When Alex was 12 years old his mother passed away. His father quickly married another woman. Stella, who was always referred to as Madame, was his new stepmother. She had two children from a previous marriage, Margaret and Stacy. Only a year after his father got remarried, he too passed away in a tragic accident leaving Alex behind with his stepmother. Stella promised to take care of Alex and treat him like her one of own daughters when her husband passed away. Very quickly Alex learned that he was not welcome in his own home. His stepmother frequently made him do chores that his stepsisters did not have to do. Alex was made to do the cleaning and the cooking. While doing his chores, Madame demanded that he wear a frilly pink apron. Alex tried to resist however he eventually gave in. Eventually, Madame became more and more demanding. Stacy and Margaret never lifted a finger in the house and Alex was forced to do all the chores. He was even told to take care of them. The stepsisters would call Alex into the bathroom to help blow-dry and straighten their hair for them while they scrolled through the phone. Alex had initially refused however after getting locked up in his bedroom for a week by Madame, he learned to cooperate. The girls made sure he did a perfect job otherwise he would have to go the night without dinner. Eventually, they trained him to do more complex tasks such as apply their eyeliner and braid their hair. Gradually Madame became even more demanding. She started to humiliate him more and more. Madame demanded that his nails be kept clean. Alex could deal with the basic hygiene requirements, however, she demanded his nails be done in a French manicure at all times. Although his father left behind a fortune, Madame never spent a dollar on Alex. Since the week his father passed away, Alex had not had his hair cut. His pale blonde hair now extended down to his chin. The lack of food had made Alex far skinnier than all the other boys his age.
If there was one thing that Alex was looking forward to it was Christmas. Although it would be his first Christmas without his father, and he was expecting no gifts, at least the season would bring joy and light into his dark life. The day before Christmas Eve, Madame called Alex into her bedroom.
”We can’t have you looking so unkempt for Christmas photos, now can we?” She asked.
Alex had learned not to answer her rhetorical questions. Madame grabbed a pair of scissors and sat Alex down at her makeup table. She grabbed a spray bottle and started to wet his hair. once it was all damp, she started combing it straight down. His straight hair stretched longer when wet and really amplified the uneven layers. Alex had never had his hair so long before. He wanted to get it cut back into the crew cut it was 6 months ago but Madame had refused. He had to take out the trash for a whole month just for asking her. Alex looked into the mirror with wonder as Madame reached for her scissors. Madame walked behind him and started to section off his hair. She tied the sides with claw clips and then started to work the top. She then looped the top portion of his hair into a ponytail that flopped into his face and covered his eyes. Madame walked back behind him and started cutting away. Although Alex could not see what she was doing, he could feel the cold scissors grazing his neck. Once the back was done, Madame made her way over to the sides and continued cutting his hair. Alex dozed off to sleep for a short while. When she was done, she slapped the back of his head to wake him up.
“There, you look proper again,” she remarked.
Alex looked up to see his hair was cut into a bob that came down to his chin. He started to cry and scream at Madame only to be sent up to his room until Christmas morning. He should have known better than to argue with Madame. He would only get hurt.
