Only the good die young...or do they?
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July 17th, 1918 - Gunshots are fired, screams are heard, and Russia's last Tsar crumples to the ground. Yakov Yurosky is confident his plan to destroy the Romanov family has succeeded. But what happens when ba...
On June eighteenth, the servants woke up very early and prepared the house for a day full of fun.
Sunlight fluttered through the girls' open bedroom windows. It also illuminated the morning dew that sat around the house. Maria awoke very early and quietly dressed. Outside, she met Oliver who sat in the driver seat of a Ford Model T. Maria climbed into the passenger seat and the car sped into town.
After her trip to town, Maria made sure everything was perfect for her little sister. Once everything was ready, Maria stood over her sister, who was still sleeping.
"Shvibzik! Wake up." Maria whispered, tapping Anastasia's shoulder. The girl didn't budge.
"Anastasia! Wake up!" she laughed as she whacked her sister with a pillow. Seeing that she needed more help waking her up, Maria gave the thumbs-up and the servants of the house crowded into the room.
"One...two...three!" Maria whispered.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANASTASIA!" the room roared.
Anastasia shot up in bed, stunned at this unusual alarm. She then started to hysterically laugh which made the room join in with her. All the servants left the room, leaving the sisters inside.
"Happy eighteenth birthday, darling." Maria sat on the edge of the bed and hugged Anastasia.
"Thank you, Mashka."
Anastasia's smile vanished. Maria knew what her sister was thinking.
"I know. I wish they were here too...but we're all going to make this one of the best days ever. I promise." she gave her sister a sweet smile and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "Come on! Get dressed!"
Maria pulled off a dress that was hanging on the folding screen. It was a light pastel green color with pink, orange, purple, and white flowers embroidered on it down to the hips. It was loose, so it was easy to run in. The waistline met a little below the hips, and the dress stopped at the knees.
(the dress below isn't exactly what comes to mind when I think of this dress but it's close enough so here's a reference)
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"Mashka! It's beautiful! Where did you get it!"
"From a dress shop in town! I had it custom-made for you! Now go on! Put it on!"
After changing, Anastasia slowly stepped out from behind the screen. Maria placed her hands over her mouth. "Nastasia! You look so lovely!"
"Do you suppose we could borrow a bouquet from the gardeners?" Anastasia asked, smoothing her dress down, a smirk tugging at the ends of her lips.
"Why?"
"Don't worry, Mashka. I have an idea."
Twenty minutes passed, and the sisters sprinted to breakfast. They strolled into the dining room to see an array of treats on the table, many of which were Anastasia's favorites.
