Cosette was eating first tonight. She hadn't finished her meal when Javert had become ill, and she hadn't wanted to finish it while he was panicking. She chatted with her other mother and father as they ate, but she noticed a lot of the conversation revolved around Javert.

It made her a little uncomfortable, so she kept her answers as brief as possible.

"Is he staying in the house with you?"

"Yes?"

"What is it he does?"

"He is a policeman."

"Is he a… good person?"

"The best."

And so on, until they had finished eating. Next, Cosette was served the most delicious cake she had ever had. She whimpered as she ate it, feeling the texture seem to melt in her mouth.

As she finished, she began to feel excited again. Tonight, she got to see what the women downstairs were going to do. She had no idea what it was, but she was sure it would be good. Her other mother came and sat down beside her, placing a box by her plate.

Her other father took the plate as Cosette stared at the brightly wrapped paper.

"Well, it's a gift." She smiled gently. "Open it."

Cosette slowly pulled the paper away and opened the box. Inside, there were two buttons. She frowned and looked up curiously at the woman.

"You can stay here forever. All you have to do is let me give you a set of buttons."

"B-buttons?"

"Yep. I sew buttons into your eyes and you can be a part of our family forever." She smiled warmly at Cosette.

The child looked over at her other father, who had his hands wrapped around a mug of beer.

"Barely hurts at all." He smiled, but flinched when the other mother glared at him.

"Can I see the ladies downstairs while I think about it?" She asked.

"Of course." They led her to the front door and stood smiling together as she headed down.

"Hello?" Cosette called out as she headed inside.

"We have a guest!" yelped Dahlia, the tall woman spinning around to smile at the child.

Favourite slowly walked over to her, looking her up and down. Zéphine pushed the small woman out the way and took Cosette's hand.

"We don't have much time. Fantine?" Cosette gasped as the final woman turned around. It was her mother! She squealed and threw herself at her.

Fantine pulled Cosette close.

"We need to hurry. You can't stay here."

"But, you're here."

"I won't be here long. Even here, where the magic is strong, it is a struggle to remain. I am only here because He wishes it."

"You can't stay?"

"No. I'm sorry, my beautiful child. I can't."

"But…. If I stay here, maybe you can come back sometime?" But Fantine was shaking her head.

"You don't want to leave Valjean and Javert do you?"

"You mean Papa and Javert?... No. I don't."

"Then, you can't stay."

"Maybe she will let them stay with me."

"And you think they will?" Cosette frowned, remembering Javert's words at dinner. Don't let her take your eyes… he had been so scared… she didn't understand how he could possibly be scared of anything, or anyone.

"No. Javert would not want to be here."

"No. So, I need you to be brave. You need to get out of here, lock the door and destroy the key."

"Has she trapped many people?"

"No." This time, the answer came from a small girl. She had long, black hair. It was tatty and unclean, much like the girl's whole appearance. Her eyes were a warm brown, and they were not buttons.

"How are you?" Asked Cosette, hiding slightly behind her mother.

"My name is Éponine. She is my mother but she has only ever trapped my siblings and me, then three others."

"Your mother?"

"I think so. We used to live in this house, it was a public house, where people drank and became witless. A priest came and my parents tried to scam him."

"I bet he didn't like that." Whispered Cosette. Éponine smiled.

"No. He didn't. He banished our family from this realm, calling us demons. I believe my parents are, so that could mean my siblings and I are… but I'm the only one left now."

"Where are your siblings?"

"She ate them, I think. She took their eyes and ate their souls."

"W-What about the others?"

"A boy named Jehan. A girl named Marion. And then a boy named Luc… kind of."

"Kind of?" Asked Cosette, wondering if this was Javert.

"He escaped, but she got most of his soul."

"Has she still got it?"

"Oh yes, they all stay here. But it's no use worrying about them. Their bodies are long gone."

"Luc Javert is still alive."

"He is? Then, if you free the rest of his soul, it may return to him."

"I want to get the others, so that they may go to God."

Éponine stared at her for a few moments, before nodding her head. "It is better than them staying here."

"Can you leave?" Asked Cosette.

"I… do not know. I have never tried."

"Come with me?"

Éponine gave a non-committal grunt in reply, but she began to explain how her mother liked to play games. She told Cosette to go up, talking about a circus show she had seen, with gymnasts and animals. She told Cosette to go to bed, but don't go to sleep. The magic would send her back if she slept too deeply.

Instead, Cosette was to make a start on freeing the souls. Her necklace would help, it would help her see colour in a monochrome world. Cosette didn't understand until she put the glass to her eye, everything became black, white and grey.

"The souls will have colour. You'll be able to see them."

"Do I have to go alone?" She whispered, fear seeping into her body.

"For now. But, I will join you when you start to search."

Cosette nodded her head. She headed back upstairs, plastering a wide grin on her face and talking about how she wishes she could be a gymnast.

Her other parents put her to bed, and when asked if you would let her eyes go, she replied:

"I still don't know."

But, Cosette fell asleep. Her head hit the pillow, her eyes fluttered shut, her breathing evened out and her body returned to the real world.