The Six

May 19, 2328, 9 am

Her words had slipped, not meaning to say fire. She was incredibly clumsy and many times she had spilled something on projects she was working on. Most of the women who had hired her would be gracious and forgive her, but there were always the few who would scold her, hit her even and make her feel so guilty about what she had don't that it would make Aleah physical sick and terrified.

Even today, in the most beautiful place in all Illéa where one would hardly have worries, these memories still haunted her.

Elliot was surprised at her reaction. Was she afraid of him? But why? He was only trying to help her, but when he heard her next words, his worry for her completely overtook him, and he reached his arm around her to pull her close.

"Shh," he whispered comfortingly. "I'm not going to send you home. I would never do that, especially for something as silly as a spilled drink!"

Her tears still hadn't subsided as he squeezed her shoulder gently. "Look at me, Aleah. Please."

She didn't want to, having been crying into his chest just to let everything out. When she finally did, her makeup was all messed up, her mascara running down her face and some had gotten onto his shirt. She silenced her tears for a moment, trying to stop before this turning into a huge mess.

"I-I'm sorry." She said after taking a deep but shaky breath. "I-I didn't mean to take you away from breakfast... a-and make this into such a huge mess... I-I feel terrible..."

Elliot ran his free hand through his hair, wondering how in the world he was going to comfort this crying, beautiful girl.

"Aleah," he started, but then trailed off, not sure what to say. "None of this is your fault. I'm sure if any of the other girls had spilled their drink, they would have done the same exact thing. Trust me, this entire process is horribly nerve-racking, for all of us. No one will blame you for simply being the first to snap under the pressure."

He tilted her chin up so he could look her in the eyes, smiling kindly. "Everything will be okay."

She nodded, taking a deep breath as she tried to calm herself down. He was right, she was just the first to crack under all this pressure, and she wasn't the blame for this meltdown, well not fully. Aleah just felt bad now, having taken him away from the other girls as well as making such a huge scene. She could only imagine what the other girls were saying about her right now.

She knew that they didn't like her already, having Heard talking in the hallways yesterday and this morning even. They hated how she was so simple yet was able to get his attention, some saying she wasn't even trying.

Elliot smiled at her nod. Even if it wasn't a full recovery from what had happened, it was better than what he had even hoped for. Aleah was such a sensitive, caring person. Although it was something he liked about her, it was also something that made her do things like this. He knew how hard the selection was already starting to be, and he wanted to make it as easy as possible for the rest of the competition.

"I know you probably don't want to go in there just yet, so why don't we take a walk around the gardens? I still want to get to know you better." He smiled kindly at her and held out a hand for her to take.

A soft smile appeared on her face as she took his hand meekly, standing with him as they began their walk.

By now, some of the girls had finished up their breakfast and had gone to look for him. The guards, seeing that His Majesty was having a private moment, didn't let them interrupt, but that didn't stop them from watching, many of them filled with jealousy. Of course, this would all come into play sooner or later.