Sinking Lives (A Titanic novel)

Chapter 3

Lillian

I lay in my lumpy old bed reading my new book The Wreck Of The Titan by Morgan Robertson. I was perfectly happy... until my mother walks in, suddenly everything came back to me.

"What are you reading?" She asks sitting next to me.

"The Wreck Of The Titan." I say my eyes glued to the page.

I can see her head moving up and down slowly. "Whats it about?" She questions, sounding like a curious four year old.

"Its about a unsinkable sink, on her maiden voyage carrying two thousand people. They want to break the record for fastest travel across the ocean.. thats how far I have gotten to." I say not looking up from the book.

"That reminds me." I curiously look up to she her slightly smiling pulling something out of her apron pocket pulling out three small pieces of paper to me. "Happy birthday." I lay my book on my lap and slowly take the peices of paper out of her warm hands. There is a bunch of writing on them, I start to read the one on top.

White Star Line Ticket # 1976

Passenger Ticket per Steamship: R.M.S Titanic

Sailing From: Southampton Date April 10th

Passenger Name: Lillian Miller

Age: 16 From: Southampton, England

Accompanied By: Mr. Richard Miller and Mrs. Samantha Miller.

Class: 3rd Cabin #: 218

Traveling to: New York, New York

I flip through the other tickets, my mouth wide open. I stare at my mother in shock.

"Your father and I got them before he..." I nodded my head not wanting to be reminded. She took a moment to get herself together. "We were just going to take a little vacation, but now... its different." I stay silent and just nodded.

"What about the extra ticket?" I say very confused.

She shurgs. "I'm not sure, maybe we will find someone there that will take it."

I slowly nod my head, deep in thought. Suddenly I hear a knock on the door.

"I'll get it." I quickly sit up and walk towards the bedroom door, the curtain getting stuck on the way out. I run to the front door, and throw it open, revealing the person I needed to see. Brett's shaggy dirty blonde hair lights up his hazel brown eyes. I throw my arms around his neck. He puts his arms around my waist and hugs me back.

"Happy birthday." He says, as I pull away from him. He is smiling brightly showing all his snow white teeth. My mouth remains as straight as a ruler. He reads my expression and his smile soon fades.

"Whats wrong?" I can feel my lip trembling as he says those two words. Fresh tears spring into my eyes once again. He pulls me towards him and without thinking I start sobbing into his shoulder.

"He's gone." I cry into his white shirt. I can feel his face leave my shoulder to look up, at my mother standing behind us. I pull away from Brett and look towards her. She is nodding sadly, a single tear running down her face.

After we calmed down a bit we told Brett what happend. I looked down at my feet for most of it.

"I'm so sorry." He says after we were done telling him. I look up at him with sad eyes, and actually looked at him for a while. I gasped as I see dark purple bruises all along his arms.

"What are you gasping at?" He asks crossing his arms trying to hide them. I walk over to him and grab one of his damaged arms.

"What are these?" I slowly run my hands lightly over one, he winced.