Éponine felt the coins in her pocket slowly, as she and Azelma walked away from the crowded church. They began walking, in silence. Azelma looked up at her sister and noticed her mind was elsewhere. She said nothing, for judging by the look on Éponine's face, wherever elsewhere was, it was better than that dull Parisian street. After a moment, Éponine stopped suddenly.
"I have an idea" She said suddenly, looking at her younger sister "let's find Gravroche."
Azelma smiled as they made their way through the streets.
They found their brother playing with some other kids in what seemed like an abandoned sculpture of an elephant. Éponine called him twice, before the blond boy emerged from the wooden carcass. His hair was ruffled, he was covered in bruises, his knuckles were all red and his shirt was full of stains of mud or blood.
"What happened to you!" Éponine asked rushing towards him and placing her hands gently on his cheeks to take a better look at his wounds. "Those kids again? Did they do this?"
"No, I mean, yes…I did what Marie said" Gavroche smiled.
"Oh God…"
"And it worked! It worked!"
"But look at you, does it hurt? You even lost a tooth"
"It was loose anyway"
"At least it'll grow again" Azelma added, chuckling "unlike father's…"
"You could have gotten yourself killed" Éponine said and then sighed "well what's done is done. Just don't do it again, please?"
"I won't" Gavroche smiled "unless I have to."
"I don't have time to scold you, c'mon, let's go." The fourteen year old said, guiding her younger siblings towards a small bakery she knew. Once the two realized where they were headed they smiled and waited outside until Éponine came out with a small bag, from which a sweet smell emanated.
"Look at what I got" Éponine smiled, opening the bag so they could see some milk cookies and madeleines.
"Oh this must have cost a fortune!" Azelma said, taking one of the madeleines.
"Almost all we got today" Éponine smiled, watching her brother take a cookie and place it all in his mouth. Then she took a madeleine herself.
For a moment the three were silent with their mouths full, but all smiling from ear to ear. Éponine felt the small cake crumbling in her mouth, wishing she could just save its sweetness and taste it any moment she wished to.
"These are great" Gavroche said, gulping "the most delicious thing I've ever tasted."
"You know, we should find a place to watch the sunset" Azelma suggested. "It'd be nice."
"I know just the place!" Gavroche added, and taking another cookie into his mouth, the young boy ran ahead to show his sisters the way. With cat like skill, he jumped over a wall, and, using a fenced window, he climbed all the way to the top of a house.
"C'mon!" He said, looking down. Azelma was the first to follow him, jumping and climbing like Gavroche had, and grabbing his hand to reach the top.
"C'mon, ´Ponine!" Gavroche smiled.
"It's easy!" Azelma added.
Éponine was hesitant at first, but soon she tossed them the bag before jumping and climbing up with them. From the rooftop, Éponine looked down, feeling a knot in her stomach as she realized how high it was.
"How are we even going to go down?" She wondered out loud, but she received no answer, for her siblings were at the other side. Gavroche, who held the bag with pastries in one hand, was running, preparing to jump to the next rooftop.
"Wait!" Éponine said.
"That one has a better view, there are no house blocking it, see?" Gavroche explained quickly.
"Fine, let's go there, are you sure you can make the jump?" Éponine asked. To answer her question, Gavroche ran towards the edge and leapt to the other side, shortly followed by Azelma who was laughing, and then by Éponine.
"There's your sunset!" Gavroche smiled looking at Azelma, as he pointed at the horizon. And the sun was sinking on the sky, painting it with an orange and purple hue, as if to prove there was still beauty to be seen. They finished the pastries and sat there until the sky was dark. And there was peace, even if the buzzing of the streets could be heard, the air seemed lighter.
"Can I tell you something?" Azelma asked suddenly with a soft voice, not waiting for a reply from her siblings "Last night, when we went to that house…I liked it."
Éponine looked at Azelma, who quickly bit her lower lip as if a bad word had just slipped from her mouth.
"I understand, it must be exciting for you" Éponine replied "but Azelma, remember the only reason we do this is because we have to. Once things get better, we won't have to anymore."
Azelma nodded, Éponine was silent for a moment, before continuing.
"Once things get better" she said, more to herself, "all of this will be nothing but a bad dream."
"But not this." Gavroche said, looking up at the nightsky.
"No, not this." Éponine agreed.
They made their way back home peacefully, heavy with delight, like walking after a long nap. As soon as she opened the door, Éponine felt a hand wrapped around her wrist, pulling her in with such strength she feared he shoulder could be disarranged.
"Where the hell have you been?" Her father shouted. "C'mon! We have to go! God I could just smack you right now if we weren't a hurry, move girl!"
"Where are we going?" Éponine asked, as her father dragged her behind her, back outside the apartment. She looked at her siblings who stood frozen at the open door, looking back, unsure of what to do.
"There are many ways to settle a debt." Monsieur Thérnadier said as they reached the dark street.