“All right,” she said, seeming to agree. We started from the alleyway. “Wait.” She stopped again. “If it’s only going to be a few hours, why can’t I stay out of the sewer while we wait for the food?”

“Oh, Sadie, I don’t know...” I was caught off guard by her request. “That would be so dangerous.”

“I know it’s not a good idea, but it’s been months since I was above ground. I just want to be here for a bit longer, breathe the air. I’ll be careful, stay out of sight.”

I hesitated, not answering right away. I could see how she drank in her freedom and was desperate to stay. “It’s just so dangerous. And it might take Krys longer than a few hours.”

“I’ll go back before dawn,” she said, almost pleading now. “Whether he has the food or not.”

She watched my face as I considered it. Staying above ground was foolish. She might be caught at any time. I could see, though, how badly she needed this. I was happy to have her company, too, and not eager to have her go back so quickly. “Fine,” I relented. “But not here.” The Dębniki neighborhood where the café was located was not far from the former ghetto and thick with police patrols.

We started from the alleyway and toward the river. The streets were deserted and our footsteps echoed too loudly on the pavement. As we neared the bridge, I spied a police car parked by the base. “Hide!” I whispered, pulling Sadie behind the low retaining wall that ran along the riverbank. We huddled close, not moving. We were pressed so closely I could feel her heart beating against mine. I hoped the police were not setting up a checkpoint on the bridge, which would force us another way across the river. Beside me, Sadie was rigid with fear. She did not have papers to show if she was stopped; she would be arrested immediately. I wondered then if I had made a mistake giving in to her request, whether I should have insisted she go back to the sewer immediately. It was too late now. I laced my fingers with hers, determined to see her safely through the night.

Several minutes later, the police car drove away. As we rose from our hiding spot, Sadie grabbed my arm. “Where are we going?”

“My house,” I said, before immediately second-guessing myself. Going there meant a long walk through the city streets after curfew, risking detection or worse. But Ana Lucia was out for the night, I recalled. She had gone to dinner with Colonel Maust at a restaurant on the far side of the city, closer to his apartment, and would not be back until the morning. My house was the best option for hiding Sadie. There was nowhere else.

Sadie stared at me in dismay. “How can we possibly?”

“It’s safe,” I said, forcing certainty into my voice. “I promise.”

Sadie looked as though she wanted to argue further. But if she wanted to remain above ground while Krys went for the food, there was really no other choice.