As a child, her mother had often told her stories of a Heaven made of clouds, gold and pearls. But when Éponine opened her eyes, that was not what she was greeted with. Surely she was in Hell, for where else would she be sent? It did not surprise her, nor did it make her sad. It was expected. She blinked slowly, her eyes adjusting to the dark. She was in a wood, it was night, and it was very cold. She whimpered involuntarily, frightened by the consuming silence. The sound of her own voice was jarring and she winced.
She could feel damp leaves under her hair and dirt under her fingernails from where she lay. The wood was dimly lit, but she couldn't see the moon or stars. She sat up slowly, feeling for the wounds in her hand and chest, but there were none; she was whole. Yet she could recall the pain and the blood and Marius's arms.
"This is death," Éponine said to the silence. Her voice sounded hoarse and unused. She received no response.
Her thoughts flickered briefly to Marius and Gavroche, and she wondered when they would join her.
She would have been happy to close her eyes and lie in the cool dirt again, had she not seen movement between the trees.
"Hello!" She called to the shadow. "I see you, I do."
The shadow paused but did not approach her. Éponine rose to her feet and crept carefully towards it. Having spent much of her life as a shadow herself, she was not afraid, but curious as to who else occupied Hell with her.
She reached out and her rough fingertips brushed cool fabric. The shadow turned and Éponine was faced with a woman. The woman smiled and through the eerie light Éponine could see that she was missing several teeth, just like her. Her golden hair was cut like a man's, and she was older than Éponine, though not by much.
"Oh, good, you're here," the woman said merrily. Her voice was soft and sweet. "I've been waiting all day."
Éponine frowned and looked around. "It's nighttime."
"Is that what you see?" The woman asked. "Everyone's different. To me, we are on an empty street corner. It's near where I grew up, I think."
Éponine squinted, trying to make out buildings through the dark. "I see trees and dirt. A forest. But where has the moon gone?"
The woman turned to her. "Perhaps you lost it. You really should try to find it."
Éponine regarded the sky again. She saw the moon that time, and a scattering of stars. She reached her hand up, as if to grasp the pale giant, but lowered it when she realized the woman wanted a response.
"Why were you waiting for me?" Éponine turned back to her, rubbing at her own bare arms.
"Because, I've been watching you for many years," the strange woman rests her hand on Éponine's shoulder. It is surprisingly warm. "And you interest me. I did not want you to enter Heaven alone."
"Heaven?" Éponine took a step back. "No, you do not understand. I'm meant for Hell."
For the first time, Éponine felt scared. The woman's words intimidated her with their fiction. She was to go to Hell, that's what she was always told. She was never to darken God's doorstep. Suddenly, all she longed for was a drink.
"Is that what you believe, Mademoiselle Thénardier?"
"Yes," she tried to keep the confusion from her voice.
"No. I think you are a very brave girl," the stranger told her. "I'm sorry you had to die so violently, but I am so pleased to meet you. There's more to you than you think."
Éponine no longer felt so cold.
The woman passed by her in a flurry of white fabric.
"Wait," Éponine called as the woman retreated. "What am I supposed to do now?"
The woman turned her head. Éponine could see the glint of her eyes in the shadows. "Stay here. Think about the years you've lived. You've made your choices and now you must bear the consequences. When you're ready, walk whichever direction you please. You'll find a path, eventually."
"Where will it lead?"
The woman shook her head and pressed a finger to her lips. "We will meet again, Éponine."
"You know my name," Éponine countered, desperate to have a few more moments of company. "What's yours?"
"You may call me Fantine," called as she walked away. "I will see you soon."
Éponine knelt as Fantine was swallowed by the darkness. Tears prickled at the corners of her eyes but she squeezed the tightly shut. When she opened them moments later, the forest seemed just a little brighter.