seven;

"WHERE'S JACK?" Janiyah asked as she sprinted through the hallway towards Ray, who carried two life vests in his arms.

"He'll be back," Ray replied, handing her one of the vests. "He went to his room to get a life jacket."

She nodded, "Okay, let's head up to the top deck and see what's going on."

They turned to head to the stairway that Janiyah had returned from, but the gate closed up and locked by a crew member behind it. "This stairwell is closed, head back to the main stairwell," he told them before leaving.

"What's the difference between this stairwell and the other one?" Janiyah asked, earning a shrug from Ray.

The two made their way to the main stairwell instead, but it was clogged with many passengers, holding their suitcases and yelling at the stewards on the other side of the locked steel gate to open it up.

"Stay calm, please," said one of the stewards. "It's not time to go up to the boats yet."

"They're letting the first-class on the boats first," Ray rolled his eyes. "What's even going on? Jack and I felt the ship shake for a while, did it hit something?"

"It hit an iceburg. I thought it hadn't done any damage to the ship, but I guess it did," Janiyah replied. She sighed, "We're just gonna have to wait. They'll have to let us go eventually, they can't leave us here."

"Yeah, well to them we're just stowaway trash so I wouldn't be surprised if they left us here to die."

They waited for some time. Still, the stewards wouldn't open up the gate. People were getting furious, including Ray. "This is bull!" He yelled, pushing his way through the crowd after he'd decided he had enough of this. "Let us go already or I'll destroy the damn gate myself!"

Janiyah remained in her spot, pensive, as she hadn't seen Jack. He'd be back by now for sure, he only went to get his life vest... something could've gone wrong. But she had no idea where Jack's room was, so he couldn't go look for him. Perhaps if she looked around she'd find him? Leaving the chaotic scene, walked past the many doors through the empty hallway. Everyone was probably waiting at the gate, and if they weren't, they were still sleeping, completely ignoring the warning.

Passing by her room, she heard a familiar voice, yelling for help. Wait... why was there someone in her room, calling for help? It certainly didn't sound like one of her roommates... "Help! I'm in here!" The voice was heard again, and it was... Jack?

"Jack?" She called for him, turning the doorknob only for it to be locked. "Jack, what are you still doing here? I thought you were getting your life belt."

"J!" He sounded relieved. "J, you can't open the door?"

"No, why did you lock it?" She asked, attempting to open it again but it wouldn't budge.

"I didn't, I guess Ray did, I don't know, I was unconscious and woke up a few minutes ago."

"What? How? What happened?"

"It's a long story, Ray got angry with me, knocked me unconscious, and now here I am, tied to a pole with a rope and I can't get out," he spoke in a rushed manner. "I really need you to get me out."

"I can't, I don't have a key!"

That's when Janiyah realized the ship felt... slightly tilted? That was odd, and concerning. She heard something slide and fall off a higher surface in her room, it sounded like...

"The key!" Jack said, "One of the keys just fell, I can kick it towards you and slide it under the door."

"Do it, hurry!" Janiyah told him. "There's something wrong with the ship, none of this feels right." There was a silence as Jack attempted to slide the key under the door and towards Janiyah.

"I almost got it..."

The ship rocked, and the key was heard slipping off.

Sl

"No, damn it!" Jack sighed, "I gotta wait for it to slide back to me."

Janiyah sighed, turning her back against the door and sliding to her knees. There had to be some other way to get him out... maybe by breaking the door--

Her thoughts were interrupted when she caught sight of water, rushing towards her from a corner of the hallway. Widening her eyes, she realized the ship was sinking. She'd thought it was just a precaution to get on the emergency boats, but now with the ship feeling tilted to one side, and the water seeping in, it all made sense. The ice burg had caused damage to the ship, and if they stayed here, they'd drown.

"Jack, there's water coming in," she exclaimed, standing up and pulling the doorknob frantically, as if it would magically unlock. "Jack, I have to get you out!"

"It's okay, J, just stay calm," Jack attempted to reassure her but she could tell by the tone in his voice he was panicking as well. "Ray locked it, right? So get the key from him!"

"How? I don't know what he'll do if he finds out I'm trying to get you out."

"I don't know, you'll figure it out!" Jack told her, "I know you can."

"No, I can't, I don't know..." She sighed, tears welling up in her eyes. "Jack, what if I can't get you out? What if you die and it'll be my fault because I couldn't save you?"

"J, it won't be your fault, okay?" He paused. Then, "Look, I know you can do this, you always think of something. Just... trust me, remember?"

Janiyah looked down, noticing her shoes were now beginning to soak with water. The water reached her, and it would soon reach Jack. She had to do something, now. Or else Jack would drown in the freezing cold water. She couldn't let that happen, she loved Jack. Well, that's what she thought, she'd never experienced a romantic love like this in her life.

"I'll be right back, okay?" was what she said before sprinting off towards the main stairwell, in search for Ray. Okay, what's the plan? Think, think, think... come on, it's not that hard to think of a plan!

Once she reached the stairwell, she spotted Ray who seemed to have given up on shouting at the stewards to open the gate. He sat against a wall, waiting for all this to be over already, so they could head over to the boats and leave the ship. Over here at the main stairwell, the water hadn't reached them yet, but it certainly would soon enough.

"J!" Ray stood from where he sat and quickly came over to Janiyah, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Where did you go? Why did you leave?"

"I..." She trailed off, her mind still working hard to think of a plan but nothing came up. "Uh..."

Only when she looked up into his dark eyes did she realize what she had to do.

Bringing him towards her with her hands on the back of his neck, she brought him to a kiss. She felt nothing, though. There just wasn't that spark that she had whenever she kissed Jack. That's why she could never love Ray like that, it just wasn't possible.

Crap, which pocket is the key in...? Ray wore a long trench coat to keep him warm in these cold temperatures. The problem was, it his four pockets, two on each side. She only had one chance to do this.

Sliding her hand to one of the top pockets, she discreetly searched for the key and found nothing. Damn it...

Ray pulled away from the kiss, out of breath. Janiyah slipped her hand out from his pocket before he could notice. She remained eye contact with him, because maybe he'd want another kiss, and so she'd have a second chance.

"Why did you do that?" Ray asked, "I thought... I thought you didn't love me."

"I do." I do... just not in the way you want. "I only realized it now... I love you, Ray." She gave him the widest grin she had. Hopefully he'd buy it.

He smiled back at her, and Janiyah began to feel bad. All this was a lie, she didn't really love him the way he thought she did. She was gonna have to break his heart... though she didn't know if she'd see him again after evacuating the ship, not after what he'd done to Jack. She just now realized how angry she was at him, but was so caught up in the panic that she hadn't thought of it.

It just made her want to punch him and throw him off the ship for what he'd done. How could he have done that for such a stupid reason? He was just so childish, and to think that she felt bad for him! Ha, no more! And- ugh, focus, J! Jack's waiting.

This time, she sneaked her hand into the top pocket of the other side of his jacket. Wait, what if he didn't have it in either of his pockets and he just kept it someplace else? His room? And she was kissing him for no reason? Oh wait... no, there's something in there. It felt like a key... she quickly took it in her fingers, taking her hand out of the pocket, then pulled away from Ray.

"I, um..." she tried to think of an excuse to leave, but nothing came to mind.

"Women and children only!" Said the steward as he opened up the gate. Finally. "Men will be allowed later on!"

"That's unfair!" Ray shouted, returning back to the crowd of people and pushing through them to get to the stewards.

Well, now she just had to run back to Jack. She looked at her hands, and smiled when she saw the shiny key held in her hands. Once again, she sprinted through the different hallways, turning corners, until she found her room. "Jack, I got the key!"

Unlocking the door revealed a battered up Jack, the side of his forehead dripping with blood. It was dried blood, though, and it seemed to have stopped bleeding. Janiyah's blood boiled in her veins when she caught sight of Jack. How could Ray do this? She never expected him to do something like this, ever. They'd been friends for so long, this was truly unexpected and unacceptable.

She dashed to Jack once she saw him, planting multiple kisses on his lips. "I'm sorry, Jack, I'm so sorry. I didn't think Ray would ever do something like that..."

"It's okay, J, it's not your fault, okay?" He gave her a reassuring smile.

Nodding, she then went to untie the rope from his hands, setting him free. The water had reached their ankles now, and man was it stinging cold. It sloshed around as they walked, and by the time they reached the main stairwell, it was just beginning to reach the crowd of people there. Yet the stewards wouldn't let the men pass just yet.

"You should go, I'll catch up with you later," Jack told her once he heard they were only accepting women and children.

"No, no," she objected. "I'm not leaving you again. If we're leaving, we're leaving together, okay?"

Jack hesitated, but nodded in agreement with her. "I know another way we can get out," he stated. Spotting Fabrizio and a woman, Helga, in the crowd, he shouted for him, "Fabrizio! Fabri!"

The Italian turns to see Jack and Janiyah, and he immediately went over to them, embracing Jack in a hug. "The boats are all going," Fabrizio stated.

"We gotta get up there or we're gonna be gargling seawater," Jack commented. "Where's Tommy?"

Fabrizio pointed over at the crowded stairwell, his hands on the bars of the gate as he attempted to push it open with his force. Meanwhile, a few women were able to get out through there. The stewards continued insisting that only women and their children were able to pass, but it seemed like some foreigners that didn't speak English could understand that.

Struggling to close the gate, once they finally did, they locked it and it only made the crowd rage even more as they tried to push the gate open again. One of the stewards held a revolver in his hand, threatening to shoot them if they wouldn't stand back.

"For the love of God, man," Tommy begged, "there are children down here! Let us up, so we can have a chance!" But the stewards did nothing. He finally gave up, returning to his friends. "It's hopeless that way."

"Well, whatever we're going to do, we better do it fast," Jack suggested.

Fabrizio turned to Helga and her family, speaking to them, but they most likely didn't understand English or Italian. "Everyone... all of you, come with me now. We go to the boats. We go to the boats, capisce? Come! Now!"

But they couldn't understand him at all. They saw how crucial this situation was, but the father of the family shook his head. Fabrizio turned to Helga, hoping at least she'd want to come with him. "Helga, per favore... please, come with me, I am lucky. It is my destiny to go to America."

Helga only kissed him, then stepped away to return to her family. Fabrizio looked heartbroken, Jack consoled him with a hand on his shoulder. "I will never forget you," Fabrizio told the woman before leaving the scenario along with the rest, Tommy, Janiyah, and Jack.

Someone else closely followed without them knowing.

(10.29.20)

author's note !
so random question because i have nothing to put here, what's your favorite star wars trilogy? mine's the originals!!