What is Love?

Chapter 36

As much as Enjolras wanted to completely melt into the kiss he knew something was wrong. He immediately pulled away and held Éponine by her shoulders. "Éponine what happened?" He asked as he led her to sit down on his bed. He knelt in front of her and saw her eyes flash from wall to wall. He felt her flinch at every small noise and he moved his hand to caress her cheek. As the two surfaces made contact her eyes refocused on his face. He could see tears welled in them but she cleared her throat.

"I saw my father" she said simply.

Enjolras shot up, "What do you mean? He's supposed to be in jail!" He said.

Éponine placed her head in her hands, "I know. I don't know he got out though but he's out for revenge" she said.

"Revenge on who?" He asked.

Éponine looked up, "On you, Enjolras" she said with fear in her voice, "he followed me on my way home from work and he pulled me into the shadows. He mocked me but then he threatened me. I-I yelled at him and then he threatened to hurt you so I ran home and Enjolras I see everything now, okay. I'm sorry for everything I've put you through-".

Enjolras held his hand up, "We don't need to worry about that right now, okay. We can talk about it later but right now we have to pack some stuff. It's not safe for us here tonight. You call Musichetta and tell her that we will be sleeping there tonight. I'm going to call the police" he said rummaging though his closet.

Éponine nodded and went into her room immediately going to the closet. She grabbed a bag and felt a cool breeze blow in from her window. She heard the door slam and she ran out of her closet. She saw him. Tall, dark, his face red in fury. She stopped dead in her tracks and saw his hands clench into fists after he pushed the lock in. She was trapped, with him, Marius.

"You said you'd call me when you were done at work. You said around 7:30. That was an hour ago. What the heck Éponine? I thought I could trust you with a simple task. Apparently not" he said advancing towards her.

"Enjol-" she begins to scream before she gets pushed back into a wall. The breath is knocked out of her chest and she couldn't speak.

"Stop calling for your guard dog. I asked you a question, Éponine" he said angrily, "Where were you? We had plans tonight, remember?"

She managed to catch her breath but he still panted. "I saw my dad" she said, there was no way he was going to tell him about Cosette, but Éponine could see that Cosette was right. It was all Marius's fault. "I was walking home after work and I got pulled off into the shadows by him" she said.

"Your father is in jail Éponine. That is the worst excuse. I can't believe you would lie to me about something like that" he said through gritted teeth.

"I'm not lying" she said but she was cut off by him swinging his arm around and his fish connected with her face. She screamed and slammed to the floor trying to be as loud as she could. "Marius please its true" she cried but his leg shot out and kicked her face. She could feel herself getting lightheaded but she forced herself to keep consciousness. She pushed herself up to a standing position with the help of her closet doorknob.

However, as soon as she stood up Marius was on her gripping her neck tightly.

As he began to lift her off the ground she heard a knock at the door, "Eponine? You okay?" Enjolras called in.

She could feel herself losing breath but still she managed to call to him with some force, "Help".

Enjolras heard and began to twist the doorknob, only to find it locked. "Shit" she heard him mutter as he began to pound on the door.

Éponine smiled but it was quickly wiped off her face as Marius released her neck and she fell to the floor. Éponine could see an evil smile on his face as he pulled her up by her hair.

He slammed her back against the wall and sneered in her face, "You want his help now? This isn't even bad. Ill give you something to scream about" he said as he held his fist up. He swung continuously at her hitting her face, neck, and stomach.

She couldn't breath and she felt herself losing condiousness again. She fell to the floor listening to Enjolras furiously working to break down the door, but by the time he did it would be too late. She could be dead. How could she have been so stupid as to think Marius actually loved her? It made her sick to think that she actually had been making excuses for him all this time. She hated herself, and now that she knew what Marius was really like she couldn't leave him or else something worse would happen. She would end up like Cosette fearful of even seeig his face as he passed her in the hallway at school. He continued to kick her on the floor and just as she was sure she was going to pass out the door slammed open and Enjolras stumbled in. She saw him search the room until his eyes finally made contact with hers. "Éponine!" He yelled as he tried to get to her, but that was the last thing she saw as Marius kicked her one last time sending her into nothingness.