April 10, 2016

As 22 year old college history major Samantha Miller revised her notes, she turned the volume of her music even louder. Loud music helped her focus. Currently she was listening to Gypsy by Basya Schecter. Sam went through the finer points before hopping on her laptop and saving the changes on from her handwritten notes to her digital ones.

She thought she heard a noise, but brushed it off. With headphones, her hearing was fifty shades of screwed up. But the noise and the cold built up until it was a full on twister. It blew the windows into pieces, and Sam swore. She was never getting her security deposit back. She screamed in terror and panicked. She was frozen in fear and she couldn't move.

Finally after what seemed like ages, the storm subsided. But something was wrong. Sam looked down and nearly screamed again. Her blue jeans and black butterfly tee were gone, and in their place were a tan travel jacket over a pressed white shirtwaist and swishy black long skirt. Her long unruly black mane was pulled back into an Edwardian coiffure, and she even wore a small hat and earrings to complete the look. She was carrying a suitcase as well, full of similar clothes, books, and even photos of people that looked surprisingly like...

My family, she realized with a jolt. Her eyes filled with tears again at the memory of That Dark Day. Sam asked a man, a well dressed Englisher the time and date. "I've hit my head, you see. I have no idea where I am or even the year." He smiled kindly.

"Of course, miss. Southampton, England. April 10, 1912."

Crap crap crap! This can't be real. This can't be real.

She wandered around until she found a roadside bar and ducked inside. She could think in there. So she had timetraveled. It was possible after all.

Meanwhile, a few tables over, there was an intense poker game going on. It was between 20-year-old Jack Dawson, a travelling artist from Wisconsin and his Italian friend, 19-year-old Fabrizio De Rossi, against three Swedish cousins, Olaf, Gustav, and Sven Gunderson. "Hey, you guys mind if I join you?" asked Sam. "Sure," said Jack, shrugging and introducing himself and Fabrizio. He handed her some cards. "There's three tickets, so if we win one is yours."

"Tickets to what?" asked the American girl. Jack pointed to the huge ship docked in the nearby harbor. "The Titanic, of course." Sam gasped. She had seen photos of it, but seeing the real thing up close and personal was a whole other story. It was sad but also majestic. Even though Sam knew there was a chance she wouldn't survive the sinking, she had to at least try to get back home. "Fine, I'll play. But you better have a damn good hand."

"Bastard! Idiot!" Olaf growled.

"Shut up!"

Fabrizio looked at his cards, realizing he didn't have anything. He was getting nervous; Jack had bet every cent they had.

"Jack, you're pazzo! You bet everything we have!" he said. Jack blew out a puff of smoke from his cigarette at Fabrizio.

"When you've got nothing, you've got nothing to lose," he reassured him. Fabrizio shook his head, skeptical.

The Swedes were still arguing. "You idiot. I can't believe you bet our tickets," said Olaf. Sven replied something that none of them could understand.

Jack took a long drag on his cigarette. "Alright. Moment of truth, someone's life is about to change, Fabrizio?" he asked.

Fabrizio shot him a dirty look and shrugged, indicating that he had nothing. "Niente," Jack noted.

"Niente," Fabrizio confirmed with a death glare. He was going to kill Jack if their cash was lost.

Jack looked across the table. "Olaf? Sven?" he tried.

Sven picked a card and placed it on the table. "Hit."

Jack examined his cards, seeing that he had a full house but decided to play a trick on his friend. "Uh-oh, two pair. I'm sorry Fabrizio..." he started.

Fabrizio was infuriated and slammed his cards down on the table. "Che sorry?! Vaffanculo! You bet all our money!" he tried to say but was cut off midsentence by Jack. "I'm sorry! You're not going to see your mom again for a long time..." he continued, "CAUSE WE'RE GOING TO AMERICA, FULL HOUSE BOYS!" he yelled, slamming down his own cards.

"Dio mio grazie!" Fabri yelled happily. "Holy shit, I don't believe this!" said Sam disbelievingly. "You fucking won!"

Jack was whooping triumphantly, but Olaf grabbed him. "Förbannade usling!" he hissed, about to deck Jack. Jack cringed, but Olaf punched Sven instead, who went flying off his chair to the floor. Olaf grabbed him and slammed him repeatedly on the ground, cursing that he was going to kill him. Jack laughed.

He turned to Fabrizio. "Come on!" "Figlio di puttana!" Fabrizio shouted.

Jack whooped again and kissed the tickets. "I'M GOIN' HOME! I'm goin' home!" he laughed, overjoyed at his luck.

Fabrizio skipped round the pub in excitement. "I go to America!" Sam laughed at their exciteeint

Just then, the pubkeeper chimed in. "No mate...Titanic go to America, in 5 minutes!" he said, holding up his pocket watch for them to see.

Jack looked at the clock. "Shit! Fabri, Sam, come on!" he exclaimed. They quickly scooped their winnings into Jack's huge sack and ran out of the pub with their things.

They ran through the crowded streets of Southampton, dodging in and out between people. "We're riding in high style now! We're a couple of regular swells! We're practically goddamn royalty ragazzo mio!" Jack was yelling.

Fabrizio was panting to try and keep up with him. "Si, is my destino! Like I told you, I go to America to be millionaire!" he shouted, nearly getting trampled by a horse.

"WHOA!" Jack yelled. "Bastardo!" Fabrizio shouted at the horse.

They kept running. "You're pazzo!" Fabrizio yelled.

Jack laughed. "Maybe, but I've got the tickets! Come on, I thought you were fast!" he shouted over his shoulder. Sam sped past them. "He might not be, but I sure as hell am. What's wrong, can't outrun a girl?" she teased, breathless from her little gallop.

Fabrizio was running as fast as he could. "Aspettare! Aspettare!" he yelled, wheezing.

They ran up the steerage boarding ramp, just as the officer was getting ready to close the doors. "Wait! Wait we're passengers! We're passengers!" Jack yelled, waving his hands. They ran up to Sixth Officer Moody, who held out his hand for their tickets.

"Have you been through the inspection queue?" he asked.

Jack glanced at Fabrizio. "Of course. Anyways, we don't have any lice, we're Americans...all three of us," he lied.

Officer Moody nodded. "Right. Come aboard."

Jack and Fabrizio could barely believe their good fortune. They ran as fast as they could down the corridor up to the steerage deck, where people were going to wave goodbye. "We're the luckiest sons of bitches in the world, you know that?" Jack hissed excitedly.

They ran up to the deck where all the other steerage passengers were lined up against the rails, waving and shouting goodbye to family and friends. Jack and Fabrizio hopped up onto the rail, too, and waved excitedly at the hundreds upon hundreds of people below.

"Goodbye, I'll miss you!" Jack yelled, waving wildly.

Fabrizio was confused. "You know somebody?" he asked.

"Of course not, that's not the point!" he explained.

Fabrizio nodded. "I'm never gonna forget you!" he yelled. "See you, Southampton!" called Sam.

Once the Titanic left port, the passengers went back inside to find their cabins and settle in. Jack looked at their tickets. "G-60," he said, reading their tickets. Fabrizio nodded. They made their way down to G deck and started down the first corridor. "G-60, G-60..." Jack was mumbling as Fabrizio jogged to catch up with him.

Jack accidentally bumped into someone. "Excuse me, sorry," he mumbled.

They rounded the corner just as the Norwegian Dahl family was about to round the corner from the opposite direction. Fabrizio caught a glimpse of their daughter Helga, and he stared, clearly lovestruck.

Fabrizio and Helga held their locked gaze and smiles.

Sam noticed him staring at the blonde girl. "Damn, Fabri, do you have a crush on her already?"

Fabrizio glared. "Shut up!"

"Ah, G-60! Right here!" Jack announced, finding their cabin. Sam's cabin was G-58, so she separated from the other two and dragged her heavy suitcase to her room. Fabrizio turned to follow Jack as he opened the door, then he glanced back for a last glimpse of Helga.

Sam looked around her room. There were two bunk bed attached to each of the off white walls and each bed had its own curtain for privacy. A washstand was in the middle. Maybe she could be happy here. Steerage is more comfortable than I had originally assumed.