DISCLAIMER: Story's based on Victor Hugo's Les Misérables. I do not own any of the characters, even though some are gender-bent they're still from Les Misérables. ;]
Éponine went straight home a while after receiving the large sum of money she received from the benevolent young woman earlier. She had feared that the chance of being robbed would heighten as the night grew darker and that wouldn't have been the first time it would happen.
She took a peek in her brothers' room making sure they were safe and sound asleep; he couldn't see much of Gustavé because he was wrapped under his blanket, but she assumed he was now sleeping in peace despite their fit earlier. Satisfied with what she saw she proceeded to their multi-purpose room. From there, she took a chair and placed it near the window where she stayed and pensive. She rested her arms on the windowsill and laid her head on it, gazing up at the stars.
Oh what the hell am I supposed to do? She thought. We can't go on living like this. Why did maman have to die? And where is papa when we need him? He said he'd come back for us. I'm still a kid, I'm still sixteen. Éponine didn't even notice that she was crying already, this entire setback had overcome her. Out of frustration, she punched through the window, breaking the glass, causing small glass shards to puncture her skin. She fell down on her knees trying to endure the prickling sensation and pretended to be numb. She had always tried to be numb whenever she senses pain in her life, she's been alright with that and had make a habit out of it. What is a physical wound to her anyway when her life is practically bruised and battered?
Moments later, the front door was swung open by a girl slightly younger than Éponine with a shoulder-length, light brown hair, settled by a pink headband.
"'Ponine, the opera was amazing tonight, you should've— 'Ponine! You're bleeding! Oh God, it's everywhere!"
"It's nothing Zelda," Éponine winced.
"Are you fucking serious? Gah! Hold on!" Zelda rushed to their cupboard to see if anything could be used to close Éponine's wounds. She immediately took a cloth remnant that would do for as a bandage.
"H-hold on 'Ponine!" Zelda went to their bathroom looking for her tweezers to remove the shards from her skin. When she found them, she took a small basin, filled it with water then took a clean rag and brought them to Éponine. Zelda sat next to her, pulling out all the shards from Éponine's skin then dabbed the now soaked cloth to clean her wounds.
"What the hell were you thinking? Why did you do that 'Ponine?" Zelda questioned.
"Shh! You'll wake the boys up." Astonished with Éponine's reply, Zelda said,
"I don't give a damn! You've just wounded yourself and you could still think about that?" Zelda looked very worrisome at her sister, she was wounded but Zelda was the one panicking not her. Zelda wondered if Éponine really didn't feel anything with that big a cut.
"Why did you this Éponine?" she asked while wrapping
"Just wondering if I could still feel pain, after all we've been through." She smiled, "Don't worry Zelda, I don't feel any pain, this cut barely hurt me."
"You're crazy 'Ponine." Zelda chuckled, trying to feel better about all this. "I know you've been working hard for us, and I'm sorry I'm not much of a help. But that'll change now 'Ponine! Starting tomorrow, I will sing at the park for money! I think my voice is well enough to give money for, don't you?"
"I think you're a wonderful singer Zelda." Éponine agreed.
"And who knows, maybe there'll be a talent scout there or maybe actors from the opera and they'd ask me to sing for a living! I will be famous, and we won't be poor anymore!" Zelda's determination sparkled in her eyes. That was what she had always wanted anyway, to be a performer in the arts, anything at all as long as she was performing.
"That's really great Zelda! We'll work our hardest, right?" Zelda nodded in agreement and hugged her sister tightly.
It was a very unreasonable time of the night for anyone to still be out strolling in the park, yet that's exactly what Enjolras was doing. He just wasn't in the mood to argue with his father again, although by now he was probably sleeping but the gates of their house are locked and he can't knock and expect his father won't get up to yell at him again. He sighed at this very stupidly clichéd situation he was in.
I'm a very influential man's only son, I'm pretty sure I've seen this situation many times in films and also in fictional books I read when I have nothing in my hands, he thought. I wish I was Colin, his father just wants the best for him. Can't my father swallow his pride for once in his life? Moments later he got a bit tired of walking all night and found himself a nearby bench to sit, contemplate and gaze upon the stars on. He took off his jacket and laid it beside him even though he was just wearing a t-shirt and the wind was bringing in the cold air. I wish my dad had an illegitimate son somewhere, and then I'd lay the entire burden on him. He chuckled at that idea; his father was too much of a 'law-abiding citizen' for something like that to happen. He just sat there for a while, stargazing, looking for his favourite constellations when he felt someone pass by. He didn't see anyone in front of him, and neither did he see his jacket anywhere near him. A few meters to his right, he could see a dark figure moving fast into the horizon. Shit. I should've expected this. He got on his feet and started to chase the burglar.
"Hey! Hey wait!"
"'Ponine! Gustavé isn't in the room!" cried Zelda, waking Olivier and Nicolas up. Éponine immediately ran to Zelda to see it for herself. As it turns out, what Éponine saw earlier underneath the blanket, was nothing but a pillow.
"He must be mad at me for earlier, I shouted at him when he just wanted to help."
"'Ponine, is everything okay? Where's Gustavé." asked Nicolas.
"Yes Nico everthing's fine, Gustavé's just, umm..just playing hide-and-seek." Zelda lied.
"Can we look for him too? We're very good at hide-and-seek." Olivier cried cheerfully.
"No, I'm 'it' so I have to look for him, okay? Now go back to sleep." answered Éponine. The boys were sad but they agreed to her anyway. Éponine tucked them back into beds then she told Zelda,
"I'll look for Gustavé. I know he's old enough to take care of himself but I'm still worried. You stay here and watch these two, alright?" Zelda nodded and offered her worn out jacket to protect Éponine from the cold night.
"I'll be right back." Éponine smiled, reassuring Zelda.
The person who took Enjolras's jacket was becoming vague every now and then but was still visible. He caught up with the burglar earlier and found out it was just a kid.. Damnit, all my money's in there! When will this kid tire out?
"Hey kid! Just give me back my jacket, I'll give you money and won't tell the cops, come on!" he shouted, hoping that the kid would give into it. The kid did slowed down and was about to come into a full stop until someone called,
"Gustavé! Where are you?"
The kid began running again and made a detour, away from where the voice came from. Luckily, Enjolras was agile, he turned to the same direction the kid turned to then he jumped and reached out as far as he can and grabbed the kid by the leg.
"Let me go! Let me go!" The kid tried to kick his way out of Enjolras grasp but he failed and wore out quickly after that entire chase and all. Enjolras pulled himself up, then took hold of the kid by the arm and helped him up as well.
"Gustavé, aren't you?" asked Enjolras.
"How did you know?" Gustavé barked.
"Someone was calling you earlier and made you run to a different direction. I suppose you do know that person?"
"What's it to ya?"
"Gustavé! Please come home!" the voice was getting nearer and nearer to their direction.
"Let me go! Please!" Gustavé begged.
"Alright, first give me that jacket." Said Enjolras and the kid reluctantly gave back the jacket to its owner.
"Gustavé!" The caller happened to be Éponine and was just directly behind them and saw the whole thing.
"Shit." Gustavé said under his breath.
"Why did you have this man's jacket? Did you steal it from him?" Gustavé was about to answer Éponine but Enjolras did it for him.
"No actually, he said he was just cold so I let him borrow my jacket."
"Really?" asked Éponine.
"Yes. He said he was begging all night but no one empathized to give money so," Enjolras rummaged through his jacket's pocket and found fifty francs, when he pulled it out, the handkerchief he found earlier fell on the ground. "Here." He handed Gustavé the money.
"My handkerchief!" Éponine exclaimed. "I was looking for it." She got down immediately and recovered her misplaced handkerchief.
"So you're Frances? It says so on the handkerchief."
"Y-yes, Monsieur."
"Just like the name of our motherland, you, your kind is what people should be fighting for, your name suits you."
Éponine didn't utter a single word, she had no idea what Enjolras was talking about so she didn't want to sound stupid.
"Hey, I think my friend caught up with you earlier, she had told me good things about you."
"Did she have brown, curly hair?"
"That's her, her name's Marie-Antoinette."
"A beautiful name, just like her. She's been very kind to me, I really like her."
"It's hard not to like her, huh?"
"Do you like her, monsieur?" Enjolras was a bit surprised at the question, Éponine was too, seeing as it was a bit personal and he doesn't even know the man. "Oh, I'm sorry monsieur; I didn't mean to poke around your personal business."
"That's alright," he chuckled. "But to answer your question, yes I do like her, but only as a friend, nothing more. She's already busy with someone else anyway."
"Oh." Was all Éponine could say, she didn't know why she had felt slightly disappointed.
"Well, it's really dark and dangerous now; I should escort you to your home." Enjolras suggested.
"Th-there's really no need for that monsieur. I'll be alright with Gustavé," she was about to look at Gustavé for help but he was not behind Enjolras anymore.
"Guess he got a head on without you. He probably didn't want the idea of being told off by you." Said Enjolras. "I'll take you home now."
"No, please monsieur…I'm sorry what's your name?"
"Enjolras, Émerich Enjolras."
"Right, Monsieur Enjolras, you've done enough help now. I know my brother stole from you; and you were kind enough to lie about it when you saw me get mad at him, you even gave money! Who even does that?"
"I just did." He smirked and Éponine smiled shyly.
"I'll be going now, thank you again, monsieur." She turned around and sped off leaving Enjolras alone.
"What a long day this was." He said and headed home.
A/N: Oh my Patria. I think my wordings sucked! I hope you liked the way the story went so far though! :O