The Lost Princess [Hamliza Anastasia AU]

Chapter Five: The Theater

Monday, February 21, 1927. Georgetown, New York

Beth hurried down the street toward the abandoned theater. She had gone to find this Alexander at his house as soon as she got off work, just as the man had suggested, but found the small house where they lived empty. A neighbor had told her Alexander and his roommates had taken three girls to the abandoned theater, so that was where she was going to go.

The main doors were locked, but upon venturing into the alley between buildings, Beth found that one of the side doors was unlocked. She squeezed through it and found herself in a dark, dusty hallway probably meant for staff. Beth walked along i's length, noting that there were other footprints in the dusty carpet, until the hall emptied out into a confusing web of hallways and small rooms she assumed was the backstage area.  Now she could hear the faint sound of voices, so Beth decided to follow that.  It seemed like a good plan, considering it seemed unlikely there would be a good reason for more than one group of people to be in the same old abandoned theater. Finally, she came to a door. It was closed, and she could hear people talking on the other side, so like any decent person, Beth knocked. 

The voices shut off immediately, as if someone had flicked a switch. Not deterred, she needed these exit papers, Beth pushed open the door and stepped inside. She took a look around, and couldn't see anyone. That's strange, she thought. They were clearly just here. 

"I'm looking for Alexander Hamilton," she called into the darkness, hoping someone was there, just outside her field of vision.

As if by magic, two figures popped out of the row of seats just in front of her.

"You're a redcoat?" One, the man who had directed her to Alexander, Beth noticed with shock, commented, raising his eyebrows comically.

The other one, a serious looking young man with dark skin and close cropped dark brown hair pointed behind her. "That's Alexander, with the chair over his head."

Startled, Beth turned to find a third man stationed next to the door, and she observed that he was indeed holding a chair over his head. Aside from the chair, he was on the shorter side and thin, with auburn hair and eyes she couldn't see in the gloom, but that looked to be dark blue or green. 

He hurriedly set the chair back down and turned to face her. "What do you want?" The man who must be Alexander demanded, giving her a look that was not quite a glare, but definitely not friendly.

"I need exit papers and I was told you're the only one who can help me," She explained, watching as he moved the chair to the center of the stage and sat down in it. 

"Exit papers are expensive," He told her, eyes flicking over her threadbare coat and well worn shoes.

Beth sighed. She had hoped she wouldn't have to pay, but had reckoned for it all the same. "I have a little money saved." 

"The right papers cost a lot," he said, getting up and starting to walk toward the door.

"I'm a hard worker," Beth told him, hating the note of desperation that crept into her voice. She knew her plan was crazy, but if she didn't believe in it, no one would. "I can cook and clean. In Rochester I washed dishes, and before that I lived and worked at the hospital in Buffalo."

"Rochester, Buffalo," Alexander mused. "That's a long way from here. How did you get all the way to Albany?"

"I walked," she told him, since there was no reason not to. 

Alexander's eyebrows shot up. "You walked here from Buffalo!" 

Beth nodded.

 "What are you running away from?" he asked softly, holding her gaze.

"I'm running to someone," Beth explained, feeling like an idiot. "I don't know who they are, but they're in Philadelphia," As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew she had made a mistake in confiding this. Alexander's two friends burst into laughter, and he himself grinned.

"She has no money and she's crazy!' He proclaimed to more laughter from his friends. 

"I'm not crazy!" Beth spat, and the laughter died into shocked silence as they stared at her. "Will you help me?" She asked quietly, hoping to appeal to any kindness he might have.

"You don't need us to get to Philadelphia," He said, still with that same humerus grin, and her heart dropped. "The Hudson River's right outside. Jump in and start swimming. A quick dip in the Atlantic and you should be in Philadelphia."

"You're so rude," Beth huffed. Boys and their sense of humor.

"You're wasting our time," Alex snapped back, but before either one of them could say anything else, the dark haired man stepped between them.

"We were hoping you would be someone else," He explained.

"Someone who may not even exist," Alexander's other friend put in.

Frustrated with all of them, Beth turned to leave, took a brief look at the stage, and felt something click into place in her mind. 

"I've been in this room before," She whispered, not knowing how she knew. A vision was dancing before her eyes, one of beautiful dresses, kind words, and lovely actors. Somewhere, people were talking, but she ignored them, focusing on the memory.

"There was a play," Beth said, not quite sure if she was telling the men or herself. "Everyone was beautifully dressed. Everyone was polite and kind.

"Where are your manners, Alex," The one from the street said. "Get her some water and a piece of cheese if you can find it."

"This isn't a soup kitchen, John," Alexander grumbled, but he left anyway. 

"You seem to be a gentleman," Beth said, then felt immediately embarrassed as John and the other man both turned to look at her with surprise. 

The one who's name she didn't know gave a small smile. "Gentleman," he said. "I haven't heard that word in a long time."

"We can't afford to be gentlemen," John told her with a shrug. "Life hasn't been easy for Alex and I."

"Life hasn't been easy for anyone!" Beth replied hotly, then felt bad. She had no right to be rude just because these people were being rude to her. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, but if either of the men heard, they didn't say.

They sat in silence until Alex returned and thrust a cup of water into her hand. Beth drank, trying to hold onto the memory, or at least what she hoped was a memory and not some strange side effect of whatever head injury had caused her amnesia.

The dark haired one said something to Alexander that she couldn't hear, but must have been surprising, because his eyes widened. "Her?" He asked, pointing at Beth, who was just finishing the water. "What, are you crazy too?"

Beth didn't know what they were talking about, so she elected to ignore them.

"What's your name?" John asked her, whether to draw attention from Alexander's comment or because he wanted to know she wasn't sure.

Beth paused. Normally, she would just say Beth or Bethany, but something about these people, despite all their jokes at her expense, made her want to tell the whole truth. "I don't know," she said quietly.

"You don't know?" John asked incredulously.

"They gave me a name at the hospital," she explained. "Bethany, but I go by Beth. They told me I had amnesia. There was nothing they could do."

"Will you tell us what you do remember?" The dark haired one asked, sitting down. Normally, Beth would have refused an offer to tell almost total strangers about her life, but it had been so long since anyone had bothered to ask, and they watched her with such open sincerity (Even Alexander), that she couldn't refuse.

Beth took a deep breath and began.