Winter had settled heavily over Moscow. Snow fell in slow, endless sheets from a pale gray sky, dusting the golden domes, apartment blocks, and frost-covered rooftops that stretched across the city. Streetlights cast warm halos through the swirling snowfall, their glow reflecting off icy sidewalks and slushy roads. The scent of cigarette smoke mixed with the cold air while car engines rumbled in the distance, muffled beneath the blanket of snow. The streets were crowded despite the weather. People hurried beneath umbrellas and thick coats, boots crunching against packed snow as shop signs flickered to life against the darkening afternoon. Headlights streaked across wet pavement, and the city moved with the restless energy it always seemed to possess.

Hidden between two aging brick buildings sat a narrow alleyway. The noise of the city faded there. Five teenage boys occupied the shadows as if they belonged to them. One leaned lazily against a graffiti-covered wall, another sat perched on an overturned crate, absently spinning a lighter between his fingers. A boy in a yellow fur unshanka rested his cheek against his hand while the others smoked and traded quiet remarks, their breath visible in the freezing air. Then movement caught their attention. Guest passed the mouth of the alley. Conversation stopped. One of the boys glanced up first, nudging the one beside him. Heads turned one after another until every pair of eyes followed her retreating figure through the falling snow.