Still Later

I stood in my stateroom door, completely dumbfounded. We were going to sink. The unsinkable Titanic was going to sink. I swallowed a couple of times, letting the truth sink in, etch into my brain.

I turned, put on my blue skirt, with a plain blouse, and slid into boots. I didn't even bother to tie them. I slipped my pale pink jacket over my shoulders, and slipped you into the pocket. I neglected my lifejacket, however, seeing how bulky it was! Then I went to go find Daniel. He wasn't in his stateroom. I found him, luckily, by the Grand Staircase.

"Daniel!" I screamed. He turned around.

"Have you seen Erik?" He called, walking towards me. I nodded, grabbing both of his hands. They felt warm against mine, which I had just realized were shaking.

"Hannah?" He asked, looking at me with concerned eyes. "What's the matter?" I bit me lip debating whether I should tell him or not, but the look of fear and question in his green eyes determined the answer.

"I'm not supposed to tell anyone, and you have to promise you wont tell anyone, ok?" I said quietly. He nodded. "The ship..." I took a deep breath, "hit an iceberg. We are going to sink."

His eyes widened. "Are you sure?" I nodded, looking down.

"But how do you know?"

"Erik told me." I said, studying his shoes. We were silent for a second then he abruptly said "Ok. We're going to the boat deck then" He led me through the small crowd of people to the cold night air and the loud blare from the funnels.

"Women and children, only, please!" A crewman was shouting at the small crowd of oddly dressed people. Some looked around unsurely. Others were laughing as though it was a joke. Some were still in their dresses, and some had changed into pajamas.

"WOMEN AND CHILDREN PLEASE STEP FORWARD!" He bellowed over the noise of the funnels, and other crew men untying the boats. The women and children looked around nervously. Nobody wanted to get off. They thought that this was only a drill. In a few hours, they thought, they would be fast asleep in the comfort of their staterooms.

Daniel slightly pushed me forward, but I just stepped on his foot.

"Go on, get on a lifeboat," he whispered sweetly in my ear.

"No." I muttered, shaking my head

"Yes." He said, resting his hands on my small shoulders

"Unless you come with me" I said, turning to face him.

"B-but it's women and children only."

"Then I wont go on." I turned and brushed past him, walking back inside.

"Where are you going?" He asked, his voice worried, when he caught up with me.

"I need to find Erik." I heard him sharply intake his breath. I turned down a corridor, looking for my brother. I wasn't getting off this ship without knowing that he would too get off. "Daniel," I said when he reached my side. "Go up on the boat deck, I will be there when I find Erik. I just want to talk to him, Ok? I will be there shortly, just wait, where we were standing before."

I nodded nervously.

"Thank you," I said, hugging him.

"Right," he responded, turning and walking back down the corridor.

I went all the way down to the lower decks, into steerage, before I found Erik. He was checking all the rooms to make sure that they were empty. He stopped at one, and rested his head against the wall. In the distance I swore I could hear the vague sound of rushing water.

"Erik?" I asked nervously, walking up to him. He looked up.

"Hannah?" He said, weakly. "What are you doing here? You need to be up on the boat deck!"

"What about you? Aren't you coming up to the boat deck?"

Erik looked around, a strange look in his eyes. He walked over to me, and placed his hands on my shoulders.

"Hannah, listen to me. You have to get up on the boat deck, you have to get on a lifeboat. Don't worry about me," he said, swallowing hard. The sound of water was steadily growing louder.

"But Erik..." I said.

"No, Hannah," he said, shaking me slightly, "you have to go. Where's your lifebelt?!" I shrugged, he clicked his tongue impatiently.

"C'mon," He said, grabbing my hand. He led me back up to the grand staircase; a lot of people where still bustling around.

"Go on..." he said, egging me forward onto the boat deck.

"Will you make it?" I asked, turning back to him.

He simply looked at the ground at said, "Good-bye Hannah, I love you."

Then he disappeared into the crowd of people.