| Chapter 1: Love at First Sight |
| A split second after I fell into the darkness I landed on a soft surface. I gradually began to open my eyes but when I caught a glimpse of my surroundings they snapped open. My eyes cautiously scanned the room and I sat up quickly. My forehead collided with the bedpost and I fell back against the mattress. All went balck as shock and a nasty blow to the head came crashing over me like a nightmare. Sometime later I felt someone shaking me and I heard voices coming from far away. I ignored them since I knew it was probably Brian waking me up to play video games with him. With a deep sigh I started to nestle myself back into sleep when I realized that I had a show and that the guys were more then likely mad at me for being late. Before I could react to my thoughts I heard the voices again this time much closer. These were voices that I did not recognize and what were they calling me? "Matthew, wake up!" the voice called loudly. 'Matthew? Who the hell is Matthew?' I thought to myself. I opened my right eye and peered at the two strange faces hovering over me. There stood a young man and a very beautiful young woman, both of them had concern written across their faces. I opened both eyes and surveyed the room and the two strangers. The man stood at least 6 feet tall with dark brown hair and blue eyes. The young women could not be more then 5 feet 4 inches tall with brown hair and almond shaped brown eyes. After studying her face for a moment I averted my gaze back to his and saw something that I hadn't noticed before. A shiver went up my spine when our eyes met. His eyes resembled mine so much that I felt like I was looking into a mirror. "Where the hell am I?" I mumbled at him never once taking my gaze away from his. He glanced swiftly at the young woman standing at his side before answering. "Matthew you're in your room. When you were late meeting us for dinner I got worried and came to see what was wrong since you are never late for anything. Madeline and I decided to check on you and we found you lying here unconsious. You bumped your head pretty good. Do you want me to clean it for you so that we can go to dinner?" he finished with a pompous tone in his voice. "You can go to dinner without me. I'm really not very hungry," I replied softly hoping that they would disappear. "Don't be stubborn Matthew. You haven't eaten since we ate breakfast before we boarded the ship. Besides I really don't think that you should miss the first dinner of the trip, since you are one of the richest men on board. People will think that you think that you are too good for them. I don't know about you Matthew, but Madeline and I don't want people to gossip about us. Now finish getting ready so we can go," he retorted sternly. Fire began to rage in my eyes and I was about to pop him across the mouth when Madeline grabbed onto his arm and started pulling him towards the door. "James, darling, let's just go. Matthew doesn't look like he is feeling very well. We will just tell everyone that he is ill and I'm sure that they will understand why he isn't with us. Come along now James. Matthew get some rest and we will check on you later." Madeline smiled at me and walked out the door. After giving me a very displeased look James hesitantly followed her out. When the door clicked shut behind them I situated myself at the edge of the bed. My face rested in my hands as I tried to figure out what the hell had happened to me. I took a deep breath and started to run my hands through my short blonde hair, but stopped when I felt the grease. "What the hell?" I exclaimed as I looked at my now shiny fingers. I slowly stood up and my head felt as though I had just finished drinking a twleve pack of beer. I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for the dizziness to pass. When I felt like I could walk again, I slowly approached the dresser that had a large mirror attached to it. My head felt like a thousand-pound weight as I raised it to get a look at my reflection. My heart pounded in my chest and I fell forward planting my palms flat on the dresser top. Only inches before the mirror I stared at the face looking back at me. The only part of myself that I recognized was my eyes. I now had dark brown hair and a very aristocratic looking face. My hair was slicked back off of my forehead and I was partially dressed in a black tuxedo. I once again squeezed my eyes shut and rubbed my hands over my face hoping that I would open them again and find that what I was seeing was just a dream. With one last tight squeeze of my eyelids and a swift shake of my head I slowly looked into the mirror to find that what was before me was not a dream. Just as I was turning away from the dresser to observe my surroundings more closely, I spotted a small stack of papers sitting on the edge of the right side. My hand shook as I picked up the top paper that was folded in half. Hesitantly I opened it to find myself staring at a first class passenger ticket for the Titanic. "No fuckin' way," I muttered as I read the ticket. White Star Line First Class Passenger Titanic's Maiden Voyage Suite 480 B Deck Matthew Montgmoery, III Age 21 |
| It went on to list an address in New York City and stated the times and locations of departure and docking. I could only assume that the address shown on the ticket was Matthew's home address and below the address it had that he was traveling with his younger brother James and his wife Madeline. I glanced at my reflection again and it dawned on me that I was Nick Carter in mind and soul, but Matthew Montgomery, III, in body. I watched as my face became ghostly white and a cold sweat began to bead on my forehead. I sank down into the vanity chair and just stared at myself or should I say Matthew in the mirror. There were so many questions running through my my mind that I couldn't think clearly. The one question I couldn't stop asking was, 'Why? Why has this happened to me and why now?' Before any further questions could bombard my thoughts I stood up and grabbed the long black coat that hung on the coat rack and headed out the door. I stepped into the brightly lit, somewhat narrow hallway and turned left when I saw the stairway. As I approached the stairs I realized that it was the Grand Staircase, one of Titanic's greatest features. I had seen pictures of it and the rebuilt version of it in the movie but getting to see it with my own two eyes was surreal. It was breathtakingly beautiful. The pure beauty of the woodwork and glass dome was incredible. I was gawking at everything like a kid on his first visit to Disney World, trying to take everything in and plant it in my memory so I would never forget it. I was oblivious to everyone around me that I didn't hear the steward walking by say my name. "Are you talking to me?" I asked. "Yes, Mr. Montgomery I was. I asked if you are feeling alright and if you needed anything," he replied. "I'm feeling pretty good and I don't need anything right now, except for some fresh air. How do I get outside from here?" I questioned. "You just go up the stairs here and you will find a door to the boat deck on the far right side of the landing. Are you sure you don't need anything else sir, because that bruise on your forehead looks beastly?" He responded with a concerned look on his face. "I'm fine really. I just need to walk around for awhile. If I need anything later I will be sure to find you. Thank you kindly but I must excuse myself." I turned on my heel and started towards the stairs. I stopped and looked back at him and said, "By the way Paul, please call me Matthew. Saying Mr. Montgomery makes me feel older then I am." He smiled and nodded in return and I continued up the stairs. After ascending the stairs I immediately found the door that Paul had said would take me outside. I quickly walked to it and stepped into the brisk night air as a young man held it open for me. I took a deep breath of the fresh night ocean air and felt myself relax. I began to meander down the boat deck heading towards the back of the ship. Because I had seen the movie a few times, I had an idea of where some things were located. I stopped in front of the railing and looked out into the now dark night. There was no way to decipher where the sky ended and the ocean began. Leaning over I rested my elbows on the railing and looked down to watch the black water forming white clouds of foam at the surface from the propellers. As I stood there staring at the awesome sight before me, all the questions I had tried to suppress came back to me. I still hadn't found an answer to why I was here. There has to be a good reason that I am here, I told myself over and over again. Then another question slammed into my mind that made me even more petrified than the one before. I knew the fate of this ship and that there were only a few short days before the 'Unsinkable Titanic', would in fact sink. Does this mean that I will become a casualty of the tragedy? Can I try and change history by warning people that the ship will sink and that they have all been fooled by the nickname that the papers had given the grand ocean liner? Something inside me told me that it wasn't possible to change destiny and that I would survive the ordeal. Although that made me feel better, I had a sinking feeling that Matthew wasn't going to be one of the survivors that would dock in New York. Before I could freak about that thought, a comforting feeling took over my body. What it was that comforted me I do not know. Just as quickly as all the terrifying thoughts entered my head they disappeared and I felt very calm and relaxed. I didn't even worry about the fact that I seemed very comfortable in the surroundings I was in. Somewhere deep in the pit of my soul, I knew that I was meant to be here at this time and that I would soon find out what the reason was. I stood there for awhile longer, letting the cool breeze migrate across my face and over my body. I had decided that I was going to enjoy this experience as much as I possibly could, because I knew that nothing like this would ever happen again. I also knew that I had to figure out how to get back before the ship sank. Just thinking about how I got here gave me an idea that there had to be a way back somewhere on the ship. It was just a matter of finding it before I went down with it. My stomach began to growl and I decided that I better head back and find something to eat. With one last look at the beautiful horizon I turned around and started heading back to my room. Somehow a small smile had formed on my face and I felt extremely happy. I was beginning to think that Matthews' emothions were stonger then mine, because I didn't even feel like myself any longer. The only thing that still felt like me was my knowledge of the future and that I was still looking through my own eyes. If felt as though time had stpped in my world and was now only in Matthews' time. Time that was ticking away like a bomb. I was so consumed by my own thoughts that I didn't hear the quick footsteps coming towards me. As I rounded the corner of a small shed-like structure, I collided with something. That something turned out to be someone. She bounced off my chest and landed with a thud on the ground. I looked down to find a slender girl sprawled out on her side. A mass of blonde curls hid her face. "Good Lord dear, I'm terribly sorry about that. I didn't see you coming. Are you alright?" I questioned as I knelt down to help her up. "I'm fine. Just leave me alone," she retorted. Her boice was muffled due to her face being hidden in the crook of her elbow. Her voice sounded more mature than I had expected. I knew that I couldn't just leave her lying there. I had to see her face, I thought to myself. There was something inside me that knew if I didn't see her eyes that I would regret it for the rest of my life. "At least let me be a little bit of a gentleman and help you up. Perhaps I could escort you back to your suite, because it is not safe for a young lady to be out walking by herself on a ship full of strangers in the dark. Come now and take my hand," I replied softly as not to frighten her. After a few pondering seconds she reluctantly put her small hand in ine and I slowly helped her to her feet. When she had steadied herself she took her hand out of mine and removed the pile of curls from her face. Her eyes gradually rose to meet mine. Our gazes locked and my breath caought in my chest. The darkest, most beautiful blues eyes that I had ever seen stared back at me. A worried look adorned my face as I looked into her eyes. Eyes that looked as petrified as mine had only 45 minutes earlier. My free fall through the darkness was coming to an end as I began to see a light at the end of the tunnel. 'Am I dead?' I thought to myself as the light got closer and closer. When I broke the barrier into the light, I was in a room full of people that were dancing and having a good time. Before I could register any other thoughts I was sucked into a young woman's body. My flight into her was so sudden that she shot backwards in her chair and landed with a loud thud as her head connected with the wood floor. I gasped as my body and soul became one with hers. All went black as she slipped uncounscious from the hard hit to her head. Somewhere in the distance I could hear frantic voices calling to me. Before I could reach them I felt stong arms life me off the floor and start carrying me away. I must have slipped bact into a comatose state, because the next thing I felt was being laid down on a soft surface that I knew could only be a bed. A cold wet cloth was draped across my forehead and a small hand clasped mine tightly. I heard a young boy's voice constantly calling to me. It was a voice that I didn't recognize and it made me not want to open my eyes to see who it was. "Katherine can you hear me? Are you alright? If you can hear me and understand what I am saying please open your eyes or squeeze my hand." A young female voice coaxed in my ear. I didn't understand why she was calling me Katherine and I was beginning to feel sick to my stomach with fear. Before I could do what she had asked of me, I felt myself lurching as the bile began to rise in my throat and I was rolled to the side of the bed as I emptied the contents of my stomach into a bed pan. My eyes became the size of saucers when I realized that I was hurling in a bed pan. I quickly glanced around and noticed that the young woman was wearing a dress and the boy was wearing brown slacks and very worn brown boots. The floor was hard wood and I saw a set of bunk beds on the other side of the small room. There was a sink with a mirror and a small lamp in the corner at the end of the bed that I was laying on. "Where the hell am I?" I asked softly looking up and into young blue eyes. "Katherine, you are in our cabin. You fell backwards in your chair and bumped your head on the floor in the dining room. Are you feeling alright?" The boy asked with concern dripping in his voice. "I feel like shit and very confused. Who are you?" I asked a little more harshly then I had intended. "Katherine watch your language. You must have hit your head harder then we realized. You don't remember that we are on the Titanic heading back to America? I am Dorothy, your sister and this is Teddy, your brother, don't you remember us or do you have a little bit of memory loss?" Dorothy asked quietly. "My name isn't Katherine, it's Natalie and what the hell is going on here? Is this some kind of joke? Did my mother put you guy's up to this? Oh, I know, I must be stuck in a nightmare right?" The questions flowed out of my mouth before I could stop them. The two young ones looked at me with puzzled looks on their faces and I knew that it wasn't a dream. Then I remembered being in my Grandma's attic and falling through the door at the back of the closet. Everything came back to me and pounded me like a wave. My face must have gone white, because Dorothy and Teddy were telling me to lay back and rest for awhile. I lazed back into the pillow and closed my eyes once again to block out the sight before me. "Katherine, I think that Teddy and I are going to go back to the dining room so that you can have some time to rest. If you need anything just come and get us and we will get it for you. Just rest, okay?" Dorothy said as she placed the wet washcloth on my forehead once again. I nodded in response and watched them walk out the door. Not long after they left I sat up and looked around again. I still couldn't believe that I was on the Titanic, that is if I really was and that it wasn't some kind of practical joke my mother was playing on my to lighten my spirits. I sat on the edge of the bed and held my face in my hands for a few minutes to try and bring myself back to reality. The pounding in my head finally subsided and I eased myself off the bed to wash my face in the sink. When I stood up I looked down at the plain dress that I was wearing and suddenly remembered seeing one just like it in the closet at my Grandma's house. It was navy blue cotton and I found the matching hat on the top bunk. I picked it up and looked it over, noticing that it was the same as the one in the closet, only newer. With the hat in hand I turned and found myself looking into the face of a stranger in the mirror. My straight brown hair was gone and was replaced with a halo of golden curls. My lips were fuller and my nose was more petite and button-like. I looked into the eyes of this stranger only to meet my own familiar gaze. Shock replaced the look of wonder that had adorned my face when I realized that it was me in another person's body. At that point I started to laugh hysterically and I couldn't bring myself to stop. I just knew that I had to be dreaming and that if I just laughed about it then I would wake up. After falling back on the bed holding onto my stomach to ease the ache that had formed from laughing so hard, I finally calmed down. With my eyes closed I laid there for a few minutes knowing that I would find myself back in my room in Colorado when I opened them. A small smile enlightened my face as I slowly opened my eyes only to find that I was still in the small cabin on the Titanic. The smile was quickly replaced, as the fear and confusion swept over me again. I shook my head swiftly trying to clear my mind. It didn't seem to help and I looked up towards the heavens and said, "Is this your idea of giving my life a change for the better? Please God give me some kind of sign that you want me here and that I am not just dreaming." My voice pleaded with Him and I looked around to find a small chest of drawers sitting directly in front of me on the opposite wall. With shaky knees, I slowly stood up and took the three steps to the front of it. Sitting on top of the dresser was a small hand bag. I picked it up and opened it to find a little bit of money and a neatly folded pile of papers. I pulled out the papers and unfolded them. The top paper staring back at me was a third class Titanic passenger ticket. It had the room number as G-deck, room 320 underneath the name Katherine Marie Wyatt, age 19. It stated Katherine's birthday as February 17, 1893 and her hometown as New York City. 'Apparently, this is me,' I thought to myself. The next two pieces of paper where the tickets for Dorothy and Teddy. Dorothy is 15 and Teddy, whose full name is actually Theodore, is 11. The rest of the papers were our birth certificates and ID's. I couldn't believe my eyes as I read through everything. "This isn't a joke at all, this is really happening to me." I said outloud as I set the papers on the dresser top. I walked back over to the mirror and just stared at my reflection in the mirror. The longer I stared at this young women the more I started to feel more and more like her. I felt as though my soul was no longer with me, with Katherine's taking it's place and I became even more frightened when I started to feel completley relaxed with the situation. I knew that I couldn't let that happen otherwise I would die when the ship sank. Oh, God! My heart started to pound in my chest as that thought went through my mind and I knew that I needed to find a way out of here. I ran out of the small room and into the small corridor bumping into an older gentleman in the process. I mumbled a sorry at him and continued on down the corridor as expeditiously as I could without drawing attention to myself. In the distance I could hear the sounds of music coming from what I could only assume was the dining room, where the after-dinner party was going on. I passed a long corridor heading in the opposite direction that I was going and noticed a sign. I promptly backtracked and read a sign that had an arrow on it pointing towards 'the stairway to the boat deck'. Without a moments hesitation, I headed towards the stairway. In my haste to get up the stairs, I stepped on the front of my dress and fell forward bumping my knee on the stair. "God Dammit," I hissed through clenched teeth. "Are you alright Miss?" A steward in a White Star Line shirt asked as I began to rub my sore knee. "I'm fine, sir. Thank you for your concern. Is this the right way outside?" I asked pointing up the stairway. "Yes, Miss, it is. Would you like me to escort you out?" "No, I think that I can handle it myself. But thank you for the offer," I replied as I continued up the stairs making sure to hold up the front of my dress. After climbing three flights of stairs I finally came to a landing with a door on the right hand side of the stairs. I took a moment to catch my breath and then I creeped towards the door. I looked out the small circular window and my breath froze in my lungs at what I saw before me. It was the loading area of the ship one flight of stairs below the back boat deck. I remembered seeing it in the movie when Rose is running to the back of the ship to 'see the propellers'. I saw a man coming towards the door so I opened it and stepped into the brisk night. The fresh air calmed me and I walked towards the railing on the starboard side. I rested my hands on the cool steel and looked out into the dark night. The ocean was as black as the sky and the stars were reflecting on the surface making it look as though the sky and ocean were one. "How beautiful!" I exclaimed under my breath. As I stood there taking in the sights before me, I started to wonder why I had been sent here. It had also began to dawn on me that I was on the most famous ship of all time and that it was not unsinkable like everone on board thought. Did this mean that I was going ot sink with the ship and die? Or was I sent here to change history and warn these people that the ship was in fact going to sink? My mind told me that it was impossible to change fate. I became so scared that I thought about the movie and what Rose had in mind when she was saved by Jack from the back of the boat. My mind began reeling and I started to run. 'If I am going to die then I am going to die on my own terms,' I screamed to myself. I raced up a flight of stairs and started running across the deck. I saw a shed directly in front of me and I turned to go around the corner. My path was blocked by something solid and I hit it with a thump, knocking myself onto the wood floor. I didn't move except to bury my face in the crook of my elbow so that I could just lay there and cry. I heard a soft, gentle male voice ask me if I was alright. "I'm fine. Just leave me alone," I retorted, not looking up. He said something back to me, but all I heard was 'at least let me help you up'. I don't know why but I couldn't stop the urge to see who this person, with the sweetest voice I had ever heard, was. The fear was still coursing through my veins when I slowly reached my hand out to him and he gently helped me to my feet. I felt a little uneasy and had to steady myself. My hand felt cold when I removed it from his grip and swept my hand across my face to remove my hair from in front of it, where it had fallen upon impact with the floor. My fear stricken eyes met with the clearest blue eyes that I had ever been blessed to gaze upon. The startled look on his face told me that he could see the fear in my eyes. "Are you alright? I didn't mean to frighten you like that, it's just that you came around the corner so fast that I didn't have a chance to step out of the way," he apologized rapidly. "No, no. You didn't frighten me, sir. I am fine really and I was already afraid before I bumped into you," I stated reassuringly. "What are you afraid of?" he asked attentively. "It was nothing really. I fell in the dining room and bumped my head pretty hard and I couldn't remember where or who I was. Know what I mean, sir?" "Yes, as a matter of fact I do. The same thing happened to me earlier this evening and it scared the wits out of me. Are you alright now?" "Yes, thank you very much. Well, sir, I should stop wasting your time and go and see about getting my siblings to bed. Thank you, sir and have a good night," I said as I turned to leave. I felt his fingers grab my elbow to stop me from leaving. I turned to face him and he asked, "Can I at least get your name and walk you back to your cabin?" I smiled at him and replied, "My name is Na...Katherine. Katherine Wyatt. It's not necessary for you to walk me back to my cabin, it's not that far, really. What is your name then, or should I call you sir?" He let out a low laugh that made me weak in the knees before he said, "My name is Matthew Montgomery, the third. You can call me Matthew. Please don't call me sir anymore, because it makes me feel old! It would be my pleasure to walk you back to your cabin even if it's not that far away." Before I could protest further, he placed my arm in the crook of his elbow and rested my hand on his forearm, with his other hand still resting on top of mine. I relaxed against his touch and let him guide me towards the small stairway. Before we reached the stairway he stopped suddenly and turned towards me. "What's wrong?" I asked when I saw a strange expression on his face. "Nothing, it's just that I was wondering if you would allow me to call you Kat?" he inquired with a raise of his right eyebrow. "But of course, just as long as it's ok that I call you Matt," I replied with a sly smile. "It's a deal, Kat!" I giggled and a broad smile garnished his face as we continued on. I felt so comfortable with him that I didn't want to go back to my cabin. As we walked along the boat deck I lost track of time and where we were walking. His deep voice had me mesmerized and the twinkle in his blue eyes gave me butterflies. My heart was bursting with joy and my soul felt complete. My mind eased with these thoughts and feelings and I had finally found an answer to all my questions. |