The Barricade Girl (A Les Miserables FanFiction)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you..." I feel absolutely awful.

"It's okay", she smiles. How can she smile and seem so at peace when I've been lying about who I really am this whole time?

"It is? But...I didn't tell you the truth –"

"I can see the likeness now. I don't know how I didn't realise it sooner!" She tries to laugh, but her eyes still look sad. "I knew he had a sister...he just never said it was you. But now you've said it, it makes perfect sense! You're so like him!"

"Really?" I ask, intrigued, never really stopping to think about it before. "I mean, we're both stubborn and argumentative...makes sense", I joke.

"You're both kind, gentle and caring. You have the same twinkle in your eyes, the same shade of blue. Your hair colour is exactly the same. You both have the same laugh. Your cheeks flush the same shade of pink when you get embarrassed. You're a Pontmercy through and through..."

"Thank you..." is all I can say as I try to choke back the lump that has formed in my throat and my cheeks start to blush.

"See, there's the Pontmercy blush", she jokes. There's a moment of silence between us, and I just stand there looking at her.

"How do you manage it Eponine?" I finally ask. "How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Stay so happy!" I start to look for a way to explain it in the most sensitive way I can. "You have so many reasons to be the complete opposite...but you don't let anything get you down...I really admire that..."

"I have no expectations...I never aspect anything more than what I have. That way, I'm never disappointed..." She sighs, smiling a weak smile. "I've never known any different. I've never had anything to lose...things can't get any worse than they are".

"Eponine..." is all I can say as I gently place my hand on her arm.

"People like you and Marius make things more bearable", she grins.

"I just wish that there was more I could do for you...I could help you find a place to stay...I could talk to Marius for you...anything, anything at all!" I say eagerly, keen and completely willing to help her.

"You don't need to do anything. You do more than enough by just being my friend. And I'll find a place to stay tonight. I'm taking Marius to see Cosette again, so I'll figure it out", she smiles.

"You're taking him again?" I feel numb – she shouldn't have to do that.

"You know you don't have to do that –" I try to tell her, but she cuts me off.

"I know, but I want to. Plus, I want to make sure Cosette and her Father are okay...I stopped a robbery there last night", she casually says, as if it's no big deal.

"Eponine!" My eyes widen so much in shock that they almost fall out of my head. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. It was just my Father and his gang. He hit me...see", she says, lifting the hair covering the side of her face to reveal a small lump and purple bruise.

"Eponine..." I gasp in horror.

"It's okay...this is nothing", she smirks as she points at it. "He only caught the side of my face. He's done worse". I hate how casually she's talking about this – she shouldn't think that this is normal behaviour. I know I complain about my life with my Grandfather...but really, I am rather blessed, and I realise how much I've taken it for granted. I suddenly feel so ungrateful, and guilt runs inside me.

"What made you stop them?" I ask in genuine curiosity.

"Marius...He loves Cosette. I have to protect the things he loves. And, I kind of owed Cosette one".

"You owed her?" Her sentence baffles and confuses me.

"It's a long story. Her Mother paid my parents to look after her. My parents mistreated her, and I wasn't the nicest to her either. I got dragged into my parents' corruption in an attempt to make my parents love me...and I treated her horribly. When her Mother died, Monsieur Valjean came to take her away, and he took her into his care. Which I am glad for. Her life changed that day, and she's a lot better off now. But sometimes, I wish Monsieur Valjean had taken me with him. I used to be like Cosette...I used to wear pretty dresses. But look at me know..." She looks at her ragged clothing. "Look what's become of her, and look what's become of me. She and I have completely exchanged lives. When she left, I still felt absolutely terrible about how I treated her, and swore if I ever got the chance, I'd right my wrongs...I want to be a good person...and so...I prevented my Father from robbing Monsieur Valjean..." She sighs. "And I did it for Marius...I would do anything for him, if it made him happy. I would do anything to see him smile..." I have nothing to say in reply to her, my head full of thoughts, but no words are able to form in my mouth for me to speak to her. All I can do is keep my hand on her arm, reminding her that I'm there.

"I better go before my Father finds me –" She quickly says.

"You can hide out with us if you want?"

"I might come by later, if that's okay. I have something to do first..." She suddenly hugs me. "Thank you for being so wonderful, Juliette..."

"But, I haven't done anything..."

"You've done more than you know..." Eponine protests. She starts to walk away. "I'll maybe see you later", she smiles, and then turns her back.

"Eponine!" I call after her. She spins back around to face me, standing at a distance. "Where does she live?"

"Rue Plumet!" She shouts back, before running off in the opposite direction.

"Thank you!" I shout back, watching her disappear down the street. Wrapping my shawl tight around my shoulders, heading back inside the Café Musain, repeating "Rue Plumet" over and over to myself.