Chapter 1

Once again it was Sunday, and once again the young boy known simply as "Jacques" was strolling down the Parisian street, handing out money and food to the beggars.

This "boy" was not who "he" seemed. In fact "he" was a young 17 year old girl named Carmen Javert.

Her father was Inspector Javert: the most notorious police inspector who was most feared in Paris. He had the firmest grip on the law and rarely showed mercy. However, Carmen saw how good her father could be, Javert loved his daughter for than the world. When Carmen was young Javert played with all the time he could before he was called back on duty, He bought her little things that would brighten up her day, and he would all ways kiss her good night . Javert always said how much she was like her mother, Carmen could tell how much he loved her by the way his eyes filled with sadness at the mention of her. Her mother was Spanish (also called Carmen), and would often visit Paris. Javert met Carmen's mother while she was lost on the street, he was so enticed by her exotic beauty: Ebony hair, tanned skin, full lips. He was speechless when she asked him for directions.

That one meeting sparked off a whole love story. Javert sent flowers to the room that she was staying in, as well as love letters. Javert would show her around Paris and take her to cafe`s and restaurants. When Carmen told him that she would soon have to go home, he asked her to marry him in desperation. Two months later, she had to write to her family telling them about how she was now married and living in Paris.

Javert was never more happier when his wife told him that she was pregnant. It was as if he was in heaven. But it soon turned to hell.

His wife had a traumatic birth, nothing could be done. Javert would have fallen into despair if his daughter didn't survive.

Carmen's father then became more harsh in his work. Apart from his daughter, he never smiled at anything or anyone.

Javert also became extremely over protective of his daughter. She was rarely allowed to go out and when she was, a police guard had to escort her, as well as her nanny. Carmen got extremely tired of all of this. She longed to see what lurked behind the garden gate. One day, while walking with her nanny and armed guard, she saw her Father across the street, arresting a small gamine girl. She was about ten, but looked younger because of her malnourished body. Her own father! The kindest man she knows... The girl only did what she did to survive, how could he not show mercy. Carmen was shocked by what she had witnessed, she now thought of her father in a completely different way.

Throughout the same day, her eyes were opened to the poverty of Paris. She was shocked at the amount of starvation in a rich city, the amount of homelessness, most of all, the amount of mercilessness there was, how could people just walk pass without a second glance while some poor souls dying.

Carmen planned carefully what she was to do. Sunday was the day when her father was gone, also her nanny and the servants half-day off. She also found some of her fathers old clothes from when he was a youth: Brown trousers, which she had to roll up to her ankles and wear a belt. An old shirt, a long coat, which was stained with mud. And a simple brown cap that could easily hide her long ebony hair. On Sunday, once Carmen was sure that no one was in the house, she crept into the kitchen, she was startled when she saw the cook dozing, "Of course there had to be someone in the house." she thought to herself. Quietly as she could, Carmen looted the larder, she didn't want to take too much in case someone else was blamed for stealing food. Carmen also had a bag of money to take and her fathers pen knife, just in case. She put her supplies in a leather bag, slung it round her shoulder , escaped down the trellis of her window (because all the doors of the house were locked for her safety), through the garden gate and into the great unknown.

She then strolled down the streets of Paris, handing out food and money as equally as she could. People would would thank her graciously, one old woman asked " What is ya name young sir? So I may asked God to bless ya." "J-Jacques." Carmen stuttered. She had forgot that she was now a man and said the first thing that popped into her head. But why did she dress as a boy? Carmen did not think about this , she guessed that it was safer then going around as a girl on her own, also she wouldn't be recognized as easily, she had to take precautions since her father could be around the corner with his firm grip on the law.

Every Sunday since then, Carmen would wait until (nearly) every one had left the house, change into her brown trousers, old shirt, muddied coat and Stuff her hair into a brown cap, sneak past the sleeping cook to the larder, put her food, money and pen-knife, into a bag and escape to the Parisian streets, handing money and food to beggars. Doing this made Carmen look forward to Sundays, having a taste of freedom and also doing her bit to help fight poverty, even though she knew it was not enough, it was better than doing nothing at all.

"Jacques" was known among the beggars, and also looked forward to Sundays. More and more gamins crawled the streets each week, hoping to have just a crumb from Jacques. It broke Carmen's heart when she ran out of things to give.

This Sunday started out the same as always, but she didn't account for the rallying student group.

That's when everything changed.