Dedicated to for being there at every step.

***

Sleep was non existent for me that night. I was already sitting at the edge of the bed when I saw the rays of the first emerging sun. I was anxious. Something was troubling me. Not that I knew what it was.

Knock, knock.

I turned my head and stared at the door in surprise. No one in so many years had so much as touched the door rather barging inside. Now someone had knocked on it.

"Come in."

I had the second shock of the day when daddy dearest walked in.

"Happy birthday son."

The third shock. What was he planning?

"Come downstairs. We have brought cake for you." He continued and smiled at me like as if I was loved all along and he had never ignored me.

I looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Why?"

The smile melted of his face like it had never been there.

"You will come downstairs and have cake."

Ah, now that was like the old bastard that I knew.

"Yes, daddy dearest." I said smiling mockingly.

Somehow ticking off him was my hobby and pleasure. He turned with a huff and slammed the door in anger. Good riddance. I didn't need an angry bear like him to spoil my birthday. I stayed in the room form the entire day until only dinner was left. Except for the oncoming dinner, the day had been perfect. As perfect as it could be all alone.

Time had flown by. Or had it? Truthfully speaking, I had no idea. Sometimes I just couldn't wait for the day to get over while others it was gone in a blink. All I did was hope and dread. The flux of my emotions was agonising. It was driving me insane. I wished that Martha was here to keep me company but she had left with her husband to visit someone, who I didn't bother asking, long time ago. Sighing for the umpteenth time, I looked at the setting sun. It was show time.

I got up and wore my best worn cloths just to piss them off. It was my birthday not theirs. I could be in my birthday suit for that matter. I admit. I was nervous. Jittery.

I reached the ground floor after what it seemed was eternity. Reaching the dinning room I peaked in to see the sulking faces of dearest sisters and mother.

"Go in." Came the voice behind me making me jump with a start as he pushed me in.

The chair was pulled and I was pushed into it and the cake was brought in. Rather it was like they threw it on the table. It was an ugly brown thing. Still it was my first birthday cake. Candles were lit and father dearest mumbled something to me that sounded like wishes while the three ugly hags spat best wishes like they were the most horrible curses. It was weird and I suppose it was the most fastest birthday party ever. They didn't even let me cut the cake after blowing the candles when Cruella snatched it away like it was precious.

What was I expecting?

I got up thinking of escaping the room and I heard my father speak.

"Here." I turned and gasped in surprise. A rose. Thats what he held in his hand. And it was beautiful. It was the type you would see only in a painting. Not in real life! And the fragrance. Let me tell you, be it a man or women, anyone would fall in love with it.

"Is it for me!?" I asked looking at it with suspicion. Was I dreaming? How was it possible that the three hags hadn't taken it? They were like the hounds when it came to fine stuff and like greedy misers since they always wanted more.

There was something wrong with the rose, wasn't it? Why else would he give it to me. Still I had no other option than accepting it. How did I deduce that? By the murderous glint in his eyes that said me to think otherwise. Hanging my shoulders on defeat I accepted the rose and expected the worst. Like, me becoming a door mat on which they could step and rub their feet on.

Nothing happened.

I looked up. He looked at me with a warm smile. A smile whose warmth was false.

"Get dressed up. We are going out."

Yeah right. No f**king way.

"For what? And this late?"

"Get dressed up. We are going somewhere."

"Where?"

"To the last place your mother went."

Mother. Not the crazy b***h that was upstairs. My real mother. Gods, dearest father knew how to dangle a carrot. Yes, I didn't love her. But, there is a part of me, no matter how small, that still yearned to know about her.

"Mother?"

"Yes."

Like a fool that I was I did believe him as I raced up the stairs, took my scarf, my coat and for some reason my sketch book and ran right down.

Father was waiting in the carriage. Wrapping the scarf around my neck I sat next to him holding on to my book tight.

It took us an hour before father dearest stopped the carriage. The sun had set long time ago. It was pitch dark out. I wanted to pee desperately.

"Where are you going?" I shouted after father when he got down the carriage and went into the woods.

He didn't reply.

I waited looking around in slight fear. The trees looked like creepy and that could grab me any second and the foliage looked over my head blocking out the moon. Unable to control I got down and went to a near by tree. Propping my book next to the tree I was in middle of doing my business when I heard the thunder of hooves in the silence of the night and it was fading. Fast.

Tying up my pants I took my book and ran to the carriage and stopped dead at the scene. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

No horses, no carriage, no father. The bastard had left me all alone in the middle of the woods. All alone with a bloody rose and a book. I wanted to scream, and I did just that. I screamed in anger and in dispare into the night as tears, after so many years, rolled down my cheeks.