My Dear Sister,
A while after I ran up to my room, Father came up panicked. "It's over," Father said. "They know we are Thenardiers. They know we we criminals. They know we lied."
I scowled at his use of "we". I was very mad at him. "What are they going to do?"
"They want to send us both to jail," Father said.
"Don't we have rights here?" I asked.
"We aren't considered American citizens. We lied on our citizenship papers. Then can do whatever they want. They can send us straight back to France."
"I cannot go back to France! I won't!" I exclaimed.
"And you don't have to," Father told me. "Run away. Leave this place. They care much more about condemning me than you. So leave. Go hide and start a new life somewhere."
"Without you?" I asked.
"You're almost eighteen Azelma. Practically an adult. You've lived on your own before."
"No I haven't. I've lived with Eponine! I'm not independent like she is. Why can't you come with me?" I asked.
"Because if I go with you they'll hunt me down and send us both away! At least this way you'll be free. Go north. There are many cities there with factories where you can work. But go quickly. Go now!"
I ran around the room trying to gather my things and stuff them into a small pillowcase. "I'll miss you," I said.
"Don't miss me. You're better than me. You're a good girl. A good person. You spend too much time missing people. Cut the strings tying you to the past and go free." Father spoke truthfully. O just didn't feel brave enough to do it.
"Can I ask you one last question?" I asked. "Why did you want to come here and get away from France so badly?"
"It's complicated. I've been slowly spiraling into the depths of Hell my whole life," Father told me. "I always knew in the back of my mind that I wanted to change from that life. There was one particular turning point that really made me want to change, though. It was the night of the rebellion. I was down in the sewers trying to pickpocket off of victim's bodies. There was one kid, I reached into their pocket to try to find something of value. All I found was a letter, but looking closer, I recognized the letter as one of mine. So I took a closer look at the body and that's when it hit me."
"Eponine," I whispered.
"I decided then I wanted to leave that life. So I came here. And now look at me, arrested again. I don't want you to have to go through this life. I want you to leave me."
"Goodbye Father," I said.
"Goodbye Azelma," he said. I nodded then grabbed the pillowcase and ran out of the room. I snuck out the back door of the house and then ran until I got off of the property. I reached the road Jack, Keeya, and I had taken the night of the party. Where were they? Keeya and Natta had disappeared and I hadn't seen Jack since that morning either. I didn't say goodbye to him and I couldn't figure out whether or not I wanted to say goodbye to him. Just thinking about him hurt. Part of me was so angry that he betrayed me. But another small, yet powerful, part still believed he was being sincere when he said he loved me.
I turned down the road the opposite way we did that night because I knew if I went that way I could run into trouble. As I ran I tried to divert my attention away from Jack and I kept thinking about you and how your body was just lying in the sewers, as of no one cares about you at all. I began to get sick to my stomach, but I couldn't tell whether it was because of you or because I hadn't taken a break from my running since I left. I needed to keep a good difference between me and the house. You always told me to get ahead so you'd have time to think.
I strayed away from running on the road and ran in the woods. At one point I tripped over a branch and fell, tearing my dress and making both of my knees bleed. I ran and ran until I felt a cool breeze then looked to see I had come to a lake. Not just any old lake, Silver Lake.
I pulled up my dress a bit so I could put my wounded knees in the cool water. I looked at my reflection in the water. I was dirt. My hair was a mess. Then I saw another reflection appear next to mine in the lake.
"Azelma," I heard a voice say. I looked and saw Keeya sitting next to me.
"Keeya!" I exclaimed. I was so happy to see a familiar face. "How did you get here?"
"I escape," Keeya said. "I run away here with Natta. With Jack."
"Jack!?" I said.
"Hello, Azelma," I heard Jack say. I turned around and saw him. "Are your knees alright?"
"Yes," I said.
"They are bleeding pretty bad. Let me dress them..."
"Why are you here?" I asked Jack.
Jack knelt down beside me and ripped of some extra material from him shirt. He started wrapping my knees. "After we talked this morning I knew Keeya and Natta were in danger and I felt horrible. I also got very mad at my family for making me tell them what I did and do what I did. It's all about control with them. They want to control the slaves. They want to control me. I couldn't take it anymore. So I took all of the money my parents had been saving for me and I helped Keeya and Natta get away. We snuck away and came here?"
"You're not going back?" I asked, trying to seem uninterested.
"I can't," He said.
"What are you going to do?" I asked him.
"Leave here," Jack said."Go stay with my cousin in Indiana."
"Is that far from here?" I asked.
"Quite far," Jack said.
"How are you going to get there?" I asked. I got up from the lake and started walking around.
Jack followed me. "Walk," He said. "There are some safe houses around. People who try to help escaped slaves. We will stay at them."
I nodded and started walking away. Jack sat down on a rock in front of me. "Now, why are you here?"
"Trying to get away from you," I said.
"No, really," Jack said. "What happened with the police?"
"I'm running away," I said. "Father said I have to leave here."
"Please come with us," Jack said. "I know you're angry with me and you have every right to be, but I need you to come." I turn my shoulder to him.
"Come please," Keeya said to me.
"You don't want to have me along," I said. "They want me to be in jail. People will be looking for me. You'll already have to try to get away from people hunting Keeya and Natta. With people looking for all three of us we won't stand a chance."
"But with you around we do stand a chance. It was you who came up with the whole plan to free Natta, remember?" Jack said.
"I want to be able to trust you, Jack," I said.
"I promise I will never do anything to hurt you again," Jack said.
I looked at him. I wanted to be mad at him. I wanted to turn around and leave. But where would I go? I didn't know my way around American and Jack seemed to. And they were all I had left. I didn't want to lose my only friends.
The truth was that they needed me and I needed them. "I'll go," I said. "But…" I moved closer to Jack. "I'm not going to be so ignorant this time. If you try to lie to me again I will know."
"And I promise I won't," Jack said.
"How long will it take to get to Indiana?" I asked.
"A long time. A month or more. And it will be dangerous. It's illegal to help slaves escape."
"Then the sooner we leave the better," I said. I picked up my pillowcase of stuff and put your hat on my head.
I am frightened. I am frightened for Keeya and Natta. If we get caught they'll be sent back and whipped. I'm frightened that Jack is lying. I'm frightened that I'll never be able to forget the past. The past with Jack. The past with you.
Yet I still always look to you to ease my fear,
Your Sister, Azelma