Falling Down Hard

"I miss you, but the pleasant company here is enough to lift my spirits. We soldiers must have some eyes to gaze at..."

"...there are many lovely ladies here who give me smiles...I went walking with one today; she is so beautiful"

"...perhaps we shall not see each other again soon, Eponine..."

"But I will always be yours. Sincerely, Theodule"

Over and over these lines burned themsleves into Eponine's eyes, even when they were shut. She crumpled the letter in her left hand and pocketed it, ignoring the pain that was flaring up in her palm from her sudden action.

She looked at her borrowed watch and bit her lip as she headed out of the bookshop and in the direction of Number Six Rue de Filles du Calvaire. Night was falling fast over Paris, and so Eponine quickened her steps. She didn't hear Basque admitting her, or the catcall from a passer-by on the street as she entered the yard.

She almost blindly wandered to where she knew Marius would be at this time of the day: in the sitting room.

The young lawyer glimpsed her even before she could speak his name. "What have you come here for, Eponine?" he asked, apparently noticing her harried appearance.

"You were right, Monsieur Marius. Your cousin...how could I have ever listened to him?" Eponine said breathlessly.

"Why, what has happened?"

"He wrote to me...but he's walking with other ladies. He's lying! He doesn't miss me!"

Marius nodded, obviously bewildered. "Why don't you sit down, Eponine? Have some tea, or something to eat?" he asked the hysterical girl.

Eponine shook her head. "I came here to tell you that he's a terrible man. I used to see him spy after Cosette! And she looked at him...that was some time before you came into the garden at the Rue Plumet for the first time,"

"What would it matter?" Marius asked. "Eponine, I was about to tell you of something...Cosette was here just this morning,"

"And so? Isn't she always?"

Marius turned red. "I asked for her hand in marriage. And her father, and my grandfather agreed on it too. We're going to be married by Christmas,"

Eponine felt as if the breath in her body had all been sucked out. "So soon!" she managed to say.

"You're the first one to know," Marius said.

Eponine nodded. "My congratulations, Monsieur.Marius. I hope you'll be happy," she said quietly. At least, that was what she could remember saying before finding herself outside again, all alone.

"All that I do...all that I tried to do, only for him," she sang to herself as she began walking down the street, with her hands in her coat pockets. She didn't even feel her legs picking up the pace till she was running. She crossed the street, unheeding of the carriage that nearly sideswiped her, and the resulting yells and curses of the disgruntled driver and his passengers.

It only grew quiet when she reached the river. The streetlamps shone, or in some cases sputtered. Eponine walked over the bridge, and down towards the river bank.

"He's lost to me forever..." she whispered, hugging her knees to her chest. She struggled to hide the tears that were coursing freely down her face. For a long time, she sat on the cold ground, listening to the noises of the people passing on the bridge, of the chatter of men and women, but most of all, of the river rushing nearby.

Eponine stood up and took a single step. No one tried to stop her, or even guess her intent. She walked quickly towards the edge of the bank, where the water lapped at the toes of her worn boots.

"I'm sorry, Gavroche," she whispered before letting herself fall into the dark swirling water.

Oddly, it was quiet down in the cold dark wet. Eponine opened her eyes and saw nothing but the alarming dark surrounding her. She opened her mouth for a moment to scream, but no air came to her.

She fought to get to the surface again, even if just to take one last breath of air. "No! I don't want to go in the dark...anything but the dark..." she thought as she tried to kick upwards.

However, her heavy boots and coat weighed her down. Before Eponine lost consciousness, she felt someone grab her by her collar and pull her up, back towards the dismal night.