It's summer again, like it was the last time I was here. I can feel the cool air rush over my face and pick up strands of my hair. I look up at the electric blue sky, with the sun shining out on the pier. We're back in Santa Monica. I let out a smile, I feel so happy, I know everything's perfect. We're walking along the pier now, all three of us. I look up to my left and see Jack, he catches my eye and smiles at me his eyes lighting up like they always do when he smiles, I smile back, I don't even know how we got here, I can't remember anything before now, but I don't care, it's so beautiful here.
Rose is with us to, she turns round from looking out to sea and smiles when she sees me, her hair looks even more red, and glittering like diamonds. God, I've never seen her look so beautiful. The pier's so busy; people are everywhere, the fairs here too, with the huge wooden rollercoaster rushing past and the track. I can hear the sea gulls above, but these ones aren't vicious, they seem friendly, there not stealing people's food anyway! Like the one the stole daddy's ice cream...
Daddy, where is he? Just then a wave a relief hits me, suddenly I know he's ok, even though he's not with us now, he's around here somewhere, so are Tommy and Fabrizio.
Suddenly rose steps out in front of us, she looks at Jack, smiling, he looks at her just as much in love, then she kisses him, it lasts about ten seconds, I know that I really shouldn't, but I watch anyway, it makes me so happy, to see them together, so in love. They eventually break away; she looks at me happily, and then gets down to my level.
"Let's run." Her melodic voice rings, I laugh, why does she want to run? I look up at Jack, he looks just as confused as I do, but smiling at her all the same.
"Let's run!" She takes my hand and we run as fast as we can through the pier, laughing as we weave in and out of people and rides, we can hear Jack behind us, we took off before he did, he's laughing too. The wind gushes through my ears and the hem of mine and roses' dress dances in the wind, I look up at her, it's getting hard to run while laughing! I'm getting out of breath, but I still can't stop, I don't want to ever stop! She's smiling as she runs with me, her eyes look electric, she looks as alive, I feel so alive too, like if we just jumped, we could fly, above the pier, above the clouds! It's like a hundred electric currents are running through me, I can feel, hear, see everything, and the best part is, it's so perfect here! Everyone's happy, no one is hurt, or scared, or worried about anything!
Just as I think this we come to a stop, laughing so hard that I can hardly breathe! We've come to a grassy bank on a hill just above the pavement of the pier, with a deep oak wooden bench with a gold plaque on it. Jack catches us up just then, god, how fats were we running? He runs straight to Rose and picks her up in his arms, spinning her round and round, she shrikes and laughs as he does so. The he stops and kisses her again, before putting her down. He looks at me then.
"Oh no, I've not forgotten you." He says to me and picks me up and spins me around to, until I scream when it gets too fast, I can hear Roses' laugh in the background, and Jack laughs to as he puts me down. That's weird, usually it takes at least 5 mins before I can see properly when I've been spun round, but the pier isn't spinning, I can see fine. This place really is amazing. Rose is sat on the bench, in the blue and pink and white dress she has on, it's not like any of the other clothes I've seen her in, it's more relaxed, not as formal, she looks beautiful in it. She beckons me over and holds out her hand outstretched to Jack, to show that she wants' him to come over too. I walk over and sit beside her; Jack takes her hand and sits the other side of her.
"It's going to be okay." She says calmly to me, still happy, I don't know what she means, everything is okay now, why wouldn't it be? I don't think about it much though, I know that it is.
"Now it's gonna be tough, but we're gonna get though it alright, nothings gonna hurt you two. " Jack says, this is really weird, what are they talking about?! But I know that Jack won't ever let anything happen to me or Rose, but nothing can harm us here, everything's so perfect here.
"Cora." Rose says looking at me more serious now. "When it happens, whatever happens, don't let go of my hand, in there, don't let go of it." I nod when she finishes. I can feel the importance of what she's just said, I don't know why it's important, but I know I can't not do what she says.
She smiles again, she looks at jack and he does to. She leans back onto Jack, and I lean onto her as we sit there, Jack has his arm around us both.
"It's going to be fine..." Her voice fades, the sunlight's getting brighter and brighter as I look out at the scene of the pier below us, it looks so beautiful, I've never seen greener grass, or bluer sky, everything so detailed and spectacular. It's still getting brighter, brighter still, until the feel of the bench and her warm skin fades away until...
"Everybody up, life belts on!" I wake with a start as the light switch suddenly flicks on and I hear a pile of, it sounds like coats, fall to the ground. I have no idea what's going on, what's happening? Santa Monica, Jack, Rose, it's all gone, where has it gone? I rub my eyes and sit up as I try to wake up more. Life belts? Why do we need them? Slowly my eyes adjust to the room, until I can see properly. Everyone else is waking up, looking around, trying to work out what's going on.
It was so real, the grass, the pier, Jack and Rose, everything, it couldn't have been a dream, it couldn't! But it must have been....no, it wasn't a dream, there's more to it than that, we were really there, another place, the place after this world, maybe, where everything is perfect. Mommy said it was like that...
"What, what's he on about?" I hear daddy say from his bed. I'll think about the pier later, I've gotta work out what's going on here first. I've adjusted to the brightness now, daddy, Tommy and Alec are awake now. I throw the covers back and look over the bed railing to see what the officer threw on the floor, they're white, and puffy, oh, there life belts! They look... no way
"Oh what, you've gotta be jokin!" Tommy shouts as he gets up and steps in, water! Water! Why is there water in- no, no way, oh my god! It clicks just then, we're sinking! Oh my god, what's gonna happen, they said it couldn't sink, how-
"Cora, get dressed quick!" Daddy says quickly, snapping me out of my frozen panic, quickly I grab my clothes and put them on over my night dress, it's only thin material. I put my shoes on and grab my doll and climb down the ladder of the bunk, jumping at the last two steps. Alec runs out of the room just then, in panic, shouting in Swedish, he probably wants' to find his friends, the one's in Jacks room,
Jack! Is Jack gonna be okay? And Rose! What about her? Please let them be alright, god please let them be okay.
Everything was a blur then, Daddy finished putting his shoes on and took my hand and we raced down the corridor, twisting and turning at points. At one corridor rats were in front of us, they were running away too, usually I would have screamed, but I was too scared now, thoughts rushed through my head, what's gonna happen, are we gonna be okay, are Jack and Rose gonna be okay, where are we going, why, what about Tommy, daddy.
All these thoughts rushed past that I couldn't hear anything else. Suddenly.
"Oh god life belts!" Daddy stopped, brining me back to reality. I looked down and panicked, we were so busy rushing we forgot to put life belts on. Daddy looked in one room with the door open and found a few spare life belts. He tried to put one on me, but it was too big, it came down to my knees.
"That's the only size, oh shit." Tommy said, I looked up at daddy, panic written on my face. He pulled the life belt off me.
"Don't worry, you won't need one, they'll sort you out if anything bad is happening alright? I won't let anything hurt you." Daddy said as he picked me up and we started walking again. I look back over his shoulder and see the life belts on the floor, the two life belts!
"Daddy, go back you need one!" I said quickly to him, I need daddy to have one, he needs to be okay.
"If you can't av one then I'm not getting one." He said " I'm not putting myself before you." He said to me. I was about to day that he wouldn't be putting himself before me, he'd just be sure that he would be safe, when we turned the corner and saw a huge crowd of people on the stairway. Some were shouting at the officers on the other side of the gate, the gate, it's locked, why is it locked, we need to get out. Maybe they've come to unlock it.
"Oh god, come on." Daddy says as we go into the crowd. Tommy pushes through to the top to see what's going on. All the people in here are third class, like us. I feel tired here, been held by daddy. I hope this all get's sorted out soon...
"Please stay calm! Gentlemen allow women and children though to the front." The officer says for the hundredth time again. We must have been here at least half an hour. I keep drifting in and out of sleep. Why doesn't he just let everyone go through, then we can all get on boats, if we need to get on boats, I still don't really get what's going on. I feel a wave a tiredness wash over me again....
"You can't keep us locked up in here like animals, the ships bloody sinking!" I wake up suddenly to Tommy shouting at the officer. Why don't they just let us through! I look around again, I can't find Jack or Fabrizio anywhere...maybe Jack's with Rose, after all he did walk off to the first class part, but what about Fabrizio...
"Bring forward the women! Unlock the gates..." The officer on the other side of the gate says to another officer at the top with the keys, keys, there letting us out...well, only women, that's not fair, I want my daddy to be allowed out, I need daddy to be okay.
"Cora, when he opens them, run out, he'll let you through." Daddy said to me.
"I don't wanna go without you..."
"Women only!" The officer shouted, before daddy even had a chance to put me down the crowd was pushing and shoving, men were trying to get through too, why aren't they allowed through too? People shout and scream, I can hear and see people get hit, get hit, just for trying to break free? I scream as we get pushed and shoved and daddy turns me around in his arms and pulls me close to him. I let the tears run down my face, I jump as I hear a gun fire, making everyone and me scream. I can't block out the noise , I try to but I can't. I can feel the crowd moving and pushing, please let it stop soon, please let it stop.
"FOR GOD'S SAKE MAN THERE ARE WOMEN AND CHILDREN DOWN HERE, LET US UP SO WE CAN HAVE A CHANCE!" Tommy shouts at the officer. Slowly the crowd stops pushing and I dare to look up, wiping the tear stains away.
"Don't cry Cora, It'll be fine, I promise alright." Daddy says to me, I nod and hug him, I really hope it will be okay.
"Jack!" Tommy shouts, I look up quickly and scan the crowd, Jack, Jack! I see him! He's okay! And Rose! She's there too! Daddy looks to, and then see's Jack. While I'm looking Jack see's me in the crowd and looks relieved, daddy pushes back through the crowd like Tommy's doing to go where Jack is, I ump down from daddy and run to where Jack is.
"Tommy!" Jack says back to him and they brotherly hug. I get to where they are just then.
"Cora!" He hugs me tight, like he's so relieved I'm okay, I hug him tight to. Afterward I look to Rose, she's looking at me too, she bends down to hug me.
"Thank god you're okay." She breathes. Her shins cold and wet, and her hairs wet to, they must have gone somewhere really flooded. When we finish hugging she manages a weak smile, but she's still worried, so am I as I turn back to look at Jack and Tommy.
"Can we get out?" Jack asks.
"It's hopeless that way!" Tommy replied, there's no way of getting outta there.
"Well whatever we do we've gotta do it fast." Jack said
"Jack!" We all heard an Italian accent, it was Fabrizio!
"Fabrizio!" Jack hugged his best friend.
"The boats are all gone." Fabrizio said-what, they were all gone, all of them, I suddenly felt sick to the stomach. They can't be all gone, no, there must be some left.
"This whole place is flooding we've gotta get outta here."
"There's niente this way." Fabrizio replied, niente must mean nothing in Italian.
"All right, let's go this way come on." Jack said to all of us and took my hand as we turned to go the other way...
"Wait." Daddy said, we all turned back round.
"You take Cora, but I'm not going, you just make sure she's safe." Daddy said, I felt my heartbeat quicken, no, daddy has to come, he can come, why doesn't he want to go with us. I run up to him
"No daddy, come with us, please, we want you to come." I said to him quickly, he has to come, I need him.
"Come on Joe, come with us." Jack called to daddy, we wanted him to come, I needed him, why won't he come.
"No, Cora, there are people down here that need help, I've gotta try and help them, besides, I'm not really up to running, I'll just slow you down." Daddy replied, no, no, he has to come, it was so like daddy, to want to help other people, but I need him, I need him to be with me.
"But daddy I need you to help me, I need you to be okay." I cried, tears were going down his face to, he looked at me and pulled me into a tight hug.
"You listen to me, I'll be fine, okay, don't worry about me, I'll get through this." Daddy said and then pulled away from our hug to look at me again. "I'll be alright, promise, I'll see you, I just need you to be safe, I need you to stay safe for me." Daddy replied, I tried to breathe calmly and nodded, it had always been me and daddy, since mommy got taken to hospital, we'd always been together, keeping each other strong, it felt wrong to break away.
"I don't wanna go if you're not going." I said to him quietly, I took both of my shoulders.
"Cora, I promise you, I'll be fine, don't worry about me! Go with Jack, he'll look after you, and I promise I'll be alright, but you have to go, okay? You have to run for it. Okay? "
I looked back to Jack and everyone else, they were watching us with sad eyes. I turned back to daddy.
"Promise I'll be fine." He said firmly. I loved him so much, more than my own life. I don't want to break away, I need him to be okay. I looked in his eyes, he was telling the truth, he really did think that he was gonna be okay. Daddy's determined, and I know he won't rest until he is okay. He wants me to be safe so bad, I know he does. He trusts me to go and be safe without him, so, and it hurts, but I have to trust him to be safe to.
"Okay, I love you daddy." I hug him tight and he hugs me back.
"Love you Cora, so much." He said, finally we broke away, and managed weak smiles before I ran back to Jack and everyone else, Rose squeezed my hand tight, trying to tell me that it was okay.
"I'll take care of her, I promise." Jack said to daddy, daddy nodded. I looked at him one last time, he looked so determined, to help these people, to save himself. Just then, I knew he could do it, I knew he'd be okay. Even so I still prayed
Please let daddy be safe, please take care of him god. I prayed silently. Everyone else said their goodbyes to daddy, and then we made our way through the corridor, I held on to Roses' hand all the way, squeezing it tightly back. I still didn't want to leave daddy, but he would be okay, I know he will be, and god will take care of him to. I prayed silently again as we went through corridors. I look up at Jack as we walk hurriedly. He looks down at me.
"Don't worry, It'll be alright, I promise, I'm not gonna let anything hurt you, either of you." He said to both me and rose, when he said the last bit she looked at him. He took my other hand then
"It'll be fine." He said again. Suddenly I felt safer, Jack wouldn't let anything happen to me, or Rose, and daddy would be okay too, he would be, I can't think anything different. I feel calmer as we walk now, it's going to be okay, it has to be, like Rose said in my dream, it's going to be fine.
The dream, that has to mean something, to do with this, maybe. I don't know, I can't think about that now. We come to some stairs, this must be another way out, hopefully it will be, and we'll be okay....
Authors note: Ta da! Hope you like it, I really enjoyed writing this chapter. I skipped it to when the officers came round and told people to put life belts on cause Cora's far too young to see what Jack and rose got up to, lol. I wasn't even planning of putting the dream part in it, but it just came to me. It's like Cora's for-warned of what's going to happen. I know she also had another dream, earlier on in the story, with the rollercoaster and then she saw all the water in the ship, she's gonna remember that dream later on to. I believe that dreams mean things, so I wanted to put that belief into the story, and it makes it interesting, in my opinion, tell me what you think. PLEASE REVIEW! I've not got any reviews for the last chapter, is anyone still reading this? Will update this week sometime, but please review, let me know you're all still out there, lol. Xxx