Sofie
I walked along the bridge over the Seine River after running away from my abusive father. I hated being at home, but could not leave, being a eighteen year old woman in an abusive household. I heard a soft crying from the parapet above me, and decided to see what was going on. I climbed to the top of the parapet and saw a man take off his hat. A tear fell down his cheek, and he jumped. I ran to the side of the parapet just in time to grab his wrist. Holding his wrist with both hands and leaning over the edge of the parapet, I held on to him for dear life.
"Let me go!" He shouted.
"Monsieur, I can't let you do this." I yelled back.
"Please." He whispered, letting another tear slip down his cheek.
"Sir, come back up here. Please. For me." I looked into his eyes, and a tear fell from both of our eyes. His dark gray eyes were full of depression, confusion, and hopelessness.
"Mademoiselle, just let me fall. I have nothing to live for."
"Then let me come with you. I will die holding your hand. You will not be lonely in your last few minutes."
"No. I must go alone." He said, barely audible.
"No. If you jump, I will jump after you."
"Why would you jump? You are young. You have your whole life ahead of you."
"Sir, my hand is slipping. Come up here and I will tell you." His wrist was slipping out of my hands. He pulled up his other hand hesitantly and used my arm and the rails of the parapet to hoist himself up beside me. He helped me sit up, since I was lying across the ground with my dress in a rumpled heap around me. I hated to be a mess, but I had to save him.
"So, why are you here? You could not be taking a leisurely walk. It is one o'clock in the morning and cold and raining." He asked me.
"I am running away. My father is abusive. He beats me, tells me I'm worth nothing, and makes me do slave labor for him, and I couldn't live with it anymore. I was running along the bridge when I heard you crying. I came up here to see what was going on, and I caught you just in time to save you."
"Mademoiselle, what is your name?"
"Sofie Fontaine. And you are?"
"Inspector Javert."
"Do you have a first name?"
"Mattieu. I'm Mattieu Javert. But I prefer to be called Javert. I was named after my father, a galley slave that went by only the name Mattieu. I do not want to be associated with him. And I like the name Javert."
"Alright. I've heard of you. You're a strict martinet."
"Most certainly."
"And all of France respects you."
"What? No. I have not been able to capture Jean Valjean, the mast dangerous criminal in all of France. I am a failure. I have not been able to do my duty. I have broken the law. I let him walk away. I let him save my life. I should have died." He hung his head and sobbed quietly.
"Come on, Inspector Javert. This is not the strong Inspector Paris loves. Pull yourself together. France needs you. Without you, there will be criminals running rampant through the streets. Nobody will be safe anymore. There will be no justice." I put my arm around him, and he shrank away.
"Nobody loves me. Everybody fears me. I have been nothing but cold to everybody."
"Let's go back to your house. We can talk about this there. You need to warm up." I gently placed his hat back on his head and smiled at him. He stood up, extended his arm, and helped me up. We started walking to his house in silence. We were almost there when a man jumped out of the shadows and grabbed me.
