Eponine woke to the sound of her mother screaming, banging on the door.
"GET UP! THERE'S WORK TO DO!" she shouted. Eponine groaned back and stood up. She dressed quietly and went downstairs hoping to find something to eat but of course all the residents and her parents had already scrounged every last crumb leaving her nothing. Her mother put a bucket of soapy water and a cloth in her hands. Windows.
The windows were washed once every 3 months after dirt, soot, dust, smoke and every other foul thing imaginable had settled there quite comfortably. Eponine had to wash them, front and back. She started from the front, and worked her way around.
"Oi, girl, you can wash my windows any time you like." A man seethed pinching her arm.
"Thank you Monsieur." Eponine mumbled. She knew better than to argue with the customers. It was tiresome, heavy work but she was finished. Her hands raw and cracked but she was done and she escaped her home before her mother could give her anything else to do.
She walked far from the streets Montfermeil and into those grand streets.
"Eponine!" Marius called her over. Her heart swelled as he embraced her. "Eponine, I must ask you something, something of the upmost importance."
"Anything Marius."
"You know these streets better than someone who had lived here for 80 years. I need you to find that home, the home of that girl we saw yesterday, the blonde one."
Eponine's blood turned to ice. Cosette. What did Marius want with Cosette?
"Why are you looking for her?"
"I can't tell you Eponine but it's the most wonderful news! I feel I shall burst, but you must, you must find where she lives Eponine! Will you do that for me?"
Eponine avoided looking into Marius's eyes.
"Yes." She whispered. Marius embraced her again.
"I must tell Enjolras of the wonderful news." Marius said and he ran off, leaving Eponine alone in the streets.
Cosette? He can't. She always knew that Marius could fall in love very quickly but with Cosette? With her? How happy he was! Eponine wiped her eyes. She didn't want to cry. If Marius loved Cosette, well, what could she do? She loved him enough to know that she wanted him to be happy, even if it wasn't with her. He was never hers to lose anyway.
She walked to the cafe Musain, Marius and the rest of the students' haunt.
Marius and Enjolras looked at her.
"I know where she lives." She whispered. They cheered and embraced.
"Good luck my brother!" Enjolras said, punching him in the shoulder. Marius strode toward her, feeling confident, at ease, proud even.
"What a wonderful feeling love is?" he mumbled, "It gives everyone such a good temperament. The whole club is joyous for Enjolras."
But Eponine wasn't listening. She hung her head, looking at her boots treading the floor.
"I suppose you're not very accustomed to love, do your parents show theirs ever?" Marius asked. Eponine took a deep breath.
"Mother pretends she doesn't love father, that was doesn't belong with him, but I see the look in her eyes when he's sad and when he's happy. I suppose that's the only love I've ever known."
"I never really thrived off my parents love either, far too structured, strict even. But this, this is different, everyone can feed off this love, even you and I, it'll help the revolution, give it morale, you know?" Marius chatted absentmindedly for the entire of the walk to 55 Rue Plummet. Eponine mumbling replies, trying to remain as upbeat as she usually was when she was with her Marius. Except he wouldn't be her Marius much longer now would he? It was getting dark when they finally reached the home.
"Wait here for me, I shan't be long." Marius kissed her hand and went inside the house. Eponine sank against the column she hid behind the day before and cried for all she was worth. She could only imagine what was going on inside that house. They were probably declaring their love for one another right now, kissing, laughing, smiling that they had finally found each other. That they were at last one and knew they would never be alone again. But she, Eponine, had been alone her entire life. Alone again, no home, no friend, no one to turn to, Marius was her everything, and now he's taken.
Mumbling and grunting men woke her from her thoughts. She hid behind the pillar again, hoping to disguise herself from whoever these people are.
"This is his lair, I've seen the old fox around." Babet said. Eponine gasped. It was her father and his gang.
"I smell profit here." Her father sneered, "Ten years ago he came and paid for Cosette. I let her go for nothing, it's time we settled the debt! This will cost him dear!
"What have we here?" Montparnasse said and she felt her arm being jerked towards him and sshe was forced to follow. She was determined to hide her face.
"Who is this hussy?" her father spat but his words no longer stung like they used to.
"It's your brat Eponine, don't you know your own kid, why is she hanging about here?" Brujon seethed.
"Eponine! Get on home! You're not needed in this! We're enough here without you!" her father said grabbing her arm. Even if it meant protecting their relationship, she wasn't going to let her father and his gang do anything to Marius.
"I know this house! There's nothing here for you! Just the old man and the girl! They live ordinary lives." Eponine stuttered. Her father loomed over her, his foul breath beating against her lips.
"You've got some gall?" he whispered, "You've got a lot to say, go home 'Ponine, you're in the way."
The gang started their preparations for the robbery, Eponine started to panic.
"I'm going to scream! I'm going to warn them!"
"One little scream and you'll regret it for a year!" her father growled. Eponine threw caution to the wind and screamed. As loudly and for as long as she could. The lights in the house flickered on but before she could really take in the scene, her father had struck her across the face with such force that she fell to the ground and skidded.
"You wait my girl! You'll rue this night! I'll make you scream!" he shouted. He kicked Eponine in the stomach and all the air was snatched from her body. He lifted her and threw her down again. Something wet was trickling down her face.