ALL I NEED
Chapter Nine

Trudy had left when I finished my lunch, and then there was morbid silence that only made my thoughts more painful. It was as if I had died the moment Harry had left the suite after Mr. Lovejoy's threat. I walked through the room, not stepping in the mess by the left corner of the bed, and around the dresser. I went to the right side of the bed and knelt on the floor, sitting quietly in the corner, supporting my head against the wall. I had stopped crying, but I was still broken inside. Everything was a nightmare and I wasn't able to wake up.

I wondered if Harry knew what was going on. He was extremely quick-witted. I'm sure he knew something was wrong. He would never imagine, though, that Cal had beaten me and locked me in my room. He would think that he probably told me something that would make me want to stay away from him, or that he threatened me somehow, but not that he beat me up and locked me in. Knowing him, I was sure that he was dying to know what had happened, and that he was just as upset as I to realize that there was nothing he could do.

Several hours passed, and I stayed quiet at the corner of the room in some kind of trance, away from the things around me. Trudy entered the room to ask me if I wanted her to bring my dinner and I refused. She also noted that I had not taken any of my medicine, but didn't force me to do it. When she left, the sun was already down and my room was becoming dark, the small windows showing the stars outside.

I heard voices in the sitting room and remained quiet, listening to them. I recognized them quickly. They were Rose and Mr. Dawson's voices. I heard Rose's laughter first, and then the closing of a door.

"It's quite proper, I assure you," she said. "This is the sitting room."

There was a moment of silence, then a few footsteps, but I remained quiet.

"Will this light do?" Rose asked.

"What?" Mr. Dawson replied.

"Don't artists need good light?"

"That is true," Mr. Dawson replied in a fake French accent. "But I'm not used to working in such ‘orrible conditions." I smiled quietly at that.

They both laughed, and then I heard footsteps towards my door.

"Monet!" The steps ceased. Mr. Dawson must have noticed the Monet painting beside the couch near my door.

"Do you know his work?"

"Of course!" Mr. Dawson replied, his voice filled with awe. "Look at his use of color here. Isn't he great?"

"I know. It's extraordinary."

Then there were more footsteps. I started to wonder if Rose was out of her mind, too. What could possibly have gotten into her mind for her to bring the boy to our suite? What if Cal found out? I shuddered quietly in my corner at the thought that once again he could lay his frustrations on me.

More footsteps sounded around the room and Rose's voice was a little more distant now.

"Cal insists on carting this hideous thing everywhere."

"Should we be expecting him anytime soon?"

"Not as long as the cigars and brandy hold out."

"What about his sister?"

"I haven't seen her since yesterday afternoon on deck. Our schedules never match. She likes to walk around at night. I like that free spirit in her." She paused and laughed. She had no idea what was going on. "She likely returns only after midnight. Look," she kept going when they were both close to my door.

"That's nice," he said. "What is it? A sapphire?"

"A diamond," she replied. "A very rare diamond. Jack, I want you to draw me like one of your French girls. Wearing this."

"All right," he replied.

"Wearing only this," she finished. There was a silence. Rose was just as insane as Harry. "I will go to my room to change. You can prepare the scene here in the sitting room."

"A-all right," Mr. Dawson said, and there were more steps and a door closing.

I heard the sound of something being dragged across the floor. There were a few other noises that I couldn't identify, and finally, a door opening. I held my breath, thinking of the possibility of Cal, but I heard nothing for a while and deduced that it was Rose leaving her room.

"The last thing I need is another picture of me looking like a porcelain doll," Rose said, and there was a pause. "As a paying customer, I expect to get what I want."

There was another brief silence. I frowned, realizing that Mr. Dawson was going to draw Rose naked, wearing a diamond. I closed my eyes tightly at the possibility of what these actions could lead Cal to do.

"Over there, on the bed--the couch," said Mr. Dawson's nervous voice. "Come on. Lie down."

"Tell me when it looks right--"

"Put your arm back where it was. Put that other arm up, that hand right by your face there. Right...now, head down. Eyes to me. Keep them on me." He sighed. "And try to stay still."

And there was another silence, sometimes interrupted by Rose's commentaries and Mr. Dawson replying to them. I stopped to pay attention and looked down, feeling the tears start again. I didn't know if they were from fear or because I was still in shock over Cal's words and his actions towards me. I closed my eyes again and sighed deeply, falling asleep a few minutes later.

*****

Suddenly, I felt an immense shudder and opened my eyes quickly. I stayed on the floor, feeling everything shaking around me. I could hear the jewels and the glass clinking on the floor. The dresser and the bed were moving. My book and clock fell by my side. They were on the small table on my right. The lamp almost fell on me, but I held it on the table, and then the shudder started to become less violent until it came to a complete stop.

I heard voices outside and in the sitting room. The sitting room voices were Cal and Mr. Lovejoy's, though I didn't pay much attention to them. I was sitting on the floor, my arms around my legs, my chin on my knees. I had cried so much, my face was very wet, along with wet spots on my knees.

It had been about five minutes since the shudder began, and now that it had stopped suddenly, I heard a noise at the door and it opened. The light cut into the dark room and got directly in my eyes and on my figure sitting on the floor beside the small table with the lamp off.

"Miss Hockley, are you all right? You may come out." Mr. Lovejoy stood by the door. He said it so calmly that it only made me more furious inside. I had been holding my rage against him in for a long time, and now I had my chance.

I stood up quickly, and without thinking twice, I got the lamp from the little table and threw it in his direction. He managed to protect himself with his hands as I walked through the messy room towards the door.

"You bastard!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. He was confused and distracted from the lampshade attack, and I left the room.

"Slow down there, Catherine." Cal's voice got my attention as I stepped into the sitting room. He looked nervous about something else. He had a portfolio and a jewelry case in his hands.

"I hate you! I hate you!" I started screaming, and I went over to him, hitting him as hard as I could. He merely stepped back.

"Catherine, stop the tantrum!" he yelled as I kept punching him. I felt strong hands taking both of my arms and pulling me back. Tantrum? How dare he? He beat me and locked me in my room!

"Let go of me! Let go!" I kept shouting as Mr. Lovejoy held me still so I couldn't punch Cal anymore. "Let go of me!"

"What is happening here, gentlemen?" A strange voice sounded by the sitting room door. I looked up to find the Master-at-Arms accompanied by some stewards. "Gentlemen, let go of the lady now!"

Mr. Lovejoy immediately let go of me, and I stood still, looking down and taking a deep breath, trying to calm myself and to understand what was going on.

"She's just scared of the robbery, sir," Cal's voice said, and I looked up at him, puzzled. "She's not used to this type of thing. Different class level, you see."

Robbery? What robbery? I looked around, and the Master-at-Arms approached me quietly, taking my hand.

"It's all right, Miss. We will take care of it. You're safe now," he said. Well, with Cal there, I doubted I was safe.

I looked around without understanding what was happening, but I wouldn't ask questions...it mattered to Cal, so it didn't matter to me. I nodded slightly to the man by my side and tried to leave the suite, but the man held my wrist gently.

"Did he hurt you, Miss? Did you see who it was?" he asked. I had no idea what he was talking about, though I’m sure the hurt part was related to the hand marks on my face. Did he hurt me? Who? Cal? Yes, he did. See who it was? Was what?

Suddenly, I felt Cal hugging me. I tried to pull myself away from him, but he did not let me go, whispering to me so only I could hear him.

"Remember our conversation this morning. Now, just confirm everything I say," he said close to my ear. I wanted to stab him. "Sir, she's frightened," he said again, now looking at the men around him, keeping me in his arms. I had my arms together, not hugging him back. "She blacked out, though I believe it's obvious that whoever stole the necklace fought her. She was here all day. She's been sick."

I pulled away from him and looked directly into his eyes. His eyes were telling me that he was serious and that I had to confirm what he said, or there would be consequences. I didn’t understand what it was all about. I tried to put the pieces together in my mind--robbery, necklace, Rose and Jack’s voices…

"Was it like that, Miss Hockley?" the man asked me as some other men took pictures of the room. I looked at him, then back at Cal, who still had that intent look on his face. I simply nodded.

"Go on. Take her to the ship's hospital. She needs to see a doctor," the man ordered a younger one by his side, who took gently my arm.

"No. I don't need any assistance. Leave me alone!" I exclaimed a little too loudly as I pulled my arm away from the young man. All of them stared at me.

I looked around, confused. Mr. Lovejoy wasn't anywhere around, and Cal had his eyes fixed on me. Without thinking twice, I walked out of room in time to hear Cal telling them that I needed fresh air. Whatever Cal's plans were, they didn't matter to me. I had to find Harry.

Chapter Ten
Stories