April 1832

Living on the streets is a hard life for a woman. That's what Matilda learnt every day. She had stormed out of her parents house months back, when they didn't approve of her beliefs in the corrupted world of France. It was unladylike to decide to live on the streets, but she had no other choice. What else was she supposed to do? She worked of course - not as a prostitute thank god - but in an inn belonging to Monsieur and Madame Thenardier with their daughter Eponine. Yet she wouldn't have enough to stay at the inn, instead they just gave her an old torn mattress and a blanket to sleep in the kitchen. Eponine was Matilda's only good friend. The one she trusted. Eponine also had a friend named Marius, who she was so desperately in love with, but Matilda never mentioned it to her. It would just be to heavy on her. Her beliefs in the corruption was what she prayed on the most. She always wanted to change it, start an uprising, bring down the King. She had trained herself to fight against drunkards and street urchins like herself who were just a little inappropriate. But she was a girl, who ever listens to what she had to say? Matilda found herself roaming around the streets of Paris, down the corridors of the crooked streets. She walked past the Musain cafe where she would usually see boys around her age running in and out off, singing songs about overthrowing the state. God, only if she could join them. She walks up to the door where she could here the students singing. She listened to their words, inspiring, confident, justifying. She admired them with passion. Well him. There was always only one voice Matilda would hear over and over again, the same booming voice that made the other boys cheer. And she adored him with a passion.

"Matilda?" a voice behind her snapped her back to reality. She turned around to see a familiar face. Eponine. Her sweet and soft face staring at her in confusion. "What are you doing here?" Her voice raised in curiosity.

Matilda struggled for words. She had never told Eponine about her thought of the government. "Just looking around, I guess..."

Eponine took a quick glance upstairs, and chuckled. "Oh, those students who think they can overthrow the state. Them bastards won't last two days against the soldiers. Anyone who would be there might as well go throw themselves in jail now, its a true disgrace to the people of Paris."

Matilda's face boiled with blood. She clenched her fists at her sides. "I think that they would have a chance at least. They at least have that determination to make France better." She relaxed her fists as her nails started to dig into her palm.

"Oh I see, you want to join them," Eponine teases.

Matilda remained silent and started to walk back to the inn, Eponine laughing behind her.


- Next day -

It was around 4 o'clock when Matilda returns to the Cafe the next day - her heart in her hand - She went to find the leader of the revolutionists, so anxious to meet the man who sounded so confident and determined about his goal. She waits in front of the cafe patiently, her hands on her knees. She waits to see the boys come as they usually do every night, loud and ambitious. After a good ten minutes, a young man wearing a sort of blood red coat strides by her, not even noticing her on the floor. Matilda gets up and runs after him.

"Monsieur?" she shouts after him. Her heart pounding fast as his blue eyes connect to hers. His golden locks made him look younger, he wouldn't have been any older than herself. He tugs on his coat, making himself look ore presentable, his eyes creasing, and under all that intimidation, Matilda would've sworn he smiled. "Can you help me?"

The young man walks over to her, examining her from head to toe. Her rusty, old dress made her look like she had just crawled out of the sewers, ripped and covered in stench. Her once golden skin covered in filth, and what had been brown locks now a tangled mess. "Did you need a place to bathe?" the young man teases.

Matilda gets taken aback. Rude! "No," she retorts. "I came to look for the leader of the revolutionary that come here every night."

The boy's face lit up, his blue eyes seem to just brighten up with excitement. "Well you came to the right place, my name is Enjolras. I'm the leader of Les amis de l'ABC," he says brightly, extending a hand out for a shake.

Matilda gives a low chuckle. Slightly surprised a boy her age would lead a revolution. "You?" she laughs.

Enjolras looks at his feet and smiles. "Yes, me. Is there a problem with that?"

"Well you seem a little young to lead all of this. How old are you? 21?" she scoffs back.

"26, actually," he says, his voice slightly offended. Matilda shrinks back. He didn't expect him to be so old for a man with such a young face. "Now that you've met him, what is it you want?"

Matilda stands frozen, all her speeches, her thoughts of the corruption just disappears. "I- uh..." she stutters. Enjolras sighs and takes a step up the stairs, just before Matilda grabs onto his forearm. "I want to join the revolution."

Enjolras stops. His deep blue eyes staring down at her - shocked and impressed - many of the boys now started to rush into the Musain cafe, greeting the young leader with a smile. One boy with short blonde hair and a rather intelligent face comes along and stops by them, his face muddled with questions between him and Matilda.

"Enjolras, you understand the terms 'no girls at the meeting' don't you?" he says.

Enjolras says nothing. He continues to stare at Matilda, at her courage to waltz into a meeting for a rebellion. "Yes, I do Combeferre. And I was just getting this young lady to leave."

Matilda looks at him in annoyance. How could he? She turns on her heels and storms out of the cafe, her mind filled with so many things to say to the rebels, but she couldn't turn back now. Instead she continues to march back to the inn, where she would climb into her ragged blanket and fall asleep.


Enjolras p.o.v

"Enjolras? Are you okay? You seem a little pale," Courfeyrac asks with worry. And he is right. I had been covering my mouth with a fist glaring down at my glass of alcohol that Grantaire had set in front of me, thinking about that young girl who had so bravely asked to join. I haven't said a thing since the meeting had started, just stared into a glass and let Combeferre do all the talking.

My friend Marius sits next to me and takes my beer and gulps it down. He finishes it and breathes a loud sigh before continuing to talk. "So why is it, that our fearless leader has suddenly gone quiet?" he slurs.

His drunk. I can smell the amount of alcohol he had drunk already. I take a glance at him, his light hair had stuck to his face with sweat. "I'm just thinking," I reply.

Marius leans on me. "About a girl?" he laughs, almost falling off the chair if I hadn't caught him.

"You're drunk, Marius. Go to Grantaire. He's probably another drunkard that you can go badger," I retorted, pushing him to his feet. I've never seen Marius drunk before and its terrifying.

I suddenly hear shouts and commotion coming from downstairs. I can hear Jehan shouting my name numerous times, telling me to get down there. Many of the other boys start to rush downstairs to see the commotion of what was happening. I finally gave in and jumped down the stairs to see that same girl from before. Her face wild with rage. "What are you doing here?" I ask harshly taking a step towards her.

"I am not leaving until I can help you with the revolution." I realize that she was hiding something behind her back. A revolver.

"Are you threatening me with a gun?" I hiss. She glances down at the Revolver in her hand and throws it aside. A few boys stepping back as it slides across the wooden floor. "If you want to join, at least tell me your name."

She hesitates. Looking around the room, the other boys seem to be pretty impressed at her courage to march into a revolutionary meeting, but some are quite annoyed at her. "Matilda," she finally replies.

"Well, Matilda. May I please talk to you in private?" I don't give her a choice. I start to walk outside of the Musain cafe, bumping her on the shoulder. Feuilly grab me by the arm and shake his head. Avoiding eye contact with him, I yank my arm out of his grasp. I hear scurrying footsteps go back up to the back room and Matilda stares at me with a cold dead look. "I already told you no."

"No, your friend said no. You only told me to go home."

"Which is supposed to mean no!" I exclaim.

"You haven't even seen what I can do!"

"I don't need to. I already know what you're like."

"How?" she scoffs. "You barely know me. I haven't even mentioned the part when I say I can fight; I know how to hold a gun, I know how to fight with a sword without poking my own eye out!"

"Which is exactly why we don't need you. You're too ruthless," I explain as calm as I can. "Our goal is to only change the way France is, we don't intend to kill anyone unless absolutely necessary."

"No no no. It's not you don't need me. You do need me. It's because you don't want me because I'm a girl. Isn't it?"

I hesitate. Of course I do want her on this side of the revolution, but I can risk her getting hurt. Her bravery is something that none of the boys here display. "I never said that."

She groans. "No of course not. But you are thinking it."

"I really am not."

"Look, Enjolras. Just give me a chance to prove that I don't jump into things head first. Give me a chance to prove to you I can help in a different way, please?" Matilda begs and begs for me to let her join. I glance over her shoulder to see Combeferre and Jehan staring at us. Combeffere nods his head in approval and I smile at him.

"One month. You get one month to prove you can help us, or I will kill you myself. Understand?"

Her face lights up in excitement, she jumps up biting her lip as I walk back into the cafe to the other boys; most of them staring at me in disbelief that I had let a girl join the rebellion. In a way I feel scared for her - she's barely experienced, but she has the courage. I do hope she can help...


Matilda's POV

Yes! Yes I finally made it in. My thoughts can finally be expressed openly, I can finally belong somewhere. That is only if the boys weren't so uptight about girls. As I walked in with Enjolras, everyone stops and stares at me. My face turns hot, I can feel a rush of embarrassment there somewhere, but I was determined for them to like me, and I will show them I can be responsible.

"This is Matilda, she will be helping is with the revolution," Enjolras announces.

I do a small curtsy to be a little respectful, and some of them smiled back. In the corner drinking a terrifyingly big glass of beer was someone that I have met before. His dark hair stuck to his face with sweat, his eyes slowly drooping to the side and I know he's drunk, but I still know that face. "Marius?" I shout out as I slowly walk towards him. His red, drunken face looks up at me.

"Matilda!" he says getting up from his chair, almost crashing to his knees. "What are you..." he slurs pointing at me. "doing here?"

This is not him. Marius never drinks. He was barely recognizable. His cravat is loose and hanging out of his navy jacket, his hair smothered with sweat and his breath smelt awfully of alcohol. His family is rich and worships the government and it's rules, Marius himself a lawyer. He can't possibly be here to fight, that is ot the Marius I had grown up with. "Same goes to you, what are you doing here?"

He comes closer to me and grabs my shoulders, pulling me in closer so his mouth was right next to my ear. I could smell the alcohol and sweat from his body as he whispers quietly, "I'm here to over throw the state." He pulls away cackling. I stare at him in disbelief. The one man that has studied to become a lawyer, wants to overthrow the state? The shame he would bring to his family, the disappointment in Eponine is going to feel. She despises the rebels, the idea of trying to defeat the corrupted government of France. And yet her one person she has always loved is helping to fight. But yet he is drunk... Or could he actually be serious about it?

Oh, how am I going to explain this to Eponine...

Hello hello! Welcome to my story about Les Mis! I haven't written anything in a while, but if you would pleas review/follow/like the story. I intend to try and make this a good one! Thank youuuuuu 3