BREAKING FREE
Chapter One
Rose shivered. The Carpathia’s
deck was loaded with survivors. She recognized a few people from the party Jack
had taken her to aboard the Titanic. There was the little girl, Cora, and the
two men who had arm wrestled--even the girl Fabrizio had danced with. They were
all there, but Jack wasn’t.
"Rose!" called a voice.
"Rose!" She turned around to face her ex-fiancé, Cal Hockley.
"Oh, Sweetpea! Thank heavens you’re alive! Well, what are you doing down
here with all these…" He looked around, trying to find a word for all of
the soaking third class passengers. "…people? Look at you! What a sight!
Why, if it weren’t for those brilliant red locks of yours, I hardly should have
recognized you!" Rose glanced at him suspiciously. He seemed awfully nice
for a man who had just tried to shoot her hours earlier. How had he escaped the
doomed ship, anyway? She didn’t want to go with him, but she couldn’t resist.
That fire which Jack had loved had died out with him. She let Cal take her limp
hand and drag her away. She felt like a rag doll, with neither heart nor free
will.
He took her to her mother, who
gave her a light embrace and then went on to comment on the beauty of the first
class rooms and the wealthy society staying in them. Mentioning how, "All
the best ones went down with the other ship, of course." Rose wanted to
scream. How can you do this, Mother? Hundreds of people have died and you
act as if nothing’s happened! But she didn’t. It all seemed worthless now.
None of it would bring Jack back.
She found her suite and lay down
on the queen-sized bed. It seemed an eternity since she had last slept, and
before she knew it, she had drifted off into a world where Jack was still with
her.