Crystal Key

Chapter 9

April 14th, 11:40 PM

            I am woken with a jolt, staring around in shock.  I was having a very pleasant dream, so I lay my head back down on the pillow, the rude awakening forgotten.  I feel Daniel tapping me, though, so I roll over to look at him. 

            “What time is it?” I ask him, wanting to go back to sleep. 

            He checked his watch and said, “It’s eleven forty.  Did you feel that jolt?”

            I sit up now, turning on the light.  “Yeah, what do you think it was?”

            “I don’t know.  I hope there isn’t anything wrong with the ship.  Can’t be anything terrible, but…”

            We look at each other, and after a few minutes nothing happened, so we go back to sleep. 

            We are awoken again, to a harsh knocking on the door.  Daniel throws on his shirt and opens the door.  A man shoves two life vests at him and says, “Put these on.  Meet in the great hall.”

            “What’s going on?” Daniel asks, grabbing the man’s arm. 

            “Please stay calm,” the man says, though I could see panic in his eyes.

            “We have the right to know.”

            “I-it’s just a precaution.  We hit a little bump you see.  Now, I must be going…” he bustles off to get more people. 

            Daniel slams the door closed and hits the wall with his fist.  I jump out of the bed, exclaim, “Daniel!” and grab his arm, pulling him back. 

            “We’re going to die, Cara! Do you not understand?”

            “This is the greatest boat in history,” I assure him, though I’m having a hard time believing myself.  “We’re not going to sink.”

            I grab my dress and put it on.  I’m glad that it was a chilly day, for my coat is still in his room.  I pull it on over my dress and pull my lifejacket on top.  “I feel ridiculous…”

            “I didn’t think you would be this stupid, Cara.  We have to go.  They wouldn’t tell us we had to wait somewhere if there wasn’t something going on.” He grabs my hand and brings me to the gathering of people. 

            Some people look frustrated, with their hair in rollers, still yawning, and others look panic stricken.  There is absolutely nobody between.  I see couples kissing everywhere, seeming to think this is their last moments.  I also see many couples arguing, like Daniel and myself, about whether this is necessary or not. 

            Somebody whistles, and everybody turns to the sound.  There is a man standing on the stairs, and he looks frightened.  “I am afraid to report that the Titanic is, in fact, sinking.” There are screams from everywhere, and it looks as if some people are fainting.  “Please board the lifeboats quickly and calmly.  There will be only women and children on the boats for now.  We have only a few hours.”

            There is a mad rush to get out of the room.  Daniel doesn’t say ‘I told you so’.  He pulls me into his arms and kisses me.  The way he kisses me seems to have a sense of finality to it, like this is our last kiss.  I slap his arm lightly, “This is not the end.  I’m not going to leave now.  We’ll wait until they accept men, and we’ll get on together.  You said we’d be together forever.”

            He looks at me, somberly.  “You’re not going to save yourself?”

            “What will I do, simply wait to see if you’re alive?”

            “What about your parents?” Daniel glances around, but there is such a mad rush to get to the boat, there is no way of spotting them. 

            My heart stops.  “ALICE!”

            “I’m sure she’ll be with your Mother.”

            I’m not listening to him anymore.  I’m screaming, “ALICE! ALICE BONNELL!”

            I charge off, darting through the crowd, shouting all the while. 

            I am in shock when I hear music.  There is a small group of men playing on the deck, quite a cheerful tune.  I am bewildered.  This is certainly not the time for music. 

            I have been running for less than a minute when I feel Daniel’s arms around my waist.  I thrash, trying to escape.  I must find Alice.  I told her that I would never leave her.  I said that we would be together forever.  She needs her sister.  What if she went looking for me, and I wasn’t in my room? My heart drops.  What must’ve my family thought when I wasn’t in my room? HadAlice run off? Would I die with my family thinking that I hate the lot of them? Would they die hating me? WouldAlice think that I’ve been lying to her all this time?

            I stop struggling and begin to cry.  I am being pulled in the opposite direction.  “We’re going to see if there are boats accepting men on the other side,” he insists. 

            It turns out that none of them were.  Daniel and I ran to the other side, but that side was much worse.  On the bright side, some men were simply jumping in, and nobody could stop them.  “Shall we jump?” I ask Daniel.  I have to trust that Alice is with my parents.  Why wouldn’t she be?

            “Yes.”

            Daniel takes my hand in his, and just as they begin to lower the boat, Daniel and I push through.  Daniel punches somebody, and we jump on.