The window situation later in this story is based off of this picture: post/64913721053 If you look at the picture the whole window thing will be a lot easier to imagine later.

On her 18th birthday, Eponine announced to her parents that she was leaving, and that Gavroche and Azelma were coming with her. There was already a run-down apartment waiting for them in a town (which she refused to disclose the name of), and they'd be gone by the evening. Without waiting for a response, she turned to her siblings and calmly told them to get their things. As they scurried off, trying to avoid the torment soon to come, her father began trying to stutter out an argument in his drunken state of mind, and her mother, who was slightly more sober, started questioning Eponine's mental health. However, Eponine simply walked into the room she and her siblings all shared and continued trying to fit the rest of her bedding into the duffel. Her clothes were already wrapped up in grocery store plastic bags, stacked neatly in the corner.

It had been nights of endless deliberation for Eponine to move out. Staying behind with her abusive and alcoholic parents could have ended in her death. But on the other hand, moving out would mean having to pay rent, taxes, bills, and would make paying for her community college tuition a struggle. The decision really came when Eponine had come home from her part-time job as a bartender to watch, horrified, as her father backhanded Gavroche across the face. Even though her brother insisted that it was the first time, she yanked him into her room, calling Azelma in as well. Eponine had taken the abuse for them for years and had always been scared of what happened when she left the house, and her soon-to-be legal adulthood would provide them with exactly the escape she needed.

Next thing she knew, they were standing in front of their parents, loaded with bags, ready to go.

"If it doesn't turn out so right and dandy for you, don't you think you have any home here," her father slurred.

Strangely, up until then, Eponine had thought that maybe under the beer and bellowing, a small part of her father might love her. But watching him reach for another beer and waving them away, she realized how much of a fantasy that had been.

"Fuck you," she pronounced slowly, leading the sad procession out the door.

And that's how, at eight in the morning, three siblings ended up sitting in the back of a public bus with two armloads of bags each, trying to figure out a map of the next town over.

On her 18th birthday, Cosette was in the back of a shiny car with her father in the driver's seat, driving to a new apartment about an hour away.

"I figured it would be closer to your college, but not too far away from me," he explained, glancing at her quickly before looping around a corner.

Cosette gave a small laugh. "I could have driven back and forth or something, you know."

Her father shrugged. "Drive back on the weekends, if you please."

Although her father had been sitting on a mountain of money for a while now, she still felt guilty that he was going to pay for her apartment rental. As long as she paid taxes and bills and all, that is. But still, on top of her college tuition?

She had been leery about moving in the first place. This was the first time since her adoption that she and her father would be this far apart for a lengthy amount of time. However, even though she had suggested it, she really couldn't drive for an hour to college in the morning and then drive back after classes. Yes, it really was the best solution, she had convinced herself

And that's how, at ten in the morning, she was sitting with the seat warmers turned on, luggage cases in the backseat, wondering exactly how she would survive.

Azelma was first to step into the apartment, and exclaimed in surprise, "Hey, it's not that bad, actually!"

"Thanks," Eponine muttered sarcastically, finally letting go of her handful of grocery bags. Her fingers ached where the plastic had dug into her skin.

The walls were at least a clean white, and the hardwood floors weren't too badly scratched. The article online had said that it had been rented to a few other people, and she had immediately thought that it was code for "falling apart at the seams". But the sparse amount of furniture looked pretty clean, the kitchen appliances were all in good health, and there was not an empty bottle of wine in sight.

A quick survey of the place proved fairly decent: the aforementioned kitchen, a small living room with a pale blue couch, two bedrooms already outfitted with bedframes and mattresses, a bathroom, and a large walk-in closet.

"Two bedrooms…" Gavroche trailed off.

At this point, Eponine couldn't fathom the idea of them being ungrateful for this. "And?"

"There are three of us," he stated, as if pointing out an obvious flaw.

Eponine was tempted to wring his neck, but took a deep breath and pointed at the walk-in closet. "You want your own bed? The closet's free."

She had expected him to recoil at this, but her brother's face lit up. "Yeah! That would be so cool!"

Tell me how you like that idea in two years, she thought. "Whatever. If you can make a bed and take out the shelves, you can have your own room."

He threw open the door and began clanging around with the screws of the wire shelves immediately.

Azelma pointed between the doors of the actual bedrooms. "Which one do you want?"

Satisfied that somebody was finally showing an ounce of thankfulness, Eponine pointed at the door on the left.

"Okay," Azelma whispered, edging towards the right door.

For a split second, Eponine felt a tangible ball of guilt wedged in her chest. Although they were on the road to escaping the horror that was their life, she had uprooted her 15 year old sister and 12 year old brother from the only life they'd known without really asking. It was likely that Azelma would never see her friends again, and might have trouble making new ones as well.

"Hey," she interjected, tapping Azelma's shoulder.

When her sister turned around, she shoved her hands in her pockets. "I'm…sorry, that this had to happen."

Azelma shrugged, lightly kicking a grocery bag.

Sighing, Eponine edged the door to her room open.

"Ta-da!" Cosette's father sang, throwing open the door to the apartment, two of her bags in hand.

She laughed, looking at the already furnished rooms. The constricting one-bedroom she had pictured in her head barely matched the clean, modern designs and smell of fresh paint that was displayed for her now.

"I didn't know it came already furnished," she remarked, sliding a hand across the kitchen table.

"It did! I got it for a bargain, too," her father explained, setting her bags down on the kitchen counter. "Well, I hope you enjoy it."

She turned slowly. "You're already leaving?"

"Well…I've got a meeting at three, and I would help you set up, but…I'll come this weekend!" he decided, attempting to make up for it.

"Oh, yeah, definitely," Cosette said. She plastered on a smile, but she felt the happiness that had gathered in her chest plummet out.

"So," he sighed, "good luck, sweetheart. Call me if you need anything."

He pulled her into a hug, and Cosette squeezed her eyes tight, tight, tight, telling herself that she could only cry after he was gone.

"Yeah. I love you," she managed to get out.

"I love you too," and just like that, he was out the door.

The minute it shut, she felt her breath start to catch and her throat start to swell. But, no, she decided, she was not a little girl anymore. She had an apartment, responsibilities, and some unpacking to do, and she would not put it off because she missed her father, when in reality, he probably hadn't even left the building yet.

Deciding to start with the bedroom, she edged the door open.

Please R/R!