UNTITLED STORY
Chapter Four
Rose sat on the deck of the Carpathia,
gazing out at the endless blue of the North Atlantic. Third class passengers,
mostly women, trying to get information about their lost family members,
surrounded her. She felt the chill that still hung in the air, and pulled the
thin wool blanket around her and up over her head. She was thinking back to a
time just a day ago when she felt warm, secure, and happy.
"Do you trust me?"
"I trust you."
"Step up…okay. Open them."
"I’m flying! Jack!" Rose gasped.
Rose closed her eyes and tried very hard to
feel that happiness again. She imagined the sun shining on their faces and the
security of Jack’s arms around her. The only thing she felt, though, was the
feeling of being stared at. She glanced slightly to her left and right and saw
a figure behind her out of the corner of her eye. She didn’t like this feeling
and moved to go indoors. She secured the blanket around her and headed for the
warmth inside the ship.
Once inside, she paused by the door to
collect her thoughts. Slowly, she made her way down the stairs to the third
class lounge. She had only stepped down a few steps when a woman not much older
than she came running up the stairs, nearly knocking her down.
"Excuse me! Oh, I’m sorry…" the
girl cried.
She was crying and her face was stained with
tears. She spoke with a thick Irish accent and her curly hair was the color of
copper. Her face was round and freckles made a sharp contrast to her milky
white complexion.
"It’s all right. Are you okay?"
Rose asked.
The girl just buried her face in her hands
and sobbed.
"I can’t find them. Me family…they’re
all gone!" The girl wailed as she finished her sentence.
Rose didn’t know what to do. After all, she
had lost someone in this tragedy as well.
"What’s your name? Perhaps you can check
with the stewards…" Rose tried to calm the girl.
"I already tried that bit." The
girl continued to sob. "Not a one of ‘em’s been on the list. I’m Cassandra
Daly…" Her voice trailed off as she sobbed. "You can call me
Cassie."
"I’m Rose DeW--just Rose," Rose
replied, quickly covering her slipup. She had not decided yet on which name she
would take. Keeping her own meant going back to her life and her mother and
Cal.