Believe in Revolution ©

IX

Gabri woke up in a strange corridor. She had never been there. She looked at herself. She was white and shiny. Like a... ghost.

"I'm not dead, am I?" She thought in hope. He felt Alexei's hand over hers. No, she wasn't dead, ghosts don't feel. But that Alexei seemed a ghost too didn't help.

"Gabri" Alexei moaned in pain "We seem ghosts. We aren't dead, are we?" He asked, looking to his now shiny ghostly pale arms.

"I don't know what to think" She said

"This is..." Alexei got up, looked around and shivered "The Ipatiev House"

Gabri got up quickly "The execution's place?"

"Yeah" He replied shortly "Well, good thing. We aren't ghosts, we can walk"

"It's a regression" Gabri said, confident.

"A what?" Alexei asked

"A regression, it's like... I don't know... Drift into a memory of your past or even of a past life" Gabri explained "I've read about it but I never got the concept"

"So" Alexei said "We're in my memories of that day" He shivered "I don't know what'd be worst: showing it or telling it"

"You've revived this day in all your nightmares, haven't you?" Gabri asked. Alexei nodded "So, think it's just a nightmare" She said. Alexei breathed deeply. "Apart, we're in this together. It'll be fine" But she wasn't sure of that.

"Alright..." He agreed calmly "We have to get to the basement, I think I heard Doctor Botkin waking people in the upper floor so we're still minutes away from that" He said, looking to the roof "Follow me, this way"

Alexei led the way and Gabri followed him, cautiously. They got to some stairs. Alexei and Gabri went downstairs in silence and slowly.

The basement was small and dark. Gabri looked at Alexei. He was trying to be calm but Gabri knew it'd be momentaneous.

A pair of soldiers in a grey uniform were looking at the basement. Alexei and Gabri got near the wall.

"Ivan" Alexei said, looking to the young red-haired soldier

"The one who saved you?" Gabri asked, remembering their previous conversation. Alexei nodded.

They both put their backs onto the wall. In that moment, three men and a woman entered in the room. Gabri noticed they weren't dressed as soldiers. In fact, one seemed a doctor. And the woman was a maid.

"You know them?" Gabri asked

"Da" Alexei replied "The first was our doctor, the others... I don't remember well who they were but they chose to exile with us. And the maid is Anna Demidova" He sighed "I'm just sorry that they had to end their lives like this just for staying with us"

"It's not your fault" Gabri whispered

A man followed them. It was totally shown that his rank was higher that the other men. He had a militar uniform with militar medals on. A brownish blonde young teen was in his arms.

She felt the grip that Alexei suddenly made in her wrist. She had seen that man. In photos. When she was in Bavaria.

"The Tsar" She whispered

"Papa" Alexei whispered

"I've seen him in pictures" She said looking at him

"Sure, he was crowned in the end of the previous century" Alexei said, his voice trembling.

After them, it came a tall elegant woman. Gabri supposed she was the Tsaritsa.

"Mama" Alexei whispered. Now his grip was tighter.