Noelle at Sea by Nikki Shannon Smith

Author:Nikki Shannon Smith
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Capstone; Stone Arch Books; Girls Survive; Nikki Shannon Smith; Matt Forsyth; Titanic; Action & Adventure/Survival Stories; Historical Fiction; 9781496578501; 9781496580108; 9781496578556
Publisher: Capstone
Published: 2019-01-10T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIX

April 15, 1912

Early Monday, 1:15 a.m.

“Pauline! Pauline!” Noelle ran aimlessly around the deck, calling her friend’s name. She bumped into people, but most of them ignored her. They were too busy panicking to notice.

Noelle ran from one end of the boat deck to the other. The slant of the ship made her feel like she was running up a small hill. She did not find Pauline anywhere. She wished she knew the way to steerage.

Noelle’s mind raced as she choked on the freezing air. She stood still, alone in the middle of the crowd, trying to think.

A large man, who was pulling a woman toward the lifeboats, slammed into Noelle. She fell onto her right knee, and a sharp pain shot up her leg. The man continued on his mission without even a glance back to see if Noelle was all right.

A woman stopped in front of her and helped her up. “Are you lost? Why don’t you come with me?” The woman, dressed in a nightgown and a coat, tried to lead Noelle to a lifeboat by the hand.

Noelle shook her head and pulled her hand away. “I have to find my friend.”

“Let her sink with the ship,” another voice intruded. It was a voice Noelle recognized—it belonged to the woman from Cherbourg. She was already on a lifeboat.

The woman took Noelle’s hand again. “I will not. You should be ashamed.”

Noelle repeated her words. “I have to find my friend.”

“Where do you think she is?” the kind woman asked her.

Tears filled Noelle’s eyes. “In steerage,” she said softly.

The woman let go of Noelle’s hand and backed toward the lifeboat. “I’m sorry,” was all she said.

Left on her own, Noelle walked through the crowd. She could barely see through her tears. This time she moved slower, looking at faces. She paid attention to clothes, trying to see if anyone seemed to be from third class. Finally she saw a mother with two small children. They wore modest clothing that reminded Noelle of Pauline’s. Tears streamed down all three faces.

“Madame,” said Noelle. “What deck did you come from?”

At first the lady ignored Noelle. The oldest child, a girl, tugged at her mother’s coat. “Mama, that girl is talking to you.”

Noelle repeated her question.

The woman looked down at Noelle with sad eyes. “F-deck.”

That’s one of the lowest decks, thought Noelle. Maybe there was hope for Pauline.

“How did you get out?” asked Noelle.

The woman sobbed. “The gates were locked. We were pressed against each other trying to get out. We could hear the water coming. We screamed and rattled the gate, but no one came.” The woman looked down at her feet. Noelle saw that her shoes were wet. “The water was so cold.”

Noelle waited for her to continue, but the woman began pulling her children toward the next lifeboat. “How did you get out?” Noelle shouted.

The oldest girl looked back. “We broke the gates.”

Relief washed over Noelle. Maybe Pauline was making her way to the boat deck right now.

“Which way?” Noelle asked.

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