A Rude Awakening

Chapter 3

The "gray area" where OTMA went after their death in this story is one of the few creative liberties taken. I do not endorse Russian actions in Ukraine. As always, a review or any other feedback is appreciated.

To the delight of Olga, Tatiana, and Anastasia, the guards respected their modesty and revered them. Upon asking the guards, they discovered that their memories and lives were honored by Russia after decades of vilification by the Soviets. It saddened them to hear of their extended family all scattered and mostly deceased.

The guards were respectable to them despite crawling naked out of their tomb. This, at least, gave them some relief. No harm would come to them... Unlike those that had slaughtered them with a sadistic glee in the cellar over a century ago.

They had been given extra uniforms to wear soon afterward, and as soon as the backup investigators and guards arrived at the St. Peter and Paul's fortress, all hell broke loose. Almost every Russian had seen the photographs taken for the Imperial Family all those years before. It should not have been a dramatic and shocking experience for the three sisters to see the backup officials recoil in fear and awe upon seeing them! Still, it did.

Most of them swore out of amazement, and a few fainted on the spot. The moment seemed like a budget comedy movie scene, but it was not. The awe soon turned into a clamor of what to do... What would they do with the four former Grand Duchesses, now resurrected from death? What would they do about the theological and political implications? And how would they re-integrate into modern Russian society?

While the controversy ignited again, Olga and her two other available sisters huddled together in a corner, whispering with tears in their eyes to each other. She did not understand what had happened. She certainly knew that God had done a miracle. Neither did all three sisters know where His will would take them, but they had to remain calm anyway. Still, it was hard to do so while people argued and shouted near them... Especially arguing about their presence.

Martyrdom did come with a lot of attention and respect. And Olga already could not fathom how the Russian masses would react about her rising. Neither did she want to be treated like an immaculate, almost godlike saint from heaven.

She was not dead, and thus no longer a "Holy Royal Martyr", however. It frustrated and confused her that those who were shouting at each other did not know that. She just wanted some peace with her sisters to grasp her new reality.

There were questions and arguments thrown around, and the moods of officers and investigators got heated. Only then did Anton and his commander, Pavel, suggest that the resurrection be kept a secret until their identities were confirmed by DNA tests.

The Grand Duchesses would be sent to the forensics facility where their sister Maria waited. Despite their obvious appearances, the scientists still felt astonished upon seeing the DNA match prior samples from their descendants.

July 18, 2022

St. Petersburg, Russia

Forensics Lab 7

"You will be fine, Miss Romanova. Your sisters should arrive within a few minutes."

Maria nodded. She had waited for two and a half hours in the facility lounge room with Doctor Yulia. After giving a sample of her hair to scientists to "verify her ancestry and identity", she idled there.

She still felt lost, confused, and alone despite the few consolations Yulia had for her. Even in this new life, she already missed her sisters. Even in the grayish gloom, not damnation, Maria had not seen her sisters. Only masses of wandering souls asking where they were. At least she would reunite with them soon.