Early morn, July 17, 1918
Anastasia clung tightly to her sister Maria, huddled in the corner.
Crimson stained the walls and smoke filled the air. Their ears rang from the sound of shots.
Only mere hours before, the Romanovs had been awoken in the middle of the night in the House of Special Purpose, not aware of their fate.
And now 17-year-old Anastasia and her sister Maria were orphans.
Anastasia held a hand to her abdomen as she crawled toward her best friend, her little brother Alexei. Not long before, he'd gotten injured and had been bedridden due to how severely he was bleeding internally.
Her mother, Alexandra, had tried everything to heal him. But it was taking far too long.
Anastasia shook Alexei's body. "Алексей, проснись!"
(Alexei, wake up!)
But he didn't stir. "Нет пожалуйста!"
(No, please!)
She turned to her parents and shook them. "Мать! Отец!"
(Mother! Father!)
She crawled to her older sisters, still holding her abdomen, spreading crimson liquid across the floor. "Ольга! Татьяна!"
(Olga! Tatiana!)
But they were gone as well.
Maria and Anastasia shared a terrified look.
Then two more shots rang out.
The Imperial Family was buried outside the House of Special Purpose in Yekaterinburg.
But a soldier hadn't properly finished his job.
He glanced back to see the youngest daughter move her fingers.
Two choices ran through his head. End her life or let her go.
He chose the second. It would bring him shame and the wish that he had chosen to fully complete his orders.
YOU ARE READING
Rumors and Ghosts
AcciónMiraculously, the youngest daughter survives a brutal massacre. The only one to make it out alive. But it's at the cost of her memory. For years, she works odd jobs, trying to get to Paris, though she's not sure why the city is so important to her...
