Chapter 5

Éponine's Point of View

Éponine was still trying to process what had happened downstairs. Her heart was racing as sat on the sofa. She hated feeling so vulnerable, and not being able to control her emotions.

Gavroche had already ran back downstairs after he asked her if he could attended the meeting downstairs.

As she started to gain control of her breathing, she heard the sound of little footsteps. She turned her head to see that Peter and Jacques were walking towards her.

"Éponine are you okay?" Jacques asked her.

Jacques was five years old. He had light brown eyes similar to her own, and messy blonde hair like Gavroche. She remembered holding him in her arms the day he was born, as though he was her son, instead of her little brother. The boy thankfully barely remembered his parents, and the hell of the home that they used to live in.

Flashback five months ago, Éponine's 18th birthday

Another beer bottle was thrown across the room. Papa had just gotten back with his gang after a failed robbery attempt; two of his men were shot down by the police under the command of Police Inspector Javert. Papa was furious, plus he had been drinking, and God also knows what else he might have taken, which never ended well.

Éponine knew that it was only a matter of time before her father came to her room to take his anger out on her. She knew that if she didn't take the beating, that one of more of her siblings were going to get it. She just could not that happen.

Suddenly she heard her father banging on her door. Éponine had a gut feeling that this was going to be worse beating of her life is she didn't act quickly. Ever since her mother had gotten arrested and sentenced to life in prison, she had taken the brunt of her father's rage. She had to get out of there, but if she left, than her siblings would be at the mercy of her father.

The banging then stopped for five minutes. Éponine then heard the front door shut. Her Papa was gone for the moment, and she had to act fast. She quickly grabbed her cell phone, and ran to Azelma's room.

Azelma look terrified.

"Éponine what are we going to do?" Azelma asked.

"I have a plan, but now we need to get to the boys room!" Éponine told her.

The two girls ran to the rundown room that the three boys shared. Gavroche was comforting the two boys as best as he could.

"Éponine it's getting worse." Gavroche said to Éponine.

Éponine kept calm, she had to for siblings. She looked at Azelma as she said "We need to call him now."

"Do it!" Azelma said.

Éponine quickly dialed the phone. The phone kept ringing until the person on the other end, had finally picked up.

"Éponine what do you need." The man said.

"Inspector Javert. I am willing to hold up my end of the deal, if you can help me, and my siblings out of this hellhole. You said if I did this you would help me find an apartment, and that I would I get custody of my siblings" Éponine said to him.

"Only if you are eighteen, otherwise you will all be in foster homes," Javert said.

"Sir I just turned eighteen today. My papa will be back soon. I figured out where he hides his black book earlier today. That's why I was able to tip you off about the robbery tonight. Are the book, and the robbery tonight enough to put him away. Please!" Éponine pleaded. She needed to get them out of there, but if she ran, her father would have brought them back. She knew that she had to get custody of siblings, but the only way was if her father was put away, along with her mother.

"That's enough. We are coming now. Call using the code word when he is back." Javert said.

"Understood" Éponine said with a sigh or relief. She held Azelma hand, and put Peter on her lap. The family of five held on to each since as though their lives depended on it.

"This is the beginning of the end! Tomorrow we will be free." Éponine told them.

End Flashback.

"Yes Jacques just thinking," Éponine told the young boy. "I need you to get ready for bed, now brush your teeth, and get changed you were coughing."

Jacques and Peter left the small living room, to do what he was told. Éponine got off of the sofa, as she saw he high school graduation photo. She realized that was it was two months after the night of her father's arrest, and it was one the best days of her life. Her parents were not there to ruin it. In the photo she held her cap, as she and her siblings were smiling widely, it was their first real family photo.

Graduating high school was always a dream of hers, one that she sometimes thought would be possible. Éponine was getting ready to study English as the University in the fall, as an English major, on a full scholarship. She was trying to save money for her siblings to go to University in the future. She was determined to give them a better life. She wondered if she would ever have someone help her carry the load of raising the boys. She wondered if she ever found her Romeo, would he be a father figure to the boys.

Éponine walked into the room, and saw Jacques was already in his bed. He was coughing again. She got him up, and gave his inhaler, and other medication. She then read to both Peter and Jacques, than kissed them good night.

Éponine walked into her bedroom. She closed her eyes. She pushed the memories of her past behind her for the moment. She began to think about Enjolras.

He was very attractive. He was so handsome, and eyes were the perfect shade of blue, she felt that she could look into them forever, just like the sea. He curly blonde hair complimented his well-defined facial features. His features reminded him of the Greek god, Apollo from Greek mythology, (one of her favorite things to read).

She did not understand why his presence had such a strong effect over her. She felt like had been stuck by Cupid's arrow, but life was not like her favorite Shakespearean novel. People did not fall in love at first sight, not men who seemed to be well off Enjolras appeared to guy. She was after all assuming that he was wealthy; he just seemed to be well off, not in arrogant way, but in a gentleman like manner.

She kept thinking about the way she felt during the encounter. She felt that had fallen in love with him at first sight, but that wasn't life, well not her life at least. Éponine reached into her side table and pulled out her worn-out copy of Romeo and Juliet and began to read.

As she read she began to realize that a writer had to get their inspiration from somewhere. Maybe a person could fall for a person at first sight. What happened between her and Enjolras may not be love at the moment, but it was the start of something new, and powerful that set her soul on fire, and she knew he felt it to. She had seen the way he looked at her. He looked at her in away that no one had ever looked at her before. She knew that she had to take a chance, and allow herself to be vulnerable if she wanted to understand what lit the flames of her soul and being.

Éponine was happy with her realization, as she heard a knock on her bedroom door. She looked up and saw Azelma enter at her door. Azelma looked tired from her long day at work.

"Azelma, I have to tell you something," Éponine immediately told her.

"What is it?" said Azelma.

Azelma than sat down with Éponine and told her everything. The two girls were both excited. They both knew that Éponine who only took calculated risks when it came to matters of the heart, was about to take one of biggest risks with her heart.

Suddenly it was midnight, and Éponine went down stairs to the café. She heard the boys still down there. She also had to get Gavorche, it was late, but it was summer, and she would get him back on his normal sleeping routine tomorrow.

Enjolras Point of View

Enjolras followed the young boy to another part of the café. Enjolras admired the young boy. He had just meet Éponine, and her little brother was probably going to have a series conversation about her. Hopefully he wasn't going to tell him that Éponine had a boyfriend. Did he really just think that? Enjolras never got jealous about couples, so why did he care if this girl had a boyfriend, after all he had just meet. As Enjolras began to think about the possibility of Éponine having a boyfriend he realized that Marius would have told him if she had one. Well, at least Enjolras hoped so. After all it was possible that the two of them did not talk about such things. He was not sure how the close the two were, but they did seem very friendly, and that they might possibly talk about such things.

"Enjolras we are friends right?" Gavorche asked him.

Enjolras was confused about where this was going, but he knew it was better to just go with it.

"Yes we are Gavorche" Enjolras told young boy.

"I need to by straight with you. I don't tell people want life was like under my parent's roof, but it was hell. My dad ran a gang, and had a drinking problem. If he were angry he would throw things, especially his fist towards Éponine. Éponine took the beatings to protect us. Before my mom was finally arrested for organizing the prostitutes down by the docks, my mom would get slapped across the face, if she didn't bring home enough money to my father. She would then tell him, that if Éponine went down, that she would bring home twice as much. He would then slap my mom and then beat Éponine, since Éponine refused to go down there. Éponine was never involved in any of parent's crimes, no matter what people say. I know Éponine; she is the closest thing I have had to a real parent. Than that guy, Montparnasse, that my parents forced her to date, was a jealous, controlling, wife beater, who knew how to smack her around. Montparnasse and her have been over for a long time, but every once and awhile he appears bringing trouble with him." Gavorche said to him.

Enjolras could not believe what this girl had been though. She was around his age, and she had seen more than her fair share of cruelty.

"Gavorche I had no idea. I am sorry that all of your family went though all of that. This is why I want the Revolution, so this doesn't happen to more people." Enjolras said to him.

"Enjolras I may not understand all of the things Jehan was talking about, but I know you liked Éponine. Just don't treat her like a charity case. She deserves more than that. Be her friend who will protect, and help her. That is what she needs right now. She has a lot of healing to do now. Help her pick up the pieces of her broken heart, so that you can have your chance with her. If you help her than she can help you heal your broken heart." Gavorche said.

Enjolras was once again in shock of the powerful words that came from the young boys mouth. Wisdom probably came with experience not age, he thought.

"I understand Gavorche." Enjolras said.

"Also you need to know that if you ever hurt my sister, that you will regret it" Gavorche said both seriously and jokingly.

"Understand" Enjolras said, looking down at his watch. It was now midnight. Éponine would down in a minute.

"Gavorche, its way past your bed time, come up stairs." Éponine said as she smiled at the young boy.

"Yes Éponine." Gavorche said. Gavorche waved goodbye, and went up to Éponine and gave her kiss on the cheek goodnight.

Éponine smiled at Gavorche. She then walked over to Enjolras. His heart was beating so fast. He felt like he was seeing stars. He knew that he needed to get control of his nervous if he wanted this to work out. As Éponine took a seat next to him she smiled brightly at him.

"So how are you doing?" she asked him. Enjolras noticed that she seemed a little nervous about this meeting too. Was that a good sign or a bad sign?

"I am doing well thank you. You?" he asked her.

"Okay." Éponine said.

Enjolras did not know what to say. "Do you want to get ice cream some place?" Enjolras said. Ice cream really? Who asks someone to get ice cream at midnight? Great work Enjolras. She is going to think that you are a nut case, or even worse some loser who cannot talk to a woman to save his life.

Éponine laughed as she said "there is a place down the block from here, that is open for another hour if you want to go."

"Sure I do, I asked you didn't I" Enjolras said, he could feel himself coming as stiff as a statue. He got like this when he felt nervous or was serious about something.

"Okay, lets go!" Éponine said to him looking into his nice. Man! Her eyes just made him melt, and there was something about her that was poisoning him, not in bad way, but he felt that he was changing.

"Okay" Enjolras said. He got up and surprised himself when he took her hand, and lead her out the door to the ice cream shop.

He saw Éponine smile at this, and he could not help but smile, too. He could hear his friends laughing, and gasping for air from their laughing fits, but he did not care. This was the start of something new to him. When he touched Éponine's hand he felt like his soul was on fire, burning with a new unknown passion.

TBC