A/N Okay, next chapter. Please Read and Review!! ^_^
Chapter Thirteen ~ Locked Gates
They scrambled along the corridors like rats after food. Rosa was pushed and shoved, but managed to keep with Mia. As they reached their destination, there was a crowd of people, shouting angrily.
A set of gates, locked blocked their way through. And standing on the other side was a stressed steward, with a set of keys in one hand and a gun on the other.
Rosa blinked at the sight of it.
"Why does he have a gun, Rosa?" Mia said, softly.
Rosa looked down and forced a smile. "To keep the order." She craned her neck, and stared to the top of the stairs. They couldn't get any closer, and it didn't seem like the steward was ready to open the gate.
Mia pulled softly on her sleeve.
"What!" Rosa demanded. "Oh I'm sorry, Mia, I didn't mean to shout." She looked back up to where two of the men were arguing with the steward.
"I'm scared." The child.
"Oh Mia," Rosa breathed. "Don't be scared, not yet."
"Rosa!"
"Mr Tiller." She said, with a sigh of relief.
He clambered down the stairs, after talking to the steward.
"What's going on?"
He looked down towards the floor, and then up into the frightened face of the seven year old. "Rosa. . ."
"Tell me. I mean is it serious?" She said.
Conrad began to fiddle with his chin, rubbing his hand against it, as though trying to avoid the question. "Look, Rosa, the ship's sinking."
She shock took her breath away, she just stared in to space not really seeing anything. Her brain blocked out the noise coming from the rabble of steerage passengers. He grabbed Rosa by the shoulders and shook her to gain her attention.
"Listen, Rosa. . ."
"There aren't enough boats, two thousand, two thousand, that's what he said. . ."
"Who?"
She shook her head. "It doesn't matter." Her heart was pounding uncontrollably in her chest. "Why. . .why. . .aren't. . .why aren't they opening the gates?" She panted.
He couldn't look into her terrified face, instead he stared down at the spotless floor.
"Why?" She yelled.
Mia began to sob noisily. She had never seen Rosa lose control, or seem scared or even nervous. Rosa
was Rosa. A tower block of strength when it came to life. Mia still possessed that childish fantasy that those you loved could do anything. They could fly if they wanted too, turn the earth, colour the sky green. But Rosa couldn't do any of those things. And now as they stood pressed tightly against the wall, the former lady's mate ignored the crying girl.
"First class get to the boats before us."
Rosa turned away and blinked back the tears. She stared at the wall, blocking her eyes to the painful shouts.
"We canna not go this way!" One man yelled. "I gonna find me some way else." Some followed him, many did not. The women held back their tears whilst comforting horrified children. The men tugged at the iron gates, but they weren't going to move.
Conrad gripped Rosa's hand as the lights flickered, and they were left momentarily in the dark.
Mia screamed even louder.
"Thank you." Rosa said, nodding.
Conrad smiled. "Come, we should follow Ernest, we need to get out of here."
Rosa nodded, again. She looked down, and grabbed Mia's hand again. "We're gonna go another way to the boats." She told her, wiping away the child's tears. "I know you're scared Mia, we all are. Just be a good girl, okay?"
Mia nodded, and they began to fight their way back down the deck, away from the stairs. As they went back the way they came, Rosa stopped as they went past her cabin.
"Wait a second," she said.
Conrad Tiller shook his head, annoyed. He grabbed her hand and tried to pull her along, she wrenched free.
"We don't have time for this!" He yelled, angrily. "For you to go and pack your bloody suitcase!"
She stared at him disgusted. "I don't want to pack my suitcase, I have nothing worth saving except my life. But Mrs Smith. . .she doesn't know. . ."
"Well be quick." He replied, staring down the deserted deck.
She looked past him, water was starting to seep down the hall. The very sight of it sent a chill to her heart.
She pushed open the door to her cabin, at first she thought it was empty, she flickered on the light.
Mrs Smith jumped up. "You scared me again, young Rosa." Her voice shook.
"The ship is sinking." Rosa said, quickly. She pulled a life jacket down from the top of the wardrobe, and threw it at the sulking woman. "Put this on, and follow me."
She ran to the door, but Mrs Smith did not follow. She turned back. "Come on!"
"She's gone, Rosa." The woman said rocking back and forth slightly.
"What? What are you talking about? Don't you realise the ship is sinking?"
"Lottie's gone. She's forsaken her family, and all for. . .all for him!"
"What are you talking about?"
"She arranged to meet Herlington here."
Rosa stared at the woman as though she was mad, her gibberish made no sense to the desperate seventeen year old, they didn't have time to mess around. The water was already seeping under the door.
Mrs Smith's ears and eyes were closed, she hardly noticed Rosa's presence, as she continued to mutter to herself.
"Mrs Smith!" She said, shaking her. "We have to go!"
"Rosa, come on!" Conrad pushed open the door, and stared angrily around the cabin with Mia sniffing by his side.
Rosa took Mrs Smith's hand and brought her to her feet. "We have to go and get into a boat." Rosa said slowly.
Mrs Smith glared at her. "I'm not going nowhere without my dear, dear Charlotte."
Rosa closed her sighs with a sigh, she was ready to give up. She couldn't leave Mrs Smith to die, nor she could she bare to wait in the cabin for the sea to swallow her up. She had to fight, it wasn't her fault, it was how she was born. She couldn't just stand still and let things wash over her. It wasn't who she was.
"You go to the boat deck, I'll go and find Lottie." She said, reassuringly.
Mrs Smith nodded, and carried on muttering to herself. Mia looked up at her fearfully. She was not use to people acting in this way. She couldn't understand the reason for Mrs Smith's change in character.
"What?!" exclaimed Conrad.
"Take Mia." She cried.
Mia shook her head, and latched tighter to her hand.
"Are you mad!? I can't leave you!"
"Look, I'll meet you on the boat deck, alright. But I have to find Lottie. Please, Conrad, please take Mia, make sure she gets onto a boat." Mia threw her arms around Rosa's neck, sobbing heavily onto her shoulder.
"I'm not leaving you."
The water had reached their feet, wetting the soles of their shoes.
"Come on!" Conrad yelled.
She passed the weeping child to Conrad, who held her in his arms.
"Thank you." Rosa said, with enormous feeling in her voice. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet," Conrad said, with a slight smile. "I haven't saved the little critter, yet."
Rosa kissed Mia on the cheek. "I love you, so much."
She pressed Conrad's arm. "I'm trusting you with the most important, and precious thing in my life, don't let me down."
"If there's a way out, I'll find it."
"I know you will. Take Mia and Mrs Smith get them on a boat. I'll meet you there with Lottie."
He nodded. "Good luck."
"You too." Rosa gave Mia a final kiss goodbye and ran off down the corridor.
Mia screamed. "Rosa!"
Chapter Thirteen ~ Locked Gates
They scrambled along the corridors like rats after food. Rosa was pushed and shoved, but managed to keep with Mia. As they reached their destination, there was a crowd of people, shouting angrily.
A set of gates, locked blocked their way through. And standing on the other side was a stressed steward, with a set of keys in one hand and a gun on the other.
Rosa blinked at the sight of it.
"Why does he have a gun, Rosa?" Mia said, softly.
Rosa looked down and forced a smile. "To keep the order." She craned her neck, and stared to the top of the stairs. They couldn't get any closer, and it didn't seem like the steward was ready to open the gate.
Mia pulled softly on her sleeve.
"What!" Rosa demanded. "Oh I'm sorry, Mia, I didn't mean to shout." She looked back up to where two of the men were arguing with the steward.
"I'm scared." The child.
"Oh Mia," Rosa breathed. "Don't be scared, not yet."
"Rosa!"
"Mr Tiller." She said, with a sigh of relief.
He clambered down the stairs, after talking to the steward.
"What's going on?"
He looked down towards the floor, and then up into the frightened face of the seven year old. "Rosa. . ."
"Tell me. I mean is it serious?" She said.
Conrad began to fiddle with his chin, rubbing his hand against it, as though trying to avoid the question. "Look, Rosa, the ship's sinking."
She shock took her breath away, she just stared in to space not really seeing anything. Her brain blocked out the noise coming from the rabble of steerage passengers. He grabbed Rosa by the shoulders and shook her to gain her attention.
"Listen, Rosa. . ."
"There aren't enough boats, two thousand, two thousand, that's what he said. . ."
"Who?"
She shook her head. "It doesn't matter." Her heart was pounding uncontrollably in her chest. "Why. . .why. . .aren't. . .why aren't they opening the gates?" She panted.
He couldn't look into her terrified face, instead he stared down at the spotless floor.
"Why?" She yelled.
Mia began to sob noisily. She had never seen Rosa lose control, or seem scared or even nervous. Rosa
was Rosa. A tower block of strength when it came to life. Mia still possessed that childish fantasy that those you loved could do anything. They could fly if they wanted too, turn the earth, colour the sky green. But Rosa couldn't do any of those things. And now as they stood pressed tightly against the wall, the former lady's mate ignored the crying girl.
"First class get to the boats before us."
Rosa turned away and blinked back the tears. She stared at the wall, blocking her eyes to the painful shouts.
"We canna not go this way!" One man yelled. "I gonna find me some way else." Some followed him, many did not. The women held back their tears whilst comforting horrified children. The men tugged at the iron gates, but they weren't going to move.
Conrad gripped Rosa's hand as the lights flickered, and they were left momentarily in the dark.
Mia screamed even louder.
"Thank you." Rosa said, nodding.
Conrad smiled. "Come, we should follow Ernest, we need to get out of here."
Rosa nodded, again. She looked down, and grabbed Mia's hand again. "We're gonna go another way to the boats." She told her, wiping away the child's tears. "I know you're scared Mia, we all are. Just be a good girl, okay?"
Mia nodded, and they began to fight their way back down the deck, away from the stairs. As they went back the way they came, Rosa stopped as they went past her cabin.
"Wait a second," she said.
Conrad Tiller shook his head, annoyed. He grabbed her hand and tried to pull her along, she wrenched free.
"We don't have time for this!" He yelled, angrily. "For you to go and pack your bloody suitcase!"
She stared at him disgusted. "I don't want to pack my suitcase, I have nothing worth saving except my life. But Mrs Smith. . .she doesn't know. . ."
"Well be quick." He replied, staring down the deserted deck.
She looked past him, water was starting to seep down the hall. The very sight of it sent a chill to her heart.
She pushed open the door to her cabin, at first she thought it was empty, she flickered on the light.
Mrs Smith jumped up. "You scared me again, young Rosa." Her voice shook.
"The ship is sinking." Rosa said, quickly. She pulled a life jacket down from the top of the wardrobe, and threw it at the sulking woman. "Put this on, and follow me."
She ran to the door, but Mrs Smith did not follow. She turned back. "Come on!"
"She's gone, Rosa." The woman said rocking back and forth slightly.
"What? What are you talking about? Don't you realise the ship is sinking?"
"Lottie's gone. She's forsaken her family, and all for. . .all for him!"
"What are you talking about?"
"She arranged to meet Herlington here."
Rosa stared at the woman as though she was mad, her gibberish made no sense to the desperate seventeen year old, they didn't have time to mess around. The water was already seeping under the door.
Mrs Smith's ears and eyes were closed, she hardly noticed Rosa's presence, as she continued to mutter to herself.
"Mrs Smith!" She said, shaking her. "We have to go!"
"Rosa, come on!" Conrad pushed open the door, and stared angrily around the cabin with Mia sniffing by his side.
Rosa took Mrs Smith's hand and brought her to her feet. "We have to go and get into a boat." Rosa said slowly.
Mrs Smith glared at her. "I'm not going nowhere without my dear, dear Charlotte."
Rosa closed her sighs with a sigh, she was ready to give up. She couldn't leave Mrs Smith to die, nor she could she bare to wait in the cabin for the sea to swallow her up. She had to fight, it wasn't her fault, it was how she was born. She couldn't just stand still and let things wash over her. It wasn't who she was.
"You go to the boat deck, I'll go and find Lottie." She said, reassuringly.
Mrs Smith nodded, and carried on muttering to herself. Mia looked up at her fearfully. She was not use to people acting in this way. She couldn't understand the reason for Mrs Smith's change in character.
"What?!" exclaimed Conrad.
"Take Mia." She cried.
Mia shook her head, and latched tighter to her hand.
"Are you mad!? I can't leave you!"
"Look, I'll meet you on the boat deck, alright. But I have to find Lottie. Please, Conrad, please take Mia, make sure she gets onto a boat." Mia threw her arms around Rosa's neck, sobbing heavily onto her shoulder.
"I'm not leaving you."
The water had reached their feet, wetting the soles of their shoes.
"Come on!" Conrad yelled.
She passed the weeping child to Conrad, who held her in his arms.
"Thank you." Rosa said, with enormous feeling in her voice. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet," Conrad said, with a slight smile. "I haven't saved the little critter, yet."
Rosa kissed Mia on the cheek. "I love you, so much."
She pressed Conrad's arm. "I'm trusting you with the most important, and precious thing in my life, don't let me down."
"If there's a way out, I'll find it."
"I know you will. Take Mia and Mrs Smith get them on a boat. I'll meet you there with Lottie."
He nodded. "Good luck."
"You too." Rosa gave Mia a final kiss goodbye and ran off down the corridor.
Mia screamed. "Rosa!"
