The next morning, Enjolras woke later than normal. He got ready quickly and made it to breakfast before his parents left. His mother was a photographer, and a good one at that. Jackie Enjolras' pictures were seen in most magazines. She had her own studio a few blocks down the road where many celebrities would come to have photo shoots done by her. Régis Enjolras was a set designer for movies. He built the sets for most of the movies still shown. While there were some older films that people could still find and watch, they were cycled through on the televisions. There were only about fifteen available at any one time, and when a new one came out, the council would take a poll and then choose an old one to send to the archives. Special permission had to be granted to access those movies.
Both of the Enjolras parents worked with celebrities almost daily, so the kids were used to not having them around. Celebrities needed their beauty sleep, so their days started a little before lunchtime, and went late into the evening. This meant that the Enjolras family had their family meal of the day for breakfast. This morning was no different. They went around the table asking about what everyone had done the day before, and what they were planning to do that day.
"Yesterday, I had Noemie and Jean Prouvaire in the studio. You know, the pianist and poet sibling duo? They flew all the way here from Sector 3! They are releasing a new album, so we did a shoot for the Zinga. I'll bring home a copy when it's released." The Zinga was the magazine that was released around the country. It was mostly just a tabloid with some information about new things, but lots of gossip. "Today, I think I'm getting Inspector Javert. He saved that young girl from being robbed, you know. A homeless man tried to steal the bread right out of her hands, but Javert was there to save her and her bread. I wonder what he will be like." Jackie finished. "What about you, Gabriel? What did you do yesterday?"
"Oh, I worked on my proposal for a while, and then I went for a run." He said, shortly.
"Is that all?" His mother asked.
"Nope. He also got his letter." Adrienne responded for him.
"Gabriel! Why haven't we talked about this yet?" Jackie scolded.
"Because. I already filled it out. 'Ferre and I are going to go turn them in today." He told her, eating his oats with syrup and strawberries.
"Let me see your answers, at least. This is a wonderful opportunity, and while I have 100% faith in you, but you should really let your father and I look it over." He pulled the form out of his pocket and handed it over to his mother. She and Régis read it over, and then nodded at him.
"You did very well, son. Well worded." Régis said.
"Good picture choice, too." Jackie said. It was one she had taken of him at Adrienne's path choosing ceremony.
"Oh, 'El. You just have to be chosen! At least to go to the castle!" Adrienne exclaimed.
"I told you, 'Enne. Don't get your hopes up. It's not very likely I'll be chosen." She pouted and finished eating her oats with peaches. Everyone else had already talked about their day, and soon everyone was finished eating. Régis and Jackie got up and ready to leave. Adrienne and Adélaïde picked up the dishes and took them to the kitchen, where the maids would clean them and put them away. Enjolras made his way back up to his room to continue working on his proposal.
Enjolras was studying to become a lawmaker. While the King and Queen had total control, they had lawmakers to guide them and to choose the law enforcers, as well as oversee the reconcilers. The only problem was, it was a lifelong position, and there weren't very many. There was only fifty at a time, one from each Sector, and Enjolras had worked his butt off to let the council allow him to choose that as his plan of study. So, Enjolras continued to make proposals that would never get passed, if only because they were made by a student, instead of an actual lawmaker. He was getting close, however. One of the lawmakers, Jean Maximilien Lamarque, was getting very old and was quite close to dying. Once Lamarque was dead, Enjolras would be the best option to move into the position. While it was sad to see the old man dying, for he was very kind and had a good heart, it excited Enjolras. He just hoped this dumb competition wouldn't get in the way.
After a few hours of working on his proposal, Enjolras heard a knock on his bedroom door. He turned in his chair and saw his best friend walking in. "'Ferre. How are you today?" He greeted.
"I'm fine. How was your evening? How's the new proposal coming?" His friend asked, sitting down in a black bean bag that was on the floor.
"Good. I think I have a full draft done. How was your talk with Kamille?" He asked.
"Not so good. She took me asking as me saying I wasn't interested in her anymore. It took me a very long time to get her calmed down enough to explain." He said, putting his head in his hands.
"Oh, and how did you explain, exactly?" Enjolras asked, concerned.
"I explained that I was only doing it so you would. She seemed to understand, eventually. I also told her that if I made it to the castle, I would do everything I could to get kicked out, but she made me promise that I would stay long enough to ensure her a visit with the princess, and then I could get kicked out." Both boys laughed at that.
"So that's it. We're doing this then?" Enjolras asked, hoping his friend would back out.
"Yep. Let's go drop these off." Enjolras nodded, and both rose. They went downstairs to collect their shoes, and Enjolras yelled at his sisters to let them know what he was doing. Then they were off to deliver their forms.
Once at the city building, they went to the office, but there was a line of what seemed like every man within the correct age limit waiting for the office. The pair of friends went to the last person in line. Even though they already knew, they asked anyways. "Is this the line to turn in Election forms?"
"Yeah. I thought I would get it done early and get it turned in before the lines started, but apparently, so did everyone else." The man in front of them said. He was probably at the older end of the spectrum to be considered for the Elect.
They stood in line for a long time, chatting amongst the three of them, and eventually the person who came behind them. When there were only two people in front of Enjolras, 'Ferre spoke up. "I'm not sure I can do this to Kamille. She's having so many doubts right now, and is struggling in her studies. I don't need to add to that stress by seeming unfaithful."
"It'll be fine. You won't be chosen and then everything will be fine. I mean, look at this line. Do the math, mon ami. It's not in your favor to be selected. When things die down a little, you can ask her on a real date. Then in a couple of years, you'll ask her father's permission, which he will grant, and then you can marry her and live happily ever after. A doctor and his nurse." Enjolras tried to be reassuring.
"I don't know-"
"We made a deal, mon ami. Neither of us is going to be chosen, but we can both walk away, if that's what you want." Combeferre shook his head.
"Sir? Can we keep the line moving?" Enjolras heard a voice from behind him. When he turned around, he saw a woman who was looking at him impatiently. The two men in front of him had left.
"Oh, yes. Sorry about that." he said, walking towards the desk.
"Form?" She asked. He handed it to her.
"Family number?" She asked.
"12502." He replied.
"Name?"
"Gabriel Auguste Enjolras."
"Plan of Study?"
"Lawmaker."
"Move along, M. Enjolras." She said. He moved to the side to wait for Combeferre. As his friend went through the same process, he examined the line. It didn't seem to get longer, it just stayed the same length. He supposed, as the day wound down, it would get shorter.
"Okay. It's done. You better be right about me not having a chance, mon ami." Combeferre said, walking over to him.
"I will be. And if not, you won't last long in the castle. You're too much like me. You would be back to Kamille in no time. Ready to head home?" Enjolras asked.
"Yeah, but I'm going to stop at Kamille's. Just to, you know, let her know what I did." Enjolras nodded, and they left the office.
"AGH!"
"That's not a very lady-like sound."
"I don't care. Can't I sleep in after the terrible day I had yesterday?"
"Absolutely not. We have much work to do. Lots of planning. Get up, get dressed, and meet me and your siblings in the library."
"AGH!"
"Hurry up, 'Ponine."
"Go away, Cos."
When Éponine walked into the first floor of the library, she saw Cosette, Azelma, Pierre, and Gavroche all relaxed on bean bags with notebooks in their laps. "Finally! I thought you might never show up!" Gav said, jumping up.
"Gav, sit back down. We have work to do." Azelma chastised. "Does it really take that long for you to get your butt out of bed and ready?" She turned on her sister.
"Yes. Especially when I don't even know why I am up. It's ten in the morning! You couldn't have let me sleep a little longer?" Éponine complained. Azelma and Cosette both gave her an are-you-serious kind of stare before Éponine just plopped down in an open bean bag. "So, are you going to tell me what is going on?"
"We are planning for your upcoming, uh, inconvenience. If we can get His Majesty to call the whole thing off, that would be the best, but we can't come up with anyway to effectively do this. Now we just have to find a way to make it easy enough for you and try to keep it from ending in a marriage." Cosette explained.
"So, what have you got, so far?" Éponine asked.
"We have decided that we're going to push Daddy to let Cosette be the advisor in charge of the Election. She will then get to train all of the boys and spend the most time with them. She can help you effectively weed out the really terrible ones. She can make their lives miserable, and possibly even have say in the final decision, which would make it more like one and a half against one in the end, unless Mom gets involved." Azelma said.
"We also decided that Gavroche is going undercover during the whole op. He can really make the boys' lives hell, and he can go into the men's room and get information we can't. And we all know he's a little slimeball anyways." Cosette added. Éponine looked at her little brother with a smirk. He was grinning widely back at her.
"Well, at least he'll have to take a break from pulling pranks on us for a little while." The brunette girl said, ruffling the boy's hair.
"Do you have anything to contribute, 'Ponine?" Azelma asked.
"Yeah, why is Pierre here?" She asked.
"I'm here to listen. My role is exactly that. I'm supposed to befriend these monsters that are trying to steal the beautiful 'Ponine from me." Pierre said, pouting.
"Aww, as sweet as that is, Pierre, I'm not your type." Éponine said, laughing.
"Alas, you are still beautiful. I'm going to get them to trust me, tell me what's going on. We'll have slumber parties and tell secrets and braid each others' hair! Then I can report back to the rest of you to use against them."
"I'm hurt! Are our slumber parties not enough for you? We tell secrets and braid each others' hair!" Éponine said.
"He means no harm, we just need him to get in well with the boys. I'm willing to give up my best friend to the dark side." Cosette said.
"Okay, anything else, 'Ponine?" Azelma said, attempting to get back on task.
"Nope. It seems like you three pretty much have this handled. I only have to deal with Dad and Montparnasse." Éponine replied.
"Montparnasty? What does he have to do with this?" Gavroche asked, using the nickname he had given the older boy many years earlier.
"He paid me a visit in my rooms last night-"
"Éponine, you didn't-" Cosette started.
"I'll rip him to pieces." Pierre said.
"No, I was too upset and tired. Besides, I'm over that time of my life. He doesn't seem to understand that I can't stand him anymore. But, he did put in an application, straight to Dad. There's no way he won't get picked. Of course, unless the selection of the Elect is not rigged, which we all know it is. So, unless Cos can get in and get his name out, Montparnasse is going to be a bit of a problem." Éponine said.
"Or, he could be very helpful. He could get rid of a lot of the boys just by being present. And then if you let him get in the lead a little bit…" Cosette said, plotting.
"No, absolutely not. I want nothing to do with the man. He drives me to insanity." Éponine said.
"Oh, come on, 'Ponine! If you did it once you can do it again!" Azelma said.
"What are you talking about?" Gavroche asked.
"Yeah, what are you talking about, 'Zel? If I did what?" Éponine asked, somewhat angrily, but also teasingly. Azelma blushed bright red, but put her head down and mumbled something that Éponine didn't catch. "That's what I thought."
"'Ponine, he could be used, though. If he gets chosen, we'll use him. If not, we don't need to worry about it. I'm not going to push the King about Montparnasse. That part can just be waited out." Cosette said.
"He's not even hot enough to make a good King." Pierre added.
Éponine was quiet for a moment. Finally, she rolled her eyes. "Fine. Whatever. But please don't make me be really alone with him. We can make it appear that way, but really, I need someone else there. You know, just in case."
"You've got yourself a deal. This whole thing is going to be an event, isn't it? Constant drama, constant problems." Cosette asked.
"But of course. That's why it exists. It exists to distract the country and make them focus on what the King and Queen want them to pay attention to, instead of whatever they were previously. I don't know what Mom and Dad's play is, but rest assured, I'm going to find out before it's over." Éponine said. With that she got up and walked out of the library. She ran up the stairs to the third floor and into her mom's office. She walked in calmly and waited for the queen to notice her.
"Éponine. What do you want?" She asked, only glancing up from her work.
"Just for acknowledgement from my mother." Éponine said sarcastically.
"Do not waste my time, I'm very busy." The queen responded, not even looking at her this time.
"Oh, I know. You always are, Helena. I just wanted to say I finished my assignment and need a new one. You know, part of your job is to train the next queen of the United Queendom of France." Éponine said, sitting on the arm of a chair, all just to annoy her mother who was all about being lady-like at all times.
"Okay, my darling daughter. How about these? I will find you a new assignment later. In a couple of weeks, you'll be too busy for much work, so I'll have to rework the schedule. Here you are. Write a half page about what you think these are, and then another page about why it is important to have and study. You may go do it elsewhere. Get to work, so I can get back to mine." The queen dropped a file on Eponine's lap before sitting back at her desk and turning her attention back to her work.
Éponine curtsied at the door, and then sprinted up the last flight of stairs and made her way to her spot on the fourth floor balcony of the library. Her feet dangled over the edge, between the rails, and she laid on her stomach so she could write as she read. The charts were very colorful. The first was a pie chart with ten categories. Service, Private, Monarchical, and Research, were some listed. Looking at the next charts, many were similar, but had sector numbers at the tops. Then there were some other graphs with years and words like doctor, designer, and teacher. They were charts showing how many people in which sectors were of which professions, Éponine realized. She also couldn't help but notice the amounts of monarchical jobs continued to diminish, not too noticeably in a year's time, but in ten, twenty, lots of jobs had disappeared from this category. Some entire career paths had been completely wiped out. Teachers were also going down, and almost simultaneously, the numbers of maids, guards, and other positions under the staff category were going up, especially in Sectors 1-5.
On one monarchical chart, there was a handwritten note in a margin.
Cut down. Every other Sector, every five, every ten.
When she got to a career chart for Sector 12, there was another handwritten note at the top of the page.
No more after Lamarque.
So, Helena was attempting to get rid of her so-called advisors. They were really just a safety net, anyways, but this could send the country into an outrage if they really understood. There were already enough riots and unsettlement. Éponine had set out to find the reason for starting the Election, but didn't really expect her mother to just hand it to her. She set to work with her assignment, as well as looking closely at all the changes, hoping to use them to her own devices.
A/N: Here's another chapter! The introduction of more characters, especially Eponine's family and friends are my favorite. This story is going to have very sporadic updates, most likely. I was going to do every other week, but I was just in Italy for the last week without my laptop or wifi, so that didn't happen.
As stated in my last A/N, if you have any ideas for plot that you really want to see in this story, let me know. I'm very much looking for challenges within the Election to help weed out boys and pranks for Gavroche and the team can pull on the boys.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Read, review, favorite, follow, all that stuff, and I'll see you in another week or two with another chapter.