I wanted to pound on it, yell for him to answer, but I couldn’t. Sound travelled far in the night air, and while I wanted Vladimir to hear me, I didn’t want the Armstrongs or that man to notice me. “Vladimir!” I called softly, pressing my face against his door. “Come on, Vladimir, open up, please. It’s important.” I was pretty sure I’d be waking him up and getting him out of bed — anybody who was up at four in the morning was definitely in bed long before eleven at night. I knocked again, this time as loud as I dared. I heard something, somebody, moving inside! “Leave me alone!” Vladimir’s voice boomed through the door. He sounded angry. The door flew open. “I am sleeping so just leave me alone —” He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes opening wide. I took a deep breath. He was wearing a long, wide nightgown that looked almost like a dress, and on his head was a long cap. He looked like somebody from an old-time movie, or even a fairy tale. “Big girl Sarah, it is you!”
