The Heir In Hiding

♦CHAPTER FOUR♦

Mary kept her head down as she walked towards the Titanic with Cyrten and both of their parents. She's never been around that many people, and it made her nerves out of control. She felt like all their eyes were on her, but none of them was staring at her.

Cyrtens foot stepped on the back of hers, startling Mary. "Cyrten..." Mary started looking around. "Your breathing down my neck. Move over a little!"

"I'm sorry," Cyrten started, " You're not the only one nervous." Mary knew Cyrten would nervous, but not nervous about herself, but about Mary. That's how she was raised to be.

But that was the difference between them. Cyrten was the type people would love, Mary, on the other hand, knew she would not be able to talk, or even look at a stranger properly. And where they were right now was not helping. When people saw the Titanic, they seemed to stop. Their breath, their thoughts, everything. The Titanic was magnificent. Seeing something that big, knowing it could transport people hundreds of miles, was unbelievable.

But one thing for sure, Mary somehow knew she was in for a wild ride.

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Boarding the ship was terrifying. Mary felt like crying. She felt like she was leaving everything behind. But when she thought about it, she really was. Mary grew up here and now she had to move. It didn't matter that she spent most of her life in her house, she felt like part of her soul would always belong here. And it hurt.

Her and Cyrten would not let go of each other. They were hugging and almost cried. But they both silently agreed that crying is not something they would want to do while saying goodbye to each other. Before she boarded, Cyrten said one thing to her; " Watch out for the wide-eyed snake." But she was just going to pretend that that was a weird food wealthy people ate.

They walked down the halls of the lower decks of the ship, finding their room. The room was small but homey. Bunk beds were shoved up against the wall and another person already unpacked on their side.

Mary scanned the place, 'I guess this is nice.' She thought. Despite the stuffy smell and small space, there was a happy feeling. Like raw joy and comfort. Of loving families and freedom. It was nice.

Her mother ushered her into the room, her father following in too, and placed their luggage next to the bunk beds with a loud slam, bringing her attention to the luggage. There, next to the luggage and under the bed, was a folded piece of paper. No wrinkles. It was neat and clean.

Mary bent down to get a better look. It seemed to be placed there, it was lined up perfectly with the outer bed frame. She reached to go pick it up, but then something odd happened. It moved into the shadows. It was as if it was blown away. 'But there is no wind?'  Mary pondered. There were no windows and they were far below deck. Did the ship tilt? 'No.' Mary stated to herself. 'But then what was it?'

She reached farther under the bed, her hand dragging against the floor, she grasped the paper. Mary slowly pulled her hand out and was shocked to see that the paper was now black. Pitch black. confused, Mary looked once more under the bed, to see if there was a white paper, and hoped that she grabbed the wrong one.

But why would there be two neatly folded pieces of paper under the bed? Then again, How could a paper be moved by nothing and turn a different colour?

With a very disturbed feeling, Mary unfolded the black paper, and she expected something at least. And that is what she got. There was a message on it, but not in a bright coloured dye, no, pieces were cut out, and the open spaces perfectly spelt out the one word, ' Pretend". 

Yes, it was odd. Very odd. Some would question the black paper and the cutout word, but Mary was questioning what the word meant. Why did it say 'Pretend'  on it? But most importantly, what did it mean?

Mary turned her body to lean against the bed and realized she was by herself. Where had everyone gone? Just a second ago her Mother and Father were next to her and now they weren't.  She held the paper in her hands and became aware of the fact that the material in her hand was no longer paper, but now extremely soft, warm, and moving. Mary immediately loosened her grip and let go.

A bird flew away. A beautiful black one. Small but elegant. And that moment only lasted one second before it flew out the doorway. Startled, Mary got up and ran after it. It was right ahead of her, arms reach. The bird flew up and down and flipped in mid-air. It was as if it was luring her in, trying to show her something.

Mary ran and ran. She ran for a long time chasing that bird. She turned and turned, and seemed to be going in circles. Soon she realized that she hasn't run into anyone. Not one soul. And after that realization, she stopped. Her heart was beating wildly. 

She turned and faced the wall, feeling like the ship was way eerier than it should be. The wall, she noticed, was dirty. And old looking. 'That's odd. I thought this ship was built recently.' Mary noted. But as she watched, the more worn down the wall looked, the more rotten. And a smell. The smell was salty and horrible. There was also a sound. It seemed it was with her the whole time. A screaming.

Terrified, Mary leaned against the opposite wall. Her breaths ragged. She slid down slowly, putting her head between her knees. But the noise, the screaming, formed into something else. Someone was talking to her. As Mary pulled up her head, she realized she was in her assigned room, and her mother was asking her if she was alright.

"I'm feeling light-headed momma," Mary said in her most convincing voice," I just need some water." She was still standing in the doorway, and her mother did not set down the luggage yet. Her mother brought her over to the bed and sat her down with the words,"I'll be right back." And she left. And her father sat down next to her, comforting her.

With her head down and nodded occasionally to what her father was saying, though she was not listening. Mary was staring at a white, folded piece of paper on the floor, that was lined up with the bed perfectly.

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Hello everyone! I just want to say thank you for being patient with me. These past months have been eye-opening on so many levels, and so I was taking a break. Yeah, that is a really lame excuse. I agree. Tell me what you think, and I also will try to update more.