Emmy decided that she wanted to show off Ellie's work to everyone, so she led her and Joel to the sound stage. 

When they entered, her stomach dropped to her feet in an instant.

Standing inside the room were hundreds of staff and cast, all looking in their direction. 

The thousands of pairs of eyes that landed on Ellie made her heart stop beating altogether, and she wanted to run from the overwhelming anxiety that was consuming her. 

But she had to stand strong and look professional towards them, so she stayed put.

"Everyone!" Emmy called, grabbing their attention (though Ellie thought it was already there when she walked in). "I would like you to meet Ms. Ellie Parker, our newest edition to the family."

A chorus of "Hello's" echoed through the room in unison, and Ellie's hands began to shake at her sides. 

All she could manage was a stupid wave, and she was about ready to run when Joel came up next to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. 

"It's alright," he whispered to Ellie. "Don't be afraid."

She nodded and darted her eyes around the room, not looking at one person in order to stay calm. 

Then, Joel said, "You see the dress that Emmy is wearing?" 

Everyone nodded, and he continued. 

"This was made in a day by this fabulous young woman right here. Ellie has a talent unlike anything I've ever seen, and I wish for her to be treated like a queen around here. Will you guys do that for me?"

Ellie flinched at Joel's words. 

She did not want to be treated like a queen. 

All she wanted was to do her job and succeed at it, nothing more, so she shrugged his hand off and said quietly, "Don't tell them that. I'm not royalty."

He raised an eyebrow and said nothing.

Annoyed, Ellie stepped forward and said, "You do not  have to treat me like a queen. I'm as human as any of you, and I would like to be treated as such. All I would like is to do my job around here, and that's it."

She may have sounded crude, but she was going to be truthful, whether they liked it or not. 

Ellie then turned around and walked out, not listening to Joel as he called her name.

A few minutes later, Ellie walked into a room that was across from the sound stage. 

Thankfully, it was empty, so she sat down in a shadowy corner and hid herself. 

The humiliation that coursed through her was unpleasant, and she couldn't believe that her best day had gone to her worst day in the blink of an eye.

The staff were going to think that Ellie was some sort of snob that looked down upon them because she was, "supposedly", better, which was not true. 

The actors and staff on the project had years of experience and talent under their belts, where as she was a yearning clothing designer that had to work really hard in order to reach her goal. 

This sucks, Ellie thought to herself with a frown, and she rested her head on her arms.

Not even a minute had passed before she heard a slight shuffle from across the room, and her head perked up in response, but she did not make any sounds, for she wanted to be left alone. 

Ellie could just make out someone's shadow, and her breathing ceased to exist when she heard an all-too familiar voice say, "Hello? Is anyone here?"

Gerard.

She exhaled quietly and decided that she was going to leave. 

She did not want to embarrass herself any further than she already had.

She carefully slid out of the shadows and slowly avoided Gerard's sight as she practically tip-toed away from him. 

Ellie was almost to the front door when she heard him say behind her, "Ellie?"

She grimaced and squeezed her eyes shut. 

Maybe I can disappear, she foolishly thought. 

Another voice said, You idiot! You can't possibly do that.

Ellie turned around and faced him, her hands clenched from the awkwardness of the situation. 

Why were they always running into each other? 

It was getting old for her, real fast. 

"Hi," she said moronically, and she instantly chided herself for it.

Gerard's brows were furrowed in confusion as he asked, "What are you doing here by yourself?"

She chuckled nervously. 

"Oh, nothing. Just...hanging around." 

Nice going.

He tilted his head and walked over to her. 

His dark wig was combed back, he was dressed in an all-black suit that had a bit of burgundy in the middle, and the right side of his face was completely covered with the Phantom's iconic mask. 

She wanted to run her fingers down the cold porcelain, but she thought twice and kept her arms firmly at her sides. 

"You look tired," Gerard said quietly, looking Ellie up and down in what appeared to be concern. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," she replied a bit too quickly. 

Then, with a deep breath, she said, "I'm alright, Gerard. There's nothing to worry about."

She turned to walk away, but he gently grabbed Ellie's wrist and stopped her. 

She sucked in a breath at the contact of his leather glove on her skin, feeling a bit nervous at their proximity. 

"Ellie," Gerard said. "You can trust me. This'll be between the two of us."

For some reason, his words softened her up, and she stopped pulling away. 

His fingers soon slid through her own, and he led Ellie back over to the corner. 

She sat down first, and then he came next to her, his hand not leaving hers.

"Now, tell me what happened," he said, focusing all his attention on her. "I want to help you."

Ellie sighed and glanced down at her lap, noticing how their hands were still interlocked. 

Surely, he would've let go by then, but no. 

He was just holding her hand like it was the most natural thing in the world while she was freaking out on the inside at him touching her.

She cleared her thoughts and said simply, "I'm humiliated."

Gerard paused for a moment, then asked, "Why is that?"

Ellie bit her lip before answering with, "Well, Joel and Emmy showed me off at the sound stage in front of hundreds of people because of that dress, and Joel expected them to treat me like royalty, but that's not what I want. Besides, I'm not that talented enough to be called a 'queen.'"

"Is that how you think of yourself?" he asked, but without judgement.

"Yes, because it's the truth," she stated. "I'm not like you, or Emmy, or even Joel. You have talents that are beyond my imagination, whereas I'm an amateur clothing designer that's searching for a career. I wouldn't call that 'talent.'"

"I would," Gerard said softly. "I don't believe you to be an amateur, especially because you completed that magnificent gown in a few hours, and it was only your second day here! You are talented, Ellie, whether you see it or not."

Ellie braved a glance at him, and she could tell that he was being sincere with his words. 

Grateful, she gave him a little smile, and he smiled back, inching his gloved thumb along her knuckles. 

Play it cool, she thought, her heart beating a million miles per hour. You're going to give yourself a heart attack.

A moment passed, then Gerard asked, "Do you dance?"

Ellie furrowed her brows. 

"Not really. Why do you ask?"

He thought for a second, then said, "Come with me." 

He stood up and led her to the large dance floor. 

(To be continued)