CHAPTER ONE
Eponine Thenardier was known to those in Paris simply as the daughter of Monsieur Thenardier, a well known con man and thief. So it was unsurprising that for the majority of her life she had been avoided everywhere she went. She did not blame the citizens of Paris for not trusting her; if she had been in their position she too would cross the street when she saw herself. Her understanding of this, of course, did not stop her from getting lonely, so when a boy moved into the apartment opposite her family's, a boy who actually seemed to care about her well-being and who treated her like a person, she obviously fell for him instantly.
She had never really been loved; not even when she was a child. She had been taken care of and her father had never failed to show her off to the customers at the inn, but he had never been loved. Her parents only love was their greed, something that had consumed them even before she had been born. And when their inn had been lost and her family had moved to Paris, their greed had overcome any 'love' they had felt for her. They thrust her into their schemes and cons without a car of her safety.
Marius, however, did seem to care; or so she had thought. But now he was in love with the lark and she once again was alone and unloved. And so she went back to wandering the streets of Paris, daydreaming about the life she might have had should he not have caught Cosette's eye that day in the courtyard.
It began to rain, and her feet slipped on the cobblestones slightly as she made her way through the city that she loved. She sang quietly to herself as she did so; a song that she had known from when she was younger, and one that seemed to perfectly sit her situation.
"Pauvre petite fille. Pauvre petite fille. Reste seul dans l'obscurite. Pauvre petite fille. Pauvre petite fille."
It was nearing morning when she reached the gorbeau apartment building. Her father and the rest of the Patron-Minette would have already returned form their nightly thieving, and she was sure to receive a lashing for having returned so late, but it was nothing she wasn't used to.
"'Ponine!" Of course, he was drunk. "Where have you been, girl?"
Eponine slid through the front door and turned to see her father standing at the table situated in the middle of the small room. Her siblings were nowhere in sight, no doubt having fled the second her father arrived home drunk. He was mean when he was drunk. Even meaner than usual.
"I'm sorry. I got lost." She lied, knowing that there was no way he would believe her. She was right. He lunged at her, grabbing her by the throat and holding her against the wall, his face mere inches away from her own, allowing her to smell the whiskey and tobacco on his breath; a sickening concoction that made her blood curdle.
"Don't lie to me girl!" He spat. Eponine closed her eyes, calming her heart rate as she worked out what to say to avoid a beating.
"I'm sorry father. Please forgive me."
At that he moved away, allowing her to reach a hand up to rub the marks that his grip had left on her neck; they would no doubt leave bruises, but they would be far better than the bruises she would have received had she tried to argue her way out of it.
"These are troubled times 'Ponine. We need every penny we can get. Tonight I'm sending you down to the Jardin d'Eden." He slurred, turning his back on her and leaning on the table once more. Eponine shook her head, not believing what he had just said to her. He could not truly be considering sending there, suggesting that she lower herself to selling her body?
"Please father, not there. I'll do anything else; I'll rob and con but I cannot do this. Please." She whispered, stepping forward slightly.
"You will not argue with me on this Eponine or I promise, you will not live another day to argue." Her father warned, turning back to her so she could see the anger in his eyes.
"I will not do this father." She said, straightening her back slightly and raising her chin. She instantly knew this was a bad idea.
That was when the first hit struck her cheek, throwing her to the floor. A searing and burning pain welled up in her face but she choked down her tears. She would not cry. She had stopped cry after the first fifteen or so beatings and she would not start again now.
"You will go to the Jardin d'Eden tonight, or you will not step foot in this house again." Her father spat, kicking her in the stomach as he spoke in some sick attempt to emphasise his meaning.
"Yes father." She whispered, picking herself up from the ground and inching towards the door, slipping out unnoticed, limping down the stairs and out into the street.
She did not know where she was heading until she arrived outside the Cafe Musain. of course her subconscious had brought her here, the one place where she expected Marius to be.
She slipped inside, greeting Madame Hucheloup with a small nod, though she doubted that the owner of the cafe even knew who she was.
She made her way up the stairs where she knew the Les Amis would be holding their meeting. It was usual for the Les Amis de l'ABC to be found in the Cafe Musain in the evenings, but being so close to the revolution Eponine found the centre players of the June rebellion crowded around a table staring intently at a map of the city.
She took a moment to look at Marius, who was discussing something with Enjolras, the leader of the rebellion. He looked happier than she ahd even seen him, although his eyes seemed slightly glazed over as if he wasn't really paying attention to what Enjolras was saying. She smiled slightly as she thought for a moment that perhaps he was thinking about her, but then she realised that his thoughts were likely focused on the lark, and her smile was wiped away almost instantly. Her gaze drifted to the Apollo. He was a handsome man, with a chiselled jaw-line and a firm brow, but she couldn't help but think that the man before her was nothing more than a shell of a man, a marble statue that cared about nothing but his revolution, or at least that was the impression he seemed to allow everyone to think. She had known the man for as long as she had known Marius, yet she had never seen him show any sign of emotion. He intrigued her for she had never met anyone quite like him before.
Her gaze snapped back to Marius as he turned his head towards her, a large smile spreading over his face. She smiled in return as he made his way towards her.
"'Ponine. My dear 'Ponine. Have you heard from Cosette? Is that why you're here?" Of course, the lark.
"I have a letter for you from her." Eponine whispered, suddenly remembering the letter Cosette had asked her to deliver, pulling it from the pocket of her dress.
"Thank you 'Ponine!" He smiled, kissing her cheek and running to the corner of the room to read his letter from his beloved Cosette.
"You shouldn't do that, you know." A voice sounded beside her. She spun around and her eyes met the icy blue ones of Enjolras.
"What do you mean Monsieur?" Eponine asked innocently.
"You deliver his letters like his private messenger bird. If you continue to allow him to live without knowing of your feelings for him, to allow him to live in blissful ignorance, then you shall forever live as his shadow, Eponine." Enjolras explained, his famous neutral expression etched into his features. His blonde hair was falling over his eyes slightly, and he had the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to the elbows, accounting for the heat in the room. Eponine's eyes darted down, not wanting to keep eye contact with him as he scolded her, and instead she followed a bead of sweat as it traced a line down the nape of his neck before become lost in the fold of his shirt.
She sighed. Did everyone know of her feelings for Marius besides Marius himself?
"What would you suggest I did otherwise Monsieur? This is the only way I can be close to him, and to live without him would not be living at all." Eponine explained, never looking up to meet his piercing eyes. He intimidated her; he had an all-knowing presence, one that made her believe he was wise beyond his years, and made her think he could see straight through any lies she tried to throw his way.
"Learn to love from afar." Was his simple answer, and with that he turned and headed back towards the map, leaning against the table in a way that reminded her of her father. He glanced up once in her direction, catching her gaze, before glancing back down to the map.
Eponine sat in the cafe watching the Les Amis for hours after that, thinking over what Enjolras had said to her. 'Learn to love from afar.' Perhaps that was what the marble man himself had learnt to do over the years. Perhaps he had someone that he himself loved, but being the leader of the Les Amis he would have no time for anything but the cause. So he loved from afar. Perhaps.
Suddenly Eponine jumped from the table she had been perched on, realising the time. It was early evening, and if she arrived home later that night without a penny from the Jardin d'Eden she would surely receive a lashing far worse than any she had received before, or even worse.
She slipped out of the cafe before anyone could notice, fingering the bruise that was slowly beginning to form on her cheek.