The Last Night. // Titanic.

- prologue

WITH HER HAND STRETCHED out to the heavens, nineteen-year-old Nephtalie Laroche grinned down at those who waved back at her upon the harbor of Grande Rade near Fort de l'Questq. After months of planning, she and her brother Joseph Phillipe Lemercier Laroche decided their place no longer belonged in France. You see, the Laroche siblings were born in Cap-Haitien, Haiti. Son and daughter were of a white French army captain and a Haitian woman descendant of Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the first ruler of independent Haiti. Laroches' uncle, Dessalines M. Cincinnatus, was president of Haiti from 1911 to 1912—in short, the siblings lived well-privileged lives.

At age fifteen, Joseph decided on a career in engineering and traveled to Beauvais, France, with his teacher Monsignor Kersuzan, the Lord Bishop of Haiti, for his training. After many tantrums, Nephtalie soon followed her brother with a dreamy smile. The then nine-year-old continued her early education with private tutors and one day, in the summer of 1904, decided writing to be her destiny.

Things changed once Joseph Laroche married Juliette Marie Louise Lafargue, the daughter of a widowed Paris wine merchant, in 1908. They had two daughters, Simonne, born on February 19, 1909, and Marie Louise, on July 2, 1910. Although Joseph worked briefly on the Paris Metro line, he had great difficulty finding and keeping a job in France due to racial discrimination. Consequently, the new family was forced to reside with Juliette's father.

Nephtalie could barely get publishers to glance her way due to her melanin skin. So she worked alongside Juliette's father as his assistant. Though money never seemed to stay, Nephtalie's youngest niece, Marie Louise, had medical problems which also strained the family's finances, and by 1912 Joseph expected a third child. This situation led the Laroche's to decide to return to Haiti, where they believed his family's political connections would guarantee a handsome income for their work.

Their mother sent the family tickets to return to Haiti aboard the La France. However, the ocean liner's policy banned children from dining with their parents in the dining room, which led Joseph Laroche to exchange their first-class tickets for the La France for second-class tickets on the R.M.S. Titanic.

The younger Laroche did not argue since she came to France with her older brother and would leave with him. She hadn't seen home in many years; quite frankly, Neph looked forward to clutching her mother for the first time in ten years. She left as a child and was coming back as a young lady. Her mother will be surprised to hear her only daughter's fluent English and French.

Lowering her tiny hand as the ship pushed out towards Ireland, Neph gripped the freshly painted railing, looking out towards the land of what used to be her home for many years. Wisps of curls tickled her cheeks as she blinked back tears. As much as she wanted to be with her family, Neph knew she'd miss France. The beautiful country taught her everything she knew. Nothing could ever erase the remarkable memories created with friends and in-laws.

"We are going to take the children down for a short rest," spoke Juliette in French. She held Marie close, bundled with blankets. "Will you be fine?"

Neph glanced at her sister-in-law before gently pulling the thin blanket to Marie's chin. She then nodded. The small family made their way down the boating dock where the second-class passengers could gather for fresh air. Young Laroche watched in silence, and for the first time since entering the ship, Neph noticed the awkward glances.

With her mouth pinched, Neph skimmed around, taking note of the regards glaring her way. It took everything within her not to insult their rudeness as her chest swelled in annoyance. But as she raised her gaze to her left, a glimpse of a well-dressed man took her attention away.

This man did not look at her with scorn or bewilderment, but he cocked his head to seize her essence with interest. Beside him stood a beautiful woman with vibrant red hair. Both dressed in the most fabulous attire anyone could be offered. His brown globes, slicked-back black hair, and plump lips made Neph flush. She quickly snapped her gaze away, authorizing the man to smirk before returning to the woman beside him. As the redhead took notice of her fiance's wandering eyes, she said nothing.