Chapter Four
It was April 13th. Normally, in Ireland, it wasn't so cold. But as Kiana once again stood on the deck, the freezing wind threatened to rip through her clothing and to her skin. Her exposed face was red and rosy with cold. She turned away from the railing, her favorite spot on the whole ship, and towards the dining hall. Reilly had said he'd meet her on the deck that afternoon at three o'clock, but it was now almost five.
But just then, he was there. "Hello! I'm sorry I'm so late. I wasÖI wasÖI was detained," he said hesitantly. Kiana was glad he was feeling better, though.
"How are you?" Kiana asked.
"Grand, just grand," he winked at her.
"So you are feeling better? What did the doctor say after I left the cabin last night?"
"Oh, nothing. He only gave me some pain reliever and told me to get a good night's sleep. The man who was drunk is being taken care of."
The way he said "taken care of" made Kiana want to change the subject. But then she spotted Elizabeth Jacobson as Kiana looked over Reilly's shoulder.
Oh no.
Kiana had almost forgotten about her. But now she walked up directly behind Reilly and pretended to bump into him.
"Oh! Pardon me, Reilly. I was so distracted by the lovely ocean today, that I didn't see you!" Elizabeth's voice dripped like honey. Her pink cheeks and rich, dark hair made Kiana want to spit on her.
"No, no. No need to apologize, Miss Jacobson. I was not hurt." Even through his politeness, Kiana sensed a bit of annoyance in his voice, and it made her glad.
Elizabeth huffed, and glared at Kiana. Kiana glared back, but finally gave up. It was obvious she wanted to be alone with Reilly, and Kiana didn't dare argue right now.
"Well, I should probably get down to supper. The trip is really making me tired, and I've been sleeping at strange times. I will see you tomorrow?" Kiana asked.
Reilly nodded, looking as though he wanted to say something. But Kiana left before she would let him. When she glanced back, Elizabeth was holding onto Reilly's arm, and giggling at something he'd said. Kiana seethed with jealousy.
Looking for comfort, Kiana tried to find Theresa Lawson. Instead, she found Liberty with her father, William.
"Kiana!" the little girl squealed when she saw her.
Kiana grinned and quickly felt better. Liberty ran up to Kiana and threw her arms around her. Kiana picked her up, suddenly wanting a hug. Mister Lawson smiled too as he watched the two girls' embrace.
Finally, Liberty let go, her dark curls bouncing around her face.
"I see you've made friends with my daughter. Are you Kiana, then? Theresa told me about you."
Kiana held out her hand to shake his. "Yes sir, nice to meet you. I was hoping to speak with your wife."
"Theresa is in our stateroom, I can take you to her if you'd like." Mister Lawson offered.
"Oh, I'm not supposed to be in a first-class room," Kiana argued.
But Mister Lawson insisted, and finally, Kiana followed him to his family's stateroom. When she got there, she tried not to gasp at the beauty of it. It looked almost like her old room in Ireland. She shook the thought out of her head.
Theresa smiled warmly when she saw her. She was laying on her bed, and she looked tired. Kiana inquired about it.
"Oh, it's nothing. I've been pregnant for several months now, and the doctor said I should expect the baby in another few weeks."
Kiana knew her eyes had grown big. A few weeks? Why would this family leave England if they were expecting a child so soon? But she just said, "How nice. Are you feeling okay? Can I help you with anything?"
"Oh, no dear. But thank you. Did you need to talk to me about something?"
She had. But seeing Mistress Lawson so tired made Kiana change her mind. Who wants to talk to someone when they're pregnant? I'll just ask her another time. Maybe.
Kiana shook her head. "No ma'am. I'd better go to supper now, I suppose. Have a good night!" With that, Kiana quickly said goodbye to Liberty and Mister Lawson and went to the dining room. She was so hungry, she ordered right away, and ate her food quickly, ignoring the conversation her two roommates had in French. She wanted to get out on the deck again.
As soon as she finished, she walked up to the deck. It was even colder now, and she could hear drifts of music from the First-class dining room. A sweet chord on the violin reached her ears, and her eyes filled with tears. Da had played the violin. Crying just made her more cold though, as the tears froze on her cheeks.
The moon was high over the water already, and the fullness of it surprised her. It looked bigger tonight than it ever had before. Somehow, that comforted her as she walked back to her room.
When she got to her stateroom, Valerie was sitting on her bed, knitting some mittens.
"Bonjour," she said without thinking, then looked up. "Oh, hello. HowÖareÖyou?"
"I'm fine, thanks." Kiana tried to keep the conversation going. "How long have you been learning English?"
"I have learn English two months. Is so much different than French." Valerie sighed, putting away her mittens. "IsÖcomplicated? Yes?"
Kiana nodded. "I'm sure it is. Where are you going in America?"
"New York. I amÖgoing from there toÖVirginia. With my mother. We see grandparents."
Kiana started getting into her nightdress as Valerie talked. "I'm going to New York toÖvisit my aunt and uncle."
"Ah. Well, good night."
"Good night," Kiana climbed into bed and closed her eyes. At least we can talk to each other now. With only time for that thought, Kiana fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning and afternoon was spent at an entertainment in the third-class dining room. She sat with Valerie until it was over.
"Valerie, would you like to go up on the deck with me? We could take a walk."
Valerie shook her head. "Is too cold. Too cold for walk."
"Okay. I'll see you later then, all right?"
Valerie looked confused, but nodded. Then Kiana walked up the stairs and onto the deck. It was late in the evening now, but she had plenty of time before she went to bed.
She was walking on the top deck, looking around. She had hardly seen any of the ship at all, but now that she'd adjusted to being on the Titanic, she decided to explore. She wanted to look at the Grand Staircase, and maybe even the pool. She knew that steerage, or third-class passengers weren't allowed there, but she thought that most people would probably be going to that night's entertainment soon so she could sneak a look.
As she explored, she realized that there were many more places than she'd imagined that third-class passengers weren't allowed to be in. The first-class had many, many rooms that were for them only, and for the first time, Kiana envied the freedom Reilly had.
She carefully snuck into the Grand Staircase room, and when she did, she almost squealed. It was unbelievable! An enormous glass dome was overhead, letting in a beautiful stream of pale moonlight. At the top of the staircase was a clock with carved statues around it. Candles were lit here and there to illuminate the room.
It was so lovely. Kiana had never seen anything so extravagant in her entire life! As much as she wanted to climb the stairs and see the clock up close, she didn't want to get caught. So she turned around and walked silently out the door.
Her head turned back for one last glimpse of the gorgeous room, she didn't see the steward and Kiana ran right into him.
"Excuse me ma'am," he said politely, then took a closer look at her. "Wait a minute. You're not first-class. What are you doing in here?" he asked. His eyebrows furrowed into a fearsome glance. Kiana swallowed hard.
"IóI, um" Kiana stuttered over her words. The man had spoken so fast in his English accent that she hadn't been able to understand it all. Confused and frightened, Kiana tried to run, but the steward caught her arm.
"I'm afraid you'll have to come with me, miss." The steward began to pull her up to the top deck, and Kiana struggled against his firm grasp.
Soon, she was crying, and people were staring at her, but she didn't care. All she wanted was to be safe in her da's arms, at home. Wonderful home.
Chapter 5 >>>

Submitted by Copyright © 2003 Amy S. 'Soccer Chick' (), USA

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