Waves of Tomorrow | Titanic

Day 3 (April 12, 1912)

I'm awoken harshly to a loud banging. I blink my eyes and slowly sit up, yawning and checking the time. Damn, already 9:53, I think to myself, realising I slept in. I rub my eyes before stepping out of bed. Again, the knocks continue.

"I hear you, I'm coming," I say loudly before quickly stretching my body side to side and walking to the door.

I open the door and find Rose, standing neatly in front of me in an off-white dress with a yellow corset. She looks distressed; her lips are pursed together and her brows furrow, as if she is unsure if she should speak.
"I think..." she begins, clearly considering her articulated words well, "I think I'm going to go with you... when we land in New York." She finally finishes, letting out a deep sigh of relief, as if she was freed from a burden.

I smile, leaning on the doorway relaxingly. Before I can respond, she turns around and begins walking neatly down the hallway, but I can see a slight bounce in her step.

The smile grows stronger on my face; I'm happy she made such a tough decision. We'll get through this together.

I close the door softly, my hand lingering on the handle as my forehead meets the wood. I too sigh in relief. I won't be alone.

Eventually, I make my way to my closet, picking out a deep purple dress with a black paisley pattern in velvet.

After slipping the dress on, I tie half of my hair up with some matching ribbon. Finally feeling satisfied, I put some shoes on and head out the door, grabbing Andrew's coat and deciding that today is the day I want a tour of the ship. I make my way down the hall to his room, deciding to put the coat on because it's quite cold.

As I'm walking down the hall, I see Mrs. Brown and wave; she too looks cold as she clutches her upper arms with her hands. Finally, I reach Andrews' room and knock, knowing he's definitely the type of man to be well awake by now.

Much to my surprise, I wait by the door for about a minute without an answer. Hmm... Maybe he's working with the crew, or at a meal.

I decide to check the bridge first, so I make my way up the flights of stairs and into the cold air outside. I approach the bridge and knock on the door, perhaps a bit too boldly for a passenger.

A young man in uniform opens the door and looks surprised to see someone like me at the door.

"Is Mr. Andrews in there?" I ask politely, smiling.

The boy nods and turns back inside to fetch the shipbuilder. I patiently wait outside; the wind picks up and blows my dress and coat. I tighten my grip on the front of the coat, still not wanting to button it up and cover the beauty of the dress.

I hear the door open and turn towards it, happy to see Andrews step out onto the deck. I look up at him and find myself smiling uncontrollably. He says my name cheerfully.

"What can I do for you?" He leans over slightly, beaming. It seems like he is just as happy to see me.

"I'm cashing in my 'one ticket for a Titanic tour.'" I say with a laugh, "that is, if you're free today?"

His face lights up and he nods. "Actually, I just finished up business with Captain Smith, so I would be delighted to give you a tour now."

We begin walking together down the bridge as he tells me about the ship. He knows it so well; every detail he explains is meticulous, as if he built the entire ship himself, without any help. We reach the front of the ship and look out at the open ocean together.

"The ocean has always frightened me slightly," I explain. "I never learned how to swim, and it just seems so dark and endless, like it would trap me if I were to enter."