Samantha Barks will be my model for Eponine and Aaron Tveit will be my model for Enjolras because they're both perfect and Aaron has nice arms :)
Review!
"Even the Darkest Night Will End and the Sun Will Rise"
Victor Hugo, Les Miserables
Chapter One
Eponine's eyes searched through the crowd of young men of the Les Amis de l'ABC meeting as she stood at the doorway. Her skinny hand gripped the doorknob as she looked with concentration to find the star of her many daydreams. She could not locate him and assumed he was near the leader of this band of rebels as he normally is, being extremely passionate about the cause and liked to admire the passionate and strong-willed Enjolras up close. In her head, she debated whether or not to enter the Café to find him, or to stand outside, waiting as she normally does. However, the coldness on her skin had somehow managed to reach her bones and wiled her to go inside the Café, and as she did, her frail body gratefully embraced the warmth of the room.
She kept her head down and her body hunched as she ghosted her way through the men she so often saw but never really acquainted herself with. Her eyes brightened and filled with delight as they fell upon the handsome Marius she had pined after for so long. Her feet started to quicken as she began to make haste across the room, leaving behind her ghostly aura. Suddenly, she was stopped in her tracks by surprise and fear as a strong, uncoordinated arm was thrown around her waist, pulling her closer to the drunken man that she recognized by the name of Grantaire. She knew that he was ultimately harmless because he always seemed to be the joke of the group and yet she could not settle the fear that had sparked deep within her gut. That was the effect of living with the Thénardiers, she supposed. One begins to lose trust in not only those around them, but also in humanity. The same had not become of Marius, she trusted him, as much as her upbringing allowed her to, she felt as though she trusted him with her heart and soul. Well, perhaps not her heart, but she knew he meant her no ill will, that he had not an inkling of a thought to intentionally hurt her or cause her distress. And yet, he was doing exactly so.
Her body tensed because of the man's arm around her, but he took no notice to it. He seemed too drunk to pick up on her reaction.
"Quit your brooding and stop moping about Marius, look here! Your pleas and prayers have been answered, for your beloved has appeared," he announced condescendingly to the room.
Marius's eyes looked up longingly, but as they rested on Eponine, the longing disappeared and was replaced by excitement and impatience. He jumped out of his chair and ran to meet her, taking hold of her hands in his own, and looked deep into her eyes, searching for answers about what she had found out about his true beloved.
He looked at Grantaire saying, "Ah, you are mistaken, my friend, this is not my beloved, but my faithful friend, Eponine, here to deliver news about my dear, Cosette." He looked back at Eponine with overwhelming excitement and anxiety that she knew she would never be the cause of.
Grantaire smirked and looked at Eponine letting his eyes trace her thin, yet strangely alluring figure, "She still is lovely, though. Perhaps a lovely lady?" he joked, "mind if I have a go at her?"
"Scamper off, Grantaire," said a man starting to push the drunk away, "Courfeyrac, by the way, pleased to meet you Mademoiselle..?" he waited for her to introduce herself.
"Eponine," she said quietly, avoiding her last name as she curtsied, still looking at the floor.
"Oh, come on Courf, let me have some fun," Grantaire slurred. Coufeyrac looked at Eponine apologetically as Marius rolled his eyes impatiently, getting annoyed with the banter his friends were having with Eponine, preventing him from finding out about Cosette.
"No!" Courfeyrac laughed lightly, trying to make it clear that Grantaire was only kidding- somewhat, "I will not have you traumatize the girl with your poor excuse for manhood!" he jested.
Marius started pulling Eponine slowly away, "Come, Eponine," he commanded as if he was talking to a dog, "I must know about Cosette." Every time he said Cosette's name his eyes lit with a fiery passion Eponine had never seen before. This passion felt almost like a dagger in her every time she saw it, knowing she was not the one who caused such a look.
"I can no longer wait for the news! Come Eponine!" he repeated less patiently, completely pulling her away from the crowd to a vacant corner of the Café. "Do you have the letter?" he asked almost breathlessly.
A smirk fell upon her face as she arched one eyebrow, "I cannot be sure," she said as she playfully pulled the letter from her pocket. He went for it, but she pulled it away just in time. "And what do I get from this arrangement? You get a letter and I get nothing? That hardly seems fair." He reached for his pocket and pulled out his wallet. Her face fell, "No, I don't want your money, Monsieur."
"Then you will get to see your loyal friend be in complete and utter joy! Please Eponine." He took her hands and looked deep into her eyes, silently begging her. A blush fell upon her cheeks as she slowly, savoring the moment, handed him the letter. He took it quickly, glancing back at her gratefully as he ripped it open with giddy hands. She stared at him with despair hanging in her burden-filled features.
"She loves me," he whispered quickly, "She loves me!" he repeated much louder this time and turned to face Eponine, looking happier than she had ever seen him. She put on her best faux smile and willed herself not to cry.
"How could she not, Monsieur?" she heard herself say. The words sounded hollow and her voice sounded hurt, and yet Marius did not seem to notice, or he simply did not care, for he ignored her completely.
"I must write her back!" he said starting to stride away into another room, but glanced back at Eponine saying, "Don't stray too far, 'Ponine! I am going to need you to deliver my letter as soon as I'm finished writing it!"
"Don't cry, Eponine," she thought, "not until you get outside."
Eponine quickly went out the door. Once she was outside in the cold, she fell to her knees and leaned against the wall as tears poured down her gaunt face. Restrained sobs threatened to turn into wails of pain and heartbreak. She ran her hands through her tangled dark mess of hair as rain started to fall. Most people would take it as a sign that God and his angels were crying for her, but Eponine knew better, it was as if God was mocking her, showing her with His sky just how pathetic she looked, and was.
Rain mixed with tears and soon, she couldn't even tell if she had stopped crying. She was shaking violently and her fingertips had a tint of blue in them. Eponine knew that she had to get inside soon to avoid frostbite, but her legs refused to move. It seemed that her entire body was slowly giving up.
"'Ponine?" she heard a light, childlike voice say behind her. She conjured up her best smile as she turned around.
"Gavroche!" she exclaimed as her failed attempt at a fake smile was replaced by a slight real one. Her eyes looked upon her baby brother.
"What are you doing out here on your own?" he asked, concerned for his sister's wellbeing.
On your own. Those words hit her like a thousand bullets to the chest. "That's all I'll ever be," she thought to herself.
"Waiting for Monsieur Marius," she said.
"It's freezing out, 'Ponine, come inside," he said putting out his little hand for her to take. When he saw her hesitate, he asked with wide-eyed expression filling with concern, "Is it because you don't know anyone? Don't worry they're my friends! I can introduce you!" A smile lit up his face as his eyes widened and his chest puffed out a bit with pride. At that moment, Eponine knew there was no way she could turn him down.
Though Gavroche was a street urchin, he was far from ignorant. He knew his sister sitting out in the rain had nothing to do with not knowing anyone, but with another heartbreak from Monsieur Marius. He needed to get her inside, and she was always more willing the more innocent he acted.
She smiled a heartbreaking excuse for a smile and took his hand. "Okay, but no leaving me, yeah? I don't want your drunken… friend," she grimaced at the last word, "being unleashed on me while I have no protector." She looked lovingly at her brother. That is what he always was, and tried to be with her, and vice versa. They were each other's protectors.