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corner of their cul-de-sac. Her mother had tears in her eyes. Sophie gripped her mother’s hand, looked up to her and said, “Did Uncle Dmitri and Auntie Kasha remember to leave my Christmas presents?”
     
    22nd December 2008. Exeter Airport, Devon. 17:58
    Dmitri gazed out of the car windscreen and sighed. Banks of freezing fog had begun to drift in from the moors, billowing beneath the glare of the security lights. Ice crystals glimmered on the other parked cars like diamond dust, and the grass verges were already white with frost. He turned to Kasha, whose beautiful face had creased into a harsh mask of worry. He forced a smile and squeezed her knee. “Don’t worry, Kasha. Yes, they have security in the big airports, but you know what this country is like. They could not have gotten around to the smaller places like this in such a short time.” As he said the words, Dmitri was only too aware that he was trying to convince himself as much as his wife.
    Adam shifted in his seat, a sour expression on his face. “I don’t want to go away. It’s a week before Christmas. And I don’t know why you made me leave my things behind, either. I’ve hardly got any clothes and I’ve got nothing to do. I’m bored already.”
    Dmitri’s head snapped round. “Listen to me, Adam. The things that have happened in the last week have put us all in danger. You’ve had a soft, easy life up until now. That life is over. It’s time for you to become a man.”
    Adam rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it all before. When you were a boy you and mum lived in a log cabin, with no electricity, no phone, and no internet. You ate what you grew yourself or what you killed. Am I missing anything?”
    Dmitri struck Adam across the face, leaving a red palm print on his son’s cheek. Adam recoiled in shock, his mouth hanging open and his eyes welling up with tears. Dmitri felt a swell of shame for striking his son, but realised he still hadn’t got the message through. He grabbed Adam by the front of his shirt and pulled him close, until they were almost nose to nose. “You listen, boy, and you listen well. We are not fleeing this country because we want to. We are leaving because once they tighten the noose, there will be nowhere to hide. On mainland Europe, we can go anywhere, cross borders undetected, live in the forests if need be. This is hard enough on us all without your selfish whining. Now, pull yourself together, hold your tongue and try to pretend we are going on a family skiing holiday.”
    Adam looked at his feet and nodded. “I’m sorry. I know this is serious, and I won’t let you down. I’ll do as you say.”
    Satisfied with his son’s response, he turned in his seat until he faced his wife. “Are you ready?”
    Kasha took a deep breath and exhaled a plume of warm vapour into the cold night air. She managed to force a wan smile. “Yes. I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s do this. Adam, get the cases out of the boot while I help your father.”
    She got out of the car and walked around to the passenger side, allowing Dmitri to steady himself against her as he tried to get his crutches in place. “I wish you’d reconsider wearing your leg.”
    “You know I can’t. If things go badly and we need to turn, then I can’t do anything with that damned false leg flapping around behind me. It will just get in the way.”
    “Then let us hope that everything goes to plan.”
    They left the car behind them. Adam carried his own luggage over his shoulders in a rucksack and pulled Dmitri’s case behind him as they left the car park. The main terminal lay a few hundred yards along the road, although the fog obscured their view of the building. They made their way along the footpath towards the glowing lights, taking care not to slip on the icy pavement.
    As they approached the terminal, Dmitri paused, beckoning Kasha and Adam close. “If I’m wrong and they’ve installed the security systems here, remember