Titanic [STEFAN SALVATORE]

Chapter Six

THE first thing Margaret noticed upon opening her eyes was that she couldn't recall what she'd done the previous day. And she'd also had gone to sleep yesterday with different clothes than those she'd woken up wearing. For a short moment she wondered if she'd gotten up in the middle of the night and then gotten changed. But that idea seemed absurd.

And then she remembered. Thomas had locked her in her room. She had pounded on the door before giving up and going to sleep. Margaret got dressed quickly and tried the door. It wasn't locked anymore. And there didn't seem to be any sign, not on Margaret and not on the door, that she had hit the door until her fists bleed. The more she thought about it, the more Margaret convinced herself that had been a dream.

She made her way out of her suite and out to the main stairwell. She hadn't made any plans with her parents for today but after spending all of yesterday...sleeping, Margaret needed time to catch up with them. She found her mother in the cafe they'd adopted as their own since they'd been on the Titanic.

Her mother was chewing slowly, staring at her plate of food. Neither Thomas nor her father were accompanying her.

Margaret took the seat in front of her. She cleared her throat, speaking. "Morning mother."

"Margaret, where is your father? I thought the two of you were out doing activities together," Alice said. Margaret shook her head, she reached out her hand and took one of her mother's grapes. She didn't care that she wasn't being lady-like, she was hungry.

"No," she chewed. "I haven't seen pappa since the day before yesterday. I spent all of yesterday sleeping and the day before I was in my room all day reading..." she trailed off, not including the part about dancing with Stefan.

"I was sleeping all of yesterday too. Perhaps there's something going around, something keeping us ill in bed all day. And where is Thomas? Perhaps he's seen your father," her mother said. A part of Margaret was afraid due to no one seeing her father, but then, it was so strange to see her mother worried.

To see her mother care made Margaret's heart warm up. And although she wasn't happy to admit it, she was happy to see a normal human reaction from her. Margaret wasn't afraid though, her father had a way of leaving sometimes without saying where he was going but he was always alright, always exploring. He'd often come back with his batteries recharged, happy to see others and tell them their stories. He was a lot like Margaret that way.

"I am sure papa is alright. But I will go and see Thomas as soon as I have my breakfast," she said. Her mother's eyebrows slightly rose. But unlike her usual cold, judgmental stares this was one was pleading. Margaret put her hand down, stopping herself from waving a waitress over. "I will go now."

"Thank you," Alice said.

Margaret smiled slightly and made her way out of the cafe. This was odd, but she felt optimistic again. She felt good things could happen. Her father would be safe and sound and her mother would be so grateful she'd even be nice to Margaret for the rest of the day. She walked up the main staircase faster than usual and knocked on Thomas' suite.

"I do not need anything, thank you!" Thomas shouted from the inside.

"Thomas, it's Margaret. Please let me in," Margaret knocked once more on his door. There was a pause and then Margaret heard the noise of footsteps getting closer and closer before coming to a halt. The door opened.

"Hello Margaret," he said. His eyes were bloodshot and they looked as though he had either gotten no sleep or he'd been crying, perhaps even both. "What can I help you with?"

"Have you seen pappa? Mother is worried as she hasn't seen him since the day before yesterday. I spent all day in bed as did she. Mother believes there's a virus keeping us in bed," she said. Thomas' face grew cold, turned to stone.