"I've almost got you! Wait! Oh!" Azelma cried as she tripped on a loose cobblestone in the street. Her face didn't show an expression of horror as it used to; usually they would be afraid of a carriage coming their way. Not in heaven. It was perfect there; they never went hungry, thirsty, or felt cold. Cuts would heal instantly, everybody had a beautiful home, no matter how much space Paris limited. God built more and more. Everybody was healthy and living well.
Eponine and Azelma had been playing tag, a game both had remembered from their better childhood. It was one game that the young Eponine and Azelma would play on a daily basis.
Eponine ran to Azelma to assist her in helping her up. The blonde accepted her hand, and pulled herself into Eponine's arms. "I'm so happy to see you again, I thought I never would." Eponine murmured into her ear. Azelma smiled against her shoulder.
"Always believe in God. If you do, you could actually have a better after life." Azelma replied, pulling away. It was Eponine's turn to smile.
"I think I have believed this whole time without knowing it. Come on, let's visit the barricade." The two girls ran off towards the Café Musain. They stopped, aweing at the high pile in front of them for the second time.
A sudden sound of laughter came from behind the barricade. Eponine jumped. It sounded so familiar. The laughter came again, faintly closer. Azelma squeezed Eponine's arm.
"Is that... Is it really..." Azelma left off. Eponine's face was a mask of worry. The laughter belonged to Gavroche, their little brother. Eponine hoped that he hadn't just died on the streets because of hunger, or had been run over by a carriage. There were so many possibilities that could explain death. Eponine shook her head, clearing her thoughts but still focusing on her little brother. When her vision cleared, Eponine saw Azelma climbing the barricade.
"What are you doing?" Eponine shouted. Azelma looked down at her and grinned. Eponine took hold of a chair leg and hoisted herself up. The blonde waited for her patiently while still talking.
"I'm going to investigate who it was laughing. I sounded like Gavroche, but you can't be certain." Eponine reached Azelma.
"I really hope it isn't him, but at the same time, I really want him here." Eponine remarked. "Would you want your brother dead? But if you're dead, then you'd want him to be with you. Ugh!"
"Let's see who it is, then!"
They climbed the rest of the barricade, looking down at the other side. They were in for a surprise. Eponine gasped. There, waving at her, were Courfeyrac, Jehan, Feuilly, and Lesgles. The last person brought tears to Eponine's eyes. Still holding a bag of bullets stood Gavroche, smiling broadly at her. The little boy came sprinting at her, arms wide open. Eponine climbed down, with the help of Azelma, to greet him.
"Gavroche! You silly boy! I'm so happy to see you! How did you die, though?" Eponine inquired. Gavroche blushed with shame.
"I went to the barricades, Eponine. Right after you died. I assumed they needed a replacement for you. I could hear your voice in my head saying not to do it, not to go do something foolish at the barricade. Still, I wanted to avenge your death. Kill the soldier that killed you. When I heard that they needed more bullets, I volunteered because I thought I was small enough. I collected seven bags of bullets and gunpowder and threw them over the barricade before the soldiers noticed me. I got shot two times, one in the arm, and one in the leg. The third shot killed me. I'm so sorry, Eponine. I disobeyed you and faced death." Gavroche mourned.
"At least I got to see you again. That's all that really matters. All three of us are together once more, and those were the happiest times; the times where we all were able to play and laugh together. Yes, I regret your death, it's sad in the real world, but here in heaven, it's one of the best things for me to see you again." Eponine said happily.
"Me too. I really missed you guys. One year in heaven all alone being with other dead people in Paris that you don't know can be really boring sometimes. I'm really glad you're here." Azelma chimed in.
"Hi, Eponine." Courfeyrac greeted warmly. "I'm so glad we see each other again. I hated to see you die."
"I hated it too." Jehan spoke up. "I wrote a poem about it to remind us all about how sad it was. Here" Eponine accepted the paper. Her mother, Madame Thenardier, had taught her to read at her early ages. She still remembered. The poem went like this:
The girl who laid upon the lap of a boy,
Sang softly to him while falling to sleep.
Her eyelashes and hair dotted with misty rain,
the words were a memory to keep.
The rain continued to fall,
the sky crying like tears from the eye,
we all sang that night,
our melody a soothing lullaby.
We all remember her name,
because she was much braver than she seemed,
the girl who was in love with Marius,
The girl named Eponine.
"Jehan..." Eponine breathed. "That was so beautiful. Thank you so much, I loved it. You have such a talent for poetry!" The poet blushed deeply.
"Thank you Eponine. Under all those rags and coats of dirt, I think you were beautiful girl underneath, inside and out." Jehan complimented softly. It was Eponine's turn to blush. She placed her arms around Gavroche and Azelma.
"I'm perfectly content here with all my friends and family. They're all I need for this heaven, whether it's hell or here." Eponine commented. Azelma snuggled closer, her blonde curls crunched against Eponine's white dress.
"I'm so glad we're all happy." Feuilly put in. "I was so happy in Poland." Everybody laughed.
"Hey, where's Grantaire, Combeferre, Joly, and Enjolras?" Eponine suddenly asked. The stares turned to her.
"Well, if they're not here, they're living right now, aren't they?"