A/N: Hey guys! How is everyone? Good, good. So here's this next chapter! I hope you like it.
So, WARNING: I'm going out of town for a few days. My grandma passed away and I'm going to the funeral. Also, the summer musical is about to open(Bye Bye Birdie! EXCITED!) So rehearsals are really crazy. But prayers for my family are much appreciated.
Because of this, I won't be able to update as often as I would like. Sorry!
Also, this chapter has lots of religious aspects because I really want to go down to the roots and themes of Les Miserables: The power of love, redemption, faith and hope. So if you aren't religious, that's okay! I'm not trying to shove this down your throat, but please don't hate on it. I don't need that right now.
Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables. I also can't use the Force. :(
"Azelma you brat!" Thenardier screamed, raising his hand, "How the hell did you mess this up?"
Azelma knew better than to say anything, and anyways, so was too paralyzed with fear to move her mouth anyways.
He grabbed the front of her shirt and she could easily see the red around his cold, grey eyes. He leaned in so that their noses could almost touch, the whiskey on his breath incredibly evident.
"Answer me, you bitch!" He hissed.
Her eyes widened as his free hand wound back then came barreling back towards her face, a loud crack echoing through the room as his hand came in contact with her cheek,
"Azelma!" She heard an unfamiliar voice yell, "Wake up!"
Azelma was pushed to the floor, her elbows skidding across the carpet. She looked up to find the fuming man towering over her.
"Azelma! Please wake up!" A voice cried.
His foot hit her stomach, knocking the air out of her.
"It's only a dream!" A voice coaxed her awake.
Her hands shaking, she gripped tightly to the hands pinning her to the bed. She took deep breaths as her eyes adjusted to the darkness and found who the hands belonged to.
"Are you okay, Azelma?" Grantaire whispered softly.
Azelma shook her head and began to hyperventilate, not quite aware of the strong arms wrapping around her torso.
Grantaire, not sure what to do, lowered himself onto the bed and pulled her into his lap. She was shaking, her body racked with sobs as she fisted her hands into his shirt and sob, her head burrowed into his chest.
He stroked her hair whispering, "It's all right, you're safe now. It's going to be okay.'
He felt her nod into his chest. He couldn't help the small part inside him that broke when he heard her screams from his room. As soon as he heard the blood curdling scream, he rushed out of bed and pinned her down, trying to wake her up. His resolve shattered when she began to cry, and now here he was, this broken bird cradled in his arms.
Azelma began to regain composure, taking deep breaths. She burrowed further into the warm arms that tightened around her body, her heart began to slow, and she felt the fear slowly evaporate from her body.
"Azelma?" She heard. She looked up to meet Grantaire's piercing blue eyes full of concern. He reached up and wiped a few stray tears from her face as she sniffled once more.
"You should try and go back to sleep," He suggested.
Azelma nodded, and Grantaire began to stand, picking her up and placing her back down on the bed. She yawned and laid her head back down, her eyes fluttering closed.
She heard him tiptoe out of her room and she rolled over to face his retreating figure.
"Wait," She called. He turned around and saw her sad, worried, and sleepy eyes.
"Stay?" She asked, her eyes fluttering open and closed, clearly fighting sleep.
He sighed and slowly made his way back down the hallway and to her room. He crawled into the warm sheets and Azelma wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest. To Grantaire, somehow it just felt right. He moved to that he was on his side so he could cradle her in his arms. Azelma sighed as she nestled her head under his chin and fell asleep.
"Sweet dreams," Grantaire whispered and kissed her head, allowing sleep to take him as well.
"Coffee's ready!" Jehan called, quite confused why there wasn't a disheveled R stumbling into the kitchen, cursing him for being such a happy morning person.
Deciding to investigate, he patted down the hall and peeked his head into Grantaire's room to see his bed empty. Scratching his head, he continued down the hall to see if his new roomate was awake yet. He cracked the door open a little bit to find both of his roommates resting in Azelma's bed.
He looked at them and smiled, noting the peaceful look on both of their faces. So, finding nothing better to do about the situation, he took out his phone, snapped a picture, and went back to the kitchen to cook breakfast.
Jehan pulled his hair back into a short french braid and began to scramble eggs when he heard Grantaire stumble into the kitchen, clearly still half-asleep.
"Morning R!" Jehan greeted.
"Meh," Grantaire replied, pouring himself a mug of coffee.
"So," Jehan drawled, "What were you up to last night?"
Grantaire gave the poet a glare at the implication. "If you were wondering," Grantaire started.
"I was," Jehan interrupted.
"Azelma had a nightmare last night that woke me up, so I was in there to try and snap her out of it, then we both just fell asleep." Grantaire clarified.
Jehan just nodded and continued to cook the eggs, although, the shipping had already started. He really wanted to write a poem about the troubled couple.
"I know what you're doing, Jehan!" Grantaire snapped, "Stop brainstorming romantic poetry."
Jehan groaned, "That's all I do! I live vicariously through everyone else's love life because mine is non-existent!"
Grantaire rolled his eyes, "Well, it wouldn't be a problem if you just asked out Courfeyrac already!"
Jehan instantly turned red. "I d-don't know w-what you m-mean." He stuttered.
"Save it for the tourists, Jehan." Grantaire said.
"Okay," Jehan said, taking the eggs of the stove, resting his elbow on the counter. "Say, that maybe I do like a certain curly haired flirt. He flirts with anything that has two legs and a pulse! I doubt he even sees me that way."
Grantaire just shrugged, "I don't know. That's not my problem."
"Ugh," Jehan complained, "You are no help!"
They were interrupted by Grantaire's phone ringing 'Call Me Maybe'.
"I really have to fix that," Grantaire muttered, picking up the phone.
"Hello?" He answered.
"Hey, R! It's 'Ponine! Is Azelma awake yet?" Eponine replied.
"No," He answered, "But she probably will be soon. Why?"
"Well, Cosette and I were going through some of our old clothes that we thought would fit her, and we also have chruch in a few hours so we were thinking of stopping by and picking her up." Eponine said.
"Sure! You guys could head over now. She'll more than likely be awake soon." Grantaire said.
"Thanks!" Eponine replied, "We'll see you in a few!"
"Okay, bye 'Ponine!" He said.
"Bye!" She answered before hanging up.
Just then, Azelma swept into the room, her hair unkempt and clearly exhausted, but the bags under her eyes already starting to fade.
"Good morning, Azelma!" Jehan chirped.
"Morning," Azelma moaned as he handed her a mug of coffee. The smell filled her nose, waking her up a bit more. She took a seat next to Grantaire and drank, each sip making her more alert to her surroundings.
"Eponine, Cosette and Gavroche are going to stop by. Then I think they said they're taking you to church." Grantaire told her.
Azelma just nodded, not quite awake yet.
After the three ate and as Azelma was loading the dirty dishes into the washer, a knock came from the door.
"I'll get it!" Jehan announced.
He scrambled to get the door and threw it wide open to reveal Eponine, Cosette, and Garoch standing in the doorway.
"Good morning!" They said on their way in
"Hey guys!' Grantaire and Azelma greeted.
"Hey!" Eponine said, "Well, Cosette and I were looking through our old clothes and found some pretty cute stuff that will more than likely fit you, Azelma. Where do you want us to put it?"
"Um," Azelma started, thinking, "Just put them in my room. It's all the way down the hall on the left. I'll go through it all later to see what fits."
"Okay," Eponine said, plopping down on the couch. "We do have church in an hour, so you might want to go get dressed."
Azelma froze. "Huh?" She asked.
Eponine turned to Grantaire accusingly, "Did you not tell her?"
He shrugged, "I did, but she was still half-asleep."
She rolled her eyes, "Ugh!"
Grantaire just sent her a cheeky smile, "You still love me though!"
"Yeah, yeah," She muttered.
Cosette just chuckled at the two, her laugh ringing around the apartment like bells.
"Well," Azelma said, tossing the rag she was using to dry the plates down on the counter. "I guess I have to rummage through your old clothes and find something suitable to wear."
Azelma quickly shuffled into her room where Cosette had put the clothes. She plopped down on the bed and narrowed her eyes at the bag. She hated charity, that much was clear, but she was still trying to decipher whether or not this was charity. All these people being so kind to her without asking for anything in return, she couldn't help but be suspicious. What was the catch? Growing up, there was always some sort of catch.
Azelma was interrupted by a knock on the door. She whipped her head around to see Cosette in the cracked door.
"Can I come in?" She asked.
Azelma nodded, a smile on her face, "Sure."
A smile grew on Cosette's face as she entered, her blue sun dress flowing as she closed the door behind her. She joined Azelma on the couch.
"So, how are you settling in?" She asked.
"Pretty good," Azelma replied, "Everyone is so…nice."
Cosette laughed, "Almost too nice, right?"
Azelma looked at her, stunned. "How did you know?"
Cosette just smiled at her and said, "Eponine felt the same way. She was incredibly suspicious of everyone when we first reconnected, and I knew that you would probably feel the same way. I just wanted to tell you that you can trust us. All of the Amis, myself, and of course, your roommates. I can already see that everyone adores you."
Azelma smiled, squeezing Cosette's hand. "Thanks, I needed that."
"No problem, sweetie. Now let's get dressed." Cosette ushered Azelma up.
With Cosette's help, I no time, Azelma was dressed in navy dress with white feathers printed along the fabric, her hair back in a neat french braid.
Aa Azelma looked in the mirror, she didn't see the ugly, young girl covered in dirt, bruises, and sin. Instead, she saw hope. She saw that there was a chance for her to change and start a new life with her family and not the criminals she called parents. She looked behind her and saw Cosette beaming at her, clearly knowing what she was thinking about.
"Thank you." Azelma told her gratefully.
"It's no problem," Cosette replied, "You're family now."
And Azelma never felt more a part of one.
"Good morning everyone! I hope you all had a great week!" Cosette greeted. Apparently she and Eponine were incredibly involved in the youth ministry of the Picpus Church. It was where Eponine and Gavroche found sanctuary for some time after they left the Thenardiers. The head pastor there helped the siblings get back on their feet after they ran away, providing them shelter in his own home and acting like a father figure to them both before Eponine went off to college.
"We are glad to have you all with us this morning! Don't forget that next Thursday, bible study small groups are starting up if you want to join. Eponine and I aren't leading them, sorry! We are swamped with work, but the other guys are going to be able to do it! Well, that all for announcements!"
With that, Cosette hopped off the stage and the lights dimmed and a clip began to play on the screen that was behind Cosette. Azelma watched from the very back of the room the stage lights slowly coming back on to reveal Eponine on stage, a bright smile on her face, the light shining off her yellow dress illuminating her body giving her an ethereal glow.
"Good morning guys!" Eponine started, gaining some "Good morning!"s in reply.
"So how many of you have heard about the Titanic?" Eponine asked as some hands went up.
"Well, all of your hands should be up because if you don't know about the Titanic, you are uncultured and need to come talk to me after service." Eponine said sarcastically.
"Well, before the Titanic set sail, a man said, 'Not even God could sink this ship.' But little did he know God made it to sink. So if the Titanic was made to sink, then so was my heart, because I made sure that it was impenetrable. I had hardened my heart thinking about what an awful person I was. Who could save me from this flesh? But Peter tells us, 'My friend you are in good company.'"
"Poets before have tried to measure His love, and if all 40,000 brothers could not, in all their quantity make up this sum, then how can my heart contain this mass? It would only break into a million tender pieces!"
"So what then?" Eponine asked. The room was silent as she asked, "Lord, what good is a broken heart to You? Could you even hear my heart from up there?"
"But like a father assuring his son to come home You tell us, 'It's enough, it's enough.' So who am I to accept this grace that falls like rain? 'Cause we all know I chose to lay my head in this desert! But like a fish out of water, we only know now what it is to be parched."
"So if Christ is alive, the love, the groom, then pay attention, my friends! For I know no other lover who would have met me here in this place. So I awake and rise from this bed I made. Oh my God! I've been sleeping with a corpse! And these bed sores, they still rest in my bones."
"I've made this beautiful dance with this cadaver, but my audience is appalled! Oh, these tendons are strong! How desperately they need to rip from this ancient Adam!"
"So light up the sky and set me aflame! Burn this bone and tissue, because I no longer want to be entangled in this sin that keeps me from You."
"Hi Mister Myriel!" Eponine ran to a relatively old man and embraced him in a long hug.
"Hello, Eponine! How are you, darling?" He asked.
"I'm good. Gavroche is in the bathroom but he'll be out in a bit. But, I want to introduce you to my sister, Azelma." Eponine said, a wide smile gracing her face.
"Hello, Azelma," Mr. Myriel said, giving her a firm handshake, "I've heard a lot about you."
"Not all bad things I hope!" Azelma laughed, a little uncomfortable. By force of habit, she observed the old man. He was around his sixties, his white hair combed back, and his shirt neatly ironed fitting his tall and nicely postured form. Regardless of how at ease his presence made her feel, she still felt incredibly awkward. One, there were so many people around and she really didn't like other people. Also, she was in front of a Pastor and didn't feel clean enough to even be in his presence, let alone the house of God. She really just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.
Mist Myriel could clearly see how uncomfortable Azelma was, and was reminded of all those years ago when Eponine showed up on the front doors of his church. With a smile he asked, "Eponine, do you mind if I steal your sister for a little bit?"
Eponine saw the glint in his eye and knew then that her sister's life was about to be wrecked. But thankfully, in a good way.
"It's no problem," Eponine replied.
With that, he held out his arm and Azelma shyly took it, curiosity stirring as they walked outside.
"So, I'm guessing that your situation is much similar to Eponine's. Correct me if I'm wrong?" Mr. Myriel commented.
Azelma, fearing her own words, only shook her head.
"I'm also assuming that because you were stuck in that home longer than Eponine, you were required to do… not so good things, yes?"
Her feet froze and she stared at him, open-mouthed. "W-what do you m-mean?"
He quietly chuckled, "You see, Azelma, I know your sister. I saw her near self-destruction because of her old life, and I don't want to see what I'm seeing on you right now, ever again. I don't want to see that pain in your eyes. I don't want you to feel like a phony walking into the house of God."
Azelma looked at him, tears filling her eyes. She shook her head, "You don't know what I've done! I don't deserve this kind of love you're talking about!" She cried, "I don't deserve redemption."
"You're wrong, my child," He told her, his hands resting firmly on her shoulders, "That means you deserve redemption the most."
A/N: So I hope you all liked that chapter! I sadly can't take credit for Eponine's sermon. These words belong to a wonderful band names Bellarive from the song Tendons. It's an absolutely beautiful song so if you want, go listen to it!
So, tell me what you think! Reviews really help me figure out where to go and give me a drive to write so please please!
Okay. I guess I'll see you when I see you!