Sink or Swim

25

Harry's POV

April 14th, 1912 - 11:35pm

I tried to stay calm with all of the panicking but it was hard when people kept running past me. So i has gone back into my stateroom to seek refuge there. I knew the ship was sinking; I had heard a couple of the crew who worked on E Deck that the ship was beginning to fill up in the bottom.

Fear coursed through my veins as I stood in my small stateroom, waiting for Fred to pull on his life jacket before I put mine on as well, on top of my jacket and shirt.

"Harry," He called as I turned to leave our room. I looked back at him and saw the same fear in his eyes as he placed his hands on my shoulder.

"We'll get out of this," he promised, "we will."

I nodded, seemingly too shocked to speak.

The Titanic. The Unsinkable Ship.

It was sinking.

I took in a deep breath and opened the door, coming face to face once again with screaming passengers. Fred grabbed my hand as a gesture to stay connected and I walked down the hall. We passed many people and rooms in which many were fussing about, trying to gather everything they couldn't afford to lose before some just gave up and ran.

I stopped in my tracks when I saw a mother tucking her children in for bed, as though the panic around her was merely a dream. She glanced up at me and smiled sadly, and nodded. Emotions swirled through her eyes and I managed to catch wind of what she was trying to tell me.

She knew her and her two children wouldn't make it off the boat. And she didn't even want to try.

I frowned sadly, feeling tears pool in my eyes before I began walking down the hall, trying to find a staircase to get me up to the A Deck.

I worried about Jane. Was she alright? Did she even know the boat was sinking? I was guessing she did, seeing as how the alarms blared and many of the passengers were panicking and fretting. I was also fairly certain that she would be alright seeing as though she was first class.

She wouldn't have to fight to live like the rest of us.

It relieved me. I knew that no matter what happened to me, Jane would make it out alive. And that brought me some peace in this chaotic mess.

Jane's POV  - 12:00am

I ran past the fellow first class passengers towards the third class deck. I had given up on trying to speak with my parents and was surprised when my arm was grabbed and I whirled around to find my mother and father.

"Where on earth are you going?" Mother asked, upset. I rolled my eyes, yanking my arm out of mother's grasp.

"To find him."

She frowned before realization flashed through her eyes and she shook her head.

"No. No. Absolutely not," she said, "you are not going to be with that scum. I forbid it."

"I'm not asking mother," I seethed, "I can't let him die alone knowing that I could have helped him. He has a future ahead of him too. Dreams that he wants to achieve and I won't let you be the person from stopping him doing so."

"If you choose to save him, you choose to leave us," she warned. I laughed, stumbling when a panicked woman bumped into me as she ran past. I looked to my father who stared at me and said nothing. His face was expressionless and I credited it to those hours he spent playing poker. I looked back at mother.

"Good."

I tore away from them and picked up my skirt, and ran down the boardwalk. I heard screaming and howling coming from further down and it made me worry. Around me, the lifeboats began to come down and were prepared to be launched. The crew members were milling around, discussing their plans to get the passengers onto them. I jolted as flash of light erupted from next to me and looked up to find a flare being launched into the sky. I sighed and continued running.

Running around the corner, I found Millicent and two other people. I had almost bumped into them until they turned and I skidded to a stop, breathless.

"Emelia," Millicent breathed, "her parents couldn't save her. She's still down..."

I furrowed my eyebrows, having no recollection of who Emelia was until I remembered the party from nights ago and the little girl that played with Harry. My heart broke as I looked at her parents, tears streaming down their face as they clung to each other. They shook with terror as they looked at me.

"There was too much people," her mother whispered, "too much..."

I nodded, looking back at Millicent, "I'm going to go look for harry. Do you have any idea where he might be?"

Millicent shook her head and I sighed before I looked back at Emelia's parents.

"I'll find your little girl," I promised, "I will."

I smiled at them and tore down the hall way that led to the third class area and staterooms.

I'll find both of them. I have to.

Harry's POV  - 12:05am

I tore through one of the doors in the hallway, Fred hot on my tracks as I moved. The amount of people in these hallways were ridiculous. People were pushing and shoving and screaming and it didn't help that for some reason, the crew had begun to shut off some of the passageways. We were completely shut off, like a bunch of parasites.

We reached one of the other exits and I cursed loudly as I found that this gateway was also locked, crew on one side and passengers on the other, fighting and begging for a chance to live.

I stood there, helpless as Fred looked about for another way out and suddenly felt a tugging on my legs. I looked down and my heart sunk, seeing little Emelia staring up at me with red eyes and a wobbly chin.

"Oh, darling," I breathed, reaching down to pick her up and hold her tightly against me. Panic flowed through my veins as I looked around for her parents that weren't anywhere to be found. I looked back at her worried face and told myself to be strong for the child, even though my chances of survival had never been slimmer.

I kissed her cheek and smiled, "you'll be alright, my love."

She whimpered and rested her head in my neck and I looked to Fred, who glanced at the girl before back at me. He shook his head.

"Every exit is blocked," he swore, "it's like they want to kill us."

"We're third class," I grumbled, trying to keep myself stable as people shoved past me, "We're not important to them."

I looked down another hallway that was pretty deserted and led to a staircase and I looked back at Fred.

"Let's try this way."

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I'm so excited y'all have no idea. I hope you liked this chapter!

Have a good day! Or night lol.

Love you!