DEAR DIARY
Chapter Six

May 1, 1912

Dear Diary,

I do apologize for not taking the time to write these past few weeks, but Steven and I have been spending so much time together. I can honestly see where Jack got his heart of gold from. Next to his brother, Steven is the most gentle, kind, and caring man I have ever known. The time we've spent together is mostly talking about Jack. I've learned so much, like what he was like as a child. The stories he's told me are so precious, especially the one about Jack falling through the ice when he was eleven. The story, that in reality, saved my life. There are emotional times, though, where we'll be talking and his eyes will look so vacant, and I'll know he's thinking about his baby brother. It breaks my heart, knowing Jack was barely twenty years old when he died. There was so much for him to offer the world, and now he'll never have the chance. Sometimes, I wonder if it all was really worth it. If meeting me was worth losing his life. It's then Steven comes and reminds me that Jack loved me, even though those beautiful words never left his mouth. I was so fortunate to have met Steven. He's been telling me everything he knew of Jack, as I have been filling him in on the little Jack told me of his travels. The more I learn, the more I come to love and miss him. He died so I could live, giving his life in exchange for mine. I just pray he knows that if the roles were reversed, I would do the same for him.

Rose Dawson

Rose closed her eyes in an attempt to stop the tear flow. It still hurt so much to think of Jack, to imagine his sweet face, and hear his melodic laugh echo through her mind.

Slowly reopening them again, her gaze fell upon the tiny, locked box Steven had found under Jack's bed and had given her. Rising from her chair, she crossed the room and picked it up. There was a small key taped on the bottom, and she gingerly removed it. Thoughts were racing through her mind as she acknowledged that Jack had once touched the very same box, the same key. Biting her lower lip, she inserted the brass key into the lock. As she lifted the top, the familiar scent of, well, Jack, floated up and blended with her senses. Choking back another round of tears, she opened it. Inside were a varied assortment of photos and a large envelope. Setting aside the pictures, she opened the envelope. Residing inside was a small black book with the words Jack's Journal scrawled across the front.

Chapter Seven
Stories