[SLOW UPDATES] The Stroke of Midnight

One.

Once upon a time, in a large mansion surrounded by a luscious garden, there once lived a wealthy, widowed man with his two sons. The elder son, named Gerard, cared deeply for everything, especially his younger brother, named Michael. Both Gerard and his father had soon adapted to calling Michael "Mikey", a nickname the younger brother did not mind adorning.

Though their father did everything he could for his sons, caring for them and giving them what ever it was they had asked for, he couldn't help but get a strong feeling that the boys needed a mother's love and affection. The sons couldn't understand exactly what was happening when a strange woman began showing up at the mansion, with Gerard being only a child, and Mikey being too young to understand much of anything, and still trying to comprehend the magic of standing on his two legs.

And so, after a while, the boys' father married the woman: a tall, slender lady with blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, and a mysterious aura. Though, the marriage didn't last long, as years later, the untimely death of the father shattered the newfound family.

However, it was then that the stepmother's true personality and nature was revealed: cruel, uncaring, and, for some reason, jealous of Gerard's looks.

Though Gerard was a boy, his features were gentle and feminine, and he was extremely pretty. He had long lashes, shining hazel eyes, smooth brown hair that he grew out below his ears, cute tiny teeth. Gerard was attractive, more attractive than the stepmother could ever hope to be.

Knowing that she couldn't just be mean to Gerard by herself, she corrupted young Mikey, and by the time Gerard was in his mid teenage years, he was insecure and submissive, doing whatever his stepmother or brother asked him too, no matter what it was, not wanting to upset them to any degree.

As the years went by, the mansion fell into disrepair, and the family fortune wasted by the selfish and vain stepmother, all the while Gerard was humiliated, abused, and finally forced to become a servant in his own home.

Anyone else would become bitter after years and years of being mistreated, but through it all, Gerard stayed gentle and kind, hoping that, with each dawn of every new day, his dreams would come true, and he would be saved from his hell at home.

---

It was early in the morning, and Gerard found himself sat in his bed, his legs crossed, with his father's old sketchbook resting atop them. Quiet scratching could be heard, as Gerard drew with a piece of coal he had taken from the fireplace the night before while he was cleaning it. The charred wood stained his hands, and he didn't doubt that he had some on his face from the multiple times he would move his hair out of the way, or wipe some sweat from his brow.

Soon, the palace clock chimed loudly, startling Gerard so much that he jerked his arm, creating a line on the page that he had not intended to make.

"Oh!" Gerard glared at the line, anger bubbling in his veins. "Fuck that! I didn't want that there!" He said to himself, making sure that his voice was lowered. He did not want to be punished again for his foul language, no matter how rare the occasion was that Gerard found himself cussing.

Gerard angrily put the charcoal down, placing them both on the ground next to his bed. The clock kept chiming, only adding to Gerard's distress. "I hear you!" He grieved to himself, running a hand through his long hair. "Get up, you say, time to start another day!"

Gerard stood up, his baby blue nightgown flowing around his ankles as he wandered over to the open window. The cool, morning air blew through his hair, sending shivers down his spine. Gerard looked down at his nightgown, remembering that it once belonged to his mother. He wrapped his arms around himself as he looked back outside, staring at the enormous clock that sat in the middle of town.