Hello, my beautiful readers! I apologize for the time it took me to update this one. I've been in summer classes, and working every day, not to mention getting ready to go to DISNEY WORLD! Ahh!
Anyway, here's chapter two. Two quick announcements. Look up there at the cover picture. You see that perfect thing? That was drawn for me by the lovely and talented Wingedthing1026 on deviantART. And it's beautiful and perfect and I adore her. Go shower her in love and chocolate and fluffy socks. My second announcement is the Tumblr page I was going to make for this story is still a work in progress in my head. I hope to have it uploaded by the time I post my next chapter in here, but I can make no promises, sadly, with all the hustle and bustle in my life! But I will do my level best.
So now, without any further ado, enjoy chapter two of "The End."
~Rosey
CHAPTER TWO: SMOKY SKIES AND CONFIDENCES
Cosette sat curled up with her knees to her chest on the roof of her dilapidated flat that was once beautiful and shared with her father, but was now broken down and in danger of collapse and lonely with Cosette as the soul resident. Her father, Jean Valjean, Citizen #24601, had vanished four months ago. She liked to pretend he was still alive out there.
Since the flat was so torn apart, it was doubtless highly unsafe for her to sit on the roof, but that was where she sat anyway. There was a place where the two peaks of the roof formed a little hiding spot, where if any Guards passed under the house they would not and could not see her. Of course sometimes they patrolled the sky, but that's what the hood of her massive coat was for. It kept her well hidden.
It was up here on the roof that Cosette could see the stars. Of course there weren't many, not with the smoke and clouds constantly filling the sky, but there were enough to give her the briefest moments of comfort. Especially now that Marius was gone. The stars kind of looked like his freckles did. Like his freckles had.
Tonight, Cosette was not alone on the roof. Courfeyrac sat next to her, in the same position Cosette was sat in. He was leaning his head against the side of one of the peaks, the cold wind ruffling his curls. As much as Cosette loved Marius as a fiancee, Courfeyrac loved him as a friend. Cosette could see in his eyes that he was hurting just as much as she was. And so she had asked him if he wanted to see the stars. You couldn't see them on the ground, and at the thought of seeing stars for the first time in five years, Courfeyrac's eyes had gotten a spark of that light in them that used to never leave. It flickered now.
"I haven't seen stars in so long, Cosette," Courfeyrac's quiet voice woke the young woman from her thoughts, causing her to look over at him. "When I was a kid, Bahorel told me that stars were the souls of people we have lost. I was trying to figure out which one was Marius. But... I'm starting to think he really is just... gone."
Cosette felt her eyes swell with tears, but she swallowed them back. No more crying for her today. She wrapped her coat tighter around herself, tucking a strand of her shoulder-length chestnut hair behind her ear. Her hair used to be long and beautiful and perfectly curled. Indeed, she used to be stunningly gorgeous. She still was lovely, but she had cut off her hair and nobody wore make up any more. There wasn't time to style hair or worry about lipsticks. Cosette used to love fashion and beauty. Now, she loved staying alive. No time for such frivolities. No time for anything but keeping your head above water. So her lovely, curly locks were now short and flat. Her face was pale and her eyes darkly circled. Her bold womanly curves were still there, but she no longer worse skirts and blouses to accentuate them as she had when she was fifteen and realized "what if I was beautiful?" Now it was jeans and a plain blue shirt and that massive coat. Thinking of fashion made her sick now. Who was she to think of beauty when the world was dying?
Courfeyrac had not changed in looks at all, except for growing thinner and his hair getting longer. He still tried to keep his clothes nice. But it wasn't for vanity. It was to hold on to a shred of normalcy. His jeans weren't torn as the other Amis's were, and his green shirt was washed with a little bit of water and lye soap each night. His boots told a story, though. Worn and dirty, they showed that he was just as much of a victim of the Apocalypse as anyone else was.
Now, these two mourners looked back up at the stars and tried to imagine one of them being their Marius. But Cosette was starting to feel as Courfeyrac had said. Marius really was just... Gone. And no amount of childish pretending for him to be up there as a star would bring him back or bring them any comfort. Cosette reached for Courfeyrac's hand, pressing it gently, whispering, "He actually got the long end of the stick, you know. Getting out of here like that, for good. It's really selfish of us to want him back. To want him back in this world."
Courfeyrac turned to look at her and gave the smallest of nods, squeezing her hand back. "I know. But I can't help it. Besides Enjolras and Combeferre, he was my dearest friend. He was one more link to how France used to be, and now he's gone."
Cosette looked down at the tiny golden band around her wedding finger and took a deep breath, nodding weakly. She couldn't take it off. Not yet. "I understand."
The two fell silent again, hand in hand, watching the stars and silently knowing that none of them were whom they were looking for.
In another part of France, Enjolras sat on the tiny metal-frame couch in the flat he and Combeferre shared, scribbling furiously in his notebook. The notebook that, if ever found by a Guard, would kill him. The Revolution was coming, and he was ready and planning for it. He was leading it. He and his friends were saving France.
His hands still shook from the panic attack earlier, and occasionally the smallest of trembles would go through his body when he thought of Marius and the red, all that red...
But it was Marius that kept him writing tonight. It was Marius who kept him grounded tonight. It was all for Marius tonight. Marius Marius Marius.
Marius was dead.
No I will not panic again, Enjolras cursed himself in his mind, tossing his notebook aside and gripping his head in his hands. I will not. I will not panic again.
And then Combeferre was there because Combeferre always knows, and he was holding Enjolras's hands and resting their foreheads together again. "Julien, it's okay. You're safe. Marius is in a better place. You couldn't have done anything. I love you. You're okay. Marius is in a safe place."
Enjolras focused very hard on breathing. He seemed to have to do that a lot recently. In and out. It was simple, and something he had been doing perfectly fine for twenty-two years now. It had just gotten much harder in the last five years.
Combeferre threaded his fingers through Enjolras's thick, golden hair, continuing to murmur reassurances. But he knew the words were empty. It wouldn't be safe until France was free. It wouldn't be okay until France was free. Marius wouldn't have died in vain when France was free.
Finally, Enjolras managed to get the panic under control and he pulled away, roughly running a hand through his hair. "Forgive me, Combeferre. I'm sorry. I'll be alright."
"Don't apologize, mon petit," Combeferre frowned deeply, kissing his friend on the forehead. "You can't help it. Anyone would react the same way you are if they were in your situation. Don't be sorry. It's all going to be alright." He reached for the notebook that was discarded earlier and flipped it open, looking through the new notes. "These are good, Julien. Very good. You will need to be careful taking this notebook with you tomorrow. This is condemning stuff."
"It's all condemning stuff," Enjolras looked up with fire in his eyes. "As it should be. We will not let this go unanswered. This dictatorship will fall and the people will rise and when they do, the world will know France has fallen. We will get help. The world will help us rebuild a beautiful and new France and the people will be the rulers, not a king or a dictator, but a people-elected representative and we will see that, Combeferre. I assure you. We will see that."
Combeferre nodded, eyes equally ablaze. "I know, Julien. And I cannot wait for that day."
And there's the end of chapter two! I just watched the new trailer for "Mockingjay," and it got me in such a Dystopian mood that this whole chapter flowed quite easily for me. I hope you all enjoyed it.
PLEASE review. Having your opinions is always helpful, but it's more helpful than ever with this story because I'm not 100% sure where it's going. So any feedback would absolutely make my day. Thank you all!
Stay revolutionary!
~Rosey
