A/N: This is a dream! Just thought I'd make that clear. It's not exactly like the scene from the movie, it can't be, but I tried to make it close. Its just one chapter as to not to make it confusing. Peace!
Chapter 11
Back to Titanic
The last thing I remember from the former world was buckling to the floor and hitting my head yet again on the corner of the fireplace. The pain seered my temples but soon that was replaced.....by overwhelming cold.
I opened my eyes and the study and the fireplace had disappeared. In its place was a long corridor, flooded with icy cold knee deep water. I shuddered violently surveying myself, cold and pale under a pink coat and the same thin white dress I had worn to the Hockley's dinner party.
The white hall was logged with water and floating bits of possesions left to drown. And through the silent echo of the rising water was a voice.
"Help!" It cried faintly. "Can somebody hear me!" That voice strained and hollow over the slosh of water, sounded a lot like Nathan's.
"Nate!Nate!" I screamed, surprised at how hoarsely it came out.
"Eliza!" It screamed back. I kept moving through the dense water toward the growing echo of Nate's voice until I came to the room where it seemed to be issuing from. I pushed the door open with great effort and saw Nathan standing in the water logged room, chained to a pipe.
"Nate! Oh, Nathan what did they do to you?" I cried hugging and kissing him around the neck. Who did this to him?
"Eliza." He took the sleeves of my coat so that I faced him and our eyes met. His eyes looked so different. They were more green then blue. " How did you know I didn't do it?"
"Do what?" I asked confused. He didn't answer, he justbeamed at me.
"Nothing." He sighed. "Listen, Eliza, You're gonna have to find a spare key, alright? Look in that cabinet right there." he pointed his free fingers to a little glass cabinet mounted on the wall. I sloshed over to it and flung open the doors, frantically. "It's a little silver one, Liza."
My hands flew to each little key hanging compacently on there hooks.
"Silver." I gasped. "These are all brass ones!" I cried hopelessly.
"Check right here, Eliza." He kicked a wooden desk that was beginning to displace its self due to the rising water. I searched the drawers, clawing at there contents. No luck.
"No key! There's no key!" I looked around at Nate, worriedly.
"Listen, Eliza. You're gonna have to go and find some help. It'll be alright." He assured. I pushed past the submerged furniture and threw my arms around him kissing him hard like I never would again.
"I'll be right back." I breathed, as I turned around and dissolved into the waterfilled corridor, not knowing if I would ever come back.
The water welled up around my waist as my legs struggled to fight the current. I didn't know how I got here or where here was. But important thing, I was here and so was Nathan. And he would drown if I didn't set him free.
All these corridors with there narrow white walls looked the same and I knew if anyone were down here with us, they would be screaming. So the first flight of stairs I saw dashed for them and clamored up there slick steps.
"Hello! Hello! Is anyone down here?" I called into the silent halls, running the lengths of the narrow passages over and over again. "We need help! Hello?" I cried into an empty side hallway. No answer.
"Damn it!" And I went racing down another one trying to decide which way to go while still making haste. "Can anybody hear me, please? Hello? Hello?" My voice was cracking, becoming more desperate with each cry. I leaned against the wall, panting, trying to regain control of my breathing. The lights dimmed and died, my heart pounding more rapidly as the corridor grew dark. But I was thinking only one thing. Where the hell was I?
There was a great moan of distressed metal and the lights came back on. And I heard footsteps coming down the hall and around the corner.
"Hello?" I asked weakly.
"Ah, miss, you shouldn't be down here now." Said a white uniformed man carrying life jackets.
"I need your help." I said in desperation. But the man ignored my plea and instead took me by the arm and pulled me along with him in the opposite direction.
"We'll get you topide. This way, quickly."
"There's a boy down here, He's trapped."
"This way. There is no need to panic." He said, looking at me like I was crazy.
"Please! No, I'm not panicking! You're going the wrong way!" I cried, trying to break free of his grip. "Let go of me! Listen!" He stopped and turned to me just before the lifts and without thinking I jabbed him in the nose with my fist.
He staggered back into the lift with the force of the punch, clutching his bloody nose.
"To hell with you." He said, and he disappeared back around the corner. I whipped around and saw an axe sitting in a glass case mounted on the wall. I reacted instictively, smashing the glass in with my already bruised fist and snatching it from its hook, before submerging myself yet again into the almost neck deep water. The things I did for love.
"Nate! Will this work?" I asked holding the axe above the water.
"I guess we'll find out. Come on." He exposed the short linked chain that held him to the pipe, streching it across its width. I choked up on the axe like I would a base ball bat, holding it as firmly as I could in my trembling fingers. I measured it first placing the blade of the axe to the chain before giving a swift hard swing directly in the middle. There was a lound pang of metal and Nate's hands were free. Nathan laughed, hugging and kissing my forehead.
"Come on. Lets go. Oh, shit this is cold!" He cringed as he met the water.
"Nate where are we? Whats happening?" I asked as we escaped into the flooded hallway. He chuckled, exhausted.
" In case you haven't realized, this ship is sinking." I stopped dead, stunned. Wasn't the dream I had the night I got sick about a sinking ship? Nate stopped moving to resting his forehead against mine. His breath was warm ans sweet on my face. "But don't worry. We're gonna get outta here." He took my hand and helped me through the water, confidently. I wished I was as sure we were going to make it out as he was.
When we finally stumbled onto the upper decks, it was like I was reliving my dream. There were people everywhere, dressed in strange attire running and screaming. Thick accented male voices rang out above their cries, demand order and shooting bullets into the air. It was chaos.
"The lifeboats are gone!" My eyes searched the empty davits and then aft for a sign of a significant crowd of people around a boat.
"There's got to be some left still. Come on. This way!" He gripped my hand and we ran forward up the deck pushing through the jumble of people. As we rudhed past I could have sworn I heard violins strumming out a familiar tune. How brave whoever was playing them was, not even concerned for his life.
As we came to a crowd around a lifeboat, Nate put his arms around me, to try and calm me in the midst of this hysteria. I looked down at the bow, the ocean spilling over its sides, drowning it with it s power. I looked up at the officer, pointing his gun at the starry sky and firing it over again, threatning deathas if he was almighty effing god. Wh was I kidding, we weren't getting out of hear alive. At least not nate.
"I'm not going without you." I told him, clutching the sleeves of his shirt.
"No. You have to go, now."
"No, Nate."
Get on the boat, Elizabeth." He said, pushing me toward the officer.
"No, Nate."
"Yes, get on the boat." he said even louder, taking my arms and shoving me towards the thinning crowd.
"Yes, get in the boat, Elizabeth." Suddenly, Nathan's father materialized beside them, looking ragged and dark. "My god, look at you. You look a fright. Here." He elbowed his son aside and took off his overcoat, putting it around my shoulders. He began to stroke my hair and nathan pulled me toward him protectively.
"Go on. I'll get the next one." He told me, turning away from Mr. Hockley.
"No, not without you."
"It'll be alright. Listen, it'll be fine." He pulled me closer to him, I clutched the straps of his suspenders, looking him in the eye. "I'm a survivor, all right? Don't worry about me." But I did worry about him, every day of my life. "Now go. Get on."
"I have an arrangement with an officer on the other side of the ship." Mr. Hockley leaned forward and told me in a low tone. "Nathan and I can get off safely. Both of us." I believed him. Why shouldn't I? He was nate's father after all, he should care about his safety. Yes, Nate would be fine.
"See. I got my own boat to catch." Nate said with a cock of his head. "Go."
"Come on, hurry. They're almost full." Mr. Hockley laughed nervously. I stared at him warily. But before I could press on him the officer grapped my wrist putting one huge arm around my waist. He lifted me up off my feet and up to the railing. Nate put a hand on my back to help me in.
We gripped each others hands one last time as I settled into my place in the lifeboat. And for some reason it felt like a goodbye touch. A goodbye forever touch.
"And lower away!" There was a great jerk and then the boat began to drop steadily. Everything around me seemed to be going in slow motion. Women waving farewell to their husbands and little children weeping as they departed from their fathers.
I watched as Nate and his father watched me fall, there faces still encouraging and serious at the same time. Mr. Hockley murmered something to Nate and I watche as the silent conversation progressed until Nathan expression turned somber and then he looked down at me and nodded reassuringly.
It was then, watching his handsome light up with the glow from the bursting fireworks and seeing the sparks from them rain down in the background, that I knew I'd never see him again. That for some insane reason his father would survive and he would not. And it was then I decided if he was going down, I was going down with him.
I pushed myself through the startled crowd and I heard Mr. Hockley's voice cut through the commotion. "Stop Her!" But it was too late. I lept with my famous feline grace for the railing of the lower deck and caught it in my hands. Refusing any assistance I hoisted myself over it. I saw Nate leave the railing in a rush and I dashed off into the crowd too, pushing past everyone to reach the ships interior. I came to a guilded room with a large shiny, wooden staircase. And coming swiftly down it was Nathan.
"Eliza!" We threw our arms around eachother with amazing force and vigor. He lifted me off my feet, kissing my hair and face until he found my lips. "You're so stupid! Why did you do do that, huh?" he cried and laughed as our lips met over and over again. "You're so stupid, Liza. Why did you do that? Why?"
"Because we belong together, remember?" I breathed, gasping for air. "Where you go, I go."
"Right." He sighed, pulling me into another tight embrace.
"Oh, god. I couldn't go, Nate." I cried. "I couldn't leave you."
"It's alright. We'll think of something." He assured. "It's okay."
"At least I'm with you." I wimpered as we hugged. From above there was a cry of rage and fustration and I was the first to look up and see Caledon Hockley coming down the large staicase holding a silver pistol.
"Nate!" I screamed as Mr. Hockley aimed the pistol at Nate's back and fired.
A/N: Sorry, that was boring but I figured she needed to have dream since she was knocked out and she had to be knocked out for reasons I can't say. But don't be discouraged people for next chapter comes the drama which i so love to write! xoxo-E