A/N: Thanks again to all my fans at GJ and to BohemianCane04! I'm so glad you all are enjoying my work.
I don't think I have to go over the whole "I own nothing" speech again - but since I'm introducing a new character... I do not own Javert - he belongs solely to Susan Kay. I just took the name and gave him a few of my own characteristics. Also, this is based strongly on the 2004 movie - just a reminder. :)
Oh I now fixed the review option and now everyone can review (just remember to sign your name/GJ username so I know who you are). Enjoy!
3/31 Edit: I rewrote some of this – added more detail and what not but the central story line was not changed.
The Devil's Child was nothing but a boy – no more than fourteen years old. He was skinny, scrawny, undernourished, and sickly-looking. His back was lined with stripes from being beaten and his entire body was filthy and was cut in some places. His only clothing was a pair of worn, torn trousers and a burlap sack that covered his head. He sat in the cage, preoccupied with a tiny, toy monkey that had been crudely made. The man, who had beckoned them to enter, now appeared from the shadows and made his way to the cage.
"You have come to see this devil's child, no?" He paused, then chuckled. "Well, I, Javert, will present this monster to you." He walked over to the cage, and unlocked it and slipped inside, closing the door behind him. He picked up a whip that rested on the floor where it had been discarded after its last use. He then approached the boy, who seemed to remain oblivious to what was going on around him.
Javert raised his arm and whip came down on the boy with a deafening crack. Adele gasped while some in the crowd laughed. "Come on, boy!" taunted Javert. "Show 'em, what you're really made of! Show 'em what kind of monster lives in flesh!"
The boy ignored him and returned to his monkey. This angered Javert and he tore the monkey from the boy's hand and threw it into a corner of the cage. "You stubborn, son of a bitch! You will do what I say or you will suffer!" He began beating the boy harder and harder until the boy collapsed to the floor.
Then Javert, reached down and yanked off the burlap bag. The boy immediately tried to cover his face, but it was too late. Javert grabbed the boy's hands and pulled them away from his face. "May I present: the devil's child!" He began to laugh heartily as he spun the boy around so everyone could get a good look at him.
Some of the crowd began to laugh and point while others turned away in disgust. Then Adele caught sight of him. She couldn't help but to gasp. The left side of his face was deeply disfigured. He was missing his eyebrow, one side of his nose was sunken in, and the skin around his eye and cheek was terribly mangled. In several places, the skin had cracked and formed deep crevices. One crevice near his temple was so deep and stretched so thin that the bone and blood vessels underneath were visible to the naked eye. His top lip was also stretched and curled upwards. The left side of his head was almost completely bald save for a patch or two of hair. But what hit Adele harder was the look of sheer sadness and pain that she saw in his eyes. She had never seen such pain in one person.
Javert finally dropped the boy to the floor and the boy quickly crawled to his sack and slipped it over his head before collapsing to the floor. Javert laughed menacingly as he exited the cage, locking the door behind him.
The crowd slowly began to leave the tent, still shuddering or laughing. But Adele remained, her hands gripping the bars of his cage. She then heard a faint noise coming from the boy. He was crying… no… singing. He was singing. His voice was so pure and delicate as he sang softly. He slowly crawled over to where his monkey laid and gently picked it up, all the while, singing to himself. His attention was suddenly drawn to where Adele stood, staring at him. He stopped singing and stared back at her through the small eyeholes that were cut in the bag.
"No," she said, softly. "Don't stop. N'arrete pas." But before he could continue, Javert reentered, drunk as ever.
"What are you still doing here?" He motioned to Marie who had stayed frozen behind Adele. "Both of you get out! Get out I say! I got another show to do!"
Adele and Marie quickly scampered away but not before Adele could glance back at the boy once more.
