Hi guys. So, before you get into this story, I, the author, wanted to talk to you guys a bit about the story. First of all, the story is rated M for swearing and descriptions of graphic violence and disturbing settings. There's a lot of death, especially in this chapter. Just a warning.
This chapter is very untypical. It's less of a chapter, more of a prologue. It is very long, and switches frequently between the people it covers. Although I can't guarantee how my writing style will turn out with this fic, I don't plan to do that throughout the fic- just during this crucial chapter. Also, many of the characters you follow in this chapter will, unfortunately, never be featured again. They are only here to set up the beginning of the story. Anyway, that's all I wanted to say. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!
...
"Tell him to get out while he still can." Maria Feodorovna's eyes scanned over the words three times before she moved.
The email was anonymous and untraceable, but most of all, a warning, one of many she'd received, and the first to give any mention of Nicholas.
Grabbing her phone, she dialed Nicky's number.
When he did not answer, she slammed the phone down in frustration and opened the door, closing it behind her. Getting into her car, she inserted her keys into the ignition and felt the engine come to life. Reversing out, she quickly turned and headed for Nicky's as fast as she safely could.
When she arrived, the house was chaos. There were papers everywhere, and both Nicholas and Alexandra looked like they hadn't slept in days.
Nicky was arguing with one of the political crew, and Alexandra was sitting with the children. Maria walked over to him and waited for him to finish his conversation.
"I need you to deal with it now," he was saying. "One moment, Mama- but I need it done and as soon as possible, you understand?" he continued. When the man nodded, he turned to his mother. "What is it? Is something wrong? Has something happened?"
She took his hand and squeezed it. "Nicky, I received an email. It was warning you-"
"It just a threat, Mother, like all the others. We're in the middle of a political scandal, death threats are not uncommon," he said, brushing her off.
"Nicholas!" she persisted. "Look at me."
He did.
"Believe me, I've seen my share of death threats, and I know what they look like! But I've gotten several emails, and none of them are threats. They're warnings."
Nicholas hesitated, looking back at Alexandra, who was dozing off. Alexei was curled up on Anastasia's lap, and everyone in general looked completely exhausted.
"Nicky. Get everyone out of here," she insisted.
He nodded. "Alright. Is there any way you possibly grab the paperwork I sent you last week? If we're leaving, I'll need it," he requested.
She smiled. "Of course, Nicky, I'll be back soon."
Maria returned to her home and grabbed the paperwork Nicholas had asked for. As she was leaving, a shining object caught her eye. The music box. It was a gift she'd had made for Anastasia, one she'd meant to give to her as a Christmas gift. But with all the chaos, Maria was not sure she would see Anastasia for Christmas. She hesitated then put it into her purse, getting into her car and driving back to Nicky's house.
She handed the paperwork to him.
"I can't thank you enough, Mama. We're leaving tomorrow."
"I'll meet you in Paris," she told him. He got distracted once again in a flustered conversation, so she went to visit the children.
Alexei had moved to his mother's lap. Olga and Maria were asleep on a couch. Tatiana was sketching and Anastasia was reading.
"Another long plane ride, Nana?" Tatiana asked.
Maria nodded. "Your father will talk to you about it."
Tatiana, obviously upset, went to talk to her father. Maria watched her walk over, but when she turned back, she found Anastasia looking at her, eyes suddenly bright.
"Paris?" she asked.
Maria nodded, the corners of her mouth drawing into a smile. She took Anastasia's face in her hands and kissed her forehead.
"Yes, my darling Anastasia, Paris. Just like you've always dreamed. And we'll be together and walk the streets, see the Eiffel Tower. You and me, together in Paris," Maria promised.
"Together in Paris," Anastasia repeated.
Maria looked around to ensure no one was watching, then withdrew the music box.
Anastasia gasped, looking at the glittering jewels that reflected off of it.
Maria twisted the key underneath twice and pressed the top. As it opened, a soft melody played.
"Our lullaby. When you play it, think of an old woman who loves you very, very much."
She took Anastasia's hands and placed the music box in them.
"You know that I love you, yes?" Maria asked.
Anastasia nodded. "And I love you, Nana, more than the world."
"Remember, Anastasia. Paris," Maria said, pulling her into a hug. She placed a kiss on Anastasia's cheek, then went to say goodbye to the other children, placing a kiss on each of their foreheads and leaving them with a whispered promise that she would meet them in Paris.
She hugged Alexandra goodbye, then approached Nicky once more, who was running through paperwork.
"We leave in the morning, Mama. We'll meet you at the usual hotel," he reported, without looking up.
"Nicky," she said. He met her eyes, and she pulled him into a tight hug. He wrapped his arms around her and she felt him relax.
"This will all be over soon, and everything will be back to normal," he assured her, pulling away.
"Nicholas?" she asked.
"Yes, Mama?" he sighed.
"Please, be safe," she begged.
He gave a small smile and took her hands.
"I will. I promise."
Although his promise took some of the weight off of her shoulders, Maria could not help but feeling a sense of dread as she left the home. However, she reminded herself that they would all be safe tomorrow, and returned to her home, preparing for her trip.
Two hours after she left Nicky's house, she was on the plane to Paris. That feeling of dread had followed her all the way through. As she wondered what else she might have been able to do in the situation, she reassured herself that everything would be fine. She leaned back in her seat and fell asleep.
...
"Yes, we'll all be going tomorrow," Nicholas said. "Yes, of course, everything is fine. I'll see you then."
He hung up the phone, then turned to look at his sleeping family.
The girls were asleep on the floor, and Alexandra was stroking Alexei's hair, who was sleeping in her lap.
A knock at the door startled him. The children stirred but did not wake. Another knock came, and Nicholas turned to answer it. It was Viktor, his partner in politics.
"I need to speak with you," Viktor said breathlessly. He was trembling and pale, and holding something bulky hidden in a bag.
"What is it? What's happened?" Nicholas asked, letting him into the room.
"It's business, Nicky, and urgent."
"Well then, let's talk about it elsewhere, away from my children," Nicholas said, glancing back at his family.
Viktor shook his head. "No, we'll do it in here." He pushed a chair towards Alexandra, then motioned for Nicholas to sit. When Nicholas did not move, his jaw clenched.
"Nicholas. Sit down," he commanded.
Nicholas did not sit down, but instead took a step towards Viktor.
"What's this about, Viktor?" he asked.
Viktor sighed, shaking his head.
"You always were so stubborn, Nicky. You always were so goddamn stubborn!" he fumed.
He walked over to the door and opened it, letting in two men that Nicholas recognized as Viktor's personal security guards- Peter and David. They carried similar bags to Viktor.
Nicholas took a step back.
"Viktor, tell me what's going on?" he demanded.
Viktor chuckled. He put down the bag and withdrew from it an assault rifle. The men behind him did the same. Nicholas heard Alexandra gasp behind him, and he stepped protectively in front of her and Alexei. Oh god, the children were all here, asleep and unprotected.
"For God's sake, Viktor, what the hell are you doing?" he shouted. He heard some of them stir behind him.
"Nicholas, we've decided that you are too much trouble for us," he said, tilting his head. "Yes, you've had your good moments, but this scandal... quite a shame, really. We can't dare stand beside you through this."
"Viktor, for the love of God, not a word of that scandal is true and you know it!"
"Nevertheless, you must be gotten rid of," Viktor replied, his voice cold and cruel.
"You wouldn't kill me, Viktor. You wouldn't! Not in front of my family," Nicholas protested, his voice shaking.
"Oh, quite the contrary, Nicky. We're going to kill you all."
"What?" Nicholas asked.
There was no reply, only open fire. Nicholas tried to turn towards Alexandra, but a shot hit his chest. He dropped immediately, the sounds of gunshots and the screams of his family the last thing he would ever hear.
Alexandra tried to shield Alexei, but both of them were hit. The girls, sedated with drowsiness, didn't stand a chance. The bullets flew for a mere few seconds, but it seemed like ages. When the gunfire stopped, Viktor instructed the men to check everyone's pulses while he cleared the room of the important paperwork.
Peter was dizzy, a ringing in his ears from the deafening noise that had just occurred. He headed to the daughters, pressing on their wrists, waiting to feel a pulse. He shook his head, trying to come back to his senses. His headache was so bad it was nearly blinding. Four daughters. Had he checked that one? He looked down at the girl, lying with the rest of her family, one of her sisters almost on top of her. She must have been shot in the abdomen somewhere- blood was staining her shirt. His headache was worse now. No, he was sure he'd checked her. He'd gotten all of them.
"They're dead," he announced.
Viktor looked at him. "You're sure?" he asked.
Even if they weren't dead now, they'd die in the fire. He nodded, and the three of them left the house.
Viktor pulled out his phone and sent a message- "The entire family has suffered the same fate as its head."
...
Anastasia woke up to smoke. It wasn't very thick yet, but it left her with the terrible feeling that she was suffocating.
What had happened? Oh god, what had happened? She had woken up to father's yelling, and then there had been gunfire. She could almost still hear the screaming.
Something was on top of her, and she shoved it off. As she sat up, she realized that it was Tatiana's corpse, her eyes open and glazed over. Anastasia gasped and turned away, unable to look any longer. Shaking, she got up and looked around. They were all gone. Their bodies were here but they were all gone. Repressing a sob, she grabbed the music box Nana had left her and stumbled out of the room. The smoke was getting thicker now. She pulled her shirt up in front of her nose and tried to stop coughing.
Following the familiar path, she staggered down the hallway as fast as her exhausted feet would take her. The smoke was making her nauseous, but she continued to drag herself down the hall, one foot after another. She was nearly out now, the fire was close but not enough to be dangerous. She heard cracking and looked up. The house was falling apart. A beam of wood came down next to her head. She flung herself on to the ground and out of the way with a shriek. She quickly scrambled back onto her feet and headed towards the door.
"Come on, come on!" she told herself, stepping over pieces of the fallen house. Another piece of ceiling came down in front of her and she shielded her face with her arms.
She was nearly sobbing with effort now, pushing pieces of wood out of the way. The door was blocked by a giant pile of debris- the only way out was to worm her way through it and pray it didn't come down on top of her.
Squeezing her way through the opening, she found that she had to push a piece of wood out of the way to move on. Cautiously, she began to shift it. The debris groaned but did not fall. She finally got it out of the way and moved on. The space was so small that she had to crawl. She was coughing so much that she was retching now- tears were pouring down her face. She reached a new hole and pushed through. Another piece of debris blocked her way, and she pushed it. Pieces began to crumble over her, so she pushed faster and began to move forward.
Where the door used to be, there was more debris, so she was forced continued through the web the remains of the house had made. Hoisting herself over part of the wreckage, she was now once again in a smaller area, and once again had to crawl. She was outside now, she could feel the air whistling through the exterior of this maze she was in. Standing, she started to move one last piece out of her way. The whole structure groaned. She continued to push, her heart racing. With one last shove, she was out of the structure.
Dropping the piece of wreckage, she turned around, relieved to be free. But as she caught sight of what she'd exited, her heart stopped. The house was now a looming buildup of dangerous fragments, toppled on top of each other. When she'd moved the last piece, she'd caused a chain reaction- it was all coming down, and it would be coming down on top of her. However, by the time Anastasia realized this, in a terrifying crash, the pile fell.
...
Viktor got into the black car waiting for him outside the house. A young boy, his son, sat in the back seat reading.
Viktor's phone rang. He picked it up.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Who did you tell?" the voice on the other end growled.
"What are you talking about?" he asked.
"The word is out! Everyone knows about everything about the fucking assassination- they know the details, they know that someone shot them, they know someone set fire to the house! They're looking for the people who did it!"
Viktor sat in stunned silence.
"T-that's not possible," he replied.
"It is, and it's happened. Who did you tell?"
"I didn't tell anyone."
"Bullshit. You're the only way a leak could have gotten through," the voice replied.
"And what about you?" Viktor asked.
"You think that this was my fault? You think I'd be stupid enough to let it slip?"
Viktor was silent.
"That's what I thought," the voice said.
"Where are Peter and David?" Viktor asked.
"Peter is in the hospital. He had an aneurysm. David is being interrogated. You need to come in now, or your life will be a living hell."
Viktor hung up his phone and tree it to the passenger seat, cursing. Quickly, he pulled away from the curb, heading towards his house.
"Where are we going?" his son asked.
"You're going home. I have business to see to," Viktor replied.
The rest of the ride was silent. When they reached the house, the boy got out of the backseat, a backpack slung over his shoulder.
"Lock the doors. Don't let anyone in. I'll call you when I'm coming home," Viktor told him.
"Okay, Dad."
The boy started to head towards the house, but Viktor gave a yell.
"Hey. Be safe, Gleb."
Gleb nodded. "I will."
...
The flames caught Lisa's eye from the road. They were not yet full, but they were there, starting to engulf the house. As an ultimate do-gooder, her conscience forced her to pull over and help out where she could.
The streets had no parking spaces, so she drove around to the edge of the forest next to the house and ran over.
When she arrived, there was only one other person there, a woman who stood outside, looking helpless.
"What happened?" Lisa asked.
"I don't know, I just got here," the woman murmured, looking entranced by the flames that were quickly spreading.
Lisa shook her head and headed towards the entrance, then quickly changed her mind- the base of the flames was right next to the door, anyone who was there would be dead without a doubt. There had to be a side entrance- she unlocked the gate that shielded the backyard and let herself in. She could see the smoke now, and she heard voices on the other side of the gate, where a crowd must have started to form. She took a few more steps down the path before she heard a series of strange noises that was followed by a crash. She ran to the noise and saw that the house was now falling apart, and a pile of debris had just come crashing down. The other exit and entrance was now blocked. 'Fuck!' she thought.
She turned to go back to the gate but something inside of her prompted her to return to the debris pile. The first thing she noticed was a glittering circular box- a music box? As she looked closer at the debris, she saw what looked like a body underneath, a hand hanging out of the side. She started to dig underneath the debris and quickly recovered a teenage girl, unconscious but still alive. Lisa painstakingly lifted her onto her back and started once again towards the gate, but a pang in her stomach told her to go straight to her car. She turned around and surveyed- the backyard led straight into the forest where she had parked. It was closer anyway, and away from the crowds.
Grunting with the effort, she carried the girl back to her car. Laying her down, Lisa quickly got in and reversed back onto the road. As she drove towards the nearest hospital, she heard her phone ring. She ignored it and continued to drive. The phone call ended, and then the phone rang again. And once more after that. And yet another. Deciding that the call must be an emergency, she pulled over to the side of the road and answered it.
It was her friend, Beth.
"Lisa, oh my god," Beth sobbed.
"What is it, Beth, what's going on?" Lisa questioned.
"Jesus Christ, Lisa, there's been an attack on the Romanovs," Beth replied, her voice quavering.
"What?" Lisa asked, pulling the phone closer to her ear. "What do you mean?"
"It must have had something to do with that bankruptcy scandal, I'm not sure! But apparently one of Nicholas' political partners shot him and his entire family, then set fire to their house. And that's not all. All of his ex-partners and extended family have been killed. So far, the only person who is closely related to him that we know is alive is his mother, Maria."
Lisa sat in stunned silence, then turned around to look at the unconscious girl who lay in her back seat.
"How?" Lisa asked. "All of them?"
"Yes," Beth confirmed. "I'm not even sure how they managed it. The family's shooting was private but the rest of the assassinations were in public. They must have people everywhere, Lisa."
Lisa leaned back in her seat, running a hand through her hair.
"This is insane, Beth."
"Yeah, it is," Beth replied. "And do you know what's even crazier? They're looking for all remaining survivors and killing them off. There were two people that had initially survived the attacks, but when they were brought to the hospital, they were finished off there. Like I said, they must have people everywhere."
Lisa closed her eyes. The girl in the back seat was injured, but it could not be risked to be taken to the hospital.
"Beth, I need you to call Paul and tell him to get over to the house, now."
"What? I-"
"Beth, just do it!" She slammed her phone down and turned her car around.
Nicholas Romanov had been in politics, and in doing so had become well known. This meant that his family was also second-handedly well known, but their faces were not. In fact, Lisa could not remember seeing any pictures of the family. However, she did know that Nicholas Romanov had some daughters, and she had no doubt that in the backseat of his car lay one of them. She also knew that the hospitals were not safe. The people who had made these terrorist actions would surely be looking for this girl. Paul was a hell of a doctor, and he owed her some favors. She also trusted him more than anyone else, except perhaps Beth.
The drive home went by in a blur of panic. She saw Paul standing outside, looking annoyed. However, when she opened the backseat to lift the girl out, his face was quickly overwritten with concern.
"What the fuck, Lisa?" he asked, looking at her.
"Help me get her inside, Paul," she panted, putting her hands on her knees.
Paul lifted the girl out of the car and quickly brought her inside. Beth gaped at the sight.
"What the hell?" she asked Lisa.
Paul set the girl down on the couch and quickly started to inspect her.
Lisa sat down in front and examined the girl's shirt.
"Oh shit, Paul, that's blood," she breathed.
"Not hers," Paul replied. "No open wounds anywhere near that area."
Lisa stood and paced around the room, unable to keep still.
"Shit!" Lisa cursed. "Shit, shit, shit!"
"Lisa, would you mind maybe calming down and telling us what the fuck is going on?" Beth exclaimed.
Lisa took a deep breath.
"Beth, there was a fire. I saw it from the roads and I pulled over to see if I could help. She- she was trapped under debris. I was taking her to the hospital when you called."
"Oh, shit," Beth murmured. "You don't think she's-"
"I do," Lisa cut in.
Beth shook her head in disbelief. Lisa grabbed her arms and looked her straight in the eyes. "Look at her, Beth! Covered with blood that isn't hers! You said there was a shooting first, then the fire... she has to be a Romanov."
Beth looked at Lisa, then back at the girl.
"W-well, which one is she?" Beth stammered.
"I don't know," Lisa said. She stalked over to the computer and looked up the Romanovs.
The word about the attacks had gotten around very quickly- there were several news stories covering the incident. The world was exploding with news.
But she'd been right. There were no photos of the children. Not anywhere to be found. There was only one of Alexandra, and of course dozens of Nicholas, but not one photo of any of the children. He'd done a good job keeping his personal life private. That is, until today.
"I can't find any photos of the kids," she called out.
Turning around, she saw Paul dressing a wound on the girl's head.
"Fuck, what happened?" she asked.
"Blunt trauma to the head. She got hit by something really hard," he replied.
"I found her in a pile of debris. I think part of the house had fallen on her," Lisa said.
He started to pick the girl up.
"Whoa, where are you going?" Beth asked him.
"She's definitely got a concussion, and could have possible brain damage. She needs a CT scan," he said.
"Paul, we don't have any of her paperwork, and the people that did this will be looking for her!" Lisa protested.
Paul hesitated, but sighed and shook his head, his jaw clenching. "She could die if I take her, and she could die if I don't take her, Lisa. I have to. I'll sneak her in somehow, I... I'll protect her, I promise."
He headed for the door, the girl slung over his shoulder.
"Paul!" Lisa called at him.
"I'll bring her back safe, I swear!" he replied.
The next few hours were hell. Lisa watched the news diligently, with the terrible feeling that she might see the girl or Paul appear on her television screen. She told Beth everything that had happened in detail. The two spent their time either pacing the floor or tense on the couch, watching, waiting. Time was torture, a bomb that might go off at any time. Scenarios of them being caught flashed through Lisa's head.
Every car light that passed down their street brought them both to their feet, looking out the windows to see if he had returned. Everything was a state of panic. Until finally, Paul's car pulled into their driveway and he got out, lifting the girl out and carrying her in.
"She'll be fine. There's possible brain damage, but not fatal. I grabbed pain medicine, but the most we can do is wait for her to wake up."
They lay her in a bed and called it a night. Paul stayed over in case of emergency. For Beth, sleep did not come easily. Hours passed by through tossing and turning, attempting to get comfortable, attempting to fall asleep. Lisa stayed at the girl's bed. When the girl started to stir, Lisa quickly ran to wake the others. When they returned, the girl was awake, staring at them with wide eyes.
"Uh... hi," Beth said, giving a small wave. "Um, I'm Beth, this is Lisa, and that's Paul."
The girl did not reply.
"Erm... what's your name?" Beth asked her.
The girl looked at them.
"I don't know," she said. She started sobbing. "I don't know anything, I- can't remember anything."
Beth sat next to her and started murmuring words of comfort. Paul signaled to Lisa to talk outside.
They got up and walked out.
"Shit... amnesia?" Lisa asked.
Paul nodded. "I expected there might be."
"Well, will she get her memory back?"
He shrugged. "There's a chance she could and a chance she couldn't."
Lisa shook her head. "Great. What do we do now?"
Paul's forehead creased. "We need to get her away from here. Far away."
Lisa sighed, but nodded her agreement. "Where?"
"I have... someone who could hide her. Shit, we don't even know which one of the daughters she is," he replied.
"I'll go see if she responds to any of the names," Lisa said, then walked back into the room.
The girl was still crying, and Beth was running her back to soothe her.
"Tatiana?" Lisa asked.
The girl just looked at her.
"Maria?"
Again, nothing.
"Olga?"
No response.
"Anastasia?"
The girl flinched, but looked even more confused.
"Do you know who any of those people are?" Lisa asked.
The girl shook her head, looking down at her hands. "For a moment, I thought I might know Anastasia, but I just... can't remember," she said.
Lisa nodded and exited the room.
"I think she's Anastasia," she said, sitting down at her computer. Once more, she searched for the Romanovs. There were still no pictures of the family. Lisa clicked on one of the articles that covered the assassination, and found that it listed their ages.
"Age-wise, she could be either Maria or Anastasia. Maria was nineteen, Anastasia was seventeen. But I think she's Anastasia. That's the only one of the names she responded to in there."
"Well, she can't go by Anastasia anymore, can she?" Paul asked.
"No, no she can't. What if... what if we gave her a similar name, just enough to, you know, keep it a part of her, but still different enough to not draw suspicion?" she questioned.
Paul raised an eyebrow. "Okay, what do you suggest?"
"What about... Anya?" she suggested.
He shrugged. "I like it. Anya."
"So where are we sending her, Paul?"
"A foster program. My sister is involved with it, so I'll call her and see if there's a way to get her in. We need to get her out of here as soon as possible."
"Okay, Paul. I'll go talk to her and try to get her ready to go."
Lisa once again returned to the room.
The girl was sitting up, her head resting on her knees.
"Beth, could I have a moment alone with her?" Lisa asked.
Beth gave a nod and walked out.
The girl looked up. "Do you know who I am?" she asked.
"Well, kind of. Your name is Anya. Y-you're an orphan. You got hit in the head and now you have amnesia," Lisa said.
The girl looked bewildered at this news.
"My name is Anya?"
"Yes, Anya," Lisa replied. "We're going to be going somewhere pretty soon, so we have to get ready to go. You can take a shower, and I'll grab some new clothes for you."
Anya nodded. "Okay. Thank you."
"Oh, my name is Lisa."
"Thank you, Lisa."
Lisa gave Anya a smile and then left the room to grab some clothes. Luckily, Beth was similar to Anya's petite form, and more than willing to give up some clothes to Anya.
Lisa showed her how the shower works and left her some clothes to change into.
While Anya showered, Lisa packed her a bag full of clothes and living essentials. Paul called his sister, Sara, and found that without any paperwork for the girl, it would be impossible to get her into the foster system. However, Sara was willing to take Anya in until she was able to live on her own.
As Lisa was putting Anya's bags in her car, a glint in the back seat caught her eye. As she lifted it up, she realized that it was a necklace, covered with diamonds and sapphires. It had to be Anya's. Lisa pocketed it and returned to the house.
Anya was freshly showered and looked much better. Paul was still talking out the details with Sara, so the girls agreed that Anya should get as much sleep as possible before she left. After Anya lay down, Lisa turned on the news, and Beth sat beside her to watch.
"Due to the fire, we cannot yet confirm the deaths of the Romanov family," the newscaster was saying. "But detectives have confirmed that several human remains have been found in the ruins of the house."
Lisa glanced at Beth, who swallowed hard.
"Many other members of the extended Romanov family have been assassinated as well," the newscaster continued. "Viktor Vaganov, Nicholas' political partner and best friend, has also been killed. Maria Feoderovna, the mother of Nicholas Romanov, is confirmed to be alive and protected in Paris, France."
Paul, who had finished with his phone call, came up behind them and turned off the TV.
"Let's go," he said.
Lisa and Beth woke Anya up and got her outside, ready to go. Paul would drive her to Sara, then return home. Just before Anya got in the car, Lisa remembered the necklace she'd found.
"Oh, Anya!" she said.
Anya turned around and looked at her.
Lisa placed the necklace in her hands. "I found this. It belongs to you."
Anya held it up, and it sparkled in the moonlight. "Diamonds?" she asked.
Lisa nodded. "Don't tell anyone about it unless you completely trust them, okay?"
"Okay," Anya responded.
Lisa hesitated, then gave Anya a hug. "You'll be okay. You're stronger than you know," she said, then let go.
"Alright, let's go," Paul called.
Anya got into the car and waved at Anya and Lisa.
As Paul pulled away, Lisa felt an ache in her heart for the girl as she started her new life.
"Goodbye, Anastasia," she whispered.