THE SHIP OF DREAMS
Chapter Four

"Coddie Anna!"

"Yes, Nana?" Coddie Anna called from the bathroom, as she heard her grandmother’s sharp voice. She checked her makeup in the mirror one last time before scurrying into the suite. Her grandmother and her mother stood waiting for her, and Cal was outside the door.

"We have to leave now. What was taking you so long?"

"I was fixing my face," Coddie Anna replied matter-of-factly. "As you said, Mama."

Rose chuckled. "Well, you look fine. Grab your coat, dear--we’re going out to breakfast, and then we have to bring our luggage to the ship. We want to beat the crowds."

Coddie Anna took a deep breath and nodded, feeling her heart pounding a hundred beats a minute now, as she grabbed her things and followed her family out the door. They had a ton of luggage to bring aboard the ship, including Cal’s large, hideous green safe that Coddie had wanted to toss into the ocean several times. They met Spicer Lovejoy, Cal’s bodyguard, outside of the hotel, and he gave Coddie Anna a rather cool, "Hello." Coddie Anna hid behind her mother a bit, watching as Lovejoy spoke to Cal in private, and the women waited patiently a few feet away.

"What are they talking about, Mommy?" Coddie Anna whispered.

"I’m not sure, Coddie," Rose admitted.

Eventually, Cal and Lovejoy came back over to them, and Cal announced, "Let us get something to eat, and then we’ll head over to the ship. Does that sound like a plan?" He looked at Coddie Anna, who could have sworn he smiled at her.

"Sounds all right to me," Ruth told him. "Come along, dears." She clapped her hands, and Coddie Anna took her mother’s hand, following close behind.

*****

"Papa!"

Jack mumbled something under his breath when he heard his daughter’s voice. He only turned over, burying deep under the covers, too comfortable to climb out of bed. He had no idea what time it was, and he did not care.

"Is he always this stubborn?" It was Anastasia now.

"Mostly." Mac clicked her tongue. "Papa, wake up. You promised you’d take us to the ship early, remember?" She climbed up onto the bed with him and pulled the covers off swiftly. Jack’s eyes snapped open with surprise, and he turned his head, staring at Mac.

"What?" he croaked, rubbing his face with one hand.

"It’s 7:45. Anastasia and I want to go and see the ship before we go to breakfast. Oh, please, Papa?"

Jack smirked. "All right, sweetheart. Let me wake up first and get dressed."

Anastasia giggled. "You would not want to be out on the street in those." She pointed at his silk pajamas that Alexandra had given to him while he and Mac stayed at the palace.

He blushed a bit, and nodded. "Well, my dear, you’re right about that. Girls, make sure everything is packed. Once we leave, we’re not turning back." He gave his daughter a warning look, and she nodded.

"We will, Papa."

Jack took out an outfit for the day and carried it into the bathroom so that he could change, and the girls immediately set to work making sure they had everything they needed. Anastasia kept her prized Kodak camera out so she could take pictures of everyone boarding the ship. "I promised everyone at home that I would," she told Mac, after putting it over her neck so she could carry it like a pocketbook. Mac smiled.

"You’ll have good pictures to send them, especially when we get to New York!" She sat on her suitcase until it clicked, and stood up, nodding proudly. "There, everything’s in. How about you?"

Anastasia pointed to her suitcase, which was shut tight also. "Yep!"

"Okay. Now we just have to wait for my father to finish getting ready and we’ll get to see the Titanic up close!"

Jack soon came out of the bathroom, looking more refreshed, and made sure he had everything, including the money that the Tsar had given him for his work, tucked in a safe place, and he and the girls made their way out of the hotel. Jack paid the owner for allowing them to spend the night.

"Have a wonderful voyage," the old woman told them, waving.

"Thank you!" the girls chorused, and followed Jack outside. The air was icy cold, and they had to draw their jackets tighter around their bodies to keep out the wind.

"C-cold," Mac shivered, leaning against her father as she held his hand.

"Oh!" Anastasia suddenly darted ahead, and Jack and Mac hurried after her, wondering where on earth she was going.

"Slow down!" Mac sniggered.

"Look!" Anastasia found a little crest of rocks that led to the beach on one side of the street, opposite the Titanic, and she held her arms out to her sides, closing her eyes and sticking out her tongue. "Take a picture of me like this, Mac!" she giggled, handing her friend the camera. Jack laughed as Anastasia struck the same pose, looking absolutely ridiculous, and soon a slight poof could be heard as Mac took the picture.

"Now we ought to get one in front of the ship," Anastasia added, pointing as they approached the ships’ bow. The area around the Titanic was empty, but in a few hours, Mac knew it would be packed with passersby on the street waiting for it to set sail. "Pardon me, sir." Anastasia stopped a man on the street, who stepped back and bent down so he could listen to her. "Could you take photo of all of us?" She motioned to Jack and Mac, who were smiling at each other.

"Of course."

Anastasia handed the man her camera, and then hurried over to Jack and Mac. Jack lifted Mac into one arm, and Anastasia into his other, and after the picture was taken, he thanked the stranger and bid him a good afternoon. "Passengers, eh?" the stranger asked.

"Yes," Jack replied.

"Good luck, man."

"Thanks." Jack nodded and watched as the stranger walked off. Then he turned back to the girls. "Who is hungry?" he wanted to know.

"We are!" Anastasia and Mac called in unison again.

Jack went to step forward but he felt a wave of dizziness came over him, and he nearly stumbled. If Mac hadn’t caught him by the arm, he would have fallen. "Are you all right?" Mac asked, once her father steadied himself. He blinked, and held a hand to his forehead.

"Yeah--I--think so."

"Are you sure?" Anastasia asked, concerned.

"I just had a dizzy spell. Haven’t had one in a little bit." He shook his head to clear it. "I’m sorry, honey."

"That’s okay. Let’s go someplace where you can sit down quickly." She kept hold on his arm as they headed the rest of the way to find a restaurant for breakfast.

*****

Callista, Sam, and Michael, who had been following behind, stared at each other. They had heard that Jack had gotten very sick at the palace. "I hope he’s really okay," Michael whispered. "He looked like he was ready to faint."

Sam nodded. "Hmm. Well, let’s go get some food--I’m starving."

*****

"Three?" a beautiful blonde waitress at one of the corner pubs asked as Jack and the girls entered.

"Yes, thanks." Jack still felt a little bit weak and was afraid of experiencing another spell. Mac helped him sit down, and then she joined Anastasia on the other side, and the girls accepted the menus.

"Might I start you all off with something to drink?"

"Hot water with lemon," Anastasia replied.

"Milk, please," Mac added, much to her father’s approval.

"I’ll take a cup of coffee. Thank you," Jack told her.

"Great! I’ll come back in a few minutes to take your orders." She left, and Jack leaned his head in his hands, taking a deep, shaky breath. The girls stared at each other and then stared at him.

"Are you feeling sick?" Mac asked.

"I’m not really sure, honey. I felt fine when I woke up this morning." He took a sip of coffee and leaned back against the booth, closing his eyes for a moment. Anastasia looked at Mac with a shrug, and both girls started drinking from their own cups.

"You always get the same thing," Mac teased, pointing at Anastasia’s mug.

"Hot water with lemons?" Anastasia asked, raising an eyebrow. "So?"

"Doesn’t it get boring?"

Anastasia rolled her eyes and shook her head. "No, not really."

Jack smiled weakly at the girls. They were both so opposite in status yet so alike in personality. They were always playing jokes on people while at the palace, and were called clowns by everyone. Usually, when Anastasia and Mac were together, everyone made a point to stay as far away as possible. The girls continued bickering back and forth over stupid things until the waitress came back to take their orders for breakfast. Once everyone told her what they wanted, she left again, taking the menus with her.

"Girls, are you going to argue the entire time?" Jack asked, startling them.

Anastasia and Mac looked at each other, eyebrows raised, and then giggled. "Say," Anastasia whispered. "Do you see those three teenagers a few booths down? They’ve been following us, I think."

Jack looked over his shoulder, and noticed the three young adults dressed in black and red, and they seemed to be staring at them, but then the trio immediately turned away and started gazing out the window.

"Are you sure?" he asked Anastasia.

"I’ve seen them a few times since we got off the train. I didn’t want to say anything because I don’t know for sure."

"Hmm." Jack shrugged. "Who knows?" He turned back to the girls. "As long as they don’t threaten us, I wouldn’t worry about it."

Anastasia still looked a little bit frightened, but she decided that Jack was right, and that she shouldn’t worry too much, so she went back to eating, and tried to think only about the Titanic.

*****

Michael, Callista, and Sam stared at each other after a while. "They suspect something," Michael whispered. "Do you think they know about us?"

"No, but we have to be very careful or we’ll frighten her," Callista whispered back. "That’s not our intention. We’re here to protect her."

"I know that, but they don’t," Michael added.

"Shh!" Sam hissed in irritation.

"Maybe if we changed clothing every so often?" Michael suggested. "That way they wouldn’t be as suspicious."

Callista shrugged. "That’s not a bad idea. All black can mean a lot of things."

Sam cocked his head to one side. "What we have to do is stay out of sight when we’re following them."

The waitress came over to their table and served them their breakfast, and soon their discussion was pushed aside as they began eating. Only two more hours, and they would board the Titanic and take their first trip to America.

Chapter Five
Stories