Hello again! Here's the next chapter to my story. Thank you for my two reviews that I received from my first chapter. It honestly helps me write better knowing people are reading! Anyway, I hope you enjoy enough to review!
Disclaimer: I do not own Les Miserables
Eponine had spent the entire night out keeping watch while her father took two of his men out "on a stroll" with crowbars. The rest of the gang members entertained prostitutes until the dawn broke on the city streets. Eponine preferred to be left out of any action that took place with the gang. It was a struggle to stay awake the entire night, but she rather be left on the lookout for police than being entertained by the gang members herself. Typically she could catch a few minutes of sleep here or there while doing this but this night was different. Her mind was spent on something else and she couldn't get rid of the thought.
Marius.
She had been friends with him for a few years now but ultimately he was her secret love. The thought was enough to keep a smile on her face the entire night. She knew Marius was intoxicated when he came around to see her last night. He was rarely out on the streets that late but when he kissed her hand, and pulled her close enough for her to feel his warm touch she could barely hold herself together. Eponine had always thought of Marius as the light in her life. His kind demeanor, his warm body that she rarely got close enough to him to feel, his smile she loved so much and she hated it. She couldn't stand herself for falling in love with someone so above her own status. He made her feel weak and silly but never unprotected. Eponine could take care of herself on the streets better than anyone else she knew, but when Marius was involved, her strength was replaced by her love for him. It was a love that never seemed to be returned back and Eponine knew that it was impossible for him to feel the same towards her.
Eponine's thoughts were interrupted by two male voices coming closer and closer to where she was sitting on the ground. She recognized the voices to be of two policemen patrolling their assigned streets after dark. Her first thought was to move into the shadows and ignore them as she wasn't doing anything illegal. After a moment however, she thought to the gang members who were having relations with prostitutes just down the alleyway next to her and how she was to warn them when trouble was coming. Quickly she stood and peered around the alleyway to warn the men.
"Run for it! Quick! It's the…" Her voice carried down the alley when she gasped. A large hand was on her shoulder swinging her around to face the two police. "Well, well, well look who we have here! A Thernardier! No doubt letting some others know of our presence?" He started to peer around the alley just as Eponine had been doing when she interrupted his gaze.
"Hello Monsieurs. Good evenin' to ya. Haven't seen you about in a while? Catch anyone up to no good lately?" She tried to stall them as best as she could with hope the others could still get away.
The policeman was having none of it and pushed her into the locked arms of his partner while he went to inspect the alley. Eponine gulped down slightly while trying to loosen the arms of the policeman that held her still. She was not afraid of the police at all. She had seen and dealt with plenty before to know how to act and get away from them. She was not so strong against her father's crew who would be pissed that she took so long to warn them. That is, if they weren't caught here already.
The policeman came back empty handed nodding his head at his partner to let Eponine go. She rubbed her arms slightly where she had been held but kept her cool as the man spoke to her.
"Listen here missy. I know who you are and I know what you do. You best be keeping an eye out for me and my partner here because we already have our eye on you, your father and his gang. Pass along the message, would you?" With that they turned back onto the street and continued on their way leaving Eponine alone by the doorway to her building.
Less than two minutes later, Montparnesse, the one Eponine feared the most out of her father's group came around the corner and did not hesitate to throw her up against the brick building.
"What the hell Eponine?! Can't you do a single thing right?!" Eponine's stance was strong but her eyes held a different story. Montparnesse had his hands clenched around her upper arms holding her in place. When he didn't receive an answer from her, he reached his hand far back and slapped Eponine against her cheek. She didn't let him see the pain he brought her but instead kept a straight face. Frustrated by her lack of a response, he slammed her harder against the wall. Eponine could see her vision blurring and a terrible headache coming on from the unforgiving brick wall.
"Answer me, you hussy!" Parnesse growled. A few more gang members found their way to the situation hoping to have their turn with the girl.
"They came running quickly. I had no time to stop them. You could hear me trying to warn you couldn't you?" Babet, one of her father's closest companions came up and kicked her.
"I was watching them come up you little bitch! They were walking slower than possible, looking down every alley they could! You just couldn't do your job again! Well Thernardier will hear about this. Do you know what happens to women who get thrown out because they can't do their jobs correctly? They get sent to the docks." Eponine spat on his feet and was squirming harder now to be released. She knew he was right. She had many friends and acquaintances sent to the docks once they turned thirteen never to be seen on the streets again. She was eighteen and by a look at the life she had been given, very lucky that she had stayed away from there until now.
"She must have been daydreaming about that boy again, the one who came by tonight. Such a prick ain't he? Don't worry 'Ponine, he doesn't care what happens to you. No one cares about you at all." Eponine struggled against Parnesse's hold looking to fight Babet which only made him laugh. How dare he bring Marius into this? He had nothing to do with the situation and it killed her that just mentioning him could throw her off so much.
"Trust me, we could kill you tonight and no one would come looking for you in a year or two. Maybe." His teasing upset Eponine and pissed her off as well.
Thernardier came into Eponine's view and Babet filled him in on the situation. Eponine knew at the best her father wouldn't care much about what she had done to the gang. At worst, she would be beaten until her cries woke up the neighbors. It was almost too good to be true when Thernardier didn't want to participate in hurting his daughter any longer. Eponine thought she was home free when he instructed Parnesse to take her up to the flat Eponine shared with her father, mother and sister. Parnesse agreed most likely thinking terrible thoughts of what could happen in that flat. He took Eponine's wrist and half dragged her into the building. Both were silent as they climbed the stairs and found their way into the flat. Finally Parnesse spoke.
"You know Eponine, we're just trying to ready you for the real world out there. Here's something to look forward to. When your father sells you to the docks, your first night will be spent with me, guaranteed." His toothy grin sent Eponine over the edge and she slapped him across the face leaving Parnesse slightly shocked and angry beyond compare.
Eponine felt herself shut down as Parnesse held her on the floor while repeatedly punching her in the stomach. She refused to let him see her weak because of him and she would stay strong as long as she could. Typically he would get bored after a while and move onto someone or something else. Tonight looked a little different than most.
She lasted until she felt her ribs break, cracking with each blow he took to her. It caused her to cry out in pain bringing a smile to Parnesse's face.
"One more for good luck?" He wickedly asked her, not expecting a real response as she was sobbing now instead. His final blow was to her head knocking her unconscious. Thernardier peeked through the door to his own living room to see Parnesse's final punch.
"Parnesse, that will be enough for tonight. I need her tomorrow for that break in we're working on. Leave her there." Parnesse followed right after him and left the house while Thernardier went up to his bedroom. Eponine lay unconscious on the floor.
No one seemed to notice Azelma, Eponine's sister watching the entire thing from the shadows of the kitchen. Younger than Eponine by six years, Azelma barely had the strength or her sister's boldness to intervene in a situation like that. Direct orders from Eponine were to leave her be and to only help her if it was an emergency or when everyone left the scene.
Azelma waited a good five minutes before entering the room and coming to her sister's aid.
"Eponine?" She shook her sister's shoulder. "Eponine, are you okay?" Eponine didn't move, but Azelma could see that she was breathing, albeit forced. At 12, the child could barely lift her sister despite the severity of Eponine's malnourishment. She ran to the bedroom they both shared and brought down all of the blankets and a pillow that were in the room. She went into the kitchen to grab a towel and dipped it into the water basin so that she could cool Eponine down with a compress. After make shifting a bed for Eponine and placing the towel on top of her forehead, Azelma looked at the watch left on the coffee table to see that it was 7 o'clock in the morning. While Azelma couldn't do much more to help Eponine physically, she could do her chores for her so that she wouldn't be starved today. Azelma made one last check upon her sister before grabbing the bucket and brush by the doorway. She would do the best she could do to save her sister.