The Romanov Diary

Chapter twenty nine

July 10, 1918

Milo walks down the corridor on the first floor, passing Yurovsky's office. The clock on the wall is ticking and pulsing through the air. The wooden floor cracks as his feet move, one at a time. He stretches his arms in a big yawn and his back cracks along with it. He ruffles his greasy brown hair and pushes up the glasses to the top of his nose with his finger.

As he passes the commandant's room, he hears voices. Yurovsky is talking to someone on the phone. He sounds upset. Yurovsky slams his fist against the wall.

"HOW? HOW do you expect..." His upset voice drowns down as cars honk outside of the house grounds.

Milo can't stop his curiosity, so he stays and eavesdrops. He quietly presses his head against the door, trying not to step on the cracks on the floor. He breathes fast and quiet yet controlled, very aware of his every movement. It takes a few seconds for his ear to adjust, but when they do he's intrigued by the conversation inside of the room.

"We have clearance from kamrat Lenin. The white army is getting too close and the war is worse."

"Clearance about what, commandant?" A voice from the phone asks.

"He wants us to execute the family." Yurovsky says in his heavy Russian accent.

"The czar and czarina?"

"No no, all of them. The children and servants too."

"When?"

"I have to find a good place for the bodies first and prepare my soldiers. I need you to prepare the trucks for me."

"What will you tell the people?"

"What they need to know. But for now, this has to stay a secret. Lenin trusts us to finish the job. Remember that Nicholas is the reason his father is dead? I can't imagine the vengeance he seeks."

A deep sigh comes out from the line. "Fine, I'll get you trucks. Don't screw this up, Jakub."

"I won't, trust me!"

Yurovsky hangs up and takes a deep breath. He walks over to his desk and returns to his paperwork with a head filled with questions, and emotions.

Milo slowly backs away from the door after hearing about the vendetta. His hands are shaking as his body slowly turns into cold ice. His blood pumps around his body faster than it should. His breaths become shorter and faster, and the hair on his body stands up.

"No..." He whispers to himself, still walking backwards.

It's coming, way sooner than he thought. It's all turning into a big fat inferno. He still doesn't know when, but they have no time to spill. They have to go through the plan, tell the family and prepare their escape. The fire to the bomb is crawling closer, and if they don't stop it it all will end with a big "BOOM". Without a single thought about the floor or how loud he's breathing, he quickly runs away from the hallway. Yurovsky hears his footsteps and harshly opens the door.

"Hello? Anyone there?" He calls out through the door.

But the hallway is empty. And all that can be heard is Anastasia's laughter from the library, making the commandant believe that the mischievous girl was playing around.

"Stupid girl." He whispers and closes the door loudly.

"Ella? Ophelia?" Milo whispers as he enters the kitchen.

"Over here Milo." Ella calls from the fridge.

His breaths are still fast and heavy. The adrenaline rush and stress inside of him makes the teenage boy look like a wild animal running from a predator.