I RAN ALL THE WAY TO GALINA’S HOUSE, FRIGHTENING BOTH GALINA AND AUNTIE AS I BURST IN THE BACK DOOR LIKE A WINDSTORM. THEY CAME RUSHING INTO THE HALL from their bedrooms.

“I’m sorry,” I panted. “I need something I left here.” I bent over, hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath. “Petr … Where’s Petr?”

“I’m not sure,” Galina said. “We haven’t seen him since he was here earlier.”

I stood up straight, saying, “I’ll be right back; wait here.” I ran into my room where I’d hung my coat over the back of a chair. The letter was exactly where I’d put it and was dry. What a relief it was to slip it into my shirt pocket.

“Something unbelievable happened,” I told them as I came back into the hall. But behind Galina I could see into her room, where a suitcase sat open on her bed. “Where are you going?”

Galina looked at me, perplexed. “Don’t you remember, Ivan? We talked about how we all had to get out before the Germans decide to … decide to …”

“I’m getting my things ready, too, Ivan,” Auntie added.

I had to suppress a smile or they’d think I’d lost my mind. But I had something planned that I thought would make all of my fellow partisans happy. I just couldn’t share it until I spoke with Petr. “Here’s what’s happened.” I told them about Josef being held just two doors down from me. I said I had to go see Petr immediately.

“Are you sure it was Josef?” Auntie asked. “You only met him once.”

“Positive. And I know he recognized me.”

Galina shook her head, smoothed a strand of hair off of her face, and sighed. “Why didn’t we all just leave the moment we heard they were coming?” She looked upset.

“I want you to promise me something,” I said.

“What is it?” Auntie asked.

“Promise me you’ll do whatever Petr tells you to do.”

“I don’t understand,” Galina said.

I reached out and touched her arm. “I don’t, either! Not yet. None of us will until I speak with him. Just promise me.”

Auntie, who’d known me almost all of my life, trusted me. “I promise.”

Galina said, “Petr understands what’s going on better than any of us. I’ll do whatever he says.”

I walked toward the back door. “I don’t know exactly when I’ll see you again, but I think it will be soon.” I stopped and contemplated the two generous, resilient women who watched me, their confusion obvious. “Thank you, Miss Galina, for your hospitality. Auntie, don’t forget to pack my bag, too!”

I was out the door in seconds, on the long trek to Petr’s cabin.

I used the knock Petr had taught me the last time I came to see him. The side door opened just wide enough for me to get in.

“Polina!” I said in surprise. Seconds later, Yeshka and Petr came into focus. “Why are you all here? Has something else happened?” I tried not to stare at Polina’s swollen face, which even in the dim light looked painful.

Yeshka sounded forlorn when he said, “Isn’t what’s happened bad enough?”

“Sit down, Ivan,” Petr said, moving the few chairs he had closer to one another. “We were just beginning to discuss our plans for leaving Vilnov.”

“Petr —”

“Hold on.” He held out his hand to silence me. “Don’t give me your opinion until you’ve heard all the facts.”

“But Petr —”

He interrupted me. “I’ve talked to Lev. He’s been fighting with a group of partisans near Tikhvin. It’s his opinion the Russian army has the upper hand in this battle. Everyone seems to think we will be winning it back soon.”

“How soon?” Polina asked.

“A week, perhaps. Lev thinks it’s only a matter of days, but that may be overconfident.” When he stopped to light his pipe, I thought I wouldn’t be able to keep my news in for one more second. “Either way, we’ve got to speed up our departures.”

“If we don’t?” Yeshka asked.

“They burn the village and kill most of us first before they leave. It’s their scorched-earth policy. You boys might be lucky enough to be sent to Germany to work in their factories until you die from exhaustion.”

“Why take the time to do that if you’ve just lost a battle?” Polina asked.

“Punishment,” Petr answered simply.

I stood up. “I have to tell you something right now. I’ve seen Josef.”

Yeshka jumped to his feet. “What?”

Polina and Petr seemed almost as surprised.

“Yes, and I have information that must have to do with what’s happening in Tikhvin. Axel said that they will probably be leaving soon.”

Petr sat back in his chair, stunned.

“Listen,” I said, “I only have a few minutes because I have to be back there very, very soon.”

“Did he … had they hurt him?” Yeshka asked.

“I couldn’t tell.” It was a white lie I could live with. Why make Yeshka feel any worse than he already did? He put his hand over his heart and looked relieved. “Here’s what I do know: He’s being kept two doors down from where I sleep. His room has no windows, a thick locked door, and a metal bar in front of it.” Yeshka began to pace back and forth. “But,” I said emphatically, “I’ve been in the room next to his, the one between us. It’s a utility room that has a closet in the back.”

“And?” Petr said, like he could hardly wait until the words were out of my mouth.

“I’m not sure, but I’m guessing there’s one on his side, too. You know, so that they share a wall. If he can dig a hole in the closet that’s big enough to slip through —”

“Oh!” Yeshka gasped.

“— to get into the closet in the utility room, I think I can get him out of the building.”

“How?” Petr demanded.

“I take Axel’s dogs out to do their business. There are janitors’ clothes in the closet. We’ll dress him in some of those, put a rag in his pocket and a broom in his hand, and he’ll walk out with me and the dogs.”

“Then what?” Polina said sharply, but I could tell she liked the idea.

“And how does he make a hole in the wall?” Yeshka frowned.

“Polina, I don’t know. That’s why I’m here. And we’ve got just ten minutes to figure it out. I can’t be late getting back there no matter what,” I said emphatically, thinking of the whip in Axel’s drawer again. “To answer your question, Yeshka, I’m going to slip this under the door for your father.” I reached into my valenki and pulled out my knife. He smiled, and his eyes shone.

“We don’t have that kind of time. They built things to last back then. It could take him a week to dig through plaster with a knife like that,” Petr said. “I’d like everyone to be gone tomorrow night.” Polina, Yeshka, and I exchanged disbelieving glances. “But,” he added, getting up, “if he had your knife and a few more tools, he could do it.” He disappeared into what I thought was the kitchen. I couldn’t see him, but we could hear him as he rifled through drawers. When he returned, he held up a thin saw blade about eight inches long in one hand, and in the other an object that looked like the back side of a hammer, just the claw part.

“This blade will cut anything but stone,” he said, handing it to me, “and this little beauty is meant to break up hard, impacted dirt. It will pull out plaster fast. Just catch the ends of the claws on the surface and pull.”

Yeshka was so excited, he practically grabbed the hammer claw out of Petr’s hand. “Perfect!”

I stared at the tools. “I can slip my knife and the saw blade under the door to him. But that thing is too thick, it won’t work.”

“You could do it from your side of the closet, Ivan!” Yeshka exclaimed. “You work on your side, he works on his — it’s twice as fast, and he’s out!”

I was silent for so long, Petr said, “Ivan?”

I looked at my new friends, my brave friends, and said, “I can’t.”

“Why not?” Yeshka demanded, an edge in his voice.

“Because …” I hesitated, wanting to make sure I was telling the truth. “I’m pretty sure I can manage to get the tools to Josef. I think I can get him out of the building. I’m not brave enough to risk being caught in the closet helping him dig a hole in the wall. When I am there, I don’t have much free time away from Axel or other soldiers. It’d be too easy for me to get caught.”

“He’s the only family I have! You have to help,” Yeshka said. “Please, Ivan.”

Polina got out of her chair and went over to Yeshka, who leaned his arms and head on the mantel of the fireplace in despair. She laid her hand on his shoulder. “It’s a lot to ask.”

He spun around to face us, tears in his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but only sobs came out. Collapsing in a chair, he hid his face in his hands and cried.

“I’m sorry,” I said softly. “I just can’t.”

Petr went back into the kitchen. When he came out, he held a broad, flat tool in his hand. Giving it to me, he said, “This is used for smoothing out putty and plasters that you use to fill in little holes in walls. If I can crack the handle off of it, Josef can use the edge of this putty knife to dig through the wall. It won’t be fast, but this thing is strong.”

Yeshka looked up, his face wet with tears, his expression hopeful. “I can get the handle off. Do you have a hammer?” He followed Petr into the kitchen. We heard two blows and the sound of wood cracking.

When they came back into the living room, Petr had two dish towels with him. “I’ll wrap everything up so you won’t get cut.” I hadn’t really thought about the fact that I’d have to walk all the way back to my room with a knife, a saw blade, and part of a putty knife in my boots. Petr packed them in well for me after a couple of false starts.

As he was doing that, Polina said, “What happens once you’re outside the building?” My heart sank as I remembered we hadn’t yet discussed it.

“I have about three minutes left before I have to leave,” I said.

No one spoke. Petr lit his pipe again and said, “Let me think.” I knew it was unreasonable, but I wanted to cry out, Just tell me what to do! I have to go! The next two minutes of silence dragged on. I could feel myself getting antsy, desperate to leave so I wouldn’t be late. Polina and Yeshka must have known that this was how Petr’s mind worked, because they sat calmly and didn’t say a thing.

Finally, Petr put his pipe down, leaned forward, put his elbows on his knees, and said, “This is what we’re going to do.”

Minutes later I was on my way back to headquarters, thinking Petr was the smartest man who ever lived.

If all went as planned, in three nights’ time I’d be on my way to Vladimir’s with Auntie, Petr, and the dogs, and from there to Uncle Boris’s in the woods. Josef and Yeshka would join a partisan group near Tikhvin run by Petr’s contact Lev. Polina and her mother would go to Kazan with Galina.

It has to work, I said to myself with every step forward in the snow. It has to work, it has to work, it has to work.