Leaning on the outside wall of the apartment, I tried to decide where to take refuge. My first thought was an abandoned alleyway, but I couldn't risk getting attacked. Marius's apartment was out of the question; it was much too late in the night to bother him. Eventually, I decided to go to Gavroche's elephant statue. Gritting my teeth, I set out.
Every step I took sucked out some sort strength and energy I had. With gasping, hoarse, short breaths, I kept limping on. Every corner I passed scared me, and every shadow was Montparnasse's or Father's. Just thinking about them made me scared all over again and caused me to walk as fast as I could. Within five minutes, I was at the elephant statue.
From the outside, the elephant statue looked completely solid, but I knew better. Truly, the statue was hollowed out with my brother living inside it. The statue stood two stories high and was a dusty grey with brown here and there. If I looked close enough, I could see the ropes and ladders Gavroche set up. I had half a mind to try to climb it, but I knew better than to over extend myself. Instead, I hit the elephant as hard as I could and yelled as loud as possible, which wasn't very loud. "Gavroche! Gavroche! It's me, your sister, Eponine!"
Pressing my ear to the cold marble of the elephant, I heard rustling. I looked up to see Gavroche's blond head poking out with a surprised face.
"Oi! 'Ponine! What are you doin' here?" he shouted.
"I just need to stay here for a while. I'll tell you why if you let me in!" I replied.
"'Course, 'Ponine!" Gavroche smiled. He climbed down the elephant to get to me. "Gosh! What happened?"
"I said I'll tell you, but not here. Got it?" I asked.
Gavroche nodded.
"Good boy," I said. "How am I gonna get in? I can't climb."
"Just follow me, 'Ponine."
Gavroche took my hand and led me to the side of the elephant. Letting go of my hand, Gavroche went up to the elephant and pushed on it. Pushing a few more times, there was an opening appearing in the elephant's side. Gavroche turned to me. "You coming?" he asked.
Gavroche smiled at me, got on his knees, then began crawling into the statue. Carefully, I got down on my knees and began crawling. Crawling was a tedious task. I was still burning with pain, so I had to crawl very slowly. Finally, I was able to stand. I was standing in the inside of the elephant statue. Pushing myself up, I looked around. Gavroche had stocked up the place. There were ropes and ladders, but also some small trinkets from the streets. I saw two tri-colour rosettes on the ground along with a few bandages and small toys here and there. I held onto the wall as I made my way to Gavroche. He was just staring at me.
"Who did it this time, Father or Montparnasse?" Gavroche asked.
That was Gavroche, always getting straight to the point.
"Father slapped me, but Montparnasse beat me. Same as usual," I replied.
Gavroche walked close to me and studied my face and arms. "No, this is not the usual. You're way more bruised and bloody." His face suddenly went white. "He used the cane, didn't he?"
"Y-yes. But don't worry too much, Gavroche. They're just some cuts and bruises."
"No, they're not, 'Ponine. You're gonna be in trouble if you don't get treated soon. Tomorrow, we're going to see the students."
"Gavroche, no. I just need-"
"Eponine, we're going to see my friends. Please, for me?"
Gavroche looked at me with big eyes. I sighed.
"Fine."
"Thank you, 'Ponine! You can sleep on my bed." He pointed to a pile of rags and blankets I didn't notice before.
"No arguing, please, 'Ponine," he begged.
"Okay, Gavroche," I said as I gave in.
Gavroche helped me walk to the pile of rags and got me settles in. He kissed me on the cheek then laid a few feet away from me. "Night, 'Ponine," he called.
"G'night, Gavroche," I replied.
With that, I drifted off into the comforting darkness of sleep.
When I woke up, Gavroche was already up, pushing on the wall to open it up again. I sat up groggily and groaned. My stomach burned and my limbs screamed with pain when I moved.
"Ready, 'Ponine?" Gavroche asked as he looked over to me.
"Give me a second," I called back.
Mustering all my strength, I stood up, though dots danced in front of my face. I shut my eyes close and took a deep breath. Using the wall for support, I walked to the small opening.
"Let's go," Gavroche grinned.
Again, I was walking through the streets of Paris. This time though, in daylight with my brother. Gavroche held my hand and weaved us through the crowd. We kept a steady pace when we arrived at the café. The café was tall with shiny red letters that read CAFÉ MUSAIN. It was brown with a few people exiting. I stepped aside for them to pass. Gavroche tugged my hand and led me inside.
Inside the café, there wasn't a lot of people, but Gavroche led me further inside. In the main room, there was a group of young men. Only then did I realize that this was the group of students that Gavroche often talked about. This was the group that led the speech at General Lamarque's house the day before.
Gavroche let go of my hand and ran up to the leader, Enjolras. Leaning on the wall for support, I saw Gavroche talking animatedly to Enjolras. Gavroche pointed my way and Enjolras looked up. Enjolras stared right at me, and I hardened my gaze. His blue eyes seemed to analyze me. Gavroche then began to walk my way with Enjolras trailing close behind. When they came up to me, I tried to straighten myself as much as I could. I didn't want to look like I was in pain. Pain gives you pity, pity shows weakness.
"So you're Gavroche's sister. He never spoke of one until now," Enjolras observed. His curly blond hair got in his eyes and he brushed it away.
"Gavroche and I prefer to keep some things just between us," I retorted. I couldn't help keep the defensiveness out of my voice. Enjolras appeared to have noticed it too.
"I mean no offence, mademoiselle…"
"Eponine. There's no need to call me mademoiselle. I am no lady."
"As you wish, Eponine. My name is Enjolras, though it's possible you've heard of me before. Gavroche says you're injured. May I?"
I looked at Gavroche and he nodded at me.
"Fine," I grumbled. "Though I'd rather this be done in a close room."
"Of course, Eponine."
Enjolras led Gavroche and me through the throng of people and into a back room.
"Let's see them, then," Enjolras said.
I extended my arms and moved my face to the left and right to show him the open cuts and bruises. Only once did I look to Enjolras to see his reaction. His eyebrows were scrunched up in concentration as he examined me. He reached out to a deep cut on my arm. I recoiled at his touch and stepped back a few paces.
"Forgive me, Eponine, but I need to have a closer look at this wound."
Enjolras came up to me again and I offered my arm. He took it gingerly and ran his fingers over the cut slightly. It stung, but I showed no sign of pain. Quickly, he turned to Gavroche who was standing silently by the door.
"Gavroche," Enjolras began, "please fetch Joly and ask him to come to the back room. Quickly."
Gavroche nodded then ran out the door.
Enjolras turned to me. "I've seen your face before. You are friends with Marius, are you not?" he asked.
I looked blankly at him. "Yes, I am friends with Marius. Just friends," I confirmed. "That's all we'll ever be," I added quietly so only I could hear.
Again, Enjolras stared at me with those impassive blue eyes. He released my arm and a comfortable silence fell between us. A few minutes later, I hear two sets of footsteps come close to the door along with chattering voices. The door opened and into the room entered Gavroche with a man who looked slightly older than me. He had brown hair and brown eyes with a professional like vibe around him.
"Hello, Eponine. I'm Joly and I'm just going to examine the wounds," Joly said.
He came closer and asked me to sit in a chair I did not see before. I went to the chair and sat. Joly crouched down to my shortened height. I silently thanked him for telling me to sit. It felt so relieving.
Joly brought up his hand and held my chin gently. He moved my head this way and that, observing every cut and bruise. Joly let go of my chin and took hold of my right arm. With his other hand, he brushed his hand down my arm. Mumbling to himself, he dropped my arm and reached for my left arm, repeating the action he did with the former. Releasing my left arm he looked at me with concern in his eyes.
"Okay, Eponine, besides your arms and face, is there any other place you were injured?" Joly questioned.
Again, I looked to Gavroche and he mouthed yes to me.
"Yeah, my stomach and around my ribs," I offered.
Joly indicated he understood. "Do you have any extra clothing?"
I nodded then turned to my brother. "Can you sneak into the apartment and get my clothes?"
"'Course 'Ponine!" Gavroche grinned.
I knew he loved to sneak into the apartment. Something about giving him a rush and a chance to break something to get back at our parents. With one last grin, he ran out the door.
Groaning, I relaxed into the chair. I saw Joly stand up and talk to Enjolras, who was standing by the wall. They were talking in hushed voices, so I couldn't hear what they were saying. Both looked concerned again; they seemed to be in a serious discussion. Even though I strained my ears, I couldn't hear anything. I sat there, observing the room. There was one window, three chairs, and a table with an unlit candle on it.
I saw movement from the corner of my eye. I pivoted on the chair and saw Enjolras coming towards me. He locked eyes with me.
"Eponine, Joly and I would like to know what happened," he said.
I looked Enjolras straight in the eye with a glare. "That's for me to know, not you," I replied smoothly.
"Eponine, you need to tell us. We need to know who did this to you."
I was shocked. How did they know someone did this. Still, I kept my surprise hidden. "No one did this to me. I was simply caught in a ruckus."
"Eponine, please," Joly cut in. "I'm training to be a doctor. I know for a fact those wounds were inflicted by a person. Your body shows the signs of being beaten."
I focused on the both of them with a steady gaze. "Even if I did tell you, you couldn't help me. I can take care of myself. The only reason I'm letting you help me is because Gavroche begged me," I replied stubbornly.
Joly and Enjolras exchanged a silent agreement. I knew I had won this argument. They knew better than to argue with an injured girl, especially if that girl happened to be Gavroche's sister, me. I glanced at the two pointedly before staring blankly into space.
Ten minutes later, the door slammed open. Gavroche came in huffing and puffing with flushed cheeks. In his hands, he clutched a bundle of clothes.
"Got your clothes!" Gavroche beamed. He crossed over to an empty chair and dumped the clothes on the floor.
"Eponine, if you would please switch out clothes, we'll take a quick look at your stomach and rib area," Joly said.
Soon, Enjolras, Joly, and Gavroche were out of the room. I slowly got out of the chair and went to the pile of clothes on the ground. In the pile was my white shirt, brown, tattered skirt, and brown belt and hat. Slipping off my dark brown dress, I could really see how battered I was.
My stomach was black and blue with some stains of red. Scars riddled my body, memories imprinted on me of previous beatings. I looked at my arms. They too bored bruises, scars, cuts, and smudges of blood. I could only imagine what my face was like.
Moving gradually, I put on the shirt and slipped on the skirt. It felt nice to be in somewhat clean clothes. Once I was comfortable in the new clothing, I saw something peering out from under the hat. Lifting up the hat, I was surprised. Gavroche found my pair of boots! Smirking to myself, I put on the boots. Smoothing down my skirt, I couldn't help but feel at least a little bit cleaner than before. A few moments passed until a knock sounded on the door.
"'Ponine!" Gavroche's voice called. "You decent?"
"Yeah!" I shouted hoarsely.
The door opened and Gavroche, Joly, and Enjolras came in.
"We're going to have to switch rooms. So if you'll just follow us," Joly spoke.
Just as swiftly as they came in, they were out. I began to walk when a sudden jolt shot through my side. I cried out in pain, collapsed on the ground, and held my side. Enjolras turned around and was quickly by my side.
"Would you care for me to assist you?" he asked.
"No, I'm fine," I managed through gritted teeth.
Despite my protests, Enjolras slipped his arm around my waist to give me support. Though my pride told me not to, I put my arm around Enjolras, accepted his help, and used him for support. With his aid, we were able to get back to the main room. When we got there, Gavroche and Joly were talking to five other students. I recognized one as Courfeyrac. One had black curly hair, one had blond hair, and three had brown hair. Enjolras and I crossed the room and went up to them. As we neared, Joly spun around and faced us.
"I was wondering what was taking you two so long. Did anything happen?" he asked.
I was about to respond when one of the students with brown hair focused on Enjolras and me. He had a smile on his face and scanned me up and down. Right away, I felt defensive, but I couldn't do anything because Enjolras was still supporting me.
"Do my eyes deceive me?" the man queried, "or is Enjolras truly having physical contact with this lovely mademoiselle?"
My eyes widened in bewilderment. I looked at Enjolras; his eyes were fixed on the man with annoyance.
"This young lady has simply been hurt and I'm simply assisting her in walking," Enjolras replied smoothly.
"Of course, Enjolras," began one of the blond students. He secured his blue eyes with mine. "We wouldn't expect anything else from you."
"Oi! 'Ponine!" Gavroche suddenly called out. "I forgot to introduce you to everyone!" He pointed to the man who teased Enjolras. "This is Grantaire."
Grantaire rose his hand in greeting and gave me another smile. Gavroche then pointed to the student who calmed Enjolras.
"This is Combeferre," Gavroche introduced.
"Hello, Gavroche just informed me about you," Combeferre stated. "Though I must say you do look familiar. Do you know Marius Pontmercy?"
"It actually happens that I do," I assured him.
"Well it's nice to finally meet you, Eponine," Combeferre closed.
Gavroche waved at me to get back my attention. "'Ponine!" he called.
"Yes?" I asked.
Gavroche pointed at the other brown-haired student. His eyes were a dark green.
"This student is Jehan. He likes poetry and stuff," Gavroche commented.
"Nice to meet you, mademoiselle," Jehan bowed slightly.
I giggled softly and spoke, "There's no need to call me mademoiselle, please, just Eponine."
"As you call for, Eponine," Jehan finished.
Gavroche tugged my hand and pointed at the other brown haired student. He too had brown eyes.
"This student is Feuilly. He makes fans and is from Poland," Gavroche described.
"Pleasure to meet you, monsieur Feuilly," I greeted.
"The pleasure is all mine, Eponine," Feuilly said. "Though if you wish not to be called mademoiselle, then you don't have to address us as monsieur."
"Last, but not least," Gavroche shouted, "is Courfeyrac."
I turned to Courfeyrac. His hair was black and curly and he also had brown eyes. He looked at me with interest, but was smart enough not to scan me up and down, unlike Grantaire.
"It's great to finally meet you, Courfeyrac. I hope you treat my brother well," I said.
"Likewise to you, Eponine. And I do treat your brother well," replied Courfeyrac.
I was about to continue talking when Enjolras interrupted me.
"Sorry to break up this meeting, but Joly needs to check your wounds and treat them," he reminded me.
"Oh, yes, of course, Enjolras," I apologized.
With Enjolras's help, I followed Joly into another room. This time Gavroche decided to stay back. In this room, there was a window, table, four chairs, and a bed. Entering the room, I released my grip from Enjolras, limped to the bed, and collapse.
"Okay, Eponine, if you could lie down, that would be good," Joly instructed.
Following Joly's instructions, I laid down on the bed. It was so comfortable. At the time, it had been so many years since I last slept in a real bed. Pulling up chairs, Enjolras and Joly sat by the bed.
"Eponine, now if you could show us the wounds on your stomach, we can examine them," Joly said.
Taking in what Joly said, I blushed a little bit. Gathering my courage, I pulled up my shirt only so they could see my stomach, nothing more. Joly peered at my stomach, observing each wound. His hand hovered over me, but never touched me. Joly moved his hand so it was at my side.
"Enjolras told me you were gripping you side when you fell. Was it this one?" he questioned.
I raised my head to see which side he was pointing at. I nodded my head. Joly push his hand against my side and I grimaced. Joly moved his hand slightly to the left and applied pressure again. That time I didn't flinch.
"Does that hurt?"" he asked.
"Not like before. It feels more like a bruise," I informed Joly.
Joly acknowledged it and moved on. "All you need now is to be bandaged up and bed rest," Joly told me. "I'll go get the bandages. Enjolras, you stay here and watch her." With that, Joly left the room.
Pulling my shirt back down, I turned my attention to Enjolras. "Why are you students helping me?"
Enjolras regarded me. He had a fiery yet sympathetic expression on his face. "Not only are you Gavroche's sister," he began, "but we, the student revolutionaries, strive for a better country. A country where everyone gets what the need. You were in need of medical attention, so we supplied it."
I gaped at Enjolras in awe. So this was what the students were fighting for. They were fighting for the poor. Enjolras didn't need to say they were fighting for the poor, I just figured it out through his answer. Once more, silence fell between us. A minute later, Joly came in with a cluster of bandages in his arms. Sitting back down and setting the pile down, he fixed his attention back to me.
"Eponine, you're going to have to sit up and raise your shirt again, sorry. Your stomach and the wounds on it needs to be wrapped. Some of your ribs are sprained," Joly explained.
Sighing, I sat up and raised my shirt the same height as before. Carefully, Joly began wrapping my stomach and lower rib cage with the bandages. When he was done, he worked on cleaning the other wounds and stitched up the deep cut on my arm. The stitching hurt, but Joly assured me I would be fine.
"I really must be going now," I said when Joly finished. "Thank you both so much for your help, but I really must begin to head out to my home."
Enjolras and Joly looked stunned.
"Eponine, you must rest and stay still. I'm sure your mother and father will understand," Joly reasoned.
"No, I must be on my way," I pushed.
As I attempted to leave, Enjolras and Joly each put a gentle yet stiff hand on my shoulders.
"Eponine, you will be staying here in this room and my friends and I will pay for you. I already talked to Gavroche and the owner. Gavroche agreed with me and the owner of the café is allowing you to remain here until further notice. Do you understand?" Enjolras asked.
I glared at both of them. "I am no charity case," I replied hotly.
"We're not treating you as a charity case, Eponine. We're treating you as a friend. Please just stay here," requested Joly.
"Fine," I grumbled. I glared at them more while a few choice swear words ran through my mind. Knowing that this wasn't the time to speak those words, I simply nodded my head stiffly.
"Good. I'll get your clothes from the other room and bring them in here. It's almost time for the meeting, if you would like to come into the main room and listen," Enjolras stated. Standing up, he strode out of the room.
As I began to get off the bed, I staggered a bit. This time, Joly put his arm around my waist and helped me walk. With his help, we met up with Enjolras in the main room. Enjolras handed me my clothes and told me the meeting was going to begin in under and hour and will be a few hours long. Nodding my head in showing I understood him, I took a seat at a table and waited for the meeting to begin.
Woosh! I feel like this one is probably one of the longer chapters, though i could be wrong. *sigh* it's nice to be re-visiting my writing. Hope you all liked this chapter. I know for a fact this is where the story starts to pick up. On a down side, im still struggling to write the sequel. So...that one might be a while...sadly. Also, my time for writing has been low, but my minds been wreeling. Hope for the best!