Ever since that day I was never afraid of heights. I loved that tree more than ever. I climbed it quite often, never looking down or up.

I never thought wrongly of Michele again either. He saved me. Why he saved me, I didn't know. Azelma continued to despise boys. After that day Michele told me he didn't ever think I would ever go through with the climbing. "Most girls would have run like ninnies." He said.

"That's what Azelma would have done." I told him

"What about the 'Lark?'" he asked

"Who?"

"You know, the small one, with blue eyes. I've seen her sweeping your house, and running through the village."

Suddenly I knew who this "Lark" he spoke of was. "Oh, you mean Cosette."

"Oh is that her name?"

"Oui, that's it. I don't know what she would do about the tree." Then I asked what I was really thinking. "Why do you call her the bird…?"

"The "Lark"" he corrected. "Everybody calls her that."

"Do they?" I had never heard them.

"Well, that's what I hear. My Mama calls her that." he explained.

"Oh…" The Lark. I guess it fits. Cosette was so small, much smaller than me. Like the Lark, she was up before all, and at work before daybreak. But the Lark sings and Cosette does not. Nor does she fly.

It was before long that my fifth birthday had come and gone. I was given the privilege to go as I please, but our little town had nowhere interesting to go. I was given strict instructions from Mama of the woods. "Ma petite, you may go anywhere within the village, but you must steer clear of the woods. If you were to go in alone, it is likely you'll get lost in darkness." She says.

"You send Cosette, Mama." I mentioned.

"The wench only goes for water, and knows the woods well by now. And she's far too skinny to be preyed on by the wolf. While you, my darling, are plum, rosy and attractive. How could any wild beast resist from gobbling you up?" Mama pinched my cheek lightly.

It was a warm day in August. I was skipping through the town, hoping to find something the least bit entertaining. When I reached the edge of the village, I stared out in the open fields, and beyond that, the woods. I headed into the fields where some very pretty pink flowers grew. I thought I'd pick some for our table. Stay away from the woods? I think not. Oh yes, I decided to ignore Mama's warning. I walked down the hill. After collecting a beautiful bouquet, I started through woods. I fallowed the river so I wouldn't get lost. I hadn't even gone fifty feet when I heard splashing out ahead of me. I dodged through the bushes, not wanting to be seen. What I saw I couldn't believe. There splashing and swimming about in the river was Michele and his friends. What shocked me was what I saw when a fourth boy, unfamiliar to me, swung into the river from a branch. They weren't wearing any clothes! Never in all my life have I seen such a site. And how ridiculous they acted, jumping and splashing at each other. I must have been there for a long time, for I began to loose the feeling in my knees. I had crawled on all fours so nobody would see me; I knew if Michele or any of the other caught me, they would never let me forget this.

I began to back up ever so slowly. Then my rotten luck had my palm land on a twig, and snap! Michele turned toward me, the others carried on their marry way. He looked around and his gaze landed in my direction. I couldn't tell if he saw through my shield of bushes or not. Well either way, he slowly lowered himself into the water. He definitely felt eyes upon him.

When he went back to his boys play I gave a soft sigh of relief. And I managed to crawl away without a sound.

I returned home with the flowers I picked. Though I began to darken out, I sat on my swing. I don't know why but I wanted to stay and wait for Michele. I guess I wanted an explanation, or perhaps I wanted to tell me if he saw me in the woods. But he didn't come. I saw none of the boys.

Mama called me in for supper. I guess I would just need to forget it. But I couldn't, it wasn't everyday you see a bunch of boys in a river naked. I didn't tell Mama or Papa and thank the Lord for that. I smiled in my sleep. Oh how those boy's cheeks would have glowed if I had reviled myself.

Time past rather quickly. Azelma continued to be a pain in my side and we were still petted by Mama. Michele and I…well I suppose you can say we grew closer. I never did mention the incident in the forest. There was only one thing that held my attention and gave me a twinge in my stomach, Cosette.

Ever since she worked for her keep I noticed that she changed, a lot. She seemed tired al the time. She had gotten terribly frail, her legs and arms were covered with dirt and bruises. I suppose Mama had beaten her more then I gathered. Her hair was dangled and filthy. It only came down shoulder length. It would have been much longer but Mama had cut it short two months before. When Cosette started scratching her head all the time, Mama had cut of her hair, fear that the waif would give us her lice.

Cosette's eyes were no longer sparkling laughing and happy. They were crying, red and sunken in. By now everybody in town knew her as the Lark. She was forever working, never to stop, not till the world goes to rest.

One particular winter was odd yet pleasant to me. I kept receiving gifts from my parents though it was not Christmas. One of my presents was a wool skirt. Papa kept talking about money but that never really surprised me. He was much focused on money, always has been. He was writing letters and reading them aloud to Mama: "Dear Madam, your little is sick with the Military fever. Medicine is very expensive. Unless you send us forty francs within a week the little one will surly die.

Sign, the Thenardier."

"It's perfect." Mama smiled. "She wouldn't want her precious brat to die of illness. The money will slip right through her fingers."

Sick? A fever? Precious brat? The only person they could have been referring to was Cosette. But I didn't understand. Cosette was here and well. Alright she wasn't actually well but wasn't sick with any fever. And who would care? Who would they be writing a letter to? Cosette's mother was gone. It must have been three or four years since I've seen the Lady with golden hair.

It would be years later before I understood that it truly was Cosette's mother whom Papa was writing. It was all blackmail! But I was young, and didn't know a thing about the value of money. Not much anyway. I never knew back then our financial trouble. And there was nothing I could do about it.

(A/N:More to come! Please Review!)