Enjolras

Southanmpton, England, April 10, 1912.

The pier was full, our car could barely make it's way through all the people. Next to me was Bethany, my fiance. She was looking at the Titanic, at it's structure and at the waving people that are on deck already.

I meet Bethany when I was on my teens, I am not gonna lie, she was very pretty. She had dark curls that went all the way to her waist, her skin was porcelain like and she had the most beautiful brown eyes. But still I did not love her, I cared for her, but love no. It was an arranged marriage, both our families were one of the richest of America and our parents seemed to think that money was a strong enough bond to make us stay together for the rest of our lives. We both knew the idea was idiotic but we still had agreed to the marriage, which made us into bigger idiots that them.

Our car stopped and it was time for us to get out. Honestly I didn't want to, because once we were inside that ship there was no going back. It was the real deal, when we arrived at the States it was weeks until our wedding.

"I don't see what all the fuss is about. It doesn't look any bigger than the Mauretania" I said getting out first to help Beth out.

"You can be blase about some things, Richard, but not about Titanic. It's over a hundred feet longer than Mauretania, and far more luxurious" said someone behind me, I turned to found Javert Hockley, Beth's father.

That man had an evil stare, his eyes were black almost coal which made me think he was up to no good most of the time. I had never seen him smile, not even on Bethany's direction, not once. He was tall but not taller than me and had this beard that made him look smarter than all of us. Just by standing near you could feel a power air about him.

"Hard to impress aren't you" said Beth taking my hand and guiding me toward our entrance. "So this is the ship they say is unsinkable. They say God himself would not be able to put it on the bottom of the ocean".

I look around me and all I are longing faces staring at that ship. Hundreds of people wanted to be on my place: be from a wealthy family, marry a beautiful girl and go to the States on the Titanic. Some may have called me a ungrateful bastard but the truth was I did not want any of those things.

It was the ship of dreams... to everyone else. To me it was a slave ship, taking me back to America in chains.

Our traveling group was quite large, there was: my mother, both of Beth's parents, some friends from Beth's father, maids, my mother's maids and Molly Huchloup. I really liked Ms. Huchloup, she was a large lady with an even bigger heart. My mother did not like her, she often said Molly was a shame for "us people", by that she meant people with a good economic income.

"Come, Enjolras!" said Beth, who pulled my arm while she walked on the platform that would take us to the first class entrance. I smiled at her and walked with her through the ship door.

Outwardly I was everything a well brought up gentlemen should be. Inside, I was screaming.

Éponine

"Hurry, boy! Are you game or not?" asked one of the Swedish men we were playing against. Misuchetta and I were trying to win some money since we were nearly broke, and 'Chetta was amazing at poker so we decided to take the risk and dress ourselves as men. I was wearing some old trousers and a white shirt that was too big for my skinny frame, all my hair was under my brown cap; Misuchetta had the luck of finding actual men clothes on our apartment, me on the other part had to steal my father clothes, well except for the cap.

I looked across the table at 'Chetta. She looked confident on the outside but I could tell by her posture that her cards weren't good and we had bet all our money. Good thing I had an excellent hand.

"You stupid fishhead. I can't believe you bet our tickets" said the other Swedish man.

"I'm game. Hit me" I say while I changed the positions of my cards. 'Chetta passed me a card and looked into my eyes, praying it was one of my lucky day. I took the card and slipped it into my hand. A good card, I looked back at 'Chetta to make her understand.

'Chetta and one of the Swedish retire and when the other Swedish slaps his game on the table I can see he is sure he has won, his eyes shine for a second, that is before I slap my own full house on the table.

"We're going to America!? Full House!" said 'Chetta loosing all her man facade and standing to hug me. While we were hugging I looked across the room and saw the clock.

"No, mate. Titanic go to America. In five minutes" said the bar owner, some old man drinking beer.

"Shit!" I shouted while I tried to get all our won money into my pockets, 'Chetta was also trying her fastest to get everything but in the end we left some bills and started to run.

My lungs felt like they were burning, I was used to running since I had to steal people. I heard my old boots slap against the pavement as we ran, I took of my cap and shook hair to make people see I was a lady, that made people to stay out of our way. The bags hung from our arms, I was sure I had slapped more than one person with them but I couldn't care less at the moment.

I was going to America. I was really going to the country of new opportunities, maybe there I could find a man and who knew if the time was right I might even fall in love.

"Wait! We're passengers!" I said to the ship officer who was about to close the doors. I gave him our tickets and looked closely our faces, he asked something about a health inspection which 'Chetta and I said, lying, had passed. We never actually got the inspection, I'm sure that if we did the officers would have left us, I hadn't had a bath since days.

Once inside the ship I looked around me, the Titanic was breath taking. The floors were made out of marble, to my right I could see the most incredible staircase I had ever seen.

That trip would mean a new life for me. New adventures, and experiences; a new found love.