Disclaimer: Even if I did own it, which I don't, what would I do with it?
A/N-- Aww, you guys are great. Thanks A Catholic Girl (again) and Grace Tempest for the reviews. I now have reviews from three whole people. Isn't it great? Thanks for the fav, AngelMegan Janell. You should leave a comment, too. Oh, no. I sound obsessed, don't I? Sigh. Oh, well. I guess that's what I get for having no life. Here's chapter five. It's also a bit short, but the next one should be a lot longer, I hope.
Below deck, Anya, Dimitri, and Vlad stored the luggage in their cabin.
"I'll wait for you upstairs. It's too crowded down here," Vlad said, and left the room.
Anya went to follow him, but Dimitri called her back. He held out a flop of blue material. "Here. I bought you a dress." He smiled, looking very proud of himself.
She eyed the lace ruffles around the baggy collar and skirt, but she didn't want to hurt his efforts. Pooka, also observing Anya receive the dress, smiled and shook his head. These humans. Would they ever learn? Anya picked up the bottom and looked in.
Peering in through the neck, Dimitri asked, "What are you looking for?"
"The Russian Circus! I think it's still in here."
Dimitri scoffed, though he was obviously hurt. "Just put it on." He leaped up the stairs after Vlad, pausing to look back at Anya.
"I could fix this," thought Anya. She twirled around with it. "Yes, this is good." She saw it in a different light now. This was the first store bought dress she had ever had, at least as long as she could remember. And it was from Dimitri.
On the upper deck of the ship, Vlad and Dimitri were playing chess.
"What's taking her so long?" Dimitri demanded as Vlad moved a knight, putting him in check.
"Be patient, my boy. Maybe it didn't quite fit. She's probably just adjusting it." Vlad, too, was bored. He wanted to see Anya in something other than the shapeless heap of cloth the orphanage had given her. And perhaps, then Dimitri would see just how much he cared for her, if only they would dance… He put his chin in his hand and moved his queen into place. "Checkmate," He said in a bored tone. A noise behind him made him look around to see Anya. "You look wonderful!"
Anya twirled the skirt and smiled. She had taken most of the lace off and added a belt, but otherwise she loved her new dress. She had also let her hair down, which was much longer than he had realized. It reached down to her waist, curling at the end. "Now, you are dressed for a ball. And you will learn to dance for one as well. Dimitri?"
Dimitri, who had been staring at Anya, laughed shyly and looked down. "I--I'm not very good at it." Vlad took his arm and pushed him toward her anyway.
"One-two-three, one-two-three," Vlad clapped, watching a very nervous Dimitri almost trip over his own feet. "No, no. Anya, you don't lead. Let him," he said, stopping them. He was kind, but Dimitri looked absolutely terrified.
They approached each other again, taking up a dancing stance more carefully this time. Vlad was humming a waltz in the background. Dimitri relaxed enough to try to talk.
"That dress is, uh, really beautiful," he started awkwardly.
"You think so?" She asked shyly.
"Y-yes. I mean, it looked nice on the hanger, but it looks even better on you. Y-you should wear it," he stumbled over his words.
"I am wearing it."
"Oh, right. O-of course. I-I'm just trying to give you a, uh…"
"Compliment?"
"Yes. Of course, yes." He laughed timidly.
They twirled around the small space of the deck, twisting around and relaxing into tempo. The sun was low over the sea, transforming the sky into a mirage of deep golds and pale violets. Anya daintily spun away from and back into Dimitri, with a perfect grace he had never seen her perform. Vlad watched them with envy. It had been so long since he had had somebody he could dance with like that. He looked at Pooka.
"Will this make Dimitri change his mind? Oh, how could I let this happen? If Dimitri doesn't go through with this, what will happen? I never should have let them dance."
Anya and Dimitri were still spinning to the imaginary waltz. "I'm feeling…a little bit dizzy," Anya said slowly.
"Kind of light headed?"
"Yeah." Anya stopped turning.
"Probably from spinning. Maybe-maybe we should stop."
"We have stopped."
Dimitri looked mildly surprised, as though he had not realized that there was anything else in the world. "Anya, I…" He couldn't continue. He leaned forward, his face inches from hers. He was not thinking clearly, but he didn't expect her to come closer to him.
A distant bark from Pooka broke the trance. He stepped back and opened his eyes. Patting her hand, he said haltingly, "You're doing fine."
He left as quickly as he could without running, letting the door drop behind him. Anya looked after him, surprised and disappointed. Why had he left?
Vlad, too, was looking worried. What was Dimitri going to do? I have to tell Anya, he thought. "Anya. It's okay. Just give him time: he's never done anything like this before." They sat there until the sun had completely sunk beneath the ocean, and a cold wind began stirring the water. "Oh, no. It looks like there's going to be a storm tonight. They hurried to the stairs just as a light rain began washing over the ship.
When they got to the cabin, they found Dimitri forming a nest out of their suitcases on the floor. "You two can take the bunk beds," he said stiffly.
"Ooh, I want the top one," said Vlad quickly, trying to lighten the mood. It was so different than a few days ago, when the three of them had laughed so easily with each other.
"All right. Just don't let him squish you, Anya." He lay down on the floor and pulled a blanket over himself with his back to them.
Soon he was snoring, and Anya and Vlad had changed into pajamas. They sat on the floor, talking, and Anya was brushing out her long read hair. The storm now rocked the boat violently, and they could hear distant waves crashing against the sides. Vlad groaned.
"Are you all right?" She asked, looking closely at his paling face.
"Fine, fine." He brushed away her concern. "Just riddled with envy. Look at him," he pointed at Dimitri. "He can sleep through anything."
Pooka was jumping around Dimitri's travel bag. He jumped in, but Dimitri kicked and it fell on the floor. Pooka pulled out a small round box and approached Anya with it. She took it.
Vlad sighed again, his eyes half closed. "Pretty jewelry box, isn't it?"
"Jewelry box? Are you sure that's what it is?" She was staring at it, holding it up to the light. The gold reflected the pale lamp light and it glittered. It seemed so familiar…
"What else could it be?"
"I don't know. Something else--something to do with a mystery…" She saw beautiful couples dancing, and the same waltz that she had heard when she first met Dimitri came into her head. So familiar… Where had she heard it? Pooka licked her foot and she giggled, breaking her memories. She had been so close. She looked up at Vlad, who was climbing into the top bunk. "Is that possible?"
He shrugged. "Anything's possible. You taught Dimitri how to waltz, didn't you?"
Anya smiled. Yes, it was possible. She clapped her hands and Pooka jumped into her arms. They crawled into the bed.
"Sleep well, Your Highness."
"Sweet dreams, Pooka."
Late that night, the storm worsened. Waves tossed the ship in circles, and lightning flashed dangerously close to the main mast.
Despite this, Anya dreamt pleasant dreams. She lay in a summery field, dressed in a light, blue and white swimming dress. She sat up and saw a small boy. He looked like he might be her younger brother. He motioned for her to follow. Curious, she stood and skipped after him. She wanted to know if they were related: maybe she had found her family!
On the ship, Anya got out of her bed. She opened the door and slammed it behind her, sleepwalking out into the stormy night. Pooka awoke and heard the door close. He could not open it. He went to Dimitri and began barking furiously.
The boy climbed a small hill. Still following, Anya laughed. He reached the top and turned. "Come on!" he called. She fell back, suddenly losing her balance, but simply continued laughing.
The waves tipped the boat and Anya was thrown against the railing. She smiled in her sleep. Pooka was still yipping in Dimitri's ear.
"What? Wha-wha-what? Pooka!" He demanded furiously. When the dog kept up his panicked woofs, he looked to Anya. She wasn't there. Pooka ran to the door and scratched at it, whining. "Anya? Anya!" He leapt up and scrambled through the suitcases, pushing them aside. He raced through the door, the storm tossing him around the hallway. Running up the stairs, panic flooded his mind.
The boy led her to a small cliff. Over the edge was a little pond where four other people were wading. Three girls about her age splashed each other, while a grown man was walking toward them. "Come on. Jump!" The boy in front of her sprang over the edge, joining in the splashing game. She giggled, watching their antics. This seemed so familiar, just as the music box had. So perfect, as though she belonged here, and nothing could harm her.
Anya was on top of the railing now. Dimitri saw her. "Anya! Anya, no!" He ran to her.
"Jump!" The man lost his friendliness. He screamed at her. He began to change, he turned into a giant demon, and the light field turned to a dark, dangerous world. "JUMP!" the demon shouted. He took her arm and tried to pull her forward. She fought back, but he was so strong. The girls, too, had turned into demons. One of them grabbed her from behind.
Dimitri grabbed Anya around the middle and pulled her away from the edge of the ship.
"No, no," she said weakly, pounding him with her small fists. She was too weak to get away from him.
"Anya! Anya, wake up," he tried to calm her. He grabbed her arms.
She opened her eyes. She was breathing heavily, a great fear in her eyes. She looked up at him, seeming so lost. "The Romonovs…"
"The Romonov what? What are you talking about?"
"I keep seeing faces, so many faces…" she sobbed. Then she put her arms around his waist and buried her face in his shirt. She cried and cried.
Surprised, Dimitri didn't know what to do. Finally he put his arms down around her shoulders, allowing himself to rest his head on hers. "It's all right," he said soothingly. "You're safe now. I won't let anything happen to you."
The rain let up, and the wind settled into a steady breeze. They stood there for a long time, Dimitri still trying to calm the trembling Anya. After a while, they broke apart.
Eyes red and puffy, Anya looked down in shame. "I'm sorry you had to see me like this. I've never done anything like that before. It's just, this dream I had… I think it was about my family. I wanted to know about them, and I followed them. Then, I don't know, they wanted me to jump over the edge of the boat. I was so scared… Thank you, Dimitri. You-you saved my life."
"Are you crazy? You scared me to death," He began quickly, then caught himself. "What would I do without my Anastasia? Paid all that money for a trip to Paris for nothing?"
She smiled, then sniffled. "Anyway, I'm sorry I made you stand out here in this freezing rain." She was quickly turning back into the Anya he knew and--no. He wouldn't say it. "We should go back inside."
"Yes. Tomorrow is your day. We should reach France in the morning. Then, onto Paris, Sophie, and the Dowager Empress. Then we'll find out if you truly are the Grand Duchess Anastasia." He smiled as they walked back to the cabin together.