As she and Lucy helped William up the stairs, Jackand Teddy followed.
Halfway up the staircase, Teddy let out a yelp.
Jack looked back.
The water was creeping up the stairs, step by step.
"Come on, Jack!" Annie shouted.
Jack ran up the rest of the stairs.
He and Annie led William and Lucy through thesmoky room. The men were still playing cards.
"To the lifeboats!" Annie yelled at the card players.
"Right now! Hurry!"The men smiled at her again.
"Little girl, one said with a laugh, "even if this shipdoes sink, it will take all night. There's plenty of timefor everyone on board to be rescued.""Indeed. Many ships are on their way right now,"another man said in a soothing voice. "There'snothing to worry about.""Not true!" said Annie.
Lucy turned to Jack.
"This doesn't sound so bad, after all, " she said.
"It is bad. Please trust me, " said Jack. "We have tokeep going."They went outside. The crowd on the third-classdeck had grown.
Many wore life belts. But no one here seemed veryworried yet.
Jack and Annie pulled Lucy and William along.
They hurried through the crowd and down the first-class hall. They came to the end and trooped up thegrand staircase.
On the top deck, the Titanic was as bright as aChristmas tree.
A band played lively music.
With a hiss and rush of light, a rocket streaked intothe sky. It made a loud boom! Then it burst into manycolored balls.
Shivering in the cold, William laughed and clapped.
"Fireworks!" he said.
Lucy smiled at Jack and Annie.
"This is a trick, isn't it?" she said. "You've broughtus to a party.""No it isn't," said Jack. "Don't you remember thewater downstairs?"Lucy's smile faded.
"Women and children first!" someone shouted.
"That's you!" said Annie. "Come on!"She pulled Lucy and William toward a lifeboat.
