Sooo i've meant to update a lot sooner but I have been really busy for the past week and a half so it has been nearly impossible! I decided though to break this chapter up into two parts and as soon as I am able to,I will update again for the second part! As usual thank you for all the feedback, I appreciate it a ton! (: Enjoy!

Mariélle's eyes darted from Éponine to Adrien's unmoving body several times, as her disordered thoughts tried to comprehend everything that had occurred. Her legs felt ready to give out and she slid slowly to the ground with her back still against the wall of the alleyway. Could it be that only moments ago that he had his hands all over her? Those same hands that had beaten her and were ready to strangle her? The thought of what he had almost done made her want to retch.

"I was walking nearby when I heard you scream," the girl in front of her began to speak, her eyes still focused on Adrien with a look of intense hatred, "I saw him hurting you and I knew I couldn't let him continue. The bâtard must have dropped this himself." For a moment she raised the half-broken bottle in her hands, "Bet he never imagined it would be used against him. I see men like him nearly every day. Men like him deserve everything awful that happens to them." Sneering, she dropped the remnants of the bottle to the ground where it then shattered completely.

The eyes of the girl then turned to her and the look of contempt turned to one of worry. Mariélle could only imagine how she appeared to the other girl. The right side of her face, especially, stung and was still smarting. She felt blood dripping down her cheek from what might have been a small laceration, made perhaps by the small ring that Adrien always wore, and the rest of her body now began to ache as well. Her shawl lay on the ground a few feet away where it must have fallen during the struggle. She still could not formulate anything to say, and when she tried to speak or offer her gratitude, her voice felt hoarse and only monosyllables left her mouth. She felt hot tears brimming in her eyes, but managed to keep them from being shed. Éponine moved towards her and began to speak, but stopped as the body on the ground began to groan and move slightly.

"We need to get out of here. I can take you somewhere safe for now. The place where I just came from …well the people there can be trusted." She spoke softly but urgently and offering a hand, helped Mariélle to her feet.

Once standing, Mariélle sucked in her breath as she felt the full extent of everything that had been done to her. For a moment, the world in front of her spun violently, but biting her lip she told herself that she must persevere and the wave of dizziness left her. Éponine picked up her shawl from the ground, before placing a gentle arm around one of her shoulders to help guide her out of the alleyway.

Mariélle did not pay particular attention to where Éponine was taking her, but she had some idea of their surroundings. Every now and then, the other girl would give her a reassuring look.

"We are almost there, I promise. It is just a little further down this street." She gave Mariélle's arm a small, encouraging, squeeze.

The lightheaded feeling never completely left her and every now and then, black dots would begin to swim in front of her vision and she would have to stop for a moment to slow her breathing until they went away again. She wasn't really sure where she was being taken, but was assured that wherever it was, it was better than remaining out on the streets where Adrien could possibly be looking for her. Another disturbing thought suddenly crept into her mind. She could not go back to the dress shop again. She could only imagine what he would have in store for her there if she returned. If he wanted to he could possibly have her arrested, and she was certain that the police would believe him over her. It was simple. He had money and she had none.

These were just a few of the troubling thoughts that she began to ponder over as Éponine led her up the steps of a small tenement building. Many more arrived once she stepped through the door. As she was led up a narrow staircase, she began to feel consumed and it felt like everything was hitting her at once, adding more injury to her already bruised body. What was she going to do? Without employment, she had no income. Without money, she could not buy food or pay the rent. She would be out on the streets in a matter of weeks. Not only she, but Amélie as well.

Amélie. It was at that moment when for the first time in her life, Mariélle felt like a failure. The little girl depended on her. She was the only one who could physically provide for the both of them and now what was she going to do? No work. No money. She had absolutely nothing left.

She did not even realize that they were in front of a door, until it was pushed open rather suddenly by Éponine. Compared to the bleak darkness and emptiness of the hallway, the room in front of her was illuminated and filled with people. Not just people, but students with familiar faces. Faces that were now staring at her with varying looks of confusion and surprise. She recognized them all in some form or another in simply a matter of seconds. After that it did not take her long to find the one face out of all of them that she knew, she supposed, the best. He was standing, in fact out of all of them, he was the only one standing. With his shirtsleeves rolled up and his hands resting out on the table in front of him looking over papers, he appeared to be frozen in mid-sentence. His expression quickly turned to one of recognition, which then began to turn into one of shock.

She was able to manage a small smile, even as her vision began to darken and the room started to sway in front of her. Whether it was from her injuries, the stress and worry that had begun to eat at her mind, or some combination of the two, she was not sure. She could hear chairs being pushed away and voices beginning to speak, but they all sounded far away before fading out completely. Fate does indeed work in mysterious ways. This was one of the last coherent thoughts that ran through her mind before everything went black. For the first time in her life, she collapsed.

I also promise there will be more interaction next chapter! (:

Translations:

bâtard- bastard