This is my longest chapter yet, and I'm pretty proud. There's some unexpected things happening at the end of this chapter, and I hope people find it exciting. I haven't yet reached 50 reviews, and I desperately want to, so I think this might be my last chapter until I reach that goal. It's just 6 more reviews, people! Please! I just want to say, though, THANK YOU EVERYONE SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS! They make my day, no, my week! It completely inspires me to keep writing. I love all you guys :)
Rose spent the next few days in bed, tears streaming down her face so frequently that it seemed as though she would get permanent tear tracks etched into her cheeks. Jack consoled her at first, but realized that she wanted to spend some time alone. Jasmine spent the hours curled up beside her, wondering why her master was so sad.
Maddie was Rose's best friend, the person she could always confide in. Now that she was gone…Rose didn't know what she would do.
They adopted Lainey, as Rose had promised that they would. They used some of the money that Maddie had left for Lainey to design her a beautiful new room.
In Maddie's will, she had left about half of her money to children's orphanages across the country. Most of the rest had gone to her daughter, Lainey, but she had left a generous amount to Rose, too. Rose and Jack were just storing the money for now, as they weren't sure what to do with it.
There was a small funeral for Maddie at her old house. Rose and Jack got there early for the open casket ceremony. Handing Josephine and Lainey to Eddie, they slowly walked up to the front. Rose looked into the shiny black casket and burst into tears again when she saw Maddie's face.
Maddie's eyes were closed, as though she was sleeping. She was dressed in a simple, beautiful dress, and her hair was piled high on her head, much like the hairdo that she had had on Titanic. Her lips were red and full, and her porcelain skin was no longer clammy. She looked peaceful, healthy, and so much alive that Rose half-expected her eyes to pop open.
Jack held Rose's hand as he led her back to their seats. She kept her eyes on the ground for the whole ceremony, thinking about the last conversation she had had with Maddie.
"Please be careful," Rose told Maddie as she got up to leave.
Maddie rolled her eyes. "Oh, Rose, you worry too much. I'll be fine! I'll see you this weekend, right?"
"Of course," Rose promised. As she walked out the door, the last image she had was of Maddie smiling at her, holding Lainey in her arms.
"Time to go, Rose." Rose was jerked back to the present as Jack held out his hand, smiling gently at her. She allowed herself to be led home with their daughters in her arms.
The months passed, and as it became hot, then cold again, Rose slowly healed from Maddie's death. She starred in several plays in the local theater, and took care of the house and becoming an excellent cook.
However, Santa Monica just didn't seem the same as it did before. Between the newspaper that warned people to look for Jack and Maddie's death, it was like all the fire and passion that drew her and Jack to the city had been extinguished.
Meanwhile, Josephine and Lainey grew. Rose loved them equally. They learned to crawl, and Lainey took her first steps. Both said their first words in early November, despite the fact that Josephine was about 2 months younger.
Josephine's first word was "puppy"—Jasmine (who had grown into a 60-pound golden retriever) had been very attached to Josephine since she was born, and was kind of like her personal guard dog. They spent all hours of the day playing together, so neither Rose nor Jack were surprised by the first word that Josephine spoke.
Lainey's first word was "Mama". She was addressing Rose when she said it. Rose smiled and praised her for speaking, but as soon as she was alone, she dissolved into tears.
When she had heard Lainey say "Mama", it had reminded her of Maddie all over again. How could she tell Lainey that she wasn't actually her mother? And when?
One day in late November, Rose was playing with the girls on the floor when Jack walked in. "How was work?" she asked as she welcomed him with a kiss.
"Same old, same old." He smiled, but Rose could see that he was slightly frustrated, and she knew why.
Every day, he sold art on the pier. People loved his work, but he didn't just want to be a street artist the rest of his life—he wanted his career to go somewhere.
As they ate dinner, Jasmine started barking at a wall. "Ignore it," Rose told Jack when he looked puzzled. "She's been like that all day."
Jasmine had been acting weird the entire day—hiding behind Rose's legs for no apparent reason and barking at empty spaces. It was almost as though she sensed something that no one else could see.
That night, Jack and Rose were lying in bed with Jasmine curled up at their feet. Rose was watching shadows dance across the walls and listening to Jack's slow, deep breathing, when Jasmine stood up and barked louder then she had the whole day.
Jack woke with a start and looked around. "What's she barking about?"
Rose had opened her mouth to say, "I don't know" when she felt it, too. There was a stiffness in the air. The next moment, she felt a slight vibration.
Jack and Rose turned to look at each other. The vibration stopped, and all was still. Next moment, all hell broke loose.
There was a terrible trembling, as if the earth was tearing itself apart. Their dresser was knocked over, and all the pictures fell off the walls. "Earthquake!" Rose screamed. The bed vibrated so much that she fell right off of the side.
"Rose!" she heard Jack yell. The next moment, she felt his strong arms around her, pulling her back up.
"Jack, we have to get Josie and Lainey!" she cried.
They crawled towards the baby's rooms, reeling with shock. That's what Jasmine had been barking about all day, they realized. Animals can sense earthquakes before they happen.
"I'll get Josie, you get Lainey!" Jack shouted.
Rose nodded and moved towards Lainey's room. Crawling inside, she saw Lainey screaming in her crib as all her furniture fell down around her.
Rose grabbed her and started to make her way out of the room, but just then Lainey's chestnut armoire fell in front of them, narrowly missing them but pinning them against a corner.
She gathered Lainey to her, pressing Lainey's face into her shoulder and speaking softly to her. "Shh…it will be okay…"
She could hear Jack screaming her name and Josephine crying loudly, but she was so scared that it seemed as though her voice was almost gone.
Then, as suddenly as it began, it was over. The vibration stopped, and everything was deathly still. "Rose!" Jack came dashing into the room, holding Josephine in his arms. He spotted them trapped behind the armoire, and, after a few moments of exertion, managed to pull it away from them.
Rose collapsed into Jack's arms, shaking all over. "J-Jack…everything is ruined…w-what are we going to d-do?"
Jasmine appeared in the doorway. She had a nasty cut on her paw, but immediately limped over to Josephine and cuddled up to her. Josephine threw her arms around Jasmine. "Puppy!"
Jack and Rose looked at each other. They had to do anything to protect these children, and what to do was clear.
It was time to leave Santa Monica.