Mei felt as though she were already drowning while she stared at the churning waters of the Atlantic ocean below her. Drowning in expectations and the presence of her overbearing new fiance, whose ring sat so heavy on her hand that it would surely sink her straight to the bottom of the ocean floor should she jump in.
Standing on the stern of this massive ship, the salty wind nipping at the exposed skin of her neck and collar bones, Mei was struck with the realization that no one would really care if she disappeared off this deck. Except maybe her fiance would be upset that he would have to inherit her fortune some other way. Maybe it was the spite, or the tightness of her corset causing her lightheadedness, or maybe she had finally had enough of slowly suffocating on her responsibilities…
One way or another, she found herself climbing over the railing. Her mind curiously empty, the freezing air liberating in a way. The temperature of the water would surely kill her before she could drown, her analytical mind whispered to her. It would be quick. It would be better than this. If she had a choice in anything at all, she'd choose the icy embrace of this ocean over that man breathing into her ear one more time.
"Oh- oh my god, hey!" a stranger's voice disturbed the calm haze Mei had found herself in. "Heyheyhey, whoa- don't do it," breathless and concerned, a woman's voice reached for her. Mei's grip tightened on the railing and she glanced over her shoulder. "Please don't do it, Miss!"
"Don't come any closer," Mei warned the woman off. She hadn't planned to have an audience, and the sight of the woman was a shock in itself. She was dressed in a vest and trousers, having already ripped the raggedy coat off her own shoulders just moments ago, as evidenced by the garment being carried away in the wind now. Messy blonde hair flew about a delicate face and green eyes, wide with fear and focused on her. What was it about this crisp Atlantic air that brought everything into startling clarity, Mei wondered.
Despite the warning, the woman was already pulling off her boots in a hurry. It finally occurred to Mei that the mystery woman was preparing to jump in after her and her heart sank. The woman face planted trying to pry off a particularly tight boot, and it was Mei's turn to be concerned about her so-called rescuer.
The blonde recovered quickly, scrambling up, red-faced, and refocused on Mei, who was still perched on the wrong side of the ship's railing, one step away from oblivion. Ripping her gaze away from the spectacle of the odd woman, Mei faced the calling ocean once more. "Don't bother jumping in after me," Mei tried once more to shake off the audience. "The water would just kill us both."
"That's too bad then," the vest was the next thing to go from her person. She proceeded to push the suspenders off her shoulders. She was a bit closer now, slowly approaching Mei as she stripped. "My mama is waiting for me, but I think she'd kill me anyway if she found out I let someone give up their life right in front of me."
"And what business is it of yours?" Mei, against her better judgment, engaged with the woman now standing within arm's length. She made the mistake of looking at her again, only to find a kind face.
"Miss, I don't think you really want to do this," she said.
Heat encroached the tips of Mei's ears as her calm was taken over by annoyance. "How dare you to presume what it is I want to do, you don't know me."
The woman winced at her misstep, grabbing the railing herself next to Mei's grip. "You would have done so already if you really wanted to…" she ventured in a tentative voice. "I can't even imagine the circumstances that would bring you to this point, but I promise there's another way out." She reached out slowly. "C' mon, just give me your hand, I'll pull you over."
Mei shook her head. "You're absurd."
The other woman managed a strained laugh at those words. "So I've been told! But with all due respect, Miss, I'm not the one hanging off the back of the ship."
Mei's indignant look was icier than the depths she faced, but the blonde maintained eye contact, pleading. For some reason her presence this close was a warm one. Warm enough that Mei felt her blood singing through her veins again, and she realized that she was shaking. The outstretched hand beckoned her towards safety once again and Mei hesitantly reached her hand out to take it. She hadn't realized she had been crying, but making contact with another human being was bringing all her senses back to her. Even her heartbeat felt livelier than ever, beating with the strength of the ship's engine as their gazes remained locked together. The woman's grip was strong and sure as she pulled her back around and encouraged her to climb back over the railing with a relieved smile.
Mei took the step, and then she was falling- her foot had slipped off the slippery railing. A scream escaped her when she plummeted for a split second before the grip on her hand stopped her descent. The blonde let out a shout of surprise when she found herself holding Mei's entire weight. Her feet dangled over the suddenly hungry ocean reaching for her.
"I've got you!" the woman yelled, straining as she gripped Mei's forearm with unexpected strength. "C' mon!"
Mei's head was flooded with fear, what she thought she wanted only moments ago was now a slip away from happening and it paralyzed her.
"Hey! Look at me!" the woman yelled at her. Her face was clear with determination, even as she struggled. "I promise I won't let go no matter what! Now c' mon and pull yourself up!"
Her words compelled Mei to reach up to the railing, finding the strength within herself to climb up with the support of the stranger. "I've got you," she continued to repeat as she pulled and Mei climbed. As she gathered her in her arms and pulled her over the railing at last and onto the hard deck floors. As Mei cried and shook with the shock and clung to her. Even still as footsteps thundered towards their direction and members of the Titanic's crew pulled the blonde off of her.