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There must have been a hundred people there All of theging with shovels So with their hands So the sky A few soldiers carted off heavy loads of earth and rock in splintery wheelbarrows and farm carts to add to the rubble barricade at the end of the street Their bodies were hidden under thick army-issue wool coats that billowed out around their knees, but beneath their steel hats, their faces were as gaunt as any of the civilians' Lucinda understood that they were all working together, thetheir city into a fortress, doing anything they could, down to the very last minute, to keep the enerandmother called, the same notes of panic-washed love in her voice as when she'd been looking for Luce

A girl appeared at their side al?

Tall and thin, with dark strands of hair escaping from under the porkpie hat on her head, Kristina was so beautiful, Luce had to s a luht away

Seeing Kristina reminded Luce of Vera, another past life's sister Luce must have had a hundred sisters across ti similar Sisters and brothers and parents and friends whom Luce must have loved, then lost None of the All of therieve

Maybe there was a way to change that, to make it easier on the people who'd loved her Maybe that was part of what Luce could do in her past lives

The great booh that the ground rocked under Luce's feet and her right eardru On the corner, air-raid sirens started going off

Baba Kristina took hold of her grandmother's arm She was near tears The Nazis--they're here, aren't they?

The Gerh time on her own and she'd landed s Moscow? Her voice wobbled Tonight?

We should have left toith the others, Kristina said bitterly Now it is too late

And abandoned your randfather, too? Baba shook her head Left theraves?

Better we should join them in the ce her arm Did you know about the raid? You and your kulak friend? Is that why you didn't co? You ith him, weren't you?

What did her sister think Luce could possibly have known? Who would she have been with?

Who but Daniel?

Of course Luschka ht now And if her own fa that Luschka with Luce

Her chest constricted How much time did she have left before she died? What if Luce could find Luschka before it happened?

"Luschka"

Her sister and grand with her tonight? Kristina asked

"Lets go" Baba scowled You think the Moscovitches are going to hold open their basehter plane's propellers sounded over theh that when Luce looked up, the dark swastika painted on the underside of its wings was clear It sent a shiver through her Then another boorew caustic with dark s nearby Two round shudder beneath her feet

It was chaos on the street The crowd at the trenches was disappearing, everyone scattering up a dozen narrow streets Some hustled down the stairs of the round; others disappeared into dark doorways

A block away, Luce caught a glie, in a red hat and a long wool coat She turned her head for just a second before she sprinted on But it was long enough for Luce to know

There she was

Luschka

She wrestled free of Baba's aro

Luce took a deep breath and ran down the street, straight into the roiling s

Are you crazy? Kristina yelled But they didn't follow her They would have had to be crazy themselves

Luce's feet were nuh snow on the sidewalk When she reached the corner where she'd seen her red-hatted past self dash by, she slowed Then she sucked in her breath

A building that took up half of the city block directly in front of her had caved in White stone was streaked with black ash A fire churned deep inside the crater in the building's side

The explosion had spat out heaps of unrecognizable debris fro The snoas streaked with red Luce recoiled until she realized that the red streaks were not blood but shreds of red silk It ed racks of clothes were scattered in the street A mannequin lay on its side in a ditch It was on fire Luce had to cover heron the fulass and stone cut into the snow

She should turn back, find the grandet to shelter, but she couldn't She had to find Luschka She'd never been so close to one of her past selves before Luschka ht be able to help her understand why Luce's own lifetime was different Why Ca it was her, and told Daniel, It was a better end for her A better end than what?

She slowly turned around, trying to spot the flash of the red hat in the night

There