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She was in Moscow

And the city was a war zone

Black s the pockets of the city that had already been hit: to the left of the vast Kreain in the distance to the far right There was no con that enemy soldiers had crossed into the city yet on foot But the flas, the incendiary smell of war everywhere, and the threat of more to come were somehow even worse

This was by far theLuce had ever done in her life--probably in any of her lives Her parents would kill her if they knehere she was Daniel ain

But then: What if they didn't even have the chance to be furious with her? She could die, right here in this war zone

Why had she done this?

Because she'd had to It was hard to unearth that small hint of pride in the midst of her panic But it must have been there soh On her own Into a distant place and a faraway time, into the past she needed to understand This hat she'd wanted She'd been pushed around like a chess piece long enough

But as she supposed to do now? She picked up her pace and held tight to her grande, this woh, no real idea of who she even was, and yet the tug of her dry grip was the only thing keeping Luce randmother yanked her down another darkened street The cobblestones tapered off and the road becah the canvas of Luce's tennis shoes, and her toes were starting to burn with the cold

To collect your sister, Kristina The old wo aret your beauty rest Remember her?

Where they stopped, there was no streetlaht the road Luce blinked a few ti in front of what looked like a very long ditch, right in the middle of the city

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