Better Run for Cover

Chapter 4: Streets of Paris

Chapter 4: Streets of Paris

{André's p.o.v}

A bright beam of sunlight shining through the window woke me the next morning.

I lay still for a moment, but then I caught the scent of something cooking and blinked my eyes open.

I glanced around, momentarily confused.

Where was I?

Then it dawned on me and the events from the previous day came flooding back to me.

I sat up and realized I was no longer on the floor behind the chair, but on the couch. I got up off the couch and slowly made my way to the cooking area.

There was a bowl of something I had never seen before on the table, heavenly smelling steam coming off of it. There was a spoon next to the bowl.

Footsteps in the hallway caught my attention and the Inspector hurried by a moment later.

On his way out the door, he called over his shoulder, "Stay out of trouble!"

I laughed softly, "Stay out of trouble? That's all he be's askin'? I'se would thinks he would'a threatened!"

I plopped down in the chair and picked up the spoon, eagerly taking large bites of the warm mushy stuff in the bowl. I was finished in less than a minute and finished off my breakfast with a scrap of bread from my pouch.

"He's only said I'se had to stay out of trouble... He never said I'se couldn't leave!" I laughed as I unlatched the door and ran outside, slamming the door shut behind me.

With the sun shining brightly in the sky and a warm wind blowing, I ran out into the streets of Paris.

As I ran, I put my fingers to my lips and wolf-whistled, three high-pitched tweets. I continued to run, and soon, I could hear the pitter patter of children's feet keeping pace with me from the shadows.

I ran into the center if the city and skidded to a stop beside the massive crumbling elephant statue that served as the meeting place for the street urchins of Paris. I whistled again and my good friend Gavroche's head appeared from a hole in the top of the statue. "Andy!" He shouted, calling me by my nickname, and he vanished back into the statue.

A moment later, Gavroche stepped out from a small opening in the side of the elephant's massive foot. He ran over to me and wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tight.

"Easy does it Gav," I laughed. More boys appeared from the opening in the statue and a few waved down at me from where they sat on the elephant's head. I waved back, then turned to the group that had formed beside me.

"We'd 'eard the inspector 'ad nabbed you!" exclaimed Gavroche.

"Yeah, and last anyone saw's of you was the Inspector taking you's into his house," added Jean Carlo, one of the other boys.

"Have you's no faith in me?" I asked with a laughed. "Gavroche, Carlo, how many times have I'se escaped from the police?"

Carlo laughed. "Quite a bit if I'se remembers right!"

Gavroche nodded in agreement, laughing as well. "Lemme guess... There be some poor guard tied up in his own chains?" He asked.

I laughed. "Na, the Inspector did nab me's, but apparently he's been changin' a bit. Instead a going ta prison, I'se be stayin with him."

Carlo's eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

"WHAT?!?!" Gavroche shouted. I clapped my hand over his mouth as several people walking by turned to look at us.

I pulled Gavroche and Jean Carlo into the statue and the other boys outside followed. Inside, there were various crates, boxes and barrels stacked and leaning against each other to form a table and a bunch of chairs.

I sat down in my normal seat at the head of the table beside Gavroche while Carlo sat on my left and two other boys, Sacha and his brother Amíle, sat on Gavroche's right.

Gavroche, Jean Carlo, Sacha, Amíle and I are the five leaders of the urchins of the streets of Paris. The rest of the boys from outside and the ones that had been sitting on the elephant's head all sat on barrels or on the floor, while the few girls sat on boxes and crates.

"Is everyone accounted for?" asked Sacha with his thick French accent.

Sacha and Amíle are the only ones in our group who actually speak with perfect accents and know proper grammar. They had once had parents, but now all of their family was dead, killed in a fire, so they stayed with us and became leaders. The rest of us just have very rough, clipped accents and terrible grammar because we never had a proper education.

A girl named Élise climbed up onto her crate and scanned the room, counting heads. "Pierre's missing," she replied.

There was a crash and suddenly, a panel of the side of the statue gave way and Pierre, a small red-haired boy covered in freckles fell through the hole, hitting the ground at Élise's feet.

Everyone laughed, including Pierre, and after he slid the panel back into place, he took his seat and the meeting could begin.