Page 117 of Haunting the Deep

He frowns. “Yes, miss. But it is the middle of the night.”

“You need to get your family up and dressed. We struck an iceberg.”

“Papa?” I hear from inside.

I walk past him. Ada slips out of the bed she shares with her sister. Her hair is in disheveled braids over her shoulders, and she rubs her eyes.

I steady my voice. “Ada, how did you get to me in that other place? You said when you took a nap, right? Through your dreams?”

She nods.

Ada’s mother sits up. “Miss, we already checked, and the man at the gate said the noise was nothing. That there was no need to be concerned.”

“He did say just that,” Ada’s father confirms.

“He was wrong,” I say. “I’m telling you. You need to get your family dressed and above deck. TheTitanicis going down.” I would never forgive myself if I not only sank this ship a second time, but sank it with Ada locked in steerage underwater for who knows how long.

I kneel down so that I’m at eye level with Ada. “How did you get to that other place, the one where you visited me, Ada?”

She frowns. “I do not know. It just happened.”

“Do you think you could do it again? If you thought about that place, could you go there?”

Ada shakes her head. “I don’t know.”

“Ada, please…”

“They would have told us if there was a possibility of floundering,” Ada’s father says to me.

“They didn’t. And there aren’t enough lifeboats.” My tone is forceful. “If you stay down here, you’ll be flooded.”

Ada’s mother stands up and looks at her children. “Coats. Now!” They jump into motion at her words.

I hear Mollie’s voice from the hallway, screaming for the passengers at the gate to break it down.

I grab Ada’s shoulders. “Listen, Ada. This is important. Do you remember the guy you saw in my bedroom the last time you visited?”

She nods.

“His name is Elijah. No matter what happens, no matter how scary everything is, Elijah can help. The second you can figure out how to go to that other place, I need you to go to him. And I need you to tell him that the Collector is Matt Wilder. He’ll understand.”

Ada’s mother slips a coat onto her.

Mollie appears in the doorway with wild eyes. “He’s here. The oldest Jessup. I caught sight a him through the gate. He told the guard ta unlock it. He’s comin’ through.”

“Go, Mollie! Take the ladder. Get to the boat deck. I’ll be right behind you.”

“Samantha—”

“Go!” And she does.

“Did you hear me, Ada?” My voice is fast.

“The Collector is…”

“Matt Wilder,” I say.

“Matt Wilder,” she repeats.