TRAPPED!
Chapter Three

Jack waited impatiently, hidden in the corner as people began to leave the Carpathia for whatever New York might hold for them. Rose would have to pass through sometime. Then he would free her. He didn’t know how, but he had to. He couldn’t let Rose live like that. He couldn’t live without her, least of all live knowing that she would be forced to marry Cal. Five minutes passed by, then ten, and finally he saw her! She was being escorted by Cal, who had a black eye, and her mother, Ruth. She looked like a prisoner being escorted to her cell. There was no way she could escape their grips, yet she continued to look around wildly, eyes full of fear and yet hope--she was looking for him. Before Jack even realized what was happening, his legs had carried him over to her.

"Let her go!" he yelled, his voice trembling with anger.

Cal glared at him with his cool gray eyes. "Now what?" he yelled. "She’s my fiancée. Mine!"

"She’s not yours. You don’t own her!" said Jack, disgusted. He raised his fist to deliver yet another blow to Cal when someone grabbed him from behind. He struggled, but it was no use. Once again, he was being held back by two stewards.

"Thank you, sirs," said Cal, grinning broadly as Jack was pulled away, yelling like some lunatic. He turned to Rose. "Come, sweetpea."

"No!" yelled Jack, fighting the men as hard as he could. "You can’t do this to her! Rose! Rose!"

Cal stopped and turned to look at him for a moment. "See that he’s locked up." He handed a wad of cash to one of the stewards, flashed Jack a grin, and walked away with the love of his life.

*****

Rose lay down on her warm bed and sobbed endlessly for hours. Jack was alive, but they were apart--he was probably locked up somewhere, while she was trapped here, a possession of Cal, nothing more than an item he could call his own and show off whenever he liked. "I love you, Jack," she whispered over and over, hoping that wherever he was, he could hear her. She remembered the wonderful freedom Jack had shown her, the way she could talk to him and tell him anything, even when they had only just met. She couldn’t talk to anyone else like that. They either didn’t listen or didn’t care. Nor could she joke around with anyone the way she had with Jack, but Jack seemed a million miles away.

Suddenly, she heard the door open. Quickly, she turned away so whoever had entered wouldn’t see her tear-streaked face.

"Rose?" Her mother’s voice echoed strangely in the room.

Rose closed her eyes and didn’t answer. She didn’t want to see her mother ever again.

"Rose, dear." She felt her mother’s hand on her shoulder and flinched, but her mother didn’t seem to care or notice. "Rose," she began again. "I know things have been hard for you, confusing, I might also add. But everything’s turned out for the best. You’ll see. Soon you’ll forget this boy--Jack." She grabbed a nearby brush and began to brush the knots from Rose’s tangled curls. "You’ll see," she repeated. "Then you and Cal can get on with things."

Rose wanted to hit her at that moment, but instead she forced herself to lie there, quiet and sullen. Finally, her mother left. Rose sighed and stared numbly into space. She knew in her heart that she couldn’t fight her mother and Cal anymore. It was impossible. She was Cal’s now. She was his fiancée and soon wife. She sighed and closed her eyes tightly. She knew she shouldn’t wish it, but she couldn’t help it.

She wished she’d jumped.

*****

"Rose, dear, you look wonderful." Ruth stared at her daughter, a smile spread across her face. "I knew that dress would suit you wonderfully."

Rose managed a smile as her mother’s friends all agreed at once about how perfect she looked. It had been just over a month since the Titanic had sunk--and she’d been forced away from Jack. Rose had found herself forced into her old life, the endless parties and mindless people, Cal treating her like a possession, yet still attempting to buy her love with gifts. And everyone around her forcing her to conform. Now she was here in her mother’s dining room, once again sipping tea with her friends. Rose didn’t like any of them, unless you included Molly Brown as one of Ruth’s friends. Molly was always over with the usual group of girls--all of whom now loved her and treated her as a heroine after what had happened on the lifeboats after the sinking. She knew her mother still secretly despised her, though, yet she would never openly admit it. Now, in fact, she had taken the liberty of inviting her to Rose’s wedding.

"Would you like anything to eat, sweetpea?" Rose turned around to face Cal, his voice intruding through her thoughts. She hated him, loathed him, even when he had apologized to her a million times about everything and told her how much he loved her. She still couldn’t forgive him or love him back. Even if he did love her, she was sure he loved her as he would a possession, and not a person.

"No. No, thank you, Cal," she said quietly. "I’m tired. May I be excused?"

"Of course," he said in his usual carefree manner. Quickly, Rose got to her feet, wanting to escape the chatter about her and Cal and the wedding; they all thought she was happy. Only Molly Brown knew the truth.

Walking out of the room, Rose made her way to the balcony and stared out at the cloudy sky. She was so miserable she just wanted to die; even now, as she stood silently, she could hear Jack’s words echoing inside her.

"They’ve got you trapped, Rose, and you’re gonna die if you don’t break free..." She closed her eyes hard, trying not to cry, but the words still swirled around in her head, getting louder and louder. "Sooner or later, Rose, that fire I love about you--it’s gonna go out..." And once again she felt that she was back on the Titanic. She could see Jack in front of her, one caring hand placed on her face.

"I’m fine," she heard herself lie as Jack asked her if she would be all right. "Jack, it’s not up to you to save me." She could see his blue eyes cloud with emotion.

"I know," he answered. "Only you can do that."

She wondered how Jack had gained so much wisdom, but the answer was already there. He had really lived life, while she had been shielded away from it. Nothing anyone in her world told her about life was true, not like what Jack had told and shown her. She sighed. Those words had never left her. Not any word Jack had spoken to her had been forgotten.

"Only you can save yourself," she repeated quietly. Without realizing it, her hands gripped the balcony rail hard and she pushed herself up and onto it. Once, but now it seemed a lifetime away, Jack and she had flown on the railing of the great ship...pulling herself up and over, she looked at the perfect gardens far below her and loosened her tight grip slightly. She couldn’t save herself, not the way Jack had wanted. This, as she had thought many times before, was the only way. She closed her eyes tightly and prepared for the fall.

"Don’t do it!"

Rose opened her eyes and looked behind her. It was not Jack who stood there, but Molly Brown.

"Rose," she said quietly. "Don’t do it." She walked towards her, hand outstretched. "Here. Give me your hand, darlin‘. I’ll pull you back over."

Numbly, Rose obeyed her, letting the plump woman help her back over to safety. She would have jumped had Molly not spoken the same words Jack once had, reminding her that Jack would never have wanted this.

"I’m sorry, Molly," she sobbed, slowly lowering herself into a sitting position, hand over her heart.

Molly was looking at her with a shocked expression. "Rose, dear, if you want to talk..."

"No!" Rose said quickly, getting to her feet. "I’m fine. Really." She turned away from Molly. "I must rest now." She looked into her kind brown eyes. "Please don’t tell anyone," she managed to sob before hurrying to her room.

Chapter Four
Stories