The Six

May 18, 2328

That morning, she felt like she was going to be sick. Looking pale with clammy and shaking hands, she could hardly eat a bite of breakfast, but she pushed through. She had to do this for her sister and her mother, knowing that they were counting on her to do well.

To say that Aleah was nervous was an understatement.

She had hardly slept the night before, worried that she would say something wrong or say nothing at all, or trip due to the tall heels that she had to wear today. She just didn't feel ready to meet the prince, but she really had no choice.

Of course, she had her maids. They were able to steady her, boost her confidence as she was getting ready. It was exactly what she needed at the moment, a supportive team behind her that would be there for her no matter what. Not having her mom and Olivia was difficult, but having her maids sure made up for it as they tried to make her feel at ease. There was just so much pressure, but they understood that.

She knew that it sounded wrong or selfish of her, but Aleah knew that they needed that check to survive without her back in Waverley. She needed to last at least a little bit so that they could save and maybe have a slightly more comfortable life. The longer she competed, the more money was sent back home. If she did well, then maybe Olivia could even go to school instead of working her whole life.

There was only one way that Aleah was going to do so, one way that she was going to continue in the competition, and that was being herself.

She knew that most of the girls here came from wealthier families, used to food on their tables at night and a warm bed to sleep in. Some were even accustomed to the fancier clothes that were brought to that morning, but not Aleah. This was all still so new to her.

Once the prince was ready, the Selected were brought to him in groups of five so that he wouldn't be overwhelmed. Aleah was in the seventh and final group of the day, so she had quite some time before she would be heading down to the library where the meetings were being held.

She could only hope that this would go well.

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As she walked down to where they were supposed to be waiting to meet the Prince, Aleah couldn't help but notice that she looked very different from the other Selected. While they were wearing dark colors of purple and scarlet, her dress was the color of a clear sky back home in her hometown of Trenton. She wasn't wearing heavy makeup or jewelry, only small water-droplet shaped gold earrings that hung from her ears and a tennis bracelet her mother had given her before she left. It was supposed to be a gift from her father for her 20th birthday, but her mother supposed that she needed it now more than then.

Her dress was very plain, no sparkle adorning it. It had a v-neckline that was still modest and 3/4 bell-shaped sleeves, the skirt clinching at her waist then went down to her ankles. Aleah paired the dress with white kitten heels that popped against her tanned skin, which was hardly touched by makeup. Her hair was untouched as well, for the most part, only water and some curl cream helping to define the tight bundle of brown curls. It was tied back with a blue ribbon that finished off the outfit.

Aleah sat there for a little while, wonder if she should have done more with her dress or if the other girls were just doing too much to impress the prince. Either way, she knew that she stood out, it was just a matter of whether or not that was noticeable to the prince.