Children Shouldn't Live Like This – Chapter 12
The two young boys screamed as they were hoisted to their feet by a pair of sturdy hands. Dropping their load of bread onto the ground, they tearfully pleaded for mercy. Their captor frowned sternly at the two street urchins, gripping them by the scruffs of their necks resolutely, and unyielding towards their pleas.
"We din't steal no bread, inspector!"
"The bread is ours, inspector!"
"Don't lie to me!" The policeman's shout frightened the two children and caused their screams to regress into fearful snivels. "I know you two must have stolen it from somewhere, where else would you have gotten so much food?"
"Please, inspector, it was a gift!"
"And you're honestly asking me to believe that, you little imps? How dare you undermine the law!"
Gavroche's ears perked up at the familiar screams and the sound of an unfamiliar, brutal voice. Hastily apologizing to the merchant with whom he had conversed with, Gavroche leapt down from his seat and set off on a rapid sprint in the direction of said sound. Skidding to the halt at the sight of his two unofficially-adopted little brothers being manhandled by a man adorned in a police uniform, Gavroche growled as he ran forth and glared up at the cad.
"LET GO OF THEM, YOU DAMN POLICEMAN!"
Hearing the angry voice, inspector Javert looked down whilst still holding the two children up, who exclaimed in relief at the sight of their protector.
"Gavroche!"
"Gavroche, save us!"
Glaring down with equivalent malevolence at the boy who seemed to be trying to bore a hole into his forehead with his eyes, Javert straightened his back to portray himself in a more intimidating fashion. His efforts, however, didn't work against the already furious Gavroche, evidenced by his clenched fists and gritted teeth.
"Leave, young man. This doesn't concern you."
"Like hell it doesn't concern me! They're my brothers, you jerk!"
Infuriated by Gavroche's rapid-fire diction, Javert roared.
"WATCH YOUR TONGUE, BOY! THESE TWO WERE CAUGHT STEALING!"
Glancing briefly at the bread that lay on the ground, Gavroche's gaze darkened as he recognized the "stolen goods"; loaves of bread that he had personally obtained for them from a generous shop owner just hours ago. Now positively seething at the inspector's assumption that his brothers were criminals just because they lived on the streets, Gavroche spun around and yelled.
"I said LET GO OF THEM!"
Bravely charging forward, Gavroche launched a leg skywards, which collided painfully with Javert's kneecap. Wincing at the sharp pain that erupted through his leg, the inspector released the two boys, who fell to the ground and scrambled to their feet. Picking up the bread, dusting it off and shoving it into their hands, Gavroche looked back only to see a very angry Javert who appeared to be practically steaming from the top of his head. Sensing immediate danger, Gavroche yelled to his two brothers.
"Quick! Run!"
The two gamins turned tail and fled with their tails between their legs. Following them from behind at a distance to avoid allowing them to be caught again, Gavroche yelped as a hand closed itself on his left leg, pulling him backwards and causing him to fall face-first onto the ground. With a pained grimace, Gavroche then felt his face being pressed against the ground and his hands held firmly behind his back, essentially immobilizing him.
"I'll teach you to help thieves, you little brat!"
Gavroche felt his blood run cold as rope touched his left wrist and spun, ensnarling it tightly. The possibility of getting arrested and sent to prison now very, very real, Gavroche valiantly lashed out at the inspector with his foot, but to no avail. Binding Gavroche's right hand to his left, Javert lifted a very subdued Gavroche to his feet and smirked at the boy, who continued struggling against the bonds that kept his hands behind his back.
"Helping criminals is a serious crime, boy."
"They aren't criminals!"
"I'll deal with them when I see them later, but you had better start worrying about yourself. The courts will deal with anyone as they see fit, even a rascally child. Now, march!"
Wincing at the rough prod that he received from Javert's police baton, Gavroche kept his head low and stayed silent, not wanting to infuriate the unreasonable officer any further. Embarrassed by the few nosy passer-bys who pointed and stared at the sight of a street urchin being led away by a policeman, Gavroche cringed and tried to hide his head in his messy blond hair, a gesture that did not go unnoticed by the officer.
"This is what happens to those who do not follow the law, lad. A few weeks of prison time will do you good, I think. You'll learn to regre-"
"Gavroche?!"
At the sound of his name, Gavroche's head shot upwards, his eyes meeting familiar brown ones.
"Eponine!"
Walking quickly up to the two, Eponine placed her groceries down onto the ground and stared straight at Javert with an accusing look on her face.
"What's going on here?"
At the sight of the young woman, Javert frowned, obviously displeased. Gripping tighter onto Gavroche's bonds to avoid an escape, Javert addressed the young woman, who he knew to be the daughter of an infamous cheat. Having interfered with the family's schemes many times in the past, he had gotten to know individual members of the clan. Their eldest daughter had been the only one who had never gotten into serious trouble, a distinction that set her apart from the rest of the accursed family. Javert's suspicions remained, though.
"Do you know this boy, Mademoiselle Thenardier?"
"Hell yes I know him, he's my brother! Let him go!"
"I'm afraid not, mademoiselle." Javert's hat slipped slightly downwards, shrouding his eyes with an ominous shadow. "Your brother just helped two thieves who had stolen wares escape. Under the eyes of the law I'm tasked to hand him over to the appropriate authorities."
Unable to stand listening to his two little's brothers being accused by the irrational policeman, Gavroche twisted himself around and shouted in the man's face.
"They didn't break any law! I gave them the bread!"
His face red with anger, Javert increased his grip on the rope, causing Gavroche to cringe as the material ate into his skin.
"So you stole the bread?!"
"I didn't…I didn't steal anything! It was a gift from Madame Delacour from the bread store!"
"Please be reasonable, inspector Javert!" Eponine hastily looked around the marketplace in search of the person in question. "Let us look for Madame Delacour, and she can explain everything to you!"
"Your brother is obviously trying to worm his way out of getting arrested, Mademoiselle Thenardier. Now if you'll just step aside, there are things that I must…oh good grief!"
As though she had just performed a magic trick, Eponine seemed to reached into the crowd and emerge with Madame Delacour herself, who had somehow just been in the vicinity doing her own shopping. Somewhat flustered at being manhandled by the young woman, Madame Delacour turned to chastise Eponine, only to see her favorite little customer being restrained by a policeman.
"My goodness…Gavroche!"
"Ma…madame Delacour!" Gavroche tried to step forward in desperation, only to be pulled back by Javert, causing him to nearly trip over his own feet. "Please help me!"
"Good afternoon, madam." Javert tipped his head politely, despite his inner rage at being held back from finishing his job. "I found this boy protecting two others who seemed to have stolen some food. Loaves of bread, to be exact. He claims that he gave the bread to them, which he obtained from you. Is this true?"
"Why, yes, inspector!" Madame Delacour folded her arms as she stared at the officer sternly. "I own the bread store with my husband, don't you remember? You purchased some bread last week with a few colleagues."
As the memory flashed back into Javert's head, he cringed, cursing himself for not recalling what the woman looked like.
"I give little Gavroche here some bread whenever he comes by. Charming boy, he is. Quite a smooth-talker, not that I mind."
At the comment, Eponine placed her hands on her hips and stared quizzically at her little brother, who, now that his freedom seemed to be assured, was more than willing to flash her a cheeky smile.
"Thank you, madam. Let him go, inspector. My brother didn't do anything wrong."
Abashed at his mistake, Javert tried his best to ignore the smirk on the boy's face as he slowly undid his bonds.
"It appears that I've…made a mistake."
Fighting the urge to utter a scathing insult, Gavroche breathed a sigh of relief as the pressure on his wrists lifted. Rubbing them vivaciously to aid his circulation, Gavroche pouted cutely and stared up at Javert with his trademark puppy eyes, before uttering a single sentence in the sweetest voice he could muster.
"I think you owe me an apology, inspector."
The line's effect was instantaneous, causing Eponine to roll her eyes, Madame Delacour to swoon lovingly and Javert to glare at him with as much hatred he could possibly express non-verbally. Hands trembling in fury, Javert slowly raised his hand to his hat and tipped it reluctantly.
"My apologies."
Without another word, Javert tipped his hat to both Madame Delacour and Eponine before striding away, his coattails flapping loosely in the wind. Gavroche smiled as Eponine placed her hands on his shoulders, and continued rubbing his sore wrists. Staring at the inspector from behind, he made a mental note to be wary of the man, who seemed far more bothersome than other policemen during his other minor clashes with the law.
It had been weeks since the first official meeting of the Les Amis. Their numbers had expanded to include a large number of students enthusiastic towards Enjolras' cause. Even some Parisians had found their way to the café on meeting days thanks to the most effective method of information transfer: word of mouth. It seemed that Enjolras' ideas for revolution were agreed upon by a significant population of the city, something that bode well for the future of the cause.
It was, of course, inevitable that the students' actions had caught the attention of the authorities. Knowledge of a potential rebellion had reached the higher-ups in parliament, though no action has been proposed as of yet, the tense atmosphere about the city had grown even tenser as the possibility of civil war grew.
"Did you see the headlines?"
Confused by Courfeyrac's urgent expression and the paper he was flinging about loosely in one hand, Enjolras shook his head. As the newspaper landed on the table at which he was sitting, Enjolras read the text in large print and leapt to his feet, snatching the paper and reading excerpts from it.
"General Lamarque contracts cholera…in critical condition…doctors fear the worst?! This is…"
"…Terrible news."
"Shit…" Letting loose an additional stream of assorted French vulgarities, Enjolras threw the paper onto the table and ran his hands through his hair. Courfeyrac stared at him worriedly. Taking a moment to compose himself, Enjolras then spoke with a voice more resolute than before.
"It's time to take action."
"You mean…"
"Contact Marius." Enjolras glanced at Courfeyrac with a look of tenacity. "Spread word to the other students that we'll set our plan into motion in three hours outside city hall, and ask them to be there. I'll gather our flags and banners, and spread word through the Paris grapevine."
"Understood."
"I'll meet you, Marius and the rest at our pre-decided meeting spot."
With a few more words of goodwill exchanged, the two friends departed from the café with more resolve than before. What they did not notice, however, was a familiar little youngster crouched outside the café, who had listened in to their every word.
Gavroche knew that Enjolras didn't want him involved. He knew that the students all worried for his safety. He knew that Eponine told him to stay out of the crosshairs of the revolution and to not get himself involved at all cost. Gavroche also knew, however, the cause that the Les Amis was fighting for. It was a cause that touched him and affected him directly. When he factored in the fact that his friends were fighting for such a cause, how was it possible to not concern himself with it?
Gavroche was stubborn that way.
Pulling his blue coat snugly onto his shoulders, Gavroche raced off in the opposite direction from Courfeyrac and Enjolras, a plan already taking shape in his head.
Author's Note – I needed an event to divide Lamarque's death and the previous chapter, so I thought a nice (or not so nice) meeting between Javert and Gavroche would suffice. I prefer that something like this happen instead of the musical's depiction of Gavroche spotting Javert on the roofs singing, this one makes it a tad more realistic when it comes to prose, but that's just me.
Shorter chapter this time. I've actually gotten a nice plan for the rest of the story in my head, it should cap off at around 20 chapters of content.
Reviews appreciated.