Maddie Tyler was sleeping when the ship sank. One minute she was dreaming about riding along the beach front in the brand new Aston Martin she had purchased. The next thing she knew, she was hitting the water. The first thing that she felt was the cold. It stung her like a bee, piercing every inch of her body. Her body sank deep, immersing her in black water. Her lungs immediately deflated, giving up the small breath she had managed to take on her way down. She kicked to the surface, praying to anything she could to just give her air. As soon as she got her head above water, a heavy wave crashed down on top of her again, pushing her down farther than before. She thrashed upward again, unable to make much headway. 

Every time she resurfaced, she was knocked back under by progressively larger waves.  She couldn't breathe, she had water rushing in through her nose and mouth, and her mind was going absolutely nuts. It was racing, unable to form coherent thoughts; yet, at the same time, it was continuously telling her that she needed to get to the surface. It lasted for what seemed like hours. Finally, she broke through calmer waters. She took a deep breath of sweet air, filling her lungs and coughing. 

She immediately took in her surroundings, desperately hoping for another life to cling to. A few feet ahead of her Maddie could see something floating in the water but it was too dark to make out what it was. She squinted, realizing it was a suitcase. She begged her muscles to move, pushing her toward it, hoping to use it as a flotation device. She grabbed ahold of it, throwing her weight on top of it. It immediately sunk, throwing her head back under the water. Her mind screamed at her again, desperate not to face the same agony she had just endured. When she made it back to the surface again, she saw a full length mirror floating. This had to be big enough to hold her. Sure enough she climbed on top and balanced, grateful to be out of the frigid water. "Somebody help me!" she called out. The waves crashed so loudly that she could hardly hear her own voice, let along the reply of anyone else. She looked in all directions, hoping to see something that could rescue her from this nightmare. The night sky was a deep, charcoal black; the only light was cast by the moon. In its rays, she saw her saving grace. 

Only a few hundred feet away, Maddie saw land.