05 William and Lucy

Chapter 05 William and Lucy The boy wore a nightshirt. He had red hair and freckles. He looked about four years old. He rubbed his eyes sleepily. Then he saw Teddy. “ Puppy! ” he said with a huge smile. He threw his arms around the little dog’s neck. Teddy licked his face. “ Come back to bed, William, ” a voice called from inside the room.

“ Come out! ” Annie shouted. “ It’s an emergency! ” A moment later, the door opened wider. A girl in a long white nightgown peeked out. She had red hair and freckles, too. She was tall and thin. She looked to be about twelve or thirteen years old. “ Hello, ” she said. She put her arm around the little boy. “ I’m Lucy O’Malley. This is my brother, William. ” “ I’m Annie, ” said Annie. “ And this is my brother, Jack. ” “ Get your parents and tell them to come with us, ” said Jack.

Lucy looked confused. “ Our parents aren’t here. They’re in New York, ” she said. “ We’re on our way to them. ” “ Listen, the Titanic has hit an iceberg, ” said Annie. “ We’ll take you to a lifeboat. ” “ What do you mean?” said Lucy. “ The ship’s sinking, ” said Annie. “ Look. ” She pointed to the water at the end of the hall. “ Oh, no! ” cried Lucy. “ Don’t be afraid, ” said Jack. “ Just get your coats and your life belts. We don’t have much time. ” Lucy nodded. Then she went back inside the room and came out with their things. Lucy pulled on her coat and her life belt. Annie helped William put his on. “ Let’s go, ” said Jack.

“ Wait—can Teddy fit in your knapsack?” said Annie. “ Try, ” said Jack. Annie slipped the little dog into the leather knapsack on Jack’s back. Only Teddy’s front paws and head stuck out. “ Stay there, honey, ” said Annie. She kissed Teddy on the nose. Jack didn’t feel any extra weight in his knapsack. The little dog felt as light as air. “ Wait—I forgot something, ” said Lucy. “ We don’t have time—” started Jack. But Lucy rushed back into the room. “ Hurry! ” shouted Annie. When Lucy came out, Jack saw her slip something into her coat pocket. Then she grabbed William’s hand. “ Ready?” said Jack.

Suddenly, he felt freezing water brush against his shoes. He looked down. The green sea water was slowly moving down the hall. “ Arf! Arf! ” barked Teddy from Jack’s pack. “ Run! ” cried Annie.