A girl full of anger,

A girl full of hope,

A girl with a mother who just couldn't cope,

A girl who felt caught,

Thought no one could see,

Maybe one day she'll be free

She had a crumbling roof over her head. She was deprived of food, clothing, and many other basic human necessities. She associated with the roughest and most dangerous of men, and had grown up with one of them as her father.

She had no home.

Eponine dealt with all this every day. She had much to be bitter about, as so many were more fortunate than she for no other reason than circumstance.

So why then was she focusing on her loneliness? Why, of all her troubles and misfortunes, was the fact that she had no friends the most painful? It had only ever been her and her mismatched family, though once they had lived more joyfully, and had had a little girl as a somewhat servant to do all their bidding.

'Oh, how the mighty have fallen,' Eponine thought as she watched her father in his guise as a beggar pleading with a white-haired man. Though it wasn't as if he had ever been particularly mighty, she supposed. She let her gaze rove over the crowded city street, and felt the sadness and loneliness plague her stomach again. Everyone else had someplace to go, people to visit and to care about them. Then she shook her head.

All this moping and self-pity disgusted her; she wished she were angry instead. Anger was so much better to sustain and fuel than dragging, crushing sadness. But ever since Marius…She found herself casting her gaze to him across the street, taking in that face she loved so much to lose herself in. He never noticed when she did this, would never notice (hope was never something Eponine had in much reserve) so there was no harm. Other people would see and know, but other people be damned.

Then, Eponine followed her love's gaze, and saw that it was locked with another's, a girl's. She felt the most toxic flare of anger, such anger as she'd never felt before, even about her family's fall into (more) disrepair. It threatened to bowel her over, such was its strength. That a blonde bourgeoisie could flounce in in her silk dress and simply win Marius over…

Oh.

She recognized Cosette just as Inspector Javert arrived on scene and stole her attention away.

Later, Eponine would ask herself why she would put herself through all this torture just to help Marius. At the barricade, her thoughts asked her why she was so willing to die for a man who'd barely given her a second glance. She didn't have any particularly eloquent answer; all her anger from before had dried up as fast as it had sprung up. She loved Marius, certainly, and would do anything he asked and anything he wanted and anything to keep him safe.

But there was more, something she only realized as the bullet ripped through her, something she had time to ponder before Marius noticed (at last, he did see!)

There had been something in Cosette's eyes, some unidentifiable trigger that told Eponine she could feel kinship with the other girl. There was loneliness in Cosette, like there was loneliness in Eponine herself.

And Eponine hoped that Cosette would be freed from it as she was now being freed, in the arms of the boy she loved.

Was it my best? I dunno (no; it wasn't) but it demanded to be written and I don't think it would really service it to drag it out longer or really edit. If there are mistakes, I apologize!

Reviews would most certainly be appreciated if ya'll are so inclined! Thanks!