Starless Night
The sky that once seemed so limitless was now dark and starless. Emergency flares reflected off the surface of the ocean providing me with my only source of light. The freezing water was suffocating and numbed my body from the neck down. My only comfort was the sound of desperate screams, it assured me that there were still survives. The silence after the screaming was the most unbearable. I was alone.
"Jacqueline!" My mother called. I trailed unwillingly behind her.
My mother was someone many people admired. Not many people could raise three children alone, thats right, my mother was a widow. She married my father at the young age of seventeen and had two twin boys shortly after. My brothers grew up and moved away several years ago, leaving my mother to try and run the household alone. We were on the verge of financial ruin until an opportunity came across that we couldn't resist.
"Its much bigger then I imagined it would be!" My mother cried while looking at the marvelous ship.
The R.M.S Titanic was our one chance for a better life. Working odd jobs around Southampton was the only way we could make ends meet. At the young age of thirteen I had done every odd job imaginable but nothing, and I mean nothing, was a bad as what my mother had to resort to. Prostitution.
The corridor leading to our room was crowded with people of many different backgrounds. Asking for directions was impossible.
"Excuse me sir, by chance do you know where Room 365 would be located?" I asked cautiously.
"Ich dont spreche Englisch Sie dummes Mädchen" The man replied while flailing his arms above his head.
"Never mind." I replied in confusion.
Finding our way around steerage wasn't easy but we found our room eventually. I sighed when I saw the small living quarters.
Come on honey, it won't be that bad. Think of it as an adventure." my mother said while giving me a small smile. I said nothing but returned the small gesture.
My mother and I had always had a great relationship. We only had each other after my brothers abandoned us. She tried to hid her prostitution from me but I always knew. I wasn't mad at her though, I couldn't be. How could I be mad at the women who gave me life? Moving from Southampton wasn't something I wanted to do, but I had to be flexible for my mother.
"Come on Jackie, lets go explore the ship!" my mother said enthusiastically.
"Coming!" I replied trying to sound as excited as she was.
The ship was huge. It was almost impossible to navigate our way around. We eventually found our way to the steerage deck.
"Wow! Mother look at the view!" I screamed while looking at the sun touching the dark horizon.
"Its wonderful!" my mother replied while putting an arm around my shoulder. She then kissed my pale cheek. I wiped my face soon after.
"Oh I get it. Your too old to be kissed by your mother." She said while holding back laughter.
I replied by giving her a small smile and I kissed her right back on the cheek.
Navigating around the ship became easier as the days went on. My mother and I would walk up to the steerage deck and we would look at the horizon for hours.
"New York City is just a few days away." my mother would say constantly.
Her hope was soon shattered that very same night.
Waking up to the jolting ship is something I will always remember.
"What was that?" I asked my mother nervously.
"I'm not sure, Jackie but I am going to find out."
She then slipped on her shoes and walked out the door.
Panic. That was all we could see. It was bad, that much we could tell but we never knew the extent of the damage until it was to late.
The suction of the mighty sinking ship was strong, so strong it separated my mother and myself.
"Mother! Mother!" I screamed while I looked frantically around. She was no where to be found.
I found a floating table and I grabbed it hoping that my mother could find me. I looked up at the sky thinking about how my mother used to always tell me that each star was a symbol of hope. It was a starless night. Minutes seemed like hours and each breath seemed like my last. Holding on seemed pointless. No lifeboat was coming back for us, it was obvious. Just when my lungs felt like they would give in my hope was restored, there was a lifeboat.
The strong arms of the crewmen lifting me out of my freezing grave was the last thing I could remember until darkness surrounded me.
Waking up in an infirmary was the last thing I expected to happen after that crazy night.
"Where am I?" I asked more to myself.
"Your on the Carpathia." a kind women replied. She was obviously a nurse of some sort. Her white clothes and name tag gave that away.
"Wheres my mother?" I asked not hiding back my fear.
Thats when she escorted me to the survivors list.
Looking through that long list was the most terrifying moment of my life.
"Bella Claire, Bella Claire, Bella Claire" I repeated while looking through that long list. I fell weeping when her name was missing on that damn list.
I was alone.
Sleeping on a hard bench on deck was impossible that night. I couldn't escape the lingering feeling of wanting to throw myself overboard. I looked at the sky that night hoping to find a pattern of bright stars.
It was a starless night.