Chapter 3

Harold Lowe's POV

"So how does it feel to be back on the sea, Mr. Lowe?"

"Rejuvenating, sir."

With a chuckle, Captain Smith gave me a lively slap upon the shoulder.

"Good to hear! You'll need the energy. She's a mighty ship -"

"With plenty of snobbish, rich people aboard!"

James Moody had just limped in, gasping for breath and clutching his side.

It looked as if he had been mauled by an infuriated horse.

Smith rolled his eyes and muttered aloud. "Officer Moody, we haven't been sailing for no more than an hour. How can I possibly expect you to survive for an entire week?"

"Sir, I'm a rather strong advocate of humanitarian rights. As an officer, I firmly believe that we deserve better! Those first class snobs are treating us like dogs."

Lightoller and Murdoch entered next, stating in synchronization, "Hear, hear."

I couldn't help but grin at the pitiful sight of all three of them slumped down together.

"Goodness, what treacherous horrors have you suffered now?" I asked.

"This woman kept complaining about the color of the walls in her stateroom-"

"Another man accused the temperature of the pool to have been too cold-"

"J.J. Astor wanted me to blow his tea till it was lukewarm!"

Smith burst into a fit of laughter and chortled, "Alright, alright, you can all have a quick break. Just please pull yourselves together-"

A frantic knock at the Bridge's door jerked us all awake.

"Oh no, it's one of them," Moody moaned mournfully.

Smith shot him a wearisome glare before heading to the door.

"AH! Capi-tan! Capi-tan! Thank goodness!" shrieked an Italian woman embellished with a fur coat.

Oh, the life of an officer.

What excitement.

"My dog has ran. She go away down to the storage room! I too frightened to follow. Please...ehm, could you send someone to find her?"

"Of course," he smiled kindly.

We all immediately turned to nonchalantly walk out the opposite door.

"Will two of you go down and help this woman?"

"I'm terribly allergic to dog fur," snapped James.

"Oh nonsense!" he retorted.

Coming to my friend's rescue, I stepped forward to the sacrifice.

"Ah, Lowe, very good."

"I'll go with you," muttered Lightoller.

"Now that's the spirit!" murmured Smith with a grin. "This is Titanic for crying out loud! The ship of dreams. Some enthusiasm would be rather nice."

"Seems like a slave ship to me-" muttered Murdoch silently.

We strolled down the deck, following behind the waddling woman.

"Thank you ufficiales," she greeted in her thick accent.

Lightoller nodded curtly. "Of course."

The second officer turned to me with a smile.

Charles was nice...when he wanted to be. His occupation as one of the primary officers was ideal; he was an incredible leader who could control an angry mob at the tip of a hat. However, he stuck to the rulebook too much. Didn't give much thought to what his instincts told him. If a new law was passed that an officer was to throw the passengers overboard, he would do it in a heartbeat.

"What are you pondering over, Mr. Lowe?"

Nothing that you'd want to hear.

"Oh, I'm just a little dazed is all. People were being rather rowdy this morning."

"Ah, yes. That reminds me...what exactly happened with you and the authority today? I was watching with Smith from the deck. This girl had attacked you or something?"

My thoughts fluttered back upon the encounter from earlier. Those people had been chasing her down like an animal. Her eyes...they were filled with so much pain. I hope I had stalled for long enough. Wherever she had gone to, I prayed that she was safe.

"Attacked me? What, no, she had been the one attacked."

"Hadn't she tried to kidnap the daughter of another passenger?"

"That's rubbish. I don't believe it for a second."

"Well, from the way we saw her running...she didn't seem innocent."

"Did you ever fathom the fact that she could've been running for safety?"

My voice had raised considerably, and passengers strolling about glanced at us in concern.

"My goodness man. Calm down, I'm only speaking my mind."

"Well, you can be rather dim at times," I whispered quietly under my breath.

As the woman led us down a staircase, we conveniently walked right into the middle of a battlefield.

"Don't you ever steal from me again!"

A young man in a dress coat and top hat punched a boy before our eyes.

"Hey!" I shouted, "What the hell is going on here?"

"I'm going to head on for the dog," Lightoller whispered. "Do you mind handling this?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

I rushed to the side of the young boy, who couldn't have been more than eight. He coughed up a bit of blood in my arms.

My God, what was this world turning into?

"Who do you think you are?" I shouted to the man. "What right gives you the power to gang up on young children?"

"He stole from me!"

"No, I saw you drop it," the child gasped. "It fell from your pocket. I only picked it up. I was going to give it back to you."

"A steerage rat like you, returning my money? Oh please-"

"SHUT YOUR TRAP, SIR!" I bellowed. My head was throbbing with agitation. I can't remember the last time someone had made me so angry.

In a fury, I picked up the twenty dollars laying in a crumple upon the ground. Decisively, I neatly tore it in two.

"What do you think you're doing!" The wealthy fellow threw his hat in rage, shouting a Bible of curses at me.

I gathered the unfortunate boy in my arms. With a sarcastic smirk, I shouted over my shoulder, "A wealthy rat such as you shouldn't be hurt by the mere loss of a twenty!"

It took a few moments for my words to sink into the oaf. As I turned a corner, I distinctly heard his wild complaint of how he was " headed to the Captain this very instant" to report me.

Go ahead.

Lock me in the stocks.

Behead me.

Throw me overboard.

I won't stand to see the innocent being persecuted.

The little child felt so light in my arms.

He laughed suddenly and giggled, "Thank you sir. Wait until my papa hears about all this!...You really believe me?"

I smiled, using my sleeve to wipe clean the freckles of blood staining his chin.

"Of course. I'd bet my life on it."