could only stare as Fane introduced them.
“Rapunzel, this is my friend Marissa. Marissa, Rapunzel.”
Marissa was exotically beautiful. She had stunning cinnamon colored skin, wide green eyes fringed with black lashes, long, dark brown hair that hung straight, and a smile that lit up her face. That smile was currently welcoming Rapunzel. Fane led her into the house where she was assaulted by sounds and smells that were completely foreign to her.
Music played loudly, the noise of which was only outdone by all of the talking and laughter. People were crowded into every visible part of the room. Some were dancing, some stood in small circles talking, and others sat on various chairs and couches. Smells of food came from somewhere, a variety of foods all mixed together with an underlying smell of sweat. Rapunzel suspected if she didn’t have her mask on the smells might be overwhelming.
“Great costume,” Marissa said loudly to be heard over the music while taking Rapunzel’s coat. Rapunzel simply nodded. Another girl walked up to them, looking similar to Marissa with dark eyes, bronze skin, and hair that fell in long curls. Her smile was as friendly and cheerful as Marissa’s. She stuck a hand toward Rapunzel.
“Hi, I’m Ashlynn.”
“My sister,” Marissa clarified.
“This is Rapunzel,” Fane said.
“Can’t the girl speak for herself?” Ashlynn teased.
“Of course she can,” Fane said. “But she’s been sick so she’s wearing a mask so she won’t spread germs. You might not be able to hear her.” Fane had told her ahead of time what he was going to say. As he’d predicted, they didn’t question it.
“Cool costume,” Ashlynn said. “Great way to cover the mask.”
Marissa winked at Rapunzel, and she had a feeling Marissa was responsible for providing it.
“Come with us,” Marissa said, wrapping an arm around her waist and leading her further into the chaos. Fane was left to follow behind. “Are you hungry? Thirsty?”
Rapunzel shook her head, glancing nervously behind to make sure Fane was still there. Marissa led her to a table with a padded bench that wrapped around three quarters of the table. She and Ashlynn slid in and scooted around, making room for her and Fane to join them.
“So how did you meet Fane?” Ashlynn asked.
Rapunzel glanced at him, not sure what to say. She decided to give them the truth.
“On Facebook,” she said.
“Oh, Facebook.” Ashlynn laughed. “I love Facebook.”
“It’s the best,” Marissa chimed in. “But it can be obsessive. I have to limit myself or I’ll spend all day on there reading people’s statuses.”
“And playing games,” Ashlynn added.
Rapunzel couldn’t stop staring at the two beautiful sisters. They seemed innately cheerful, as if they never stopped smiling. She wondered if one of them was Fane’s girlfriend and that’s how he knew them. Then she decided probably not since he sat on her other side, holding Rapunzel’s hand. She doubted any girl would let her boyfriend do that, though she couldn’t be sure.
Several others came over to say hi to Fane and to meet Rapunzel. There was no possible way she’d be able to remember any of their names, but she was enthralled by them all, and how different they looked in their various costumes. Ashlynn went and got her and Fane drinks. They were in cups that lit up from the bottom and had fog coming over the top.
“Root beer,” Fane told her quietly when she looked askance at it.
She also brought a plate with small bat-shaped cookies and pumpkin cupcakes on it. Rapunzel really wanted to try the cookies, but knew it would be impossible with the mask on. She also knew it would be impossible to drink the root beer. Finally, she pulled the bottom of the mask up and slipped a cookie beneath it into her mouth. It was worth it.
“Wanna dance?” Fane asked.
She shook her head. “I don’t know how.”
“That makes two of us,” he said, grinning. He stood and pulled her up with him. He led her out to the middle of the pack of people who were bouncing to the music. She looked around, afraid they’d laugh at her for her awkwardness. Fane began bouncing with them, comically. Rapunzel laughed and began moving—though much more restrained than Fane.
A few minutes later the song ended and a slower one came on. All around them couples fell into one another’s arms and began swaying. Rapunzel laughed. Apparently when the song slowed down you just hugged someone. Fane held his arms out to her and she gladly went into them.
He pulled her close and began swaying along with the others. She rested her cheek against his chest, looking around the room as he turned her in slow circles. The house was dimly lit but that didn’t seem to bother anyone. She saw people dressed in everything from monster costumes to ones that reminded her of the first nurse costume Fane had given her, laughing and talking, some doing the hug-sway, and others eating. Sadness dropped over her as she realized what she’d missed her entire life. She’d never have the freedom
to stand around with a group of friends. She’d never have the freedom to have friends.
She was smart enough to know that Fane would grow bored of sneaking into her rooms and that eventually she’d be alone again. Her long, lonely future stretched out in front of her and the weight of it fell on her shoulders. Tears pricked her eyes and she hugged Fane tighter. If this was the only party she ever went to in her life, she was going to make the most of it so she’d have the memory to carry her.
When the music changed to an upbeat tempo, she released Fane and immediately began bouncing again. Ashlynn and Marissa came out and joined them, laughing with her. They began showing her a bunch of different dance moves, most of them silly, which she parroted—as did Fane to her amusement. They taught her what they called a line dance, where no one danced with a partner. Other than the hug-sway, it seemed people just danced anyway, whether they had a partner or not.
Fane found her a straw so she could drink the foggy root beer, which was delicious and tickled the back of her throat. She got hungry enough that she dared pull the mask down long enough to eat an orange roll and some chips. Fane shot her a worried look when she did that, but she smiled at him with a reassurance she didn’t really feel.
Fane stayed by her side the entire night, his hand in hers. A couple of times some boys wandered over, and Fane would put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. Rapunzel wondered at the strange behavior until Marissa laughed and jabbed him in the chest with a finger.
“Jealous, Fane?”
“No,” he said defensively.
“But you’re not about to let her dance with anyone else, are you?” she teased.
He narrowed his eyes but gave a short, jerky shake of his head, which set both Marissa and Ashlynn off into giggles. Finally, after midnight, Fane told them he and Rapunzel had to go. Rapunzel was disappointed. She didn’t want the night to end.
In the car, she felt more relaxed than she had on the trip over and looked out the window at the darkened houses and buildings they raced passed. It felt like she was in a movie and that the places couldn’t possibly be real, with real people behind those windows.
“Did you have fun?” Fane asked.
Rapunzel leaned her head back against the headrest. “It was a blast, Fane. Thank you for taking me. I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.”
He reached over and took her hand in his. She wanted to tell him to keep it on the steering wheel because it seemed like he would need both hands to control the speeding car. But it felt so nice to hold his hand that she let go of her anxiety. He gently rubbed her palm with his thumb.
“I’m glad you had fun.” He turned worried eyes on her. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”
“I feel fantastic,” she told him.
“Fantastic?” he repeated with a smile. “Well, that’s something, then, huh?”
“It’s everything,” she sighed.
He pulled her hand up to his mouth and kissed it. Rapunzel’s pulse leaped at the gesture. “Time with you is never dull,” he said.
They arrived near her looming house, and Fane parked the car on the side of the road. He quietly closed his door when he got out, then did the same with hers. They crouch-ran across the lawn and back around the house to where the ladder waited at her window. The house was as dark as it had been when they’d left.
“Want me to come up and make sure everything is okay?” he asked.
“No,” she said. “If things aren’t okay then I definitely don’t want you there. I don’t want you to get into trouble. And if things are okay, then there’s no need.”
“All right,” he said. He ran one hand down her braid. “I’ll get the costume from you some other time. Do you have somewhere you can hide it?”
“Yes.” She turned her face up to his, hoping for a kiss. Then she realized he couldn’t kiss her with the mask and scarf on. Boldly, she pulled them both down.
Fane smiled, placing one hand along her jaw, caressing lightly with is thumb. She closed her eyes at the sensation.
“That feels so good,” she said. Her eyes popped open when she realized what she’d said, but he wasn’t laughing at her as she’d feared. He was watching her lips, his eyes hooded. A tingling began in her chest as her heartbeat picked up. He leaned down, his eyes locked with hers as his lips lightly touched hers. His eyes closed as he tilted his head, deepening the kiss, and her own eyes drifted shut. She tried to memorize the sensation of his mouth on hers, the softness of his lips, his arm behind her back, his hand cupping her cheek.
He pulled back and smiled at her. She smiled in answer.
He held the ladder as she climbed up. Peeking over the sill, she saw that her room was as she’d left it. She climbed in as quietly as possible, turning back to wave at Fane. He slowly, carefully collapsed the ladder, pulling it away from the wall. It clattered loudly and they both froze. When nothing stirred, he picked it up and carried it back across the grass. She felt bad as she watched him struggle with the long, awkward weight, trying to keep it quiet. At the corner he flashed a grin back at her.
Rapunzel closed the window and walked into the living area. It was quiet. Too quiet. She went into her room and reluctantly removed the costume, scrubbing her face and getting ready for bed. She skipped brushing her hair. She tucked the costume into the back corner of her closet beneath a stack of pants. She climbed into bed and smiled.
She’d done it. And survived. Maybe her mother was wrong. Maybe she had a chance to live a normal life if she was careful. Hope suffused her as she drifted into sleep.
chapter
*.*
22
.**
Rapunzel didn’t know what was wrong with her. She felt achy in her arms and legs. She supposed all the dancing and climbing up and down the ladder might have something to do with it. But while she’d had aches before from exercising, this felt different somehow. Probably because she was also tired. She hadn’t had much sleep the night of the party, coming home so late like she did. And though she’d slept long last night, going to bed early and not waking until her mother came in, she still felt like she needed a nap.
She walked over to the window and opened it. Angel perched in the tree branch in spite of the cold. She wondered how much longer the bird would be around before heading for warmer climes. Rapunzel leaned out, the cold air cooling her warm head. She held out her handful of seed, and Angel flew over, landing right on her palm.
“I haven’t seen much of you lately, my little friend,” she said to the bird.
Angel looked up at her, cocking her head side to side as if trying to puzzle out Rapunzel’s words. A wave of dizziness hit Rapunzel, and she grabbed the sill with her other hand, steadying herself. That was strange, she thought. Angel chirped at her and flew back to the branch. Rapunzel scattered the remaining seed on the sill and closed the window.
She’d thought of cooking for her mother tonight but just couldn’t muster the energy. She walked back into the room, still feeling overly warm as her mother entered with their dinner. Rapunzel went to help her carry the food in.
She sat down across from her mother and looked at the food. Chicken enchiladas. One of her favorites. Yet the thought of eating made her stomach churn. Suddenly she felt extremely cold and began shaking as her body broke out in goose bumps.
A look of alarm came into her mother’s eyes. “Rapunzel, what’s wrong with you?” She reached across the table, touched Rapunzel’s hand, and then quickly drew her hand back as if burned, gasping.
“What?” Rapunzel asked, looking down at her hand. Was there something there that gave away her going to the party?
“Are you feeling . . . sick?” she asked, rising from her chair and placing a hand on Rapunzel’s forehead. “Oh,” Gothel exclaimed on an exhaled breath, the alarm in her eyes ratcheting up to panic.
“I’m okay,” Rapunzel said. “Just a little tired.” Although now that she thought about it, she did feel kind of funny inside. Her stomach gru
mbled, and her head spun. “I really, really need to lie down,” she said, standing. As she did so, the room spun in a sickeningly fast whirl and blackness crowded her vision.
* * *
Rapunzel was dying. She’d taken the risk, known the possible outcome, and now she’d pay. She just hadn’t known it would be so utterly miserable to die. Her body ached deep in her bones, as if she’d been running and lifting weights non-stop for days on end.
Fire consumed her. She burned from somewhere deep within the pit of her belly. She wanted to beg someone to douse the flames, but when she tried to speak, her throat felt as if it had been jammed with rocks and sand, and the pain made it impossible to speak.
Someone had tied her arm down. She weakly tried to lift it, opening her eyes just a slit to see what was happening, and saw some clear plastic tubing binding her arm. She let it fall back to the bed.
“Rest, Rapunzel,” she heard her mother say. She turned toward the voice but only saw an unfocused version of her mother sitting next to her, worry creasing her face. She let her eyes slide closed. Coldness suddenly penetrated her forehead and her armpits. Why her armpits? Within seconds a bone-deep cold replaced the fire. She shivered violently, the action abusing her aching muscles, and she wanted to beg for some warmth. She heard arguing but couldn’t make the words out above her chattering teeth that knocked loudly in her pounding head.
If it were possible, she became even more chilled as icy coldness pressed against her again. She wished wildly for the fire to return and consume her, put her out of her misery. She heard a low moaning and realized the sound came from deep within her chest. The sound terrified her. She was helpless to stop it. Darkness pressed against her and she rose up quickly, gratefully to meet it.
* * *
Darkness pervaded the room when Rapunzel opened her eyes. She lay on her side, facing the wall. Her head throbbed, her body ached, and the strange plastic tubing was still stuck to her arm. But at least she wasn’t burning or freezing, though her bed was damp beneath her. She decided to lie still until she knew whether moving was going to hurt. When she felt ready, she rolled over, facing her door where ambient light came into the room.