June 1831

Spring turned to summer. The air got hotter and the trees got greener. Factory hours seemed to get longer and longer. The family seemed to get poorer and poorer.

Eponine spent hours in the apartment by herself. A week ago her Father had forced her to do something she never thought she'd have to do. Sell her shoes. They had bought the family food for the rest of the week, but when the food ran out Eponine wanted her shoes back more than anything.

It hurt her feet to go outside and walk on the hard stone pathways. She didn't like leaving her home. It was embarrassing to go out without shoes. Rich girls sneered at you. Children stared.

Eponine missed her brother. She hadn't seen him since he ran out of the house over a month ago on the horrific day when Cosette was beaten. She worried about him. Cosette and Azelma claimed to have seen him once while walking home from the factory. They said he seemed healthy and happy. Apparently he found home in an old elephant statue that was abandoned years ago.

It was lonely around the house without Gavroche. Eponine found herself constantly looking out the window at the people walking by. They were all busy. They all had friends. They all had shoes.

On this particular day, Eponine noticed someone who caught her attention. He was a boy, probably a bit older than herself. He came down the street in the morning and stopped in front of the Gorbeau Tenement. She saw him talk to the landlady but she couldn't tell what he was saying. Then he left in a fancy carriage.

Eponine became curious about what he was doing at her apartment building. She walked down to the bottom floor of the tenement where the landlady was. She was sweeping the grounds. "Hello," Eponine said casually.

"What do you want?" She asked. She was generally cold to the Thenardiers because they were always late on their rent.

"There was a boy down here a while back. Who was he?" Eponine asked. She got a piece of wood and chopped it in two to make it look like she was busy.

"The new resident," the woman said. "He's moving here this afternoon. Why do you want to know?"

"Just curious," Eponine said. She took the firewood and brought it up to her room. She looked out the window. If he was moving here this afternoon she should be able to see him. He seemed too rich, too proper to move to a place like Gorbeau.

A few hours of sitting and waiting, the boy came back. This time he brought things with him. Eponine stood in the hallway and watched him move things in. He had his friend with him and together they carried many things up to his new room.

First they carried up a frame for a bed. The bed at Eponine's house had no frame it just sat on the ground.

"Where do you want this to go in the room, Marius?" His friend asked.

"Marius," Eponine whispered to herself. That was his name. They carried the frame into the room next to Eponine's. Eponine smiled when she saw that he had the room next to hers. The boy fastinated her.

She watched them some more from the hall. Next they carried up a mattress. Eponine watched from the hallway. She noticed the boy glanced at her. When they went into the room, Eponine looked down at her feet and realized she had no shoes. This boy, Marius, must think she was trash.

They came out of the room. Eponine crouched down a bit so her skirt covered her feet. They walked down the steps and outside they next carried up a large dresser. It was very nice, with carvings on it and golden handles. Who was this Marius? Something about him captivated her.

They put the dresser in the room and walked back out into the hallway. "Let's go get the desk," he said to his friend. They walked out and came back with a big desk.

Eponine's curiosity rose. Why did he have a big desk like that? Was he a writer? A lawyer? He seemed a bit too young. Maybe he was a student. The apartment was fairly close to the school of law. He must study there.

They came out of the room and started talking. "I think that is the last heavy thing. The rest I can carry up by myself," Marius said.

"Alright," his friend said. "Then I better be going. We have a meeting tonight at the cafe."

"Do you meet every night now? It seems you are always at Musain," Marius asked.

"We have been meeting more frequently. Revolution is brewing. We need to be prepared. You really should come to another meeting sometime."

"Maybe sometime I will," Marius said. "I'll see you around, Courfeyrac."

"Goodbye, Marius," his friend said. He walked down the hall and tipped his hat at Eponine before he walked down the stairs.

For the next while, Marius carried the remainder of his things to the room. He had many things- books, clothes, a mirror, a blanket. He had so many more things than Eponine.

When all of his things were in the room, he went inside. Eponine went into her room as well and put her ear up against the wall. The walls were thick and stone. She couldn't hear a thing.

Then she noticed a crack at the top of the wall. She pulled up a chair and stood on it. She could see into his room. He was arranging books on his desk. There were so many books. Eponine wished she had books.

Then Marius sat at his desk and took out a book. He began writing in it. Eponine wondered what he was writing.

She watched him for a while and was very startled when the door swung open. "Eponine?" Azelma asked. Cosette and Azelma were coming home from the factory. They were quite confused to see Eponine standing on a chair up against the wall.

"What?" Eponine asked.

"What are you doing?" Azelma asked.

"We have a neighbor," Eponine asked.

"Who?" Azelma asked.

"A student," Eponine said. "He has a dresser and lots of books."

"Can I see?" Azelma asked.

"No, you're too young," Eponine said. "You might fall off the chair." Azelma rolled her eyes.

"Can I look?" Cosette asked.

"No," Eponine asked. She didn't give her a reason. She jumped off the chair and sat on it so no one else could see into the room. Marius was hers. She placed her hand on the wall dividing their rooms.