BREAKING FREE
Chapter Five
After dinner, Rose waited
anxiously in her stateroom. Finally, someone knocked on the door. She opened it
to find Jack, right on time. "Jack!" she said. "I think Cal
knows we’re up to something. He decided not to smoke with the men tonight, so
he’s in his room." She pointed to the door next to hers. "Let’s
go!"
"Where?" he asked.
"Your note said to meet you here."
"I know, but wouldn’t it be
much more fun to walk around outside?" He agreed, and they headed off
towards the lifts. "A-Deck, please," Rose said to the operator. He
started to work the lift, but stopped it between floors.
"Excuse me," said Jack.
"Is there a problem?"
The operator turned around so
they could see his face. "Yes, I believe there is!" said Caledon
Hockley, drawing out a small, black pistol. "Or there will be, once I
innocently walk into the elevator to find you standing over his body. You see,
Rose, everyone will believe me when I tell the tragic story of my insane
fiancée. Onboard the Titanic, this man just wouldn’t stop bothering you. He
proclaimed his love, and you yours, but because you pitied him. Then, when the
ship went down, you thought you were free at last. Seeing him tonight was too
much of a shock, and then he followed you to dinner. You brought him here
because it was your last option. Then you killed him."
Rose’s eyes were wide with shock.
"Cal! Why can’t you just leave us alone? Please, Cal! Please, you’ll find
someone else rich to marry. Why torture us any longer?"
"Because, you stupid girl,
I’m in far too deep. How would it look if my bride ran off with a poor boy? Who
would take me seriously?" He pointed the pistol towards Jack. "Any
last words?"
Jack just stood still. Rose
couldn’t understand. Why wasn’t he moving? She threw herself in front of him.
Jack spoke for the first time since Cal had appeared. "Rose, move."
His voice was pleading.
"Yes, Rose," said Cal
impatiently. "Stop being heroic and step aside, or will this have to turn
into a murder-suicide?"
"No, Cal," said Jack
stiffly. "It’s me you want. Leave Rose out of this."
"I’m not moving, Jack,"
said Rose, feet planted firmly on the floor. She clung to his right arm while
staying in front of him. Cal moved his finger.
That second seemed to last an
hour. Everything seemed to move at once. Jack attempted to shove Rose out of
the way, Cal lunged forward, and Rose somehow went hurtling into him, pushing
him onto the floor. A shot was fired, but Rose felt nothing. She looked around
anxiously. Jack was behind her already, pulling her up onto her feet. He spoke
softly, almost in a whisper. "It’s over, Rose."
She turned around to look at him.
He was unscathed. Maybe the bullet was somewhere in the wall. She looked down
and suddenly understood what Jack was saying. She waited for the grief, but it
never came. She felt as if a large weight had just been lifted off of her. She
was free, really and truly free. She tried to speak, to move, but the shock was
too great. She fainted for the second time that day.