This is a short story based on characters that I do not own and references to established works.
This is a reimagining of the fairytale Beauty and the Beast, with those characters and references.
Chapter 2
"The Beast"
When Spencer walked into his room, he slammed his door and just stood there in disbelief. That morning he woke up so happy and in love. But, he had just found out that the one he loved was soon to marry someone else. The more he thought about it, the broken pieces of his heart began to harden.
"Had my mother lied to me all those years ago? I've been kind to everyone. First, it was my father. I tried to be a kind son to him, especially after Mother was gone. Then, it was Ava. I thought that once she came into our home, she would grow to love me because I was so kind and welcoming to her. But, she had Father send me away. Now, Josslyn. I finally thought that I had someone who truly loved me because I was so kind. But, she is to marry another. So, once again, being kind has resulted in NO reward! So, why should I continue to be kind? Why should I continue to try and see the good in others? There is NO reward!" Spencer fumed inside.
Determined to get away, Spencer decided to pack his bags and return home to his family's mansion, even though his father and Ava were still traveling abroad. He left that day and never saw Josslyn again.
That was the day Spencer changed. That was the day that he changed from a kind-hearted young man, who always saw the best in people, to a hard-hearted, bitter, selfish man. However, he had continued to grow more and more handsome each day.
Until...
One night, months after he had returned home, a poor, old haggard woman made her way to the front door of the Cassadine mansion. She asked Spencer if she could come in and rest from her long journey. Disgusted, he told her no and closed the door. The woman knocked again and, in return for rest, she offered him a rose. While the Spencer of old would have been moved by the sad woman's plight and her offer of a beautiful rose, the Spencer who had been hardened by years of feeling unloved, showed no pity.
The woman reminded him that kindness is what would take him far in life, so he would be well-advised to take her rose. Having seen his kindness result in only heartache, Spencer refused.
At that moment, the haggard old woman magically turned into an enchantress, named Esme.
"Kindness and love are what you are missing in your life. As a punishment, your face will take on the hideousness of your hardened heart," Esme said, as Spencer's handsome face and body were suddenly covered with scars and wrinkles. He was grotesque.
She continued, "You will take this rose, which will bloom for the rest of your twentieth year. If you are able to find kindness and love in your heart for someone and have it returned before the last petal of the rose falls, your looks will be restored and your heart will be mended. If you fail to find and give that love and kindness by midnight on your twenty-first birthday, you will remain this beast from now on." With that, Esme vanished into thin air.
Because Spencer had only servants and no friends or real family, he decided that he would no longer be around others and stayed holed up in his mansion. However, six months passed and he noticed that the rose was starting to wither. Thus, Spencer grew sadder and more bitter, realizing that time was growing short for him to be loved by someone.