There were sounds, but they didn't make sense. There were words falling from mouths, and the flutter of light as people bustled about, but none of it seemed to exist; not really. Because this all had to be a dream, every last bit of it.
Jacin had once heard that people couldn't remember the start of their dreams, always winding up somewhere in the middle. But that had to be wrong. Because he had fallen asleep out on the deck of the ship, laying on that bench. And in his dream Winter Hayle had come to him. That was where the dream started. But now, after all the bliss of this marvelous work of the mind, things were starting to fall apart. This dream had become a nightmare— but Jacin wasn't waking up.
Somehow, he himself was talking, saying words that meant something to the ears they met, but nothing to his own brain. The world had slowed down and sped up, out of control, screaming four words on repeat: the ship is sinking.
"...life jackets on the deck of the ship," Rikan said, wrapping his own coat around Jacin's shoulders. Not a moment later, he was out the door, walking away from the group of them before Jacin could even protest the kindness.
"I don't know where my mother's off to," Cinder said, worrying at her lip. "I'm sure she's heard the news, but I'd much rather know where she is. I don't want to lose her."
Kai gave her a half-hearted smile, taking her hand in his own. "Don't fret, love," Kai said. He brushed the hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. "We'll find her before anything happens. I bet you my father will stumble upon her as he's looking for life jackets."
He then turned to Winter, still leaned against the doorframe, though perhaps more from shock than fatigue now. "Have you checked for Levana, or, um," Kai glanced at Winter and Jacin's intertwined fingers, his cheeks tinting pink. "Perhaps, Aimery."
"No," Winter hissed, giving Kai a most irate glare.
"Alright then," Kai said, wincing. "I just wanted to make sure. The ship is sinking, after all."
Jacin wanted to say "so what," but withheld it. There was no need for him to express his opinion on Aimery at the moment— they had more pressing matters to worry about.
A coat was wrapped around Winter's shoulders, and in another instant, the four of them were rushing to the ship's main deck without another word whispered between them.
There were so many people; of course Jacin knew that there were thousands upon the Titanic, but he'd never really realized it until that moment, as hundreds poured out onto the main deck. They were yelling and crying and whispering in small groups. There were children and old people and normal adults. But above all, no matter the age or identification of a person, there was fear. It swirled about like a poisonous fog, infecting all who gathered round.
Kai led them through the masses, though Jacin wasn't entirely sure where he was going. Jacin held up the rear of the group, holding onto Winter's hand, who in turn held onto Cinder who held onto Kai. They were like a snake, weaving through the throngs of people—in search of their own. And though he was a creature who preferred solitude and independence, he was glad for the leadership of another and the companionship of these almost-strangers as the world came to a stumbling crash.
On the outside, he was stony as ever. His face would never betray him. But inside he was a blaze of panic. The ship was sinking; they could all die in a matter of hours, his frozen body laying still against the floor of the Atlantic. He had never liked the cold, and the idea of that being his end sent a spike of fear into his heart.
"Father," Kai called out, pulling the whole group toward Rikan. He stood beside Channary Blackburn, patting her back and clearly uncomfortable as she sobbed into a handkerchief.
The snake chain reached the pair, relief lighting both sets of eyes. Rikan clapped Kai on the back and Channary threw her arms around Cinder, tears running down her face and cutting tracks through her make-up. It was strange how even as her eyes puffed and her features clouded, she was still a beautiful creature.
"The ship is sinking," Channary wailed, extracting herself from Cinder's arms to blow her nose rather noisily. "We are all going to die. We're all going to drown and be gone for good. It's the–"
Cinder clapped a hand over her mother's mouth and took in a deep breath. Channary mirrored her, shutting her eyes tight and dabbing at them with her handkerchief. Within a matter of moments, the hysterical woman was completely herself— or at least not her more bedraggled self that is.
"There seems to be a shortage of lifejackets," Rikan said, holding up three white flotation devices. "And on lifeboats as well. They're ordering the women and children on first. I don't think the ship is well-equipped for this sort of disaster."
Kai nodded as his father spoke, then handed one of the lifejackets to Winter, one to Channary, and held the last one up for Cinder to slide into, though she did with much protestation.
Winter accepted the jacket graciously, dropping Jacin's hand as she put it on. Then she turned to Jacin, her eyes wide. He gently took the bindings of the device and tied them tight, securing the lifejacket to her frame. When he was done, she leaned her face close to his and pressed a kiss to his lips, soft and delicate and sure.
"I'm not going to leave you," she whispered as they broke apart. Her arms were around his neck, but all he could feel was the cork of her life preserver. "I won't get onto one of those lifeboats unless you're standing there beside me."
Jacin grunted in response. He didn't much fancy sinking to the bottom of the Atlantic, but despised the idea of Winter freezing in the ocean. It tore at his very heart and soul.
It was quite out of the ordinary for him to have feelings for another person— never before had he held so strong an affection for another living soul. But he loved Winter. There was no other way to state it, for that was all it was. He'd loved so little in his life, caring only for his parents, and occasionally for dear friends, though those were far and few between.
They broke apart without another word, and watched as Cinder glared at Kai with such contempt that Jacin felt as if he had just stumbled in upon a private moment. She had her arms folded over her chest— over the lifejacket— her cheeks aflame and eyes bright. Kai looked uncomfortable, but whispered comforting words to her all the while. Jacin watched as Kai placed a hand over Cinder's stomach, as his other hand swiped at a tear upon her cheek.
Winter let out a gasp beside him as she came to the same conclusion that he had. Jacin had to turn away, unable to look at the other couple during this private moment.
"I didn't realize," Winter mumbled, rubbing beneath her eyes. "But, oh–" Winter sighed. "It makes so much sense. It's– it's–"
Jacin pulled her to him as she let out a soft sob. Nothing had happened yet, and already everyone was falling apart. People rushed past them in a flutter of panicked voices and ill-fitting lifejackets. The sinking of the ship was a slow process as of now, but he knew that soon everything would go to hell.
Rikan seemed to realize this at the same moment as Jacin. "We need to find a lifeboat. Get those we can onto it and–" Rikan's face pinched as he looked at his son. "We'll figure things out from there."
Fireworks lit the sky in a bright array of color, but no one paused to look up. People were screaming and children were crying and all had become absolute chaos. There was nowhere to turn, nowhere to run, and no one there to save them.
