Becoming Eponine *A Les Misérables Story*

Chapter Eight

"Last number to block!" Miles calls and I leap to my feet, excitement coursing through my veins, we are finally blocking "One Day More," a song that already fills us all with energy and excitement. I push my notebook off my lap. I had been sketching the rosette Gavroche had gave me, shading in the tiny red ribbony creases as I went. I hadn't felt like talking much, I thought about the speech I would have to give when I fell asleep, I thought of the revolution resting on my shoulders. I move up to the stage along with the cast, Miles has decided to add Sierra and Pearl dressed as extras in this number for he wanted the entire cast to participate.

The air fell silent as Hazel placed her fingers upon the piano, squinting at the sheet music as her hands begun to skim across the keys and the music struck the air. Vi had stepped forward so she was ahead of us all by a few feet. Derrick and Bella were together on one side of the stage while I was at the other. We stepped up just behind Vi as Miles instructed us. Orion, Thenardiers and Sarah, all stepped up at our feet and Vi's cue came. She began singing, her voice coming out clear and crisp and filled with determination. These men who seem to know my crime will surely come a second time... One Day More! With a brandish of the piano notes Derrick and Bella began singing, staring at eachother with ghosts of a smile upon their faces. Vi belted out her line once more and then Derrick and Bella sang theirs, after a few seconds I belted out my line, my voice ringing with mezzo vibrato. I was pleased by how clear and sad my tone sounded, just the way I wanted it to. We keep singing, our voices blending together until I hold out my last line, the vibrato echoing across the room, But he never saw me there! Orion cut off my note and I stopped, sucking in a long breath as I listened to his determined tone. Derrick and Orion begin singing back and forth until the whole cast sings the one line: The time is now, the day is here! Vi belts out her line as Sarah begins singing, her voice stone cold yet ringing, I never thought that Javert could be a soprano but this definitely amazed me. Within a few lines the Thenardiers begin singing and I watch Miles' pleased expression. My stomach churns with excitement for the part when everyone begins singing and their voices mesh together. After a few lines from the students, Vi, Orion and Derrick we all begin singing. I can hear Sarah singing We will join these people's heroes, as I sing, What a life I might have known! It takes a lot of effort to keep a triumphant smile on my face as we keep singing, building our voice up into a crescendo.

Tomorrow we'll discover what our god in heaven has in store! One more dawn! One more day! I can hear the sharp intake in breath at the pause as everyone prepares to bellow out the final note, my stomach churns and I take a deep breath in of the air as everyone sings, One day more! The voices ring out in spirit and excitement, sharp with the desperation and longing in voice, I cannot shield the smile from reaching my lips as it grows. Chills snake up my skin and I grin as we end, the piano stops playing and I smile. We had finally completed blocking, my stomach churned and I waited and watched as Miles began clapping. Slowly everyone joined in.

"We finished blocking!" He announces and we all cheer, excitement rushes through me. "We have two weeks until the show opens!" A grin is wide on his face, "Two weeks!" I clench my hands into fists. General Lamarque, and all my friends could die in the next two weeks. Sadness creeps into my veins and I shake the thought away, I couldn't afford to think of my double life at the moment. I glance around me to find that everybody is cheering, they are obviously extremely excited for opening night. I reach up, as if about to feel for my rosette when my hand falters and drops to my side. I am not dressed in my light gray cotton dress, instead a simple tee shirt and jeans. My rosette lost in another time. People come up and start high-fiving eachother, grins evident on their faces as I return the high- fives and head back down the seats. Returning to the drawing of the rosette, the smile still on my face. Daniel comes over after a few minutes with Pearl as he looks at my drawing he gapes at it,

"Oh yeah! I remember those pins, I should make them and give them out, I bet that's what Gavroche would do!" I feel a pang in my chest as I look up to Daniel his face glowing with shock, that's what Gavroche did do.

"That would be awesome." I manage to say as he and Pearl scurry back to their seats where the three middle schoolers talk excitedly every rehearsal. I take a deep breath, it's finally Friday, I watch as Miles goes over some of the blocking, rehearsal doesn't end for another hour. He's working with Bella on "In My Life," she's perched on a lounge, her hand under her chin as she leans against it and stares at the ceiling, a look of dismay upon her face. I watch as she sings, her voice coming out pure and clear as Violetta steps towards her, singing softly.

"I would have done a much better job as Cosette." I can hear Romilda from the aisle above us as she chats glaring at Bella, "I mean her voice is so annoying, and she's definitely not pretty enough for the role, why would someone like Marius fall in love at first sight with a girl who looks like that-?" I whip around and face Romilda. Romilda is pretty but Bella is much more beautiful, and I have known that Romilda has been jealous of her looks for ages.

"If you were Cosette I'm sure the audience would be thinking the same thing." She gapes at me, I'm not usually one to talk to her, or stand up to her in any way. She glares down at me, blushing her blond curls away from her face and clenching her hands into fists.

"Back off Aponte-" Her voice is shrill and I say the next words before realizing it,

"Make me." She opens her mouth, obviously about to start uttering a string of cruel things about me but I stop her, my gaze piercing and my teeth clenched, "If you think a few words can affect me in any way you're wrong, I have faced things and seen things you will never experience and are lucky enough not to." I was about to continue but I feel someone tapping my shoulder and I spin around to meet the green eyes of Orion, he shakes his head at me. She's not worth it Athena. He mouths, his eyes full of concern as he draws back. I bite my lip and nod, feeling Romilda's gaze on me.

"Or? What were you saying?" Her voice comes out sickly sweet and he turns away from her, acting like he didn't hear her at all. Rage courses through me at the sight of her face, fakeness playing across her features.I look up to find Bella coming back down to the seats as Pearl goes up. I watch her with careful eyes as she sings "Castle On A Cloud." There's something about her expression that seems so real and genuine. There was a time when I couldn't defend Pearl, when I was younger and she was around six or seven. It took me a moment to realize she was quite like Young Cosette. Those times were dark and cold, I remember not being strong enough to endure beatings, yet I still threw myself in front of Pearl. Seeing Pearl on stage wearing the same expression from a time a long time ago sends chills up my skin. I realize that the expression she wears now is one that brings back haunting memories, and I had never wanted to see that look upon her face again.

A/N: Yay, for some reason I really enjoyed writing this chapter even though I'm not really sure why XD Anyway thanks for reading! I'm too exhausted to do much of an author's note but did you guys read the brick? I read it this year and I was honestly surprised on how much I loved it!