Stay, I Pray You

Part 1

This idea has been running through my head ever since I first started to listen to Anastasia. I decided to use it for my first NaNoWriMo book, and here we are. 

Thank you @BrendaDaaeDestler for giving  me the inspiration to write this story, and for the cover and title. This chapter is dedicated to you.

I don't own Anastasia, the characters, or some of the lyrics. I wrote some parodies of Anastasia songs for later in the book though.

I'm not going to ask you to vote or comment. You can if you want to, I'm not going to ask. I feel like that's too self promoting.

***

As Anya's day continually got worse, she was getting more and more frustrated. First she slept in,  and got to work late. Then she accidentally dropped a cup and was fired from her job at the tea shop. Now she went to her second job, which was sweeping the street. 

As Anya was sweeping the street near where the Deputy Commissioner was giving a speech about St. Petersburg's name change, she realized that she had lost half of her already meager income.

A truck backfired nearby, and Anya jumped and got down, terrified of her memories. A familiar man's voice spoke from behind her. "It was a truck backfiring comrade."

Anya stood up and walked over to the man, taking her broom back from him. She had dropped it when she went down. "Those days are over, neighbor against neighbor." He stated.

He touched her arm gently as she went to walk away. "You're shaking. There's a tea shop just steps away."

Anya cut him off. "I can't lose another job."

The man looked confused. "I'm here every day?" He said, although it sounded more like question than a statement to Anya.

"Thank you" Anya said, and walked away. As she neared the corner, she turned back and smiled at him.

***

Gleb couldn't believe himself. He might have a crush on that frightened little street sweeper he saw, but then he massively embarrassed himself.

As the little street sweeper walked a away. She turned back as she neared the corner, and Gleb smiled, while thinking he was making a fool of himself. He didn't even ask for her name.

Gleb knew he wanted to run after her and get her name, but the logical side of his brain knew he needed to do his job. There had been multitudes of rumors about the dead Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov, and how she may still be alive. There were also people who were either pretending to be her, or conning girls into pretending to be her.

Gleb decided to head to the next location where he had to make a speech. It just so happened that the girl was there, without her broom, waiting by the pedestal. She wanted to him give his speech.

***

Anya had returned her broom to the office she worked out of when she was called back in. The man who ran the company wanted to speak to her. "Anya. I have to fire you. About two thirds of the company is being laid off, and you aren't one of my best workers."

He pressed her last paycheck into her hand. "I'm sorry, Anya."

Anya walked away, stowing the few rubles that she got in her dress. She knew that a Bolshevik would be in this square soon to give a speech, so she decided to wait and listen before looking for a new job.

She didn't expect the same man from earlier that day to be a Bolshevik, although she should have known, as he called her comrade. The man looked at her, smiled, and began his speech. 

"We hear you comrades! The revolution hears you! Together we will form a new Russia that will be the envy of all the world! The tsar's St. Petersburg is now the people's Leningrad!" He exclaims.

When he finishes his speech and the few people who were watching start to disperse, he runs over to Anya. "Hello again. I am Deputy Commissioner Gleb Vaganov."

"Anya."