Page 111 of Haunting the Deep

“I’m trying to do this the nice way.” The threat is clear in Matt’s voice.

“Well, I’m not.” I yank at the dance card, tearing the page.

He reaches for me, but I grab the knife he pricked my finger with. “Don’t you eventhinkabout touching me again. I’m not under your spell anymore.”

“You can’t do magic here, Samantha, not without your physical body. And besides, you’re part of theTitanic’s story now. You helped make this happen. You belong here and you belong with me.” He’s so confident that for a second I almost doubt myself.

Almost. I slowly back up toward the door with the knife held out in front of me. “No, I’m not part of the story. I never was. I don’t belong with you, and Idefinitelydon’t belong to you. This ship isn’t real!” I feel the doorknob against my back.

“I told you not to say things like that,” he says angrily, his cool demeanor broken. “Unless you want to go headfirst into the ocean! I’m the best choice you have. You go out there, and it won’t be only me. Alexander the First will hunt you down.”

“I’ll take my chances.”

“But will you take a chance with your father and your neighbor?”

My heart skips a beat. What was that trance he put them under? “You wouldn’t—”

“Like I didn’t with Redd?”

I clench the doorknob so hard I’m surprised it doesn’t crumble in my hand.

“Stay, and I will give you everything. Walk out that door and you will lose your entire world.”

“My world isn’t yours to take.” I twist the knob and swing the door fully open. A breeze blows in. The air is noticeably colder than it was a half hour ago.

Matt lifts his hand, feeling the cold air that’s blowing into the room, doubt shimmering in his eyes. “What did you do? Samantha, stop!”

He lunges at me, and I jab with the knife. It sticks an inch into his upper thigh. His eyes widen.

I don’t hesitate. I run.

Imake a sharp left, running as fast as I can away from Matt. My legs strain, and I hold both hands in front of me, pushing open the door to the staircase.

That last moment I spent with Matt loops in my mind. The look in his eyes when he asked me what I had done, the knife lodging in his leg. What did he mean, though? WhatdidI do?

I run the short distance from the stairs to my room and burst through the door. “Mollie!”

She stands up from where she was mending a dress. “Miss, what happened? Yer in a state.”

I grab her arm and pull. “We need to go somewhere that’s not here.”

She resists. “But the mendin’…”

“Mollie, please. We need to leavenow.This is the first place he’ll look. I’m in danger.”

She drops her needle.

“Do you know of a place, an out-of-the-way place that no one goes?” I try to picture what I know about theTitaniclayout. “Anything close by? A storage room, a pantry even?”

“Aye. There’s a maid’s pantry. It’s only used durin’ the day.”

“Perfect.”

I grab Mollie’s hand, and we run. Luckily, we don’t have far to go and none of the passengers are in the hallway to seeus.

Mollie pushes through the door to the maid’s pantry. I lock it from the inside.

“Miss, yer scarin’ me. What happened?”