Enjolras was returning from football practice when his phone rang. Reading the caller, he answered it fast.
"Enjolras! Enjolras! Where's Marius? I've called him so many times!" Eponine shouted from the other end of the line. The blonde jerked back from her loud voice, holding the phone at a distance. Courfeyrac saw his sudden reaction and snickered, pointing it out to Jehan who also laughed.
"Eponine, we just got out of practice. Probably Marius' phone rang during the meet so he didn't hear it." Enjolras reasoned. He could hear her agitated sigh in the background.
"I really need to tell him something!" she yelled. He jumped again. What was her problem with her loud voice? The laughter coming behind him grew louder, he would deal with Courfeyrac later.
"Just tell me. I can pass the message over to him." Eponine let out a puff of air into the phone. It made a crackling sound.
"Okay. Gavroche was kidnapped." This news was both surprising and frightening to the team captain. How could the little boy be kidnapped? Now he understood why she needed Marius so badly. Marius could help her with finding Gavroche, the little tyke. But why did she want Marius? Yes, she was crushing on him and yes, he was her best friend, but why not ask one of the other boys, like Enjolras himself? He bet that he would be more help than Marius. Marius was too busy fawning over Cosette. Eponine always turned over to Marius for help, why did Enjolras feel slightly disappointed for some reason?
"I can help you."
"I need Marius, not you!" Eponine cried. Ouch.
"I'll be there in ten minutes. Wait for me at the Musain."
Nessa walked into her kitchen. Her heels clicked noisily on the sophisticated tile floor, and she ran her hand along the smooth marble countertop. It wasn't unusual for a girl eleven years old to be wearing heels, was it? Gavroche was still being kept captive in the basement of Montparnasse's place, so she didn't need to worry about feeding the boy. Grabbing a glass of orange juice from the fridge, Nessa strolled into the living room.
Elphie was relaxing on their velvet couch, staring out the ceiling high windows into the view of the mountains. Her eyes held some look of dreaminess, a look that Nessa had never seen on her 17 year old sister before.
"Hi Elphie. What's new today?" Nessa asked her sister who was addicted to green clothes. Elphie turned her head to look at the eleven year old.
"Oh, Nessa! You know that new boy, Grant? Today during history, our teacher paired us up, and we both agreed that animals should be freer! We have something in common! And he actually talked to me! But," her eyes grew darker, "I told him that he shouldn't be strutting around like a prince at school. Then Grant got all angry and left me to do all the work." Elphie moaned, clutching her head. Her brown braids looked all messed up. Nessa rolled her eyes.
"Smooth, sister. Where's father?"
"The usual. At his office in town hall, working his head off like the mayor would do. I wish mother was still around to keep us company. I really do miss her. Do you remember her? She passed away when you were three. I was nine at the time. Eight years ago." Elphie said thoughtfully, doing the math like a typical rich nerd. Elphie was quite the beauty, if you stripped her of green clothes and replaced them with something more colorful and took off her huge glasses. No make up required. Nessa took a seat next to her sister, sipping her orange juice drink.
"No, I don't remember at all. Tell me about her. Was she pretty?"
"Well, she looked exactly like you. Do you think you're pretty? If so, then yes, she was beautiful."
Nessa scoffed. "Of course I'm pretty. I'm the most beautiful girl in the whole sixth grade! No wonder she was beautiful." Elphie stared at her sister. She got it totally wrong.
"Uh, Nessa? It's not that she's pretty because of you. It's more like you're pretty because of her. Don't go giving yourself all the credit."
Nessa sighed and placed her drink on the glass coffee table. She wanted to get more facts about her deceased mother.
"Was she smart? What was her favorite color? How old was she when she died? When was her birthday? Did she love us very much?" Nessa zoomed through the questions like a curious child, which she was.
"Slow down!" Elphie laughed. "She was very smart. She was into chemistry, she founded green elixir actually. Our mother loved the color green, that's why I wear it, to remind me of her. She was 30 when she died, her birthday was on April 3rd. And," a tear escaped Elphie's eye, "she loved us more than any mother could. We were the world to her."
Nessa listened with wonder in her eyes. "All I remember is her green eyes, and that her name was Faith." her older sister nodded. She wrapped her arms around Nessa and the younger sister leaned her head into Elphie's shoulder. The two sisters cared for one another, no matter how spoiled. Elphie was the nerd, Nessa the popular one. Elphie was more logical, and Nessa was slightly dumb. Both were pretty, and in the end, it all balanced out. The sound of the garage door opening broke them apart. No more time for sister hour, father was home. Sure enough, a plump man came around the corner and engulfed them in another hug. He smiled.
"How's my two girls?" he asked.
"Well, I wanted to know when you were going to buy Lamarque High School. I'm going there in two years, you know. I need the popularity!" The remark drew all the laughter from their father's eyes. Elphie also looked at Nessa strangely.
"Nessa, my child, I'm going to buy the building and demolish it, making the new city hall there. Everybody else will have to go to the other public high school. I'm sending you to private school." It was Nessa's turn to look at her father in disbelief. This was not going as planned.
"No! You can't do that!"
"I'm mayor, I can do what I want. My job is earning you your friends as well. I'm not going to stop business just because you want popularity and credit and appreciation. Nessa, face the truth. You're overly spoiled. Try to change that."
"It's true, sister." Elphie said sternly, crossing her arms. "You are spoiled. I think we should still send you to school, but ignore your requests for anything except serve you meals. See how it feels."
"We'll start tomorrow. Meanwhile, say goodbye to Lamarque High School in a year."
Gavroche had already beat two games, eaten two bags of chips, polished three candy bars (king sized), and scarfed down two hot dogs, all in one day. Night time was approaching, and even a video game addict needed his beauty rest. Laying down his remote control, Gavroche got up out of the couch and went to the cabinets. After shuffling around the drawers, he returned with two blankets and a fluffy pillow.
Eponine had taught him how to set up a bed on the sofa. First, you clear the furniture of anything uncomfortable. Second, you lay down one blanket so you don't get the couch dirty. Thirdly, tuck the edges and corners in so it doesn't slip and slide. Fourth, put down the pillow where most comforting. Last, place the second blanket on the entire set up. Gavroche ended up with a decent bed, and was thankful for his older sister's instructions. He could almost hear her voice in his head.
He lay himself on top of blanket one, but underneath blanket two, and rested his head upon the soft pillow. Gavroche twisted and turned for a few minutes, and resulted with one hand under the pillow, the other on his stomach, one leg bent and one leg straight. His head was facing the left side, a.k.a. the couch back.
The bed reminded him of Eponine, which brought him to the thought of her being overly protective, which came the thought of her rescuing him, which brought him to the thought of her being bait, then the thought of bait itself, then the thought of fishing, then fish, then scales, then musical scales, then the thought of him failing band, then… wait. None of this mattered. Only Eponine and Azelma mattered, but mostly Eponine because Gavroche didn't want her rescuing him.
How he hoped that Eponine would be more sensible.