Fateful by Claudia Gray: Titanic Writing Contest Winners

Tonight, we bring you the winners from our Fateful by Claudia Gray writing contest! For this contest, we asked you to write a short story that takes place on the Titanic. It could be realistic historic fiction, or a blend of the supernatural (like Fateful is).

The following three winners will each receive a copy of Fateful, thanks to our friends at Harper Teen!

See below the jump for the winners & their winning entries!

Natalie R.: 

April 14, 1912
R.M.S. Titanic

Dear Liam,

I cannot sleep so I have decided to write to you. This may seem a frivolous use of paper, ink and lamp oil, but I can’t stop thinking about you. Have you finished the repairs to our new place? How I love the word “our”, it sends happy shivers right down to my toes. I can’t wait to see you and your dear face again.

It is very dull here. Mostly we share dreams and watch over the children. I met a girl close to my age who intends to become a nun and another who, with her friends, wants to find a position as a housekeeper. I hope that I can stay in touch with them later; it will be nice to have friends in a strange country.

The Titanic is so huge, but I have only seen a fraction of it. Sometimes we talk about what we think the rest of it looks like. We imagine the ballrooms and the dresses the grand ladies wear, and then we picture ourselves among them.

When I am not with the others, I am daydreaming about the future. I know it is terribly improper and I would not be writing it if I ever thought you would read it, but sometimes I dream of waking up to see your face inches from mine. In my dream, I just lie there and watch you until I catch a glimpse of those beautiful brown eyes and you smile at me before you are quite awake.

I am so excited to see New York. As a girl who has never gone as far as Dublin before, it seems like such a grand adventure. I took the train for the first time to get to Southampton and I nearly fainted when I saw the ship. I can just see your face when I steam into harbor on this monster of a boat. Sometimes I feel as if I have become a sister of Jonah, swallowed by a whale.

(Large inkblot)

Oh dear, a sudden jolt has caused me to spill ink all over. I had best close this letter before I waste any more. My every thought is with you, mo chroi.

All my love,
Bridget

Rachel P.:

After Beck and I had been sloshing through the water for what felt like forever, we finally became aware of a small voice calling out for help. Beck and I exchanged a hopeful glance as we plunged deeper into the hallway in the direction of the voice.

We reached a small bunk room with beds lining the walls. Sitting on top of one of the bunks was a frightened boy curled up in a ball.

“Matty?” I asked softly, but when the boy turned towards us, my heart sank. It wasn’t my brother, it was some other boy. Beck put a comforting hand on my shoulder, but I shook it off. I didn’t know who this little boy was, but I did know that we couldn’t just leave him down here.

“Come here,” I told the boy as I held out my arms to him. “You’ll be safe with us.” He looked at me and sniffled a few times before finally crawling into my arms. Wordlessly, Beck and I made our way back into the hallway. It was clear that Matty hadn’t come downstairs, so all we could do was hope that he’d somehow made it onto a lifeboat. Now we had another goal: save the little boy in my arms.

The cold water was turning my skin blue, and I had to grit my teeth to keep from crying out as we waded through it. Beck and I took turns carrying the boy, being careful to hold him above the water. I talked to the boy and tried my best to soothe him as we went. Keeping up a constant chatter, I pretended that everything would be alright, and that there was no doubt in my mind that we would survive this.

Suddenly, we heard a cracking noise behind us. Beck and I glanced back down the hallway to see the side of the ship beginning to break. The sound of splitting wood blocked out everything else as my body shook with terror.

“Run!” Beck screamed, seizing my hand and tugging me along with him as we launched ourselves down the hallway to the staircase. But it was too late. We were fast, but the water was faster. During the last few minutes, it was like everything was in slow motion. Beck’s frightened face as he gripped my hand. The terrified boy as he sobbed in Beck’s arms. The side of the ship breaking. The water rushing towards us. The realization that we couldn’t escape. Beck’s face again, as he looked at me and said something I couldn’t hear. I tried to ask him what it was, but then the water swept us up and ripped my hand out of his grasp as I was carried away from him. I tried to fight my way to the surface, but the water was too cold, too powerful.

The last thing I was aware of was the frigid water invading my lungs and closing over me.

Stephanie P.:

April 14, 1912

She shivered as she slumped against the wall and felt tears trickling down her cheeks, feeling her heart breaking. She cowered behind the giant plant watching them go down the hall. So perfect together that it made breathing impossible. She wiped at her eyes and turned to go as pain threatened to choke her; unfortunately a hand on her arm brought her up short and she found herself looking into his brilliant green eyes.

“Anna”, he asked hoarsely, “My god I thought… I thought you were..”

“Dead” she stated on a sob as she jerked away from him, “too bad you’re not that lucky”, she hissed as she crossed her arms over her chest and began to back away. He caged her in his arms flattening her against the wall. His heart burned and threatened to burst as he looking into her beautiful blue eyes. He had thought two years ago that he’d lost his chance at love and now it stood in front of him again, like a ghost come back to haunt him. Her eyes spit fire at him as she pushed against him, hating him and loving him at the same time, unable to help herself.

Donovan gripped her face with his hand. She glared at him but all he saw was the woman he loved come back to life. He felt as if he could breathe again for the first time in two years. He felt as if the iron bars of expectation had finally fallen away setting him free, he felt like he could fly. He pulled her face to his and kissed her.

Anna shivered and tried to scratch him but her heart skipped and she found herself grasping him to her instead of shoving him away. She knew she should, she knew he was engaged to someone else, but her heart screamed at her to enjoy this moment. The kiss went on and the ship seemed to shudder under them and Anna sighed thanking the lord that He was here and in her arms and that they had this moment no matter what tomorrow would bring.

He pulled back and touched his forehead to hers breathing deeply, breathing in the sweet scent of lavender that always clung to her; a scent that had haunted his every dream since the day he’d thought she’d been lost to him forever. “I died when I thought I’d lost you”, he moaned as he nibbled her lips. She smiled and opened her mouth when the sound of rushing feet pounded down the corridor. They both looked up at the sound and Anna felt the blood drain form her head as a white star employee rushed past, screaming for everyone to get up and get on deck with their life belts on.

Anna looked into Donovan’s eyes as the question on both their minds was answered as the next employee ran through screaming “iceburg”. Donovan looked into her eyes and yelled “run”.

Congrats to all the winners!