by Holly Hook
I take the hair clip.
Frank walks towards us. "I'm sorry." He takes Isabel's hand, almost lovingly.
She recoils at his touch but can't break free. "Let go."
"You have to go back. You're a Rogue now."
Isabel sobs. "You know what's there. Why don't you kill me now and get it over with? Anything but that again."
I back away. Frank's saying something else to Isabel, something low and not meant for my ears. He's distracted.
I put on the butterfly and brace myself. It hugs my scalp. The top of my head tingles and my head starts to pound.
This thing is electrocuting me. I reach up to rip it off, but it happens too fast.
Memories.
They explode in my mind all at once, a kaleidoscope of color, voices, and emotion. My memories. Isabel's memories. A future that never was fills my mind and I understand who these people are.
The tingling ends and the drumbeat in my head calms to a dull ache and fades. Frank's pulling Isabel down the corridor. She drags her feet, resisting. She screams something at him. A woman opens the door to her berth and shouts at them before slamming the door again.
I take the hair clip off, angry at myself for not listening to Isabel sooner.
But my rage is replaced by an avalanche of ice.
We're standing in the Titanic on the night of its sinking.
And it's up to me and Isabel to stop the tragedy.
Chapter Two
Frank is still Timeless. Immortal. Strong.
Isabel and I are human now, along with Simon, who still sleeps on the other side of the ship. Simon and I screwed up as Timeless. There's no way Time's going to rescue Simon or me now during the sinking. It'll leave us both to die here in the icy North Atlantic.
Frank pulls her down the corridor and out of my view. She pleads with him. Why won't Isabel realize? All Frank cares about is his duty to protect Time.
We have until eleven forty. Isabel said something about there being half an hour left. That must be when the Titanic strikes the iceberg. If we can stop that from happening to begin with...
I run after Frank. Turn the corner.
He still has a tight grip on Isabel's arm. He walks, dragging her with him. She's sobbing now, back heaving up and down. He's taking her back to her own sinking ship in World War Two. Are there any rifts nearby? He'll need to take her through one. I search, but then I realize: I'm mortal again. I can't see rifts anymore.
Frank can't take me anywhere. I'm not a Rogue. I'm in my own time. I'm not breaking any of Time's laws. Frank thinks I remember nothing. He's not expecting this.
I tighten my grip on the butterfly that still holds my memories, rush Frank, and kick him square between the legs.
He grunts, bowls over, and lets Isabel go.
"Come on," I say, grabbing her arm.
Isabel looks after Frank, who falls to the floor gasping.
She wipes the tears from her eyes and runs with me. “Go!” We can't go back to my berth. Even if we barricade ourselves, Frank will break down the door and then I'll be putting my family in danger, too. The Timeless are strong. I've even broken down doors before when I was one of them.
I lead us towards the main staircase. I pause just long enough to put the butterfly in the pocket of my nightgown. Arnelia's device from the future is only thing that will preserve our memories if we have to travel through time. We huff up into F Deck, leaving my sleeping family behind. Frank calls me a string of profane things. I don't feel sorry for him. I'm glad he's in agony. I can't think of anyone who deserves it more.
"Did you?" Isabel asks.
"Yes. I remember it all."
We run past the third class lounge, where three men sit at the counter, smoking. I push open the door and we burst outside. The frigid night air wraps around me and constricts, biting through my nightgown. The stars wink overhead as if mocking us. It's a calm night, but that'll change very soon.
"Now what?" Isabel asks.
"We warn them about the iceberg before Frank finds us."
"He's probably getting up right now."
"I know." I struggle to remember to layout of the ship, from the future that now never was. Nancy's books. The research I did...it's all gone now in a panic. But I can recall those nightmares I had while I was Timeless. Me running across this very deck in this same nightgown, screaming at the crow's nest to watch out...and Frank stabbing me with that knife that came out dripping blood...
We're not going this way after all. "We need to go below."
"But he's down there!" Isabel's eyes are wide and huge in the light pouring out from the lounge.
"I know. We'll just have to get around him." We're at the stern of the ship, with railings, walls and gates separating us from the front where we need to go. It'll be easier to run through the main hallway of the ship and go up through the men's third class section. It'll lead to the front of the ship. I have to hope that Frank's still out of commission, but the Timeless heal fast.
I dive back inside.
The warmth is welcome. Isabel follows. I keep a tight grip on the hair clip, the invention of my distant descendant, Arnelia. Her life depends on Simon and I surviving, too.
Someone coughs from one of the berths. Something creaks. Another faint laugh echoes down the corridor. I pick up every tiny sound. Every vibration. Isabel follows me down the steps. The main hallway isn't far from my berth--and where we left Frank. We're going to have to be careful.
"What time is it?" I whisper.
"I came through a little before eleven." Isabel's so quiet. She's terrified. And she should be.
I hear nothing but the faint hum of the ship's engines below us. Isabel would have taken time to find me here once she came through the rift at the Hub. If we don't stop the sinking, Simon and my father are going to die for sure. The crew will never let two men into the lifeboats. I might be able to rescue my brother, but that'll mean leaving two people I love to plunge to the bottom of the ocean.
I'm not doing that.
Footsteps approach.
I wave Isabel into a side hallway. He's coming. We go all the way to the back and press against the wall. Someone snores from behind a closed door.
A dark figure runs past and thunders up the stairs. It's Frank, recovered and chasing after us.
And he's holding a knife.
The knife. I'm sure.
He breathes heavily. It must be with terror, though I can't imagine what he's scared of. The Timeless don't ever feel out of breath.
I wait until the lobby door opens and shuts.
"Now," I whisper. We have to move before he figures out what we did.
We bolt out from the hallway and past the slightly-open door of my berth. Frank won't try to hurt Father and Melvin to get to me--will he? I'd need to still be around this part of the ship for that to work, unless he takes one of them hostage. It would be Melvin. Father is too big to lug around.
I stop. Close the door. Hopefully, Frank won't remember which is which. They all look the same. And if he's that desperate to find us, he won't stop to check all these berths.
"What are you doing?" Isabel asks. She tugs on my arm.
"Let's go." I can't blame her for the panic. If I die, Simon and I will never stop her family from boarding the Wilhelm Gustloff in 1945. That means that she dies, too. And Isabel's my friend. I'm not going to let her down after all the things we've done for each other.
I lead the way. Even though I've forgotten most of the research I did at Nancy's in the future--or the research that I did in an alternate timeline--I remember the way to Simon's area. They have the men housed at the front of the ship, away from the families. There's a long hallway that joins the two third class sections. And right above where Simon sleeps is the crow's nest.
It's my hope that Frank won't be waiting for us there.
The long hallway stretches out in front of us. Only a tired-looking man covered in coal dust walks past us. I don't check to see if he's staring at
me in my nightgown. Isabel huffs next to me. "I almost miss being Timeless already," she manages. "At least then we could breathe and run at the same time."
I'm glad to see her back, even if this is the first time I've technically seen her. I force myself to slow to let her catch up. Isabel's from a life more comfortable than mine. She didn't spend the last two years doing hard chores. I glance down the hallway. No Frank, but that won't take long.
My heart thuds. I'm dizzy with panic. We're passing the dining hall. I glance in to check for a clock, but there isn't one. We have minutes left.
"Do you know where the entrance to the crows' nest is?" Isabel asks.
"I did. Once." I know it's close to the third class berths, in the crew area. Simon might know. He's spent most of his time over here. Father wouldn't let me come over here alone.
I'm going to wake him. I remember which berth is his, at least. We might need help with the gates.
"Where are we going?" Isabel sounds hoarse. No, the mortal her isn't used to so much exercise.
I ignore her. Every second counts. I turn a corner and arrive at the door that's Simon's berth. It doesn't matter if we wake the men inside.
I barge in.
It looks exactly like what Simon's quarters were in the Hub--rows of neat bunks, fresh white paint, shiny floor. Only this time, it's inhabited. Simon's at a table, playing a card game with a couple other guys in overalls. Tobacco smoke rises from the table, forming strange rings. They all look up at me. Simon's chocolate eyes land on me and widen. The other two men--both in their twenties, stare and stare. They weren't expecting to see a girl in her nightgown arrive so late at night.
"Simon." I wave him over.
He rushes over to me and blocks the view of the other men. We rush back out into the hallway. "Is something wrong?" he asks.
"Very. Where's the entrance to the crows' nest?" We're going to have to climb up the inside of it. Shouting at the lookouts from the deck might not work.
"What do you want to know that for?" He's all confusion. He faces Isabel. "Who's she?"
"Tell me, or we're all going to die."
"Julia, what is going on?"
"Just tell me where the entrance is."
"Now," Isabel pleads.
Simon breathes out and closes the door to the berth, probably to block the sight of me from the other men more than anything.
"Okay. But you have to tell me what's going on later."
Simon leads the way, down through a spiral staircase, along another hall and ultimately, to a closed gate. Beyond it lies a narrow, cramped staircase only meant for the crew. "I think this is it."
My heart's pounding. Any minute, we'll feel the ship lurch as it scrapes the iceberg. If that happens, Simon and Father are dead. Arnelia is dead. Maybe even Isabel will die.
Simon pulls at the gate. It squeaks but doesn't move. Clearly, a key is needed here.
“I'm not sure about this,” he says.
“Try again!” I rush over and seize the gate. “Isabel—some help here.”
Simon stares at me, bewildered. “We could get in very bad trouble for this.”
“I don't care.”
“They might keep us locked up or something. You never know. Come on. This is ridiculous.”
He starts to walk away.
Isabel shoots me a look. We have to do something drastic here.
I still have the butterfly in my hand. I know what I have to do. Simon's going to hate this, but we don't have the time for anything else.
I run up behind him and clamp the butterfly down on his head. It's going to give him my memories, but it should be enough.
Simon freezes. He rubs the top of his head, feeling what's there. The light blinks again as it activates. He cries out and claws at the butterfly that's now stuck to his scalp. It would be hilarious under any other circumstance. He's going to be mad at me for putting something so girly on him later, but this is life or death.
“What--” he begins, crashing into the wall.
“Just deal with it,” I tell him. I take his arm. “It'll be over in a second.”
He takes a breath and stills. Then, he faces me. His deep brown eyes are full of understanding. Simon has all my memories and some of Isabel's, too. He knows the fate of this ship. He knows what we have to do.
Simon takes the butterfly off and hands it to me. “I had no idea.” He studies the gate and his eyebrows rise. “All three of us. Pull. Make noise.”
I grab onto the gate beside Simon. Isabel helps. We rattle the gate as hard as we can. Isabel screams. Someone opens a berth door nearby and shouts at us in another language, then slams the door again. We have to get someone to come here and unlock the gate, even if it's just to yell at us.
Footfalls come up the stairs. A man in overalls covered in coal dust appears. “What are you kids up to?” he roars. “What is this racket?”
We stop moving the gate. I have to think fast. “There's been a murder,” I say. I'm talking nonsense, but I'm panicked enough for it to look genuine.
The man gets out a key ring and unlocks the gate. “Where?” His face is long and tired from a long shift. He starts to close the gate behind him, readying the keys.
Simon swings his fist and hits the guy right under the chin. The man staggers back into the gate, making it rattle again. He slumps to the floor, leaving the gate open for us.
“Simon!” I say.
“Come on!” he says, waving us into the stairwell.
We run in a spiral, deeper into the ship and closer to where the end is going to begin. What would the entrance to the crows' nest look like? It'll have a ladder.
Somewhere below us, another man laughs. If any more crew members catch us, we're going to be hard pressed to find the crows' nest in time. They'll kick us out. Simon won't be able to overpower them all. If we were still Timeless, we could do mind tricks on them and have them let us through. We don't have anything on our side now.
“Over here,” Isabel says. “I think this may be the place.”
I face where she's pointing. There's an alcove and inside it, a ladder.
I run in and look up. Dim lights illuminate a ladder that seems to go up to the heavens. It's the crows' nest for sure.
“Stop.”
My heart leaps. I turn and Isabel backs into me.
Only Simon stands between us and Frank. He stands there at the base of the spiral stairway, knife ready, with eyes as gold as any rift I've ever seen.
He can kill all three of us if he wants.
“Frank,” Simon growls.
Frank's mouth falls open. “How do you know my name?” He blinks. “How do you remember? You shouldn't.”
Simon faces me. “Go,” he whispers.
I can't leave him. Frank will tear Simon apart. I grab Simon's arm. “Come on!”
But Simon can't resist. He swings and hits Frank square in the jaw. Frank staggers back and hits the wall, tripping over a step. His face reddens and he lunges at Simon, knife ready. I pull Simon out of the way just as he stabs into another step. His hand gets stuck between two of them and Frank curses, trying to pull it out. I should grab the knife, but he keeps his grip. His golden eyes train on us, mad and desperate. Frank's going insane. Whatever he mentioned when he attacked Arnelia—whoever they are that are going to come after him—they must be on his case.
“You first.” Simon points to the ladder.
I scramble up first and Isabel comes up behind me. It's dark here, with only a dim light or two all the way up. I feel as if I'm climbing a ladder to the sky. This must be to the crow's nest, to where that warning bell waits to be rung. We need to ring it before the iceberg comes into view, to tell them to turn the ship before we even see it. I'm not sure how we'll do that.
“Hurry,” Isabel urges.
“I am.” I glance down. Her dark form comes up under me, and Simon after her. The narrow tunnel is stifling. Cold. I force myself to take deep breaths as I climb. There's no water in here, at least. I can't take
that again, now that I'm mortal.
“It's eleven thirty five,” Simon says from below. “Keep going. We have four minutes.”
Four minutes. Then we strike the iceberg, sealing Simon's fate and my father's fate.
“Hurry,” I urge him. What if Frank stabs him in the leg and he's injured until we get to land? Or worse?
A few dozen more rungs.
That's all. There's a trapdoor up ahead, illuminated by the light. We're close.
Simon echoes up. “He's coming.”
“Go,” Isabel whispers.
Ten more rungs.
“Stop!” Frank orders. “You don't know what you're doing!”
“I'll hold him off,” Simon says. “I'm above him. I should be able to. Just warn the crew!”
I'm there.
I pop open the trapdoor on starry night and frigid air. My breath spirals in front of me and the black pant legs of two men meet my gaze. One turns. “Did you find the binoculars—who are you? What are you doing up here?”
I climb all the way up into the night. My skin tightens, trying to shut out the cold. The two crew members stand there, flabbergasted. We might have only seconds. “Iceberg,” I manage. “Any second--”
The two men turn. I follow their gaze. The bow of the ship cuts through a calm, black expanse of water. They're not going to see it yet, but it's out there.
“Nothing,” one says. They both turn to me and the older of the two men glares. “This is not humorous, young lady. This is not a gag. This is a serious matter. I am calling someone to escort you back to your—how many of you set up this prank?” He gazes down at Isabel, who pokes her head up from the hatch.
I'm in panic. “Tell them to turn the ship. Now.” I can't reach the bell behind him.
Then I see it.
It's there, looming large in the night. A dark shape approaches, growing bigger each second.
We're too late. I know it. The iceberg is too close. If they turn the ship now, the same thing will happen that's always happened. We'll scrape the side, opening up the ship and filling four different compartments with water. Then we'll sink.
“Did you understand me, young lady?”
But if we can damage only one of those watertight compartments--
