Anya was shocked that a Bolshevik officer, a man who was supposed to be strictly focused on 'the good of the people's Russia,' would bother helping a poor street sweeper such as herself. "You would do that? Why?"
"Yes, Anya," Gleb said softly. "You deserve it."
Anya stepped towards him before her mind could process what to do.
Gleb tipped her chin up with the crook of his finger. "What do you remember?"
"Well, I only remember a few things. Perhaps I should start with what I remember from the past ten years," Anya suggested.
Gleb nodded, signaling for her to continue:
"Well, there were two men, one older and getting a little round, and one who looked to be around your age. They asked me if I was an actress, and when I said that I wasn't, they gave me an address to go to if I ever needed a job."
Gleb's eyes widened in realization as he slowly figured out who the two men she was describing were. They were Dimitri and Vlad Popov, two con men who had escaped a firing squad about a year prior. "Can you give me the address? I've been looking to apprehend them for a year now," he said.
Anya let out a sigh and looked down at her feet, feeling a bit disappointed that Bolshevik Gleb had returned the second he heard her mention the men. She had managed to forget for just a moment that he was a Bolshevik and not just her friend. Glancing back up, she gave him a nod and quickly rattled off the address.
Immediately, he recognized the address to be the Yugusov palace. "Anya, would you mind coming with me to my office so that you can give an official report of your encounter?"
***
In Gleb's office, Anya sat in a chair. She was about to give her account of the encounter to Gleb and another man. Before she started, the man she did didn't know waved another two men in.
________
Anya woke up from a fast nap in Maria's living room. She was heading out for a day sweeping the street. Maria waved goodbye at her as Anya walked out of her home.
Later, as Anya took a break and sat down on the curb, two men approached her. "Hello. I'm Vlad." The older one said. "Dimitri." The younger one added, looking very uncomfortable.
Vlad started talking, asking Anya if she was an actress, and if she needed a job, and other similar things. She didn't trust them, so she said she was fine.
Dimitri rolled his eyes, and said "Look, if you want a job, come to the Yugusov palace within the next week."
Anya just ignored him, and said to Vlad "I don't need a job, and I'm not an actress. Plus, I don't like your friend over here. Sorry."
Vlad laughed, then he and Dimitri walked away.
________
***
Gleb looked at the other three men in the room one at a time, and started to give them orders. "Lebedev go back to doing your job. Yahontov, phone the head office. Cherenkov, please walk her home." Two of the men left, and one man, Cherenkov, looked at Anya.
Anya walked out of the office, leaving Cherenkov behind.
***
Anya ran to the Yusugov palace. She knew they were con men, but she couldn't let them be killed. "Vlad, Dimitri, they are coming." Anya called into the abandoned palace.
"You're that girl from last week."
Dimitri recognized Anya as soon as she entered the palace. Vlad didn't care who she was. He cared what she meant by 'they are coming'.
"Who's coming?" He asked the out of breath girl.
"Bolsheviks. Ten minutes. I couldn't let them kill you." Vlad didn't look surprised that the Bolsheviks were on to him, although he was surprised that this girl didn't want them dead.
"You have to get out of here. Go back to your house. They will kill you if they find you here." Vlad demanded.
Anya nodded, then took off through the door she entered through.
