On My Own

by: Wul Anatole

Disclaimer: I do not own Les Miserables or any of the characters, that belongs to Victor Hugo, may his spirit rest in peace the poor persecuted writer. "On My Own" is the title to Eponine's tear wreching song in the musical version of Les Miserables which is owned by Alain Boublil. I do not plan to deter from the main plot of Les Mis. There is no real graphic scene, but as a safety measure it is PG for adult material. Please enjoy!

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'You brat, this is all?' Thenardier screamed grabbing the few francs Eponine was able to steal and threw them at her in rage.

Eponine stood silently knowing that it was more than he had earned for the day, five francs was a precious amount of money for them, and nothing she said no matter how logical would make her situation any better. So she stayed silent.

'What can you expect from the spoiled little brat? We feed her, raise her, and give her a roof over her head to sleep under and she can't even do her part for the family,' her mother said, 'At least her sister shows her gratitude.'

"Said sister is much skinner and pathetic to the eye so can move a kind philanthropist easier," she thought staring at their small room they could barely afford.

'Well don't just stand there, get out! And don't come back until you've earned something to show some gratitude.'

Eponine ran out of the house. She hated her family, absolutely loathed them.

She didn't always hate them, no she thought they were like any family. When she was younger they had lived in a different place, owning an inn then. There had been another girl too. She tried to recall the name, "Celine, Celestyn, something of the sort. The Lark of course."

The Lark had been a huge source of income. People would come and see the poor little girl abandoned by her mother and praise the inn keeper and his family for taking care of the "motherless dear." They were also scamming her mother, Fantine was the mother's name. She recalled hearing that she had died from some ailment and a guardian in her place came and bought away the Lark. She often wondered how exactly it had happened for no apparent reason other than curiosity. They were better off during those times with the Lark. Now she was living in a single room with her heinous family barely surviving the passing day. Losing her job at the factory wasn't good. It was much more work than pit-pocketing, but as she grew so did her moral. She knew what misery was like, and having little money is miserable. Taking money from other people to keep up her pathetic existence and spreading this feeling of wretchedness was something her family could do, but she found it harder. The times were hard for everyone, but perhaps a few like the factory owners, she wasn't the only one suffering so she couldn't use the excuse of "well, I need the money," everyone needed the money.

Now that she remembered, she felt a bit sorry of her treatment to the Lark, she remembered not treated her with the up most respect. Of course she was following her mother's example and so was her sister, but it really wasn't an excuse.

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'Ahchew,' she sneezed, then shivered. She had been walking the streets in a daze for a while and it was getting dark and quite cold she didn't even have a coat.

"Oh darn," she thought, "I can't even go home, I'll just be kicked out again."

'You there!'

The sudden yell made her jump. She quickly turned toward the voice, 'Moi?'

'Yes, you,' the voice came from a young man who dressed rather well, wearing a green frock coat. She wondered why she was called and came closer.

'Yes?'

'Are you looking for money?'

Eponine thought for a moment, "Perhaps he will offer me a job. Well, it's a time where money is needed, cheap labor is everything, perhaps he has room for more workers and will offer me a place in his factory."

'Yes, I am.'

'Come with me,' he started to walk in a brisk fashion.

Eponine followed delighted to have found a new job of some sort although she wondered why it was in the middle of the night see would be shown to her job.

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'Excuse me Monsieur, but pray tell where are we going?'

'It's right here, little Mademoiselle,' he gestured toward a building that seemed to be a sort of large tavern or even an inn.

"Perhaps I am to be a waitress, but odd that it would be doing to so well at this time. That must be why he needs more people to keep up with the customers."

Upon entering the "tavern" she began to feel something awfully wrong, 'Monsieur what is this job I am to do?'

'Oh it's simply a matter of pleasing the customers.' The man started to lead her to a room on the second floor, the bottom was full of people drinking and generally acting quite moronic. The women were dressed rather questionably and so was their behavior. She surveyed her surrounding more before realization dawned on her.

'Oh no monsieur, I can't do that, please I must leave!' she started to panic.

'Didn't you say you were looking for money?' the man gripped her wrist tightly making her cry out a little in surprise and force.

'I did not understand what kind of job was being offered, please monsieur let me leave!'

'Offered? You were not offered anything my dear. You are not being forced to stay either, however I know what you do on the streets and unless you want to explain yourself to the police I suggest that you be docile. But seeing that you obviously do not like this I suppose you prefer facing the law-'

'No!' Eponine felt fear grip her, "Anything was better than facing the police, even this. After all, she would be paid, surely it was better than jail, or even the treacherous factory."

'I'll do as you say. Please do not report the police,' she wondered how he knew.

'That's a good girl,' she was shoved into a room, 'Now a customer will come soon, serve him well.' Eponine trembled in fear as she wondered how her life had so suddenly gone from miserable to a living hell.

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The pain she went through was excruciating. The customers weren't exactly very gentle, nor were they kind. She had cried so much from the pain and humiliation after the third she was sent back to where she came, but not without a clear understanding that she was to return the next day or the consequences would be horrible.

She limped home quickly, wanted to escape not only from the cold and dark, but also away from that horrid place where she was stripped of so much. Upon entering her family's room her father started to yell at her again.

'Where have you been brat? You better have come with some earnings or you know you'll be back out there!'

Eponine froze then remembered that she did receive her earnings before leaving, "At least I have one thing to be grateful for."

She silently placed the money on the table and crawled into the corner that was her bed. Thenardier looked at the money and satisfied didn't say anything more but muttered the word "brat."

"This is truly misery," Eponine thought as she tried to drift into sleep so very tired from the events of the day. She felt the weight of a hundred years, and yet still sleep did not come easy that night, nor for many nights to come.

End of first chapter

Note: So how was it? Please review, I don't expect everyone to like it, but constructive critism is wonderful as well. No senseless flames though, even 'I didn't like it because:....' and there was a reason that I could build up on would be accepted.

By the way this is a little before Marius and Eponine meet, Marius will come in the next chapter if I'm supported into posting the next chapter. Please

Oh and as more warning, this fic will be getting more darker starting next chapter, it may start to be a bit disturbing and I might change the rating.

By the way out of curiosity, will you take a guess as to my ethnicity, religion and highschool stereotype. Just for fun, I'm curious.