Disclaimer: I do not own Les Miserables
There was no way she could have foreseen it. These kinds of things are not planned for, after all.
Tamar Kardashian cast a wary eye into the pitch-black alleys around her. Paris was a dangerous city by night, especially the slums of Saint-Michel. She wouldn't have chosen this city as a place to visit or reside, but she had to get away. Get away from him….
The girl was originally from Vienna, and had lived there the first ten years of her life. Her father had been a luthier; not particularly poor, but certainly not rich, and she could remember many nights of hunger, because her father refused to beg for food or money. Still, he was not above stealing, and would associate with several shady characters from time to time. Eventually, one of those characters, a Prussian assassin and thief, got sick of her father competing with him for business, and killed him, and her mother, a total innocent. Spiro Vonnegut would have killed her, too, but she'd fled, and had been hiding from him ever since.
Five years. Five years she'd been on the run. She'd crossed this continent at least twice, never staying in one place too long, and now she was in Paris.
Best keep an eye out, she thought. There could be anyone in those alleys. Unobtrusively, her father's voice came back to her. He hadn't loved her, but he'd taught her plenty of useful tricks. For that she was grateful, but she'd never forget the drunken beatings, the starving nights, or looks of disdain. Vonnegut had almost done her a favor by killing him, but….
"Well, well, well. Who do we 'ave 'ere?" a voice drawled in her ear. Tamar froze as a cold hand clamped onto her shoulder. "What's a little boy like you doin' out all alone?" Something icy and sharp touched her neck, as a shadowy figure stalked up to stand in front of her. Tamar could smell his rancid breath.
"Looks like a well-off kid," the newcomer rasped. "Search 'im, boys!" The man holding her dug his blade in ever so slightly as three more men came up. One of them, his breath reeking of alcohol, roughly patted her chest-and grinned.
"Hey, boss," he slurred. "This ain't no boy. Issa fine young lady." Tamar grit her teeth as the man holding her moved his hands to her waist. The other men laughed as the boss forced her chin up, meeting her eyes.
"Girl, eh? Whatcha doin' wearin' them clothes, now?" he chuckled, darkly.
"I don't answer to the likes of you," she snarled. The man laughed again.
"Yer a feisty one, ain't ya? You know what we do with people like you, girlie?" He grinned evilly, taking a step forward. "We take our pleasure with 'em, we do. Descant!" The man holding her grabbed the buttons of her waistcoat.
Tamar took a deep breath, and screamed as loud as she could. The boss swore, and Descant stepped back in shock. The smallest man covered his ears. Tamar whipped around, striking Descant in the temple. He dropped like a rock.
The drunk man came at her with a clumsy punch; she grabbed his wrist with her left hand and his neck with her right. Tipping his neck down and pulling his head into her chest, she swung him to the ground, kneeled into his ribs, and dislocated his drunk screamed in pain, and she whirled to face the rest.
"Who's next?" she taunted, the trace of a smirk on her lips. The two unknown men glanced at each other, then at their boss.
"Don't just stand there! Get her, fools!" he roared. The larger of the two immediately shot forward and grabbed her wrists. She flipped her hands over and took a step back, kicking him in the stomach. He doubled over, and she dropped a downward elbow into the space between his shoulders. He dropped. One down, two to go.
Suddenly, the back of her head exploded with pain, and she staggered. Trying not to fall over, she wrenched around to face the small man, who grinned.
"Hello," he said. "How d'ya do?" And he brought up a brick, to hit her again. Struggling to remain conscious, Tamar ducked under it, grabbed his arm, and flipped him over he back. The boss glanced at his fallen men, and ran his tongue over cracked lips.
"You're good," he murmured, "but you won't be for much longer. Suddenly, he lunged and grabbed her in a front choke. She brought her arms up, trying to break the grip, but her strength was failing rapidly. The boss chuckled darkly, and Tamar felt her vision darken. She could barely breathe now; in her delirious state, she thought she saw something creeping toward the boss.
CRACK! The clang of metal against bone rang out through the night, and the grip on her throat slackened. The boss fell to his knees, gripping the back of his head, and passed out at her feet. Tamar glanced up into a pair of sea-blue eyes, which narrowed into a concerned frown. A hand stretched towards her, and somewhere in the distance, someone asked if she was alright, but then she hit the ground, and the world disappeared in a shower of stars.