Love is Everlasting - An Enjonine Romance

Chapter 17: Éponine's Revenge

Éponine's POV

The night is dark and cold, I'm shivering but I'm sweating. My heart beats so hard I feel like it's going to burst through the bodice of my old green dress. I clench the heavy purse of coins tighter in my shaking hand and try to calm myself. I'm hiding in an alley that frequents the likes of Montparnasse. Every night he passes through here at some point, so I'm waiting for him to come and find me. Hopefully he'll take me back to Thénardier, and not use me for his own pleasure.

Soon enough, he appears. I stick my hand behind me, hiding the money. He walks toward me, squinting in the moonlight. He doesn't recognise me through the darkness and light fog.

"Hey you," he yells. "Get out, scram! This is my alley!" I roll my eyes. Typical 'Parnasse; always so possessive.

"Don't you know who I am?" I call back. "I'll give you a clue..."

There's a silence as thick as the fog until Montparnasse's rough voice cuts it like a knife.

"É-Éponine? Thénardier?" he questions, befuddled. He keeps walking closer to me. "The Éponine Thénardier?"

"Yes, it's me, Éponine, get over it, 'Parnasse," I sigh, rolling my eyes, almost forgetting the real reason I'm here.

"Heavens, it really is you, 'Ponine," he mutters. "Where have you been? You're lucky I didn't tell your father about seeing you the other night. They all think you're dead or something."

I scoff. "Dead? What do they think I am? I'm not that weak!"

"Yes you are," Montparnasse taunts. "After all, you could barely escape me..."

I gasp and panic starts to flow through my veins as Montparnasse reaches toward me. He snarls at my fright, looking at my body up and down greedily. Then I remember the sack of coins in my hand.

"Wait," I say, taking my hand out from behind me. "You might want to... think again." I was going to say 'reconsider', but the Éponine that Montparnasse knows doesn't use fancy words.

"What's that?" he asks suspiciously, eyeing the bag.

"Money. A lot of it. If you take me back to Thénardier, you can have it all." I bargain, my heartbeat quickening its pace. He leers at me suspiciously. I'm so scared; if Montparnasse says no...

"Fine," he lets out, agreeing to the unusual request. "But you owe me big time, 'Ponine."

My chest stops pounding momentarily as he grabs me by the arm and leads me a short way to a small house that is in shambles. It's my old family home, where I used live. Where I used to be abused and tortured. The dim light of candles shine through the cracks in the door and from the sounds of all that slurred laughter and clinks of the bottle, I know immediately that Thénardier is in there with the rest of the Patron Minette.

"C'mon, 'Ponine!" Montparnasse grunts, pulling on my arm. "Are you coming or what?"

He heaves the door open, the hinges barely doing their job. With a deafening screech, it moves to reveal the people I've been dreading to see. "Look who I found wondering in the alleys!" Montparnasse announces triumphantly. Thénardier and the gang look up and Montparnasse pushes me into the room.

"Well, well." My hands start sweating as Thénardier stands up and walks slowly toward me. "Why have you come back here, daughter?" he interrogates sinisterly, the last word cruel and sarcastic on his tongue. But before I can answer, his hand flies up and a sharp pain hits my cheek. I bite my tongue and press my lips together so I don't cry out.

"I've been getting you money." I retort stubbornly, despite my fear of him. As I say this, Thénardier's face contorts to an angrier expression and he raises his hand again. But before he can bring it down on me, I hold up the bag of money and shake it, the coins jangling and clinking against each other.

"How much is in there?" Thénardier asks as the Claquesous, Brujon and Babet look on, interested.

"Too much, I never learnt to count that high," I reveal to his delight. "And this is just a little bit. I've got more money among other precious things; if you'd just follow me, I'll show you where I've hidden them."

Thénardier nods, captivated by the thought of the riches awaiting him. Too bad they're imaginary.

He motions for the gang to follow as I lead him out the door. They follow me through a maze of alleyways until we end up in a secluded area not far from the jails.

"Bit close to the prison, isn't it 'Ponine?" Montparnasse protests, waving a hand toward the grey brick wall of the jail. I shug, smiling naughtily. My nerves are gone and I'm starting to slightly enjoy this, knowing that it will almost be over and I'll be safe.

"Please, nobody knows about this place," I reassure him. It's a complete lie; we're in the back of a tavern that's crawling with police.

"If you say so," Montparnasse says doubtfully.

"Alright, hand it over, 'Ponine!" Claquesous says greedily.

"You owe me anyways!" Brujon agrees. I don't even know what I'm supposedly owing Brujon for.

"Well, Éponine, where is my fortune?" Thénardier demands, getting more annoyed at my stalling. I smile and tuck a lock of hair behind my ear.

"Only in your wildest dreams," I taunt, as Enjolras and several policemen, including Etienne, come out of their hiding places.

I watch with relief as Thénardier and the Patron Minette are tackled to the ground. At last, the good people of Paris will be safe from their attacks. At last, I can stop living in fear. At last, they'll be put behind bars, never to see the sunlight for a very long time indeed.