As Eponine fell asleep that night her father's words tormented her.

"You are a liar and thief Eponine" her father had said with pride.

Was she really?

Did she lie? Yes. But it was only to protect herself, and now to protect Gavroche. She was a thief as well. She had helped her father steal countless times, back in Montfermeil as he cheated customers and now in Paris she often played his dutiful watch dog. But back in Montfermeil she hadn't quite understood what she was doing, she thought it was some sort of game. And now what difference did it make, whether or not she helped, her father was going to steal; by helping him she just avoided beatings.

So yes, technically she was a liar and a thief. But she could live with that, she did what she needed to do to survive, and she wasn't really hurting anyone. What Eponine could not be was a Thenardier by anything more than a name. Her father wasn't like Eponine, he was a liar and thief because he was a selfish coward who had been dishonest for so long that he had turned his criminal life into a twisted sport.

Being a Thenardier, a true Thenardier would be worse than anything her father could do to her. He could beat her, force her to help him in his plots, but he could not turn her into him.

After what seemed like hours Eponine finally fell asleep and was woken hours later by her father's foot prodding at her side. She sat up groggily.

"Good morning" she said. Her father simply grunted, "Well what do you want?"

"I want you to go out and get me three francs."

"Why?"

"You owe me a debt Eponine and I expect you to repay it."

"But I only lost two francs."

"And you owe me interest." Eponine did not know what interest meant but knew that asking her father wouldn't help anything.

"How am I supposed to get three francs?"

"I don't care how you get them Eponine, now stop asking me questions, get out of here and get me my money by tomorrow morning."

At this her father walked away. Eponine sat there in shock, had her father just given her permission to be gone for a whole day. Usually an extended absence would end with her father finding her and a harsh punishment and Eponine would gladly accept this vacation. But how on the earth was she supposed to get the three francs when she had sworn to herself that she would not turn into her father. Had he somehow heard her promises last night and come up with a way to under mind them?

"Still here Eponine?" She looked up as she saw her father storming towards her. He grabbed her by the hair, dragging her to the door and throwing her out. "Three francs by tomorrow, you hear?" he repeated before slamming the door in Eponine's face. Eponine stood up, and headed in the direction of Chiot de Combat. She still had to get the three francs she knew, but she had plenty of time to solve the riddle of how to get the money while keeping her promise, Gavroche came first.

When we arrived at the alley it was once again empty, but Eponine had learned that things were not always as they seemed here. "Gavroche" she called, "Gavroche, Tyce." There was no reply. Eponine realized that it was entirely possible that they were just gone for the day but she liked to be thorough. She started looking behind and inside the crates that lined the alley, as she advanced to the fifth set of crates she heard footsteps and a voice behind her speak.

"Have you lost something?" She turned around to see a well-dressed school boy standing before her, after a moment she recognized him as the same boy she had ran into yesterday.

"Yes, I mean no" Eponine mumbled as she started to walk away.

"Tyce has quite an arm doesn't he, why would someone want to be punched anyways." Eponine stopped in her tracks and turned around. How did he know about that.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Courfeyrac" he held out his hand, "and you must be Eponine."