Disclaimer:All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Twilight belongs to the great Stephenie Meyer.
Authors Note: This little story is dedicated to my gorgeous friend Zoe (aka: TantalizingTwilightFan) and to the (more than) 1200 people who died onboard the Titanic one hundred years ago. I've had this idea in my head for a while, and wanted to write it in time for the anniversary. It didn't happen as fast as I wanted, but here we are. It's very different to anything I've written before, but I hope you enjoy it.
An Unsinkable Friendship.
10th April, 1912
Edward Anthony Masen
Quite frankly, I was bored. I sat beside my mother, who was perched nervously on her seat, her legs crossed at her ankles. Even five months after my father making her a widow, she was still dressed in black from head to toe, clutching one of Edward Masen Sr's personalised pocket handkerchiefs.
We lost father in late November. Doctors said the cause was the cancer. Mother couldn't understand why a God fearing man such as my father would succumb to such a tragic disease. She mourned his passing daily, ignoring the gentleman callers who tried to get at her hand. She would beg me to see that they left her be. I was thankful that she saw through them, and realised that they were just after my father's legacy – which he had left entirely to my mother.
I had automatically been thrown into the position of the man of the house. In his younger days, my father had been a soldier, fighting for our country under the reign of Queen Victoria. I longed to follow in his footsteps. I don't think he ever expected to leave this world at the age of thirty five unless it was whilst he was wearing his uniform and defending England.
I told my mother that I could finish my education and go to work – but she insisted that my private tuition was far more important, and that with all of the money and possessions left by my father, that neither of us would have to worry about going out to work. Father had planned well ahead and ensured that we would be well cared for.
"You are barely fourteen, Edward, my son," my mother had told me as she wiped away a tear, "You have no need to worry. You are the man of this house now, but there is no need for you to go out to work. You need to continue with your school work. You're as bright as a button and your father would still wish you to go to university. You can aspire to be anything you wish, Edward."
I knew that deep down; she never wanted me to join the army. I remember when I was younger, her hating it when Father would leave for training. She and Father wanted me to become a Doctor. I didn't want to disappoint either of them.
I watched as my mother fell deeper and deeper into depression, I did not know what to do. I tried to make it go away. Friends visited her, but she pushed them all away, telling them just to leave her be. I had to get them all to obey her wishes. It was my job to make sure she was happy. I was not doing a very good job of it.
It was April third when she produced two large tickets. One way tickets from Southampton to New York City in North America. I was puzzled, wondering why on earth Mother would want to leave our beautiful family home – but she explained that it was what she wanted. We could start a new life over in America. We had the means to do so. She said that London bore too many painful memories for her.
I wasn't particularly upset. I was tutored at home, so there wasn't much I was going to be leaving behind. Neither of my parents had surviving siblings and my mother's parents had passed away three years before, just two months apart. We didn't have anyone to leave.
So I found myself beside my mother as the most immense ship I'd ever seen slowly left the dock in Southampton. Our most prized possessions sat in wooden crates in her hull. Our home had been left in the hands of lawyers who would see though the sale of it and much of its contents. Not to mention my father's collection of motor cars, horses and carriages. Mother explained that they were all just material goods. We were transporting very little along with us to America. Despite her grief, my mother seemed to know what she was doing.
She still managed to look upset as she gazed across the railing at the hundreds of people who were waving wildly, arms flailing at their loved ones who were aboard the ship with us. It seemed as though we were the only ones on board that didn't have family or friends to see us off.
I reached out and grabbed my mother's thin hand and squeezed gently. She sighed deeply and smiled tightly as she pulled her hand from under mind and placed it on top of my knee. She patted me twice before pulling away and looking out towards the sea once again.
We were just two of over two thousand, two hundred people on board. I was shocked to see people of different classes. Mother and I were in first class. I didn't like these people. They had a certain way of speaking. It was as if everything were a competition. Who had the most money, how the money was made... even the children were the same. I preferred to stay alongside my mother in the evenings, rather than mixing with the other boys. They were stuck up and quite frankly, the less I had to do with them, the better.
The second class passengers had the cabins and deck below our own. These people interested me. They were mostly young working families. Hard workers who appeared to be moving to America to start over – much like Mother and myself – only the men had worked their fingers to the bone to provide a good life, and would indeed do so for the rest of their lives.
Then there was the third class... steerage. If I peered over my own deck, I could just about make out what seemed like hundreds upon hundreds of people. Upon talking to members of the crew, tickets would have cost them as much as a year's wages. They had put everything they had onto being on the voyage. "They have nothing to lose, but nothing to gain. They lived in poverty in England, and they will live in poverty as immigrants in America," one of Captain Smith's officers, James Moody, told me. "It's a shame really. To give them all such false hope."
The White Star Line's RMS Titanic was really a ship that dreams were made of. Being the maiden voyage, everything was bright and new. Being eleven stories high and weighing over forty six thousand tonnes, it was the largest vessel of its time. The crew were more than happy to offer me tour after tour and divulge all of her amazing facts and figures. She cost a staggering one and a half million pounds to build. They even were happy to tell me that the She was built with space for no less than sixty four life boats – yet She only carried a mere twenty. When I questioned the morality of this fact, Second Officer Lightoller chuckled and patted me on the shoulder and said; "Dear boy, this ship is unsinkable, why waste precious deck space with more lifeboats than necessary?" He then went on to inform me that in fact, only three of the four funnels aboard the Titanic were functional. The fourth was purely aesthetic, because four was more impressive than three.
Mother and I sat alone together in the dining room. Groups of rich friends would gather and eat together, but we preferred to keep to ourselves, being polite and making small talk when needed. I didn't much care for the food. Salmon Mousse and Filet Minigons was very rich, and I would have been happy with soup. Although my family had wealth, my mother always enjoyed helping our staff with the cooking and food preparation. She enjoyed taking care of her family. I rather liked the Chocolate Éclairs however.
After dinner on April Thirteenth, my mother decided that she would retire to our cabin early, at a little before nine in the evening. She said that she had a headache. I escorted her back to our quarters and kissed her goodnight on her cheek. I told her that I would be along soon, that I wanted to take a stroll along the deck and see if I could spot anymore ships in the night. Mother nodded and passed me my cap and jacket.
I could never fathom the blackness of night... how the sky could be so dark without street lamps of the cities... how it could be so dark, yet so bright. It was so clear out – the stars seemed to illuminate the ocean and everything was just so... beautiful.
After a couple of laps of the first class deck I decided to move down a level and see what second class had to offer. This level was slightly busier; couples were strolling together and taking in the night sky as I had been. They didn't even glance at me as I passed which was comforting. In first, even though I was supposedly one of them, they always appeared to look down their noses at myself and my mother. I never figured out exactly why. Perhaps it was because we lost father, so the money wasn't really ours to spend. Or perhaps it was because a grown woman relied on her adolescent son?
I stopped and breathed in deeply as I looked once again towards the sky. The air was clear apart from the faint smell of the burning coal from the funnels. I leaned forward against the railing and looked down at the water below.
"You sure you are supposed to be down here, rich boy?" a soft voice spoke from behind me. I jumped and took a step back. I was about to reply that it was none of her business, but when I turned to look at her, I was taken aback because standing just feet away from me was the prettiest... no, the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. "Cat got your tongue, or are you too good to even speak to me?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.
"No... I mean... I'm sorry... Miss, you startled me that's all." I managed to stutter.
The girl giggled, her large brown eyes shining. "Then that means you're guilty. You really shouldn't be down here at all. Will you get into trouble?"
"Trouble? From whom?" I asked her as took her in properly for the first time. Her long dark hair shone under the deck lighting and was pulled to the side of her head in a long braid. Her skin was unblemished and ivory in colour. She wore a long overcoat which was clearly a few sizes too big for her, and brown leather boots, with the laces untied.
She cleared her throat and my eyes shot up to meet hers. I gulped and stuffed my hands into my pocket, blushing madly as I realised she had caught me looking at her. I hoped in that moment that she wouldn't think any less of me, or that I was looking down on her in some way.
"Won't your parents be angry that you're down here mixing with the common working types? She said the last part of her sentence in a haughty voice which caused me to smile because she had it spot on. I'd even heard that exact phrase in the Grand Hall on the first night on Titanic.
"No, my mother was feeling unwell so she retired to bed for the evening, and my father is no longer with us," I told her.
The girl kicked the toe of her boot across the deck and looked down. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "Do you come down here often?"
I shook my head. "I just wanted to disappear for a while," I told her honestly. "I don't care too much for the stench of cigar smoke. It's a lot livelier down here as well. I like feeling invisible."
She cocked her head to the side again. She didn't understand what I meant.
"Up there," I gestured to the upper decks, "no matter who you are, you're always being looked at... people are always making assumptions about who you are. Your business is everyone's business... and here... well, I've walked the length of this deck... which by the way is longer than in First Class... three times, and nobody has as much as looked at me. It's nice." I admitted.
"What's your name?" She asked me.
"Edward... Edward Masen," I told her quietly, "what's yours?"
"Isabella... Bella Swan." She smiled. "I'm fourteen, how old are you?"
"Fourteen, fifteen in June."
We spent a while talking, Bella explained to me that she was travelling to New York with her parents and older brother. Her father was a Veterinarian and he wanted to move his family to America as it's where his grandparents were from and they had family across there. Bella told me she was nervous about how different it was going to be. Because her father had a good job, she and her brother were being schooled privately. She enjoyed school and loved to read. I told her about my father, and moving just with my mother as we didn't have anyone else back home in England.
"You don't seem like the other kids from First Class," Bella told me. She mentioned that some boys had found a fun game in spitting over the first class ledge and seeing if they could land it on the head of an unsuspecting lower class member. That made me angry.
"I don't feel like I belong there." I told her. "And I don't think you're a commoner."
She smiled at my comment and looked around.
"Shoot... I told my father that I wouldn't be long. I don't know how long we've been standing here!"
I pulled my pocket watch out of my breast pocket. Bella bit her lip and stifled a laugh as I did so. I raised an eyebrow in question as I told her in my surprise that it was just after ten-fifteen. Bella's eyes widened a fraction and she cursed in the most un-lady like yet sweetest fashion under her breath. "Oh my goodness, I am in so much trouble!" She muttered. "I really have to go... will you be back tomorrow?"
I nodded. "What are you doing after breakfast? I usually head out for a walk in the morning. I could come and meet you? If your father doesn't mind of course?"
She shook her head. "My mother will be dress mending in the morning in our cabin and my father and my brother Michael will be in the gymnasium. I can meet you. Are you certain that your mother won't mind?"
"Of course not, Bella. I'm sure she will be quite happy once she learns that I've spent a little time socialising. So, is nine o'clock agreeable?"
She nodded. "I'll try and be there at that time. Although they might think it strange if I'm staring at the clock all morning."
I had a thought suddenly and reached into my pocked and fished out the pocket watch that only seconds ago she'd found amusing. I unclipped the fastening and held it out to her."
Bella's pretty little nose scrunched up. "I... I couldn't possibly... I mean... it looks expensive. I wouldn't want to damage it."
"You won't damage it, Bella. Please, take it and keep it. That way you can keep it with you and know what the time is." I wanted her to keep it. I felt so drawn to this girl. I'd never had female friends before, and there was something about her nature that wanted to be close to her. I was tired of being defined by class... by where I lived and sat... by how much money I had. Talking to Bella confirmed that we were all no different. Some just had more than others. Just by talking to Bella, I knew that she had a huge heart.
She thanked my shyly, telling me that she'd see me in the morning after breakfast and ran off back to her parents. I prayed silently that she wouldn't be in trouble once she returned, and hoped that they wouldn't stop her from talking a walk the next morning.
Mother was sleeping when I returned to our room, so I washed and took myself off to bed.
The next morning, April fourteenth, mother still had a headache. It was arranged for us to take breakfast in our cabin so that she wouldn't have to venture across the ship. I told her about Bella, which made her smile. She told me to take care of the girl's father, because men tended to be protective over their daughters. As I expected she was not upset with the fact that Bella and her family were not First Class like we apparently were. I sensed also that she was telling me that I should carry on the friendship once we had docked in North America. I hoped that it would be possible, although I didn't know if Bella's family were planning on living in the city or if they were going to be moving. I left our stateroom just before nine, after refilling a glass of water for my mother and checking that she was okay. She brushed me off, telling me not to be a silly boy, and to go and enjoy myself.
Bella was already there when I arrived. She was even prettier in the daylight and smiled when she saw me come down the steps that separated the decks.
"Hello, Edward," she greeted quietly.
"Good morning, Bella, " I replied. "I hope you didn't get into trouble for being late last night."
She shook her head. "They were worried, but they were glad that I was safe. I told them I had met with a friend, so they were happy about that."
I shyly offered her my arm and she blushed, but took it, latching her hand onto my bicep. Together we walked together along the deck and talked about everything. Bella impressed me with how well read she was. She loved literature and laughed about times when she would get so lost in a book, that her family members would have to shake her to get her to come out of a make-believe world. I told her it was much the same for me, only with music. I'd taken piano lessons from a very young age.
Bella's eyes looked dreamy as we talked about music and her favourite compositions. She liked Bach, Mozart and more recently, Debussy.
I had an idea. I shrugged off my jacket and handed it to her and told her to pull off her hat. She looked at me in question, but did as I asked, slipping my jacket over her shoulders. I held my hand out and she quickly took it again. I grinned and pulled her quickly up the deck and to the stairs.
"No, wait, Edward. I can't go up there!"
"Of course you can, don't be silly." I whispered.
"No, I can't possibly, what if someone catches me and tosses me overboard!"
I rolled my eyes and chuckled. "They won't toss you overboard, Bella. I want to show you something; also, I'll just explain to them that you are my friend, and therefore my guest."
She gazed at me, uncertainty clear in her face, but she followed me and allowed me to lead her up and into First Class. She walked close beside me and kept her head bowed.
I lead her to the centre of the ship and down the grand staircase and into the First Class dining room. She continued to pull back on my hand. She honestly thought that being in there with me wasn't a good idea. "Don't worry," I reassured her once again, "there won't be anyone in here for hours, other than waiters preparing for luncheon... I just want to show you something."
She still looks unsure but allows me to lead her off to the far side of the vast dining room. I come to a standstill beside the grand piano. The pianist is usually accompanied by the string quartet in the evenings during dinner time and during the day it just stands dormant.
I sat down at the bench and shifted over to the side. I patted the smooth leather and she slid in next to me.
I carefully pushed the lid up and tucked it away, revealing the smooth ebony and ivory coloured keys. I smiled happily as I splayed out my fingers and caressed a couple of chords.
"Will you play me something?" She whispered.
I didn't answer, but closed my eyes and let me fingers speak. I stared playing some of her favourites by composers we had spoken about the night before, and after several minutes I started to fade into some of my own original pieces. I felt at home whenever I was playing.
I peeked at her out of the corner of my eye and it pleased me to see that she was sitting with her eyes shut and her hands clasped on her lap with an almost serine smile on her lovely face.
I bring the music to a close, ending quietly and softly. I couldn't bring myself to look at her, but one of her hands reached out to clasp mine where it laid still over the keys. I swallowed and looked across at her.
"Edward, that was beautiful. When you said you could play... well, I thought you could play a tune or two... but this... that...," she waved her free hand in front of her, gesturing to me and the piano, "well... you're incredible." She breathed.
I smiled brightly. I loved to play, so much. Bella was the first person, other than my parents that had heard me play in the recent years. It was what I spent my late afternoons doing; sitting in the sunroom in our home and composing. It was the only activity that would relax me and let me escape. I had thrown myself into my music more so since the death of my father.
I felt my face grow red – my father would have easily chastised me for this action because 'men should not feel heat in his cheeks, we should be the ones to cause the heat with the right lady.' – it seemed Bella was flattering me... and it was working.
"Thank you, Bella, I'm pleased you like it."
"You play a lot more than you make out, don't you?"
I shrugged and smiled again trying not to blush, alas, my ears became hot and I couldn't control it. I then nodded. "I play... a lot." I finally admitted to her.
Bella bit down on her bottom lip and nodded. "It pays off."
I looked down at her small hand on top of mine and I saw her doing the same. She quickly pulled away from me and wrung her fingers in her lap.
We sat in silence for a little while and decide that we should head up onto deck and go for a walk. The silence, although comfortable had been going on for a bit too long. It was as though we were both happy to be there, but couldn't decide what would be appropriate to say next.
Bella and I spent the remainder of the day together, only splitting at lunch time so that I could pay my mother a visit and see how she was doing – and for Bella to spend time with her mother, father and brother. I was glad that they were apparently happy for her to be spending time with me.
Mother was still in her bed, she had a fever and her forehead was damp. The water I'd left her in the morning was still there. I had arranged for a light luncheon of sandwiches to be delivered for us but i felt at a loss when she politely declined them. She tried to reassure me that she was okay and was just tired. I tried to get her to at least have a bite and some water. She sipped on the water but I knew that she was just doing it to make me leave her be.
"Run along, Edward. You will be late seeing your new friend," she whispered, "just be yourself and be a gentleman with her."
I smiled weakly and kissed her on the cheek gently. I was so worried about her, but I had to be strong and let her know that I also believed that she was going to be okay. My mother was a strong woman, she didn't often get sick – perhaps it was the change of atmosphere and being on the ship – or maybe something we'd eaten at dinner did not agree with her.
Mother was still the same at dinner.
She still didn't eat what I'd had delivered to our State Room.
She didn't want to see the ships' onboard doctor. Her pulse was thready. She smiled up at me. "I'll be fine by the time we dock in New York, Edward. I'm just feeling a little under the weather. It will pass in no time. You go... run along and enjoy yourself. That's an order.
'That's an order.' – That was precisely what my father used to say to me when he was decided on something. I knew that there would be no swaying him or no arguing about the matter. I did as my mother bid and closed the door to her room, telling her I'd check on her before I turned in for the night.
I told her that Bella and I were going to go for a walk on the middle decks again. She had to be back by nine o'clock, so I would not be gone long.
Bella liked to lean over the side of the ship and stare into the blackness of the water below. I felt like I needed to grab a hold of her to stop her tumbling into the waves below. She giggled as I shifted on my feet; my hands itching to hold her back.
"I'm not going to let go, you know." She told me. "There is far too much waiting for me in North America to even consider going for a night time swim. Also, I'm fairly certain it's going to be mighty cold."
I nodded. "A little under two-below." I confirmed. Bella smiled up at me and pretended to shiver.
It was quiet for a little while again. I looked down at Bella whose eyebrows were furrowed. She looked uneasy.
"Are you alright? Are you cold?" I asked her, ready to take off my coat to rest it over her shoulders.
"No, no, I'm fine thank you, Edward." She smiled tightly. "I was wondering..."
"What are you wondering?"
"When we get to New York... will you still want to be my friend?"
I felt slightly taken aback by her question. Had she thought that perhaps I'd not want to see her again... that I was purely being friends with her just to have someone to talk to on our trip?"
"I mean, I don't expect you to... you know, we are, after all from very different... and you... well..."
I cut her off with my index finger. I pressed it gently to her lips.
"Bella, of course we can still be friends. We're no different. Just like you and your family, my mother and myself are starting afresh. The only difference... apart from the money my father left is that you already have people there... family. Mother and I... well, we only have each other."
I pulled my finger away from her.
"I just wanted to make sure," she whispered. "It's nice having a friend."
I walked Bella back to her end of the deck and bid her goodnight just before nine. During our walk back, we'd been stepping closer together, and just at the final stretch, I reached over and our fingers brushed – just ever so slightly. She skin was beautifully warm. She glanced up at me and blushed, her fingers tentatively knitted with my own. Our hands dropped before we got to the spot where her father was waiting. He was a gruff looking gentleman with a large moustache. His hands were on his hips and he eyed me and the space between myself and his daughter closely.
"Good evening, Mr Swan," I greeted him, "thank you for letting Bella take a walk with me this evening."
Mr Swan nodded and tipped his cap. "Well, yes. Isabella, say goodnight to Edward now. It's time we turned in for the night."
Bella smiled and turned to me. "Good night, Edward." She whispered.
"Goodnight, Bella."
Mother was still sleeping when I returned. She was pale and her forehead was beaded with sweat. I knew that she needed to get some help. I went in search of a crew member who assured me that they would fetch the Doctor.
Mother wasn't well – the Doctor wasn't certain, but it was thought that she was suffering from Polio. Her fever, the stiffness in her neck – which she only admitted to upon her examination, and sore throat, amongst other things pointed to the disease. She was to be transported to hospital once Titanic docked. He said he would have a message sent from the radio room to ensure that there would be nurses to collect her.
There was nothing that could be done for her at the time.
The doctor asked me to follow him out of my mother's bedroom. "Your mother is very sick, my boy. Pray tell me, will there be somebody you can make arrangements with once the ship docks."
I didn't... but I wasn't certain I could tell the Doctor this. I merely nodded and looked towards my mother's closed off room. I knew what he meant; he meant if Mother never made it back to land.
My mother, forever the optimist smiled and held my hand as I returned to her. She made me promise that I would live my life to its fullest. She told me to go into the safety deposit box in her armoire and gather together all of the papers – and to keep them on my person until we docked. I did so immediately, not wanting to disobey her. I think she knew the inevitable.
She knew that she wasn't going to make it. I wanted to remain by her side over night.
I'd fallen asleep in the chair across the room from her bed when I was awoken with a jerk. The room appeared to rumble. Paintings and artwork fell to the carpeted floor and ornaments crashed off the shelves. What on earth was that?
Mother didn't wake, her breathing was laboured and I dampened and replaced the cloth on her forehead in the hope of making her more comfortable. I whispered to her that I was going to see what the commotion was about.
A large group of people were gathered on deck, the majority of them were leaning over the side of the ship, looking at something below. I excused myself closer to the railing. JJ Astor was looking over the edge, his cigar sticking out of the side of his mouth. "What are you looking at, Sir?"
"Ahhh, Edward, young boy, it appears that we've had a slight run in with an iceberg! Look below!" JJ pointed to the lower class deck where some boys were sliding around and using a large slab of what appeared to be ice, as a soccer ball.
"And if you look to the rear, you can just about make out the little berg!" JJ announced.
I stepped back and glimpsed what our ship had appeared to have hit. There was nothing little about it.
"Oh, dear boy, don't look so worried. No harm will be caused, this ship is unsinkable."
I nodded and thanked him. "Well, I need to return to my mother now, thank you, Sir. Perhaps I shall see you tomorrow."
I returned to my mother, pressing gently past all the other people who were pushing forward to survey the situation. It appeared that most of the first class passengers were on the upper deck. Some of the men even had their overcoats on over their night clothes, whereas others were still wearing their formals and clutching a brandy.
Something didn't seem right at all.
I returned to my state room, trying to convince myself that a scrape with the berg wouldn't harm the ship – that if the builders and White Star Line employees said that it was unsinkable, then it must be so.
I sat with Mother and tried to relax. I pulled the knot of my tie lose and removed my waistcoat. I knew that I wouldn't be able to leave her side overnight. She looked paler and weaker than when I had left her not half an hour before, and her breathing was shallow. Her skin was clammy, and even though the fever, she was shivering. I found extra blankets in the armoire and covered her up.
"What was the commotion?" she whispered hoarsely.
"We hit an iceberg," I told her, "but there doesn't appear to be any damage. Another two days and we will be in New York, and the doctors are going to make you well again. Just hold on, okay?"
My mother smiled weakly and reached her hand out towards mine limply. I took it and she managed to squeeze gently.
"Edward, you did as I asked? You have all the papers from the safe, yes?"
I nodded. "Of course."
"You have everything there that you need to make a life for yourself. If anything were to happen to me, I know you can do this, Edward. I know you can take care of yourself."
"Mother, please, don't be ridiculous. You are going to be fine. We are going to dock, and you're going to be taken care of..."
"Oh, sweet boy," she rasped, "please don't be too hopeful. I think your father is calling to me now, I can hear him, Edward. He is calling my name."
I felt traitorous tears sting my eyes. "Mother, it's the disease, it's making you hear things, please, be strong, don't give up on me just yet. I need you."
She shook her head and coughed. "No you don't. You have been taking care of me for too long now. You have been the man of the house. You don't need me hindering you any longer. You've come so far, my son."
I refused to listen to her. I couldn't. My mother was trying to tell me that she wanted to die. She wanted to leave me alone after taking me away from the country that I knew, making me leave the familiar. She was expecting me to be alone in a new place. I was not going to accept that.
"No. No, no NO!" I shouted at her. Mother just smiled at me and closed her eyes, signalling that the conversation was over.
I slammed out of our State Room and into the hallway, I needed to go and get some air. It was only after I pulled the door behind me, did I notice the commotion. Husbands and wives, parents and their young were bustling down the corridor, some wearing and some clutching life jackets. Two of the ship's officers rushed towards me. One of them thrust a life jacket into my hands.
"Young Sir, you need to get onto the deck and to a life boat right away."
My eyes widened. What on earth was going on? "I don't... I don't understand."
"The ship is going down, you need to get to a lifeboat."
The officer tried to grab at my arm but I pulled it away and backed against the door. "I can't... my mother, she is ill in her bed. I need to help her!"
The officers looked at one another and then back at me. They both appeared pained in their deliberation. The older of the two sighed. "Okay, come on, we will get her onto deck. Is she able to walk?"
I shook my head. "I don't know, she is very weak. The Doctor has been and she will be going to hospital as soon as we... " I trailed off, knowing that if Titanic were sinking, we wouldn't be docking as planned.
The officers insisted on taking my mother up, the two of them carrying her whilst she was wrapped in several thick blankets.
On deck it was simply chaos. People were running, pushing and shoving. The noise level was so high that I had to shout to make myself heard as we cleared a space to try and get down to the lifeboats. I remembered my conversation with Second Officer Lightoller; there wouldn't be enough space on the ship for everyone. The ship was going down, and unless other vessels in the area responded to a distress call – more than half on board were going to go down with her. A lot of people were going to die.
"Women and children first!" Crew members were calling out. We were so close to the life boats and crew cleared a path so that my mother could secure a spot.
Bella. I needed to find Bella. I needed to make sure that she got a space on the boat. What if she was still sleeping and nobody had alerted her family? What if she were trapped somewhere?
"Take care of Mother!" I begged as I backed off. "I need to find my friend!"
"No, Master Masen, you must get on the lifeboat now!"
"I can't, I must find Bella!"
The officer made a grab for me unsuccessfully. "The lifeboat won't wait for you. You either get on or you don't."
I looked at my mother who was being supported by two young women. I shook my head. "No, let someone else have my space. There are hundreds of ladies who can take my place. Just... just make sure that when you are saved, that my mother see's a doctor."
And with that I turned my back and began to push my way through the crush of the crowd to find my friend. I had to make sure that she got on a boat and was safe.
It was a struggle to reach the cabins, I seemed to be the only one heading back into the ship – everyone was heading up onto deck. I wondered how many of them knew that there probably wasn't space in the lifeboats. I pitied them. I hated White Star Line. I was disgusted.
I felt as though I were running uphill, and as I looked behind me, I realised that it were true. The ship was at an incline. She really was sinking.
I was running around but stopped and pounded my fists against the wall when I realised that I didn't actually know where to find her. I had no idea where Bella's cabin was. I was in a maze of practically deserted corridors.
I cursed under my breath. The ship shifted and creaked loudly and the lights flickered which left me in darkness for several seconds. I clung onto the hand rail as the incline steepened. Doors from empty cabins banged and slammed with the movement. Bella had to know. She had to be on deck and either on, or waiting for a lifeboat.
I struggled back onto the second class deck and observed the carnage. The level of panic had risen and people were pushing, shoving and screaming. Children were crying and women were clinging to their husbands. There were fist fights. It was utter turmoil. I looked around but the crowd was moving so fast and it was so thick with people that I was unable to make out any familiar faces within it.
Boats were already being lowered into the water, to my dismay they were not even close to being full up. Desperate men were attempting to clamber over the side of the ship and onto the boats but they were either being roughly pulled back by violent crew or not judging the gap correctly and falling to their deaths into the icy water below.
I knew that I had no chance into getting onto a lifeboat on the side I was on. It looked quieter further up where it was steep, and there was a lone, overturned lifeboat on the deck with a few men trying in vain to turn it over. I ran and grabbed onto the side railing and pulled myself up the deck. My feet slipped and slid due to the steepness and the water on deck but I made it and tried to help get the boat moved. I figured if we could at least get it off the ship and into the water, maybe we could climb onto it. The other men, who appeared to be from steerage seemed to have the same idea. Although it was clear from their language that we couldn't understand one another, the desperation on their faces was clear.
We needed to get off the ship.
It took seven of us to lift and push the boat over the side. It fell and crashed into the side of the rapidly sinking ship. The slats of the wood splinted. Seconds later it hit the water, tens of metres below. It broke apart, smashing into smithereens as it hit the waves.
I clung onto the side with all my might, shouting and cursing. I was going to die. We were all going to die. I hadn't found Bella.
The ship creaked again, the sound was sickening. I screwed my eyes shut and held on for dear life as I felt my feet slip from under me. When I opened my eyes, the men who had been pushing the lifeboat were doing the same. One beside me had tears running down his face, and then he let go and plummeted down the deck. His body crashed into the crowd, knocking several people down.
I didn't want to die like that. I knew that I needed to get as high as possible. That staying out of the water was important. I knew how cold the water was and if falling into the water didn't kill me, then I would freeze to death fairly quickly.
I used all my strength to climb further up. I was able somehow to turn a corner and rest up against a wall. I knew it wouldn't be long before I would be laying on it as the ship sunk.
The stern of the ship was pointing towards the sky and the bow was already under the water. The ocean flooded the decks and began to pull her further under. Darkness followed another creak. I didn't hear it through my muffled ears but I felt it. The wall I was against vibrated, shaking me off to the side. I tried to stay still. All of the lights had gone out. Titanic was engulfed by the blackness of the night. Another creak and crack followed and then the worst thing happened; I heard the twisting and tearing. It was so loud that it was almost deafening. I held tightly on as I felt my end of the ship falling. Titanic had broken in two. I felt the pull as we shifted again, the angle changing. I don't know how I managed to hold on. I couldn't watch as the bow fell below the depths of the ocean.
I could hear the screams again as the remaining people on the stern end fought for their lives and used their strength to cling onto to anything and everything in sight. Railings, walls... other people.
It was cold – so bitterly cold and I was already wet and shivering. I closed off all the sounds of the terrified people below me and pictured Bella and my mother safe, sound and warm on lifeboats – being carried to safety. I knew they would go on to have good lives.
I could see the dim and blurred circles of light as the lifeboats that had made it into the water rowed away from the soon-to-be-wreckage. Other than the stars, it was all I could see.
The screams had vanished and all I could hear was faint crying and whimpering.
I was laying flat on my stomach, just as I'd expected. I knew that it wouldn't be long until I was pulled under the water.
I don't remember the last few minutes onboard. It could have been hours or it could have been seconds, I honestly couldn't tell you. It was all a blur as I heard the movement for the last time and then we began to move again. I don't know how fast it happened, but to me it was as though it were playing in slow motion.
I was going to die.
The pull of the ship underwater was powerful. The water was deadly freezing. It stung like a thousand needles as I was drug under. I wanted to let it take me, but instinct took over and I tried to fight against it, kicking and paddling with my arms and legs with all of my might.
There was only one thing on my mind. I had to get to the surface. I had to get my head out of the water. If I could get that far, perhaps I could swim to a lifeboat?
My chest was tight through lack of air. The breath I'd taken before being pulled under had gone and the pressure on my lungs was almost as painful as the freezing water was. Still, I kicked and kicked.
I never thought I would make it to the surface, but I somehow did. The taste of the cold night air was the most incredible thing I'd ever tasted. I greedily gulped it, getting as much oxygen into my starved lungs as possible.
I swam off to the side, not thinking as I pushed floating items to the side. It wasn't until I'd got about two hundred meters that I realised that as well as doors, plates, large planks of wood and cables – there was floating life jackets. Life jackets with floating bodies inside. Bodies were pale, almost white. Some had a layer of frost all over them. They had been in the water for so long that they had frozen to death. I had to keep moving.
I splashed around in attempt to keep my limbs alive. The lights I'd seen had disappeared. The lifeboats were gone.
I was doomed.
That was until I saw it. A hundred meters or so in front of me was a large, white curved piece of wood. It appeared to be a section of a lifeboat. Perhaps the same lifeboat I'd had a hand in getting off the ship. If I could get to it, and get onto it, perhaps I could get out of the water and somehow row away in the hope that someone would find me.
My whole body was numb, but my adrenalin coursed through my chilled veins and I struggled to the destroyed boat. A thin plank was floating nearby and I pushed it on top of the boat. I hoped it would work as a paddle.
My fingers dug into the side of the wood. I saw blood but didn't feel it as the splinters dug into my skin. I managed to get my top half positioned over it. My legs were so freezing, they wouldn't move. My arms were weak but they still pulled me up and over. I had done it. I was on the boat.
The night was clear and I looked at the stars. I tried to find the different constellations. I could not muster the strength to paddle. I couldn't move. I couldn't even sit up. My mind was working but my limbs had shut down. I knew I just had to keep my mind working and my heart beating for just a little longer.
I recalled voices. I thought it was my imagination running away with me. I spoke to the voices and laughed at the absurdity of it.
Blankets.
Hands across my face. Checking my body. Checking my pulse. Poking at my eyes.
"It's okay child, boats are coming. You're going to be okay. Stay awake with me now, okay?"
I just smiled and nodded. I wondered if the Angels had come for me. I hoped they'd saved Bella.
Everyone huddled together on board The RMS Carpathia. As we docked in New York three days later we were told to give our details and register. Seven hundred and five people were saved. I asked to look at the passenger list to see if I could see Bella. There was no mention of Swan anywhere. Perhaps she had been rescued by another ship. She had to be okay.
My mother's name was not on the list either. I feared she and the others on her lifeboat had perished, as some had never been found.
As I looked at the Statue of Liberty, blankets wrapped around my shoulders, I felt a presence beside me. I looked down to see a young girl beside me. She was pale and her hair was plastered to her face under a blanket similar to my own.
I knew her. I knew those eyes. Eyes full of sadness, yet so full of life as she looked up at me.
"Hello, Edward," she whispered as tears begun to fall down her cheeks. "My name is Isabella... Bella Masen."
Masen! She'd taken my name!
I looked at her in confusion. "I saw your name on the list... I know you don't have anyone, and I couldn't see your mother on there... my parents... they... they put me on the boat. I can't find them. I thought if I took your name, that they wouldn't split us up.
I quickly worked out what she was saying. We could pose as family. We wouldn't have to be apart.
"We can start a life." I whispered as I moved closer to her. My mother handed me everything I needed before the ship hit the iceberg. I have everything we need." It was a little damp, but it was there. Money, small and priceless heirlooms, all tucked into my breast pocket. "You won't be alone."
I wanted to cry right along with her. We had both lost everything we had ever known the space of a couple of days.
We had each other to lean on.
"I'm sorry about your parents... what about your brother?"
"I don't know..." she croaked as she stared out at the dock.
I nodded. Her entire family had perished.
"You have me, Bella. I promise I'll never leave you. Let me take care of you?"
"If you let me take care of you, Edward."
I pulled her to me and wrapped my arm across her shoulder. She leaned in and rested her cheek on my chest. I pressed a kiss to her mattered hair. "Always," I muttered.
She pulled away and looked up at me, her eyes shining, despite the tears. I smiled back at her and leaned slowly towards her. I gently pressed her lips to mine and kissed her softly. It was chaste, but none-the-less, it was acceptable for a first kiss. Respectable.
Thankfully my money was not an issue in New York. We had to tell a few untruths to help get set up. I had to add a couple of years onto my age, and we were able to find a home.
My feelings for Bella blossomed and she reciprocated. We married on her eighteen birthday.
We lived happily ever after.
Every single say we thought and spoke about our meeting. About how we'd both lost everything and been damned the moment we set foot on board the RMS Titanic. We talked about how we'd lost everything, but gained so much in return.
Through the sadness, the loss and the nightmares which plagued us both for years to come – we had found love and safety.
Out of the two thousand, two hundred and twenty eight people registered on board the ship, we were two of seven hundred and five that survived. I was one of the few pulled from the water still alive.
Titanic was the ship of dreams. She brought us together.
We were thankful.
The End.
I'd love to know what you think.