The large ship seemed out of place in twenty-first century Helsingborg. The Titanic II looked exactly like its namesake, and everyone in the city was flocking to it. This was the day of its launch, and the passengers were excitedly boarding it. Everyone except for Anja, that is. She clutched her younger step-siblings’ hands as they followed their parents up the boardwalk. Behind her, her younger brother Nils followed. All four had their heads down as they followed their parents, who were chatting excitedly.

Anja mentally killed herself. She had foolishly wanted to wait until she turned eighteen. That was the age of adulthood, when she could finally move out and be treated like an adult. When she would be out from under their grasp. She should’ve left sooner, but she didn’t know they actually were going on this stupid thing. 

Anja glanced down at her step-sister Vera. The six-year-old’s sleeve had ridden up a little, exposing the black and blue bruises on her too-thin wrist. She turned to her step-brother Natanial. The seven-year-old’s cut on his lower lip had healed just in time for the trip. Finally, she turned to look at her eight-year-old brother. His skin– once beautifully dark and full of color– was a shade paler. 

Anja’s heart raced as they headed to the second class room. What would happen once they reached England, the ship’s destination? Would they stay in that country where she had no friends or family?  

Her step-father Johannes immediately pointed at the closet, and the three young children walked sullenly in. He closed the door and put a padlock on it. Anja stayed by the door, head down, hating herself for not being able to help them. Her mother Beata ignored this, as usual; she was still chatting excitedly about the trip. 

Anja stayed next to the door for the whole night and most of the next day. Her siblings had been let out of the closet a few times to relieve themselves, but none of them were given any food. Finally, on the afternoon of the second day, Johannes handed her a little money and ordered her to go find food for her siblings. She doubted the money would get them anything, but she had to try. 

As she stared at the dining room, wide-eyed, she felt a hand on her back. An older man was looking down at her, smiling. He gestured to her money. “I don’t think you’re supposed to be dining in first class.”

Anja blushed and looked down at her feet, but the man just laughed. “Lucky I ran into you. Come on pretty lady; I’ll buy you something nice.” As they walked, Anja tried to protest. “I don’t need a lot. I’m fine, really.” The man just laughed and bought her practically everything being served. 

He made her sit down and eat lunch with him. She protested yet again. “I need to go back to my room. My siblings are hungry and my parents will be upset that I haven’t returned.”

The man laughed yet again. She was starting to hate that laugh. “Nonsense! If they’re hungry, they’ll come down and eat themselves. Now, what's your name, pretty lady?” 

“Who are you?”

The man smiled, his teeth a bright white. “Christian Ohlin, the man who started this whole thing.” 

Anja blushed. How had she not recognized Titanic II’s millionaire creator? His face had been plastered on every newspaper and everyone in school was talking about him (mostly making fun of him for replicating a doomed ship). Christian Ohlin laughed at her flushed face. “Red isn’t your color.” He put his hand on hers. “This brown though… beautiful.” Anja tried to pull her hand away, but his grip on her was like iron.

“I have to go,” Anja said loudly. Several people looked over, causing Christian to let go of her hand. She quickly grabbed the boxes of food. “Thank you so much for this food, Mr. Ohlin.” 

“Goodbye Anja Lundström. I hope to see you very soon.” Anja’s blood ran cold; she never gave him her name.

♦  ♦  ♦

“What took so long?” Johannes demanded when Anja arrived back to their room. He yanked the food out of her hands. “Where did you get all of this?”

“I’m sorry,” Anja murmured, putting her head down. “And they were a gift.”

“From who?” Beata sat up. “A boy?”

“Fucking whores, all of ya.” Johannes grumbled. He opened the closet door and tossed a small box in for the children. 

“It was… Christian Ohlin.”

Her mother gasped. “You liar!” 

“What’d I say about lying, girl?” Johannes growled, putting his hand on his belt buckle.

“I’m not lying,” Anja said. “I swear to God.”

“If you marry him you’ll be rich,” her mother smirked. “We’ll be rich. I bet he’ll pay a pretty dollar for you.” 

“Don’t be foolish, woman,” Johannes spat. “The girl’s a liar.”

Of course, when Christian Ohlin came knocking that night, Johannes was singing another tune. They talked excitedly outside the room. Anja’s heart sank. Was she just going to be sold like cattle? What would happen to her siblings if she wasn’t around?  When Johannes came in, all smiles, Anja wanted to faint. 

“I guess they do still pay dowries,” Johannes said, laughing. “We’re going to discuss it more when we get to shore. He plans on staying in England for a few months, so he’ll refund us on her return ticket.”

Anja stayed up most of the night, comforting her younger siblings as well as she could from the other side of the closet door. 

♦  ♦  ♦

The third day came and was much like the previous day, except Anja stayed in the locked room all day. Her siblings were still in the closet. She told them a story from her memory, one her father used to tell her before he died. That night, she was called to Ohlin’s room, and he did things to her she wished to immediately forget. The next morning, he dropped her off at her room and treated her parents to breakfast. 

The moment the door slammed shut, Anja’s siblings started asking questions, their voices muffled by the door. She couldn’t really understand them, but she knew they were asking where she had been. “I was at a sleepover,” was all she said. 

“Mom and Dad were talking,” Nils said. “They said you’re getting married! Is that true?”

“Will we come with you?” Vera asked.

“I’m not getting married,” Anja said. She stared down at sweater’s sleever, where she had hidden a steak knife left over from Ohlin’s dinner. “And I will never leave you.” 

♦  ♦  ♦

That night, Ohlin called for her yet again. This time, Anja had a plan. She would stab him, then go back to her room. She would throw the knife in the ocean, then return to her room. She wouldn’t have to be left in England with a perverted, old man. She would be able to enact her plan and save her siblings. 

Except the moment Anja pulled out the knife, the ship lurched forward. The knife went skidding across the floor. Ohlin stared at it in shock. “You little bitch!” His face red, he started stalking towards her. Anja backed away, but another lurch caused her to fall down. Before Ohlin could grab her, there was yet another lurch.

“What the fuck?” Ohlin hissed. There were people screaming outside. The lights flickered a little. A dark shape slithered over the window and there was a strange growling sound. Before they could react, the ceiling caved in, pinning Ohlin underneath it. He roared in agony. Anja scrambled up and ran out the door. 

People were scrambling up to the deck, Anja dragged with them. The night was cold and Anja was only in her sweater and jeans. She was pushed around, trying to get to the stairs. Her heart was racing; she had no idea what was going on, but she knew she needed to get to her siblings. 

She was pushed against the railing, and stared at the dark water far below. She could see something down there, something that was darker than the water. It jerked and the ship lurched again, Anja nearly falling down to the water. She saw a man fall and disappear into darkness. A few seconds later, there was a flash of something white in the water. 

Anja pushed her way away from the railing, adrenaline surging through her body. She passed a steward screaming, “Women and children first!” A man punched him in the face and he was trampled by the crowd. 

Anja pushed through the stream of people coming up the stairs. She ran to her room. Johannes and Beata were hurriedly packing up their things.

“Get them out!” Anja screamed. Johannes ripped off his belt and advanced towards her, his face red with rage. For once in her life, she wasn’t afraid. She was pissed off. She grabbed the table lamp next to the door and swung it, hitting Johannes in the temple.

“I SAID GET THEM OUT!” Anja roared. Beata was screaming and without thinking Anja hit her too. She then ran towards Johannes and began searching through his pockets for the padlock key. When he grabbed her wrist, she hit him again. 

The key wasn’t on him. She looked frantically through the clothes, shaking them out. The boat lurched again and she heard something fall onto the wooden floor. She ran to the nightstand and saw the key on the ground. She grabbed it and ran to the closet. Her hands shook as she unlocked the padlock and yanked the closet open. The three children were huddled together, crying.

“It’s okay. I’m here, babies,” Anja whispered, holding her hand out. 

“Behind!” Nils shouted. Anja whirled around and was met with Johannes’s fist. The children screamed as Anja was pinned to the ground. The lamp was out of her reach, and Johannes’s hands were around her neck. As her world grew dark, she was suddenly freed. She gasped for air and sat up. Nils was standing over Johannes, the lamp in his tiny hands. Vera and Natanial were behind him, eyes wide. Anja scrambled up and pushed them towards the door. She hesitated, then ran back towards the nightstand. She grabbed the key to the room, then ran for the door.

“Anja, sweety, wait,” Beata moaned. Anja ignored her. She slammed the door closed and locked it.

The boat lurched as they ran up the stairs. Most of the lifeboats had been deployed, but Anja knew that wouldn’t help anybody. Still, she pushed her younger siblings towards one. People pushed them around and for a moment, she lost sight of Natanial. She saw him and grabbed him, just as the ship lurched. The boat was starting to slant. Dogs freed from the kennel slid across it, some falling to the water below. A mother wailed as her child fell down and slid into the water. She jumped after him soon after. People were falling down, some getting knocked unconscious and trampled by the crowd. 

Anja knew what would happen next; half of the Titanic II would lift into the air, then bow under its pressure and break into two. She scrambled to her knees and crawled to Nils and Vera, Natanial right besides her.

“We need to jump,” Anja shouted over the screams. The ship lurched again.

“No!” Nils shouted. “We’ll die.”

“It’s our only chance,” Anja said. “If we jump now, we can try to swim away. When it goes under, it’ll pull us down if we’re close enough.”

“No!” Nils said again, tears in his eyes. Vera clutched him, already crying. Anja turned to Natanial just as the ship lurched again. Before she could grab him, he was sliding away. 

“NO!” she screamed. Nils and Vera let out cries. Without thinking, Anja grabbed them and scrambled up, running in the direction Natanial had slid in. When the ship lurched again, she was ready. She fell, still clutching Nils and Vera, and let the three of them slide into the water. 

The icy water took the breath from Anja’s body. She quickly kicked to the top and gasped for air. With a start, she realized Nils was nowhere to be seen. Vera was still clutching her, and Anja swam over to a lifeboat. She lifted Vera out of the water as best she could, and a woman scrambled to grab the girl. 

“I’m going to find the boys,” Anja said when Vera was safely in the boat. She started to swim again, then people started screaming from the lifeboat. She turned around just in time to see a snake-like tail whip out of the water, throwing the lifeboat in the air. Anja gasped as it fell back to the sea, crashing and throwing everyone from it. She swam to the scattered group. Some were already dead. To her anguish, Anja didn’t see Vera anywhere. 

Her lungs burning, Anja finally gave up swimming. She found a piece of debris and clung to it weakly. She managed to turn around when she heard distant screams. Her heart skipped a beat. What she could only describe as a sea monster was looming over Titanic II. It dropped down, crashing onto the boat and breaking it in half. The lights flickered off, and Anja’s world was plunged into darkness.

♦  ♦  ♦

Anja didn’t know how long she was in the water for. The screams had finally stopped, and all of the lifeboats were destroyed. She heard one person call for help, and then silence. She didn’t know if she was the only one still alive, but she didn’t care. All she felt was rage. 

“Why me,” she growled. “Why Nils? Natanial? Vera? Why?” She slapped the water angrily, her fists clenched. Without thinking, she let out an agonized scream. Her lips were blue, her hair frozen. She was going to die having failed her siblings.

She felt something swimming below her. A second later, the sea monster rose up in front of her, almost as tall as a building. It looked like a snake, complete with a forked tongue that it flicked at her. It opened its mouth, revealing rows of sharp fangs. A sharp piece of debris was floating near them. Anja reached for it just as the monster struck. She screamed in agony and rage, stabbing at the beast. As it closed its mouth around her, she stabbed the roof of its mouth. Its roar deafened her, and it collapsed into the water with Anja still in its mouth.

♦  ♦  ♦

When Anja woke up, she was on a platform under the sea. An air bubble protected it from the water and creatures she had never seen before swam around it. She stood up and looked around. Torches lit up the darkness, revealing the large runes she was standing on. 

“I do like it when they fight back.” Anja whirled around. Sitting on a throne was a woman. She was a little bit older than Anja, and had long blonde hair and pale skin. She was wearing a blue dress with green gems sewn into the sleeves. Her eyes were sea green. The sea monster was coiled at her feet, but this time it was the size of a lion. 

“What is this?” Anja demanded.

The woman stood up. She was tall and walked towards Anja elegantly. “My name is Rán, and I have so graciously invited you into my home.” She swept her arms out. “Welcome, dear one.”

Anja eyed her warily. “Why?”

“Because no one fights back,” Rán said. She rolled her eyes. “Well, no one courageously. Everyone always reaches for their guns, but as soon as they don’t have those they accept their fate.” She playfully poked Anja’s shoulder. “But you my dear; you fought back. You didn’t accept your fate. And that is special.”

Anja snorted. “I doubt I’m the only one. Plenty of people fight their fate.”

Rán wagged her finger at her. “It’s a lot rarer than you think, my dear. And trust me: I have been around for many centuries.” She turned around and walked back to the throne. Once she was seated, the monster rested its head on her lap. She stroked it, like it was a cat. “Now, what would you like to wish for?”

“Excuse me?”

“Those who are brave get rewarded. Now, what is your deepest wish?” She gestured around. “You can stay here with me as my servant. Live forever. See all there is to see. Or gain all of the riches in the world and never want for anything ever again. Or perhaps…”

“I want everyone who died on the Titanic II today resurrected,” Anja said. “Human and animal. I want the ship repaired, like this never happened.” She hesitated for a second. “Can I make a second wish?”

“Depends on what it is.” Rán leaned forward, eyes sparkling. 

“I want my step-father Johannes and my mother Beata to suffer for an eternity. They’ve abused me and my siblings since I could remember. If they live, I won’t be able to live. My siblings won’t either.”

“Not for an eternity; that’s out of my bounds. But what about until the end of the world?”

“I don’t care as long as they suffer.”  

Rán sat back, smiling. “Then it is done, my dear.” 

 ♦  ♦  ♦

Anja woke up in her second class room. She was on the bed, her three little siblings on either side of her. She sat up, waking the children up. They blinked up at her sleepily, and then they all remembered what had happened. All four of them jumped up and ran up to the deck. People were milling around, looking confused. Dogs yapped in their owners’ arms, and children and parents embraced each other, crying tears of relief. 

Anja and her siblings collapsed to the ground, her arms around them, holding them close. They all cried tears of relief.

“I’ll never leave you guys again, I promise!” Anja cried. 

When they finally stood back up, laughing and wiping away the tears, Anja saw Ohlin across the deck. He was staring straight at them, red faced. He began to stalk towards them and Anja quickly jumped in front of her siblings. The happy crowd ignored them, too got up in their elation.

Anja felt something on her arm. She glanced down. A small version of the monster was coiled around her arm. It flicked its tongue at her, and then winked. Anja looked back up at Ohlin and smiled.

Nothing was ever going to hurt them again.