Hello readers, I just wanted to say thank you to those of you who have come and checked out this story. I have several chapters already written that I'm just changing slightly as this was something I had written for my friends but had never posted before. I'd appreciate reviews if you have anything you'd like to say, advice is always welcome. Thank you.
Lunch was most definitely ruined. Despite the fact that most of their company had remained, the commotion had shifted their plans so much that some of the boys ran out of time before they needed to return to the campus for classes. They ate quickly and said their goodbyes while leaving money on the table before rushing out the door. Grantaire's bottles of wine were hardly touched so the waiter took four of them back since they hadn't even been opened.
By the time the bills were payed and their table was cleared only four of the original eleven company members remained. All returned to class with the exception of Daveney and Joly who had decided to go to the park while they both had the free time on their hands. They had been an unlikely pair but Daveney's show of compassion for Joly earlier had made the young man cling to her. The others watched them head off knowing well that they had been kind to let them go on alone.
The remaining foursome consisted of Liette, Laurel, Combeferre and Enjolras. To Laurel's surprise, Enjolras had not run back to the library at the first chance he got but instead decided to stay and accompany Combeferre in walking the girls home. Laurel was meant to join Liette's family for dinner tonight and although they could have easily called a carriage the walk from the university area to Liette's family home was not unbearable especially on a warm fall afternoon. Liette was glad to be walking beside Enjolras even if he seemed distant from the group. She imagined his thoughts were preoccupied with fantasies of marching a band of revolutionaries down this very street one day. He had become so singularly focused on the revolution that it was difficult to imagine him thinking of anything else.
The day was beginning to slow down and all around them were people untouched by brothers in army uniforms or fathers in the hospital. Instead, people were worried about the success of their shops and the business that could be had. Smiling faces looked out at them from beyond registers where shopkeepers hoped that young men and women like themselves would come into their store to make a pricey purchase. Laurel and Liette were fond of shopping, especially in each other's company but they had promised the boys a simple walk home and knew they would aggravate them if they diverted into the stores.
Laurel's arm was tucked into Combeferre's as they walked behind Enjolras and Liette. There was a simplicity to this stroll that Laurel actually found refreshing. She was for the revolution in theory but there were moments when she appreciated the benefits of the life she led. She knew she wouldn't be completely unhappy staying in her place as a member of higher society even if that meant giving up the idea of barricades and peasant marches. Laurel figured she wouldn't be permitted a great part in the revolution anyhow so it seemed like a better expenditure of her time to think of things where she could have power. Enjolras wanted to rid France of royalty and despite the fact that she had aligned herself along with him Laurel still wanted to be a queen. As shown at lunch today, Laurel enjoyed the control she could have over people. The revolution would have a leader in Enjolras and looking ahead of herself now Laurel knew that Liette would make the image more beautiful by staying by his side. Laurel wouldn't be the romanticized girl of the revolutionary leader and therefore power didn't wait for her in that realm but on this stroll she became a leader in her own sense.
"Liette do you think your parents would mind if the boys joined us for dinner?" Laurel imposed, knowing that the boys would throw up their arms in protest but that Liette would bend to her request. Laurel didn't want to give up the attention that Combeferre was giving her and
she was sure that Liette would always welcome another moment to get Enjolras talking to her. In a timely manner they all played their parts and Laurel watched on, a contented puppet master.
"We wouldn't want to impose." Combeferre was a gentleman and so he was quick to react. He looked ahead of him, finding support in the other male. "Right Enjolras?"
"Of course." Enjolras nodded frankly. "Save your parents the trouble."
"Actually it wouldn't be trouble at all." Liette's gaze fell upon Enjolras like it had so many times before. She ignored Laurel's cunning moves to control this conversation but only because the outcome suited her. "I'm sure they'd love to have you there. Both of you." she added casting a glance back at Combeferre. Before she turned her head back to Enjolras she paused upon Laurel and gave her a knowing smile. Laurel's little tricks could become tiresome but Liette was usually the first to entertain them without much of a protest. She had always found that she got in less trouble when she went along with Laurel's games instead of resisting them. Resistance was foolish anyway, Laurel was a slithering serpent underneath the mask of a beautiful young woman and the only way to avoid her bite was to play along with her.
"You can get into another argument with my father about the illegitimacy of the aristocracy." Liette teased nudging Enjolras' shoulder.
"I'd rather not relive that moment," Enjolras' hand rubbed the back of his neck, a tinge of embarrassment coming over him. Fighting with Liette with one thing but arguing with her father had steered him away from Liette's home for quite some time. The heated debate with Liette's father this summer had not been his proudest moment especially when he insulted the man within his own house. His passion had overtook his courtesy in that moment he had found himself quite out of line. He had offered his apologies to Liette to give to her father but she refused to be burdened with such a message. After all, Liette had stood in Enjolras' defense after the argument despite the trouble it had put her in with her father for quite some time.
"Oh come on Enjolras, join us!" Laurel enticed with a girlish laugh.
"It's still hours to dinner, we just had lunch."
"Then you can join us in the sitting room for a few hours." Laurel's final plan was
unwrapped before them. Both men knew that refusing the invitation would be dangerous. Laurel was very good at getting what she wanted and when she didn't she took offense to that. Not many girls could hold a grudge as long as Laurel and no one did it quite as well. The silent treatment was the last thing to worry about, Laurel had much more treacherous methods of exacting revenge than just her silence. Enjolras knew the dangers that came with rolling the dice with Laurel and generally he would have preferred to avoid her games altogether but by agreeing to walk the girls home he and Combeferre had walked right into one of Laurel's traps.
Combeferre was much less weary about the invitation now that Liette was insisting it was no trouble. He had no classes to attend which meant an evening with the girls was a far better option than returning to residence. "Enjolras a few hours wouldn't hurt." Combeferre showed his allegiance to Laurel's team with his words.
"Joly's optimism has transferred to you then my friend, after all the mere minutes we've spent alone with these two could have already caused us battle wounds we'd never recover from." Enjolras' comment had Laurel laughing to herself while Liette shook her head at Enjolras.
"Well now you must come to dinner to make up for such a comment." Liette's lips pursed after she finished speaking. Her body turned towards Enjolras and he turned towards her letting out a sigh as he saw the unimpressed look on her face.
"It was meant as a compliment." Enjolras explained "Though I should not be surprised, you're not an easy woman to pay tribute to."
"You say that as if you pay me compliments more often than insulting me!" Liette stepped forward and turned fully to confront him. It had begun once again. The two of them had been getting along well today up until this point and Liette had been thankful for that but now she stood in front of him quite bothered. Liette felt that Enjolras didn't truly appreciate how often he shoved her away as if she was a child asking brainless questions. It was a game of tug-of-war with Enjolras that he controlled completely. Liette knew she was only deluded into believing she ever had the upper hand with him but the truth was that he controlled their friendship. He decided when they were going to get along or not. This time it was Liette who had technically started the fight but Enjolras' comment had been the thing to trigger her. Enjolras was the one who decided how close he would let Liette get before pushing her away again. It was the most frustrating experience in Liette's life but she hadn't given up on him just yet.
The boiling argument was sure to go off for the rest of the walk if allowed so Laurel took her chance while things were still relatively quiet. "Enjoras just say you're coming to dinner before you two start this bickering as you always do." she jumped in quickly.
"Yes, fine." Enjolras sighed knowing he needn't argue with both Liette and Laurel at once.
"I'm not so sure I want your company anymore." Liette said stubbornly causing Enjolras to roll his eyes at her as he marched past her. He would not have this childish fight if he could avoid it. Liette wasn't so keen on letting him get away so easily so she picked at the fabric of her dress, lifting it so she could match Enjolras' quick step, ready to go off on him once more. Her voice raised immediately but Laurel drowned her, turning to Combeferre instead.
"Combeferre, lets take the path through the cemetery and let the two love birds alone to argue." Laurel teased pulling Combeferre to the left. The stone gates of an old cemetary welcomed them like the arms of an embrace. Laurel and Combeferre left Enjolras and Liette who were too focused on their own battle to notice the fracturing of the group.
The graveyard was old, one of the oldest in Paris and it was not well maintained. The truth was that this graveyard had filled almost a century ago and therefore anyone who would have taken care of the tombstones lining the grass had given up or passed away themselves. The stones had begun to crack and mother nature had begun to do her best in transforming the place into her own work of art. The trees grew tall and the grass remained uncut and patchy while vines snakes about everywhere, constricting themselves around every substantial object they could reach. The place consisted of mostly overgrown greenery aside from few bright red plants that stuck out and brought an ironic lively sense of vibrance to the home of the dead.
Laurel had always seen graveyards as beautiful despite their haunting nature and sombre tone. She had made Liette walk this path many times when they had returned to their neighborhood after a day out in the city centre. This cemetery in particular housed memories of their childhood and the games of hide and seek that they had played when they were younger. It had hurt Laurel the most when Liette's family had moved from Paris because she had been left
alone for some time. Adelaide and Daveney had come into her life shortly after Laurel's departure but for a few months Laurel had been left alone. She had been sixteen at the time and it was in those months of loneliness that she had introduced herself to many of the boys attending her school and in her neighborhood. Games of hide and seek with Liette and her sisters changed to games of chase with young men between the mausoleums until they caught her and stole kisses from her lips. She tried not to worry about whether or not she had given up too much of herself back then and been a fool captured by masculine attention. Laurel's fretting remained on the events of the future, events that she could change unlike the ones of her past.
"They're quite the couple aren't they?" Laurel commented to Combeferre, smiling over at him as he matched his step to hers. They moved in tandem, two individuals becoming one as they stepped in line.
"I'm not sure you could call them a couple." Combeferre chuckled. He was not a man of gossip but he'd entertain Laurel's talk because it was what she wanted.
"I would and you know we all will one day." Laurel said quite confidently. "Mr. and Mrs. Enjolras. They'll lead a revolution hand in hand if they stop fighting in time." she chirped, loosening her arm from Combeferre so she could step ahead of him and break their pattern. She took this freedom and spun in a circle her blonde hair loosening in the up-do that tried to keep it reigned in and controlled. Unlike her hair, Laurel couldn't be clipped into a calm and contained personality, instead she moved freely and with such beautiful whimsy that Combeferre couldn't help but stare.
"You're a wondrous thing Miss Laurel." Combeferre said, switching focus on Laurel and moving past the talk of Enjolras and Laurel.
"And you're being suddenly formal." Laurel stopped her spin to stare at Combeferre, trying to read the look on his face. She had intended to wrap him around her finger but she hadn't expect it to be so easy. The man stared down at it shoes, denying himself the telling gesture of looking her right in the eyes. Laurel expected that he was experiencing a feint feeling of butterflies, a feeling that his medical textbooks had failed to explain to him. Laurel was a well read woman but she was also very aware that all knowledge couldn't come from books, much knowledge came from experience. She had always preferred living life over reading about it.
Combeferre wasn't sure how to respond to her. He wasn't filled with the witty quips that came from Courfeyrac or the suave lines that Prouvaire practically spoke in his sleep but his shyness was a sort of kindness that Laurel respected. She rarely ran out of things to say but that didn't mean she needed her conversation partner to talk as often as she. With Combeferre's silence she was able to continue to lead the conversation in her own direction.
"Why am I wondrous?" Laurel asked quite bluntly, standing still in front of him.
"You're asking a question I could spend days answering." Combeferre's eyes lifted from his feet with his honest and he made the mistake of looking straight up to Laurel's face. The smile that had lit up on her lips was one that deserved to be kissed. Combeferre wished that realm had already been explored by the two of them so he would not have shown hesitation in what he wanted. He watched as her nose crinkled slightly and dimples appeared on her cheeks as his gaze widened her smile even more. That smile was more beautiful than any sunset or sunrise that Combeferre had witnessed in his life. She was the rising sun and he would be her moon, happy to move out of the sky during the day to give her time to shine.
"Do you fancy me Combeferre?"
"Very much so." he was shocked by his own quickness. His heart hadn't allowed him to resist telling her the fact that he had formally suppressed. He had first met Laurel when he had moved to Paris for school and it hadn't taken him long after that to realize she was indeed a special young woman. Combeferre had carefully checked with each of his friends to see what competition he had in suitors only to figure out that he seemingly had competition in everyone. Laurel had never shown a single bit of preference to any one of the boys and therefore it had always been hard to tell where her feelings were actually placed. He had withheld pursuing her in the fear that he would face rejection in his first attempt of making them something other than just friends.
Laurel had found that feelings were tricky and they were best saved for the man you wanted to marry. Even then Laurel had seen very little evidence of marriages in her realm that had been built on true love and feelings. Most wedding rings had been bought out of convenience and circumstance. Laurel knew that as a future doctor Combeferre would be a suitable husband but she didn't like to think that far away. She was waltzing in dangerous territory by making this about feelings in the first place. She knew he was too kind of a man to care for trysts or stolen kisses that didn't really mean anything. In honesty she was getting sick of such things as well but wasn't ready to trust herself with the idea of the real thing. Laurel wasn't even sure if she believed in love, at least not in the capacity that other girls thought about it. Adelaide was the biggest defender in the idea but she had yet to convince her dear friend.
Still, despite her reservations Laurel took a daring step back towards Combeferre, closing the physical gap between them as she stood right before him, the fabric of her dress shifting against him slightly as she positioned herself.
"Kiss me."
The demand was slightly shocking but this time Combeferre allowed his body to take over, his heart guiding it along. His hands came to the sides of Laurel's face smoothly and slowly as he dipped his head down. He stopped just before her lips, his thoughtful mind stalling him in an last moment of doubt. Laurel was not as doubtful so she pushed herself up upon her heels to eliminate the last bit of distance between them. Combeferre reacted as her lips grazed his, his hands on her face suddenly pulling her closer until the kiss was more than just a light touch. It began in softness and in slowness but the tease of Laurel's soft lips against his own awakened something in Combeferre was that less shy and timid about such an interaction. With distance he was able to slow his movements down and consider them analytical but with Laurel as close as possible he stood no chance but to be pulled into her wild whirlpool. He would gladly drown here in her kisses if she permitted it.
It was Laurel who broke the kiss, needed a breath after Combeferre's sudden surge of passion. He crashed over her like an ocean wave, rough and chilling. Laurel surprised even herself with how lost she was with him in that moment. The beautiful green cemetery seemed to slip out of focus until she pulled herself away and forced herself back down. She would not become the victim of hopeless butterflies so soon. She had asked for such a kiss but that did not mean she would just throw herself at Combeferre. She knew that many men grew bored of women who didn't provide them with a challenge. Combeferre was an intellect and in the end
Laurel would have to provide him with more than kisses to keep his attention for as long as she wanted it. As with all things, Laurel attempted to remain completely in control of the situation.
Combeferre took in a sharp breath as he lost Laurel's lips. He wanted to submerge himself with her again, forgetting his own need for oxygen and breath. His mind begged for another kiss, suddenly inline with how his body was feeling. There was no protest in him any more, Laurel had truly snagged him far too easily. He watched with a sweet smile on his face as she glanced up at him and returned to grin. He prepared himself to pull her in again but instead he felt her slip completely from his grasp.
"Where are y-"
"Come on!" Laurel giggled at Combeferre's shock. She could see that she had taken away what he wanted and now he would have to chase her for it. A flash of brilliance lingered in her eyes before her hands clenched the fabric of her dress, lifting it out of the way so she could run. Combeferre reached out for her but his hand just missed her arm as she took off into the rows of tombstones, statues and mausoleums within the graveyard.
"Laurel!" Combeferre called in an exhausted tone that turned into a laugh when he found himself foolishly running after her. He shouldn't have been behaving like this, not if he wanted to keep his head. Combeferre had chased girls before but he had considered it a thing of the past, something that he had done as a boy and not now as a man. He had convinced himself time and time again that finding a wife could wait for after school and therefore garnering attention from girls wasn't that important. He had thrown himself into his studies over the past several years and joined Enjolras in his fervor in the summers. He had been a busy man, not distracted by bits of skirt or torn out of focus but a flirtatious laugh. Now he looked much unlike himself as he crashed through the cemetery, trying to catch up with Laurel. "Laurel!" he called out again unable to find her.
Laurel hid a laugh by clasping her hands over her mouth so Combeferre would not find her behind the status she had hid behind just yet. Above her the stone wings of a watchful angel hid her from her company. She heard the scuffling of feet, alerting her that Combeferre was getting close. She waited carefully, intended to scare when he came around the corner. A figure did come out around the corner at Laurel but it wasn't Combeferre. The man before her was dar skinned but his eyes were as gold as a sunrise and they seemed to glow when Laurel caught a glimpse of them. Her breath caught in her throat when she first saw him but as her eyes glanced down his torso to see an earthy skull in his hands Laurel could not stop herself from screaming.
The stranger fled at the shrieking sound of the girl before him, pushing her out of his way and to the ground as he held the skull firmly in his grasp. He hesitated as he tore past her, waving his hand mysteriously before he ran again, knowing that her screams would have alerted anyone in the area.
What happened next was more peculiar than the man with the glowing eyes. Vines moved from the base of the angel statue and suddenly Laurel's protector became her captor. The vines slipped around her ankles, tightening around them to keep her on the grass. She struggled against them but her efforts were futile as the vines seemed to get stronger with her struggle. She screamed again, terrified and alone.
"That was Laurel." Liette and Enjolras had only moved a few paces from the gates of the cemetery as their argument had planted them against each other. Liette halted her fight when she
heard the first scream, listening once again to make sure she wasn't hearing things. Without much thought she lifted her dress and took off into the graveyard, Enjolras at her heels. "Combeferre!" Liette called noticing the young man frantically looking around along the rows of tombstones.
"I think she's over here!" Combeferre called back, leading the group to find Laurel.
Neither Combeferre, Liette or Enjolras were the first ones to find Laurel. When they came around the cold stone angel the trio found their friend being pulled up by an officer of the law. He was not like the young men who had sat with Barthelemy today, he was much older and much harder looking. His navy uniform was marked with a ribbon that showed him as a man of experience. His old face was frigid as the lifted Laurel from the ground and pocketed the knife he had used to cut her free from the vines.
"What are you doing in here?" the man demanded.
"We're just crossing through." Combeferre answered for Laurel as he watched her lip quiver slightly in hesitation. He had never seen her so paled. The girl was but a ghostly image amongst the group, the wind knocked out of her by the attack.
"There was a man...he had a skull, he did this." Laurel spoke after, finding her voice. "Did what?" the officer asked as the others looked to their friend with worry.
"Made the vines go around my legs!" she explained, pointing down to the cut ropes of
natural green that lay beneath her feet.
"He made the vines do that?" the lawmen's voice was completely flat.
"Yes!"
The group looked at Laurel, unsure of what to say. Combeferre stepped forward to put his
arm around her in comfort, thinking she needed to just calm down. Furiously, Laurel shook away from his warming grasp, stepping up to the lawman and ignoring the others around her. "He waved his hand and the vines came off the statue and looped around my legs." Laurel found her confidence but her words didn't garner any trust from the others.
"I'm afraid you're suffering from some shock." the officer stepped back his face void of emotion. He didn't seem confused or concerned at all. It was more than just the typical rigidness you would see in an office he just didn't seem phased. It was as if he had heard stories like this before and was able to brush them off without a care. "You should take her to the hospital." he said looking to the others.
Laurel was about to protest when another joined their group. The young lawmen stood at attention as he caught the older man's eye. "Inspector, the grave robber got away." Inspector. The man before them was the infamous inspector Javert, the lawmen who had made life even harder for the beggars in the city centre. He was a hard man who wasn't fond of looking the other way when he saw the law broken. He worked by a code and he would uphold that code no matter what.
"That thing was not just a grave robber!" Laurel protested.
"Laurel..." Liette whispered, looking at her friend with a worried look.
"I know what I saw!"
"We should go." Enjolras decided knowing that they were not in good hands with the
inspector around. Laurel could talk to them about what happened in private and perhaps it would
be enough to calm her down. She needed to be taken out of her frenzy so she could think straight. Enjolras was sure once they were removed from the graveyard.
"Be safe." Inspector Javert gave them a nod before turning on his heels, beckoning his young companion to follow. They marched out of the graveyard in the direction that they had come, leaving the others to deal with what had just happened.
"I'm not crazy." Laurel insisted, looking to her friends some support.
"Lets just get home, we'll get you cleaned up." Liette suggested brushing off some of the fresh dirt that had accumulated on the outer layer of Laurel's dress. Liette stepped forward and hooked her arm in Laurel's to lead them out. The boys fell in behind them walking out of the graveyard and down the street towards Liette's familial home.
The old stone house that sat between dozens like it was very different than the Northern French estate she had spent several years in as she had become an adult. She had been relieved by her parents decision to return to Paris especially because they would not permit her to move back to the city on her own. Her mother had stated that if she married a man who wanted to live in the city then she could move back there. She had had no intention to move back to Paris until Liette's father had accepted a position as the head district attorney in the city. The promotion was huge and therefore there had been no debate purchasing this house and calling it home. Liette had been the first one to pack her things, eager to get back to where life moved at a faster pace.
She unlocked the door with her key, knowing that a knock would have summoned the butler and caused Enjolras to scoff at her. Their argument had not been resolved but Liette's attention focused on her friend now, worrying about what state of mind the attack had left Laurel in. Laurel was a dramatist but Liette had never imagined her making up a story like the one she was telling. It wasn't like Laurel at all, Laurel knew these things to be illogical and technically impossible.
"Why don't you two go wait in the sitting room?" Liette suggested as they stood in the front foyer. "Laurel and I will just be a moment."
The boy bowed their heads to the girls before they moved to the right, heading into the adjacent sitting room while Liette led Laurel upstairs. She looked back at her friend, getting a better look of Laurel's dirtied dress. It would be better if they got Laurel into something so her parents wouldn't ask what had happened today. Liette hated being scolded by her parents but more than that she hated when they tried to lecture her friends about their behaviour. "Come on, I'm sure I have something you can change into."
"Li, you don't believe me." Laurel's sadness crashed down, the tone of her voice hallow and lifeless.
"I think you just need to calm down." Liette said, throwing the door of her room open, pulling Laurel inside. "I'm sorry for the mess." mess was not a strong enough word for what was going on in Liette's bedroom. Liette's normally put together room looked like a tornado had hit it. There were papers thrown everywhere, bools sprawled out on the floor, some of them opened and other ones just laying in piles waiting to be read.
"What is all this?" Laurel asked, bending down to pick up one of the books off the floor. "Witches and Warlocks? Liette what are you reading?" Laurel turned quickly as Liette closed the door behind her.
"Go get cleaned up, then I'll explain."
Laurel knew arguing with Liette was probably useless so she moved across the room, carefully stepping over the books and loose papers that littered the ground. Her eyes glanced down trying to make some sense of their contents but what she saw was even more confusing. She recognized Liette's writing and sketches but they were of nothing she had seen before. One page appeared to hold sketches of designed wooden sticks that were labelled as different kinds of words. Another had sketches of glass bottles and lists of ingredients. Laurel cast a look back to her friend, worried and confused as she made her way to the door of Liette's dressing room.
"I promise I'll explain when you're done."
