Les Miserables Revolution

Chaper 23

*This will be REALLY short. I'll be trying to post a longer one later today. I'm just getting through with this quickly so we go to the barricades! I didn't want to have this, and the barricades together. It didn't seem right.*

{Gabrielle}

I stayed with Grantaire and Éponine for the rest of the night. I didn't cry again. I never liked crying.

When the dawn came, I immediately walked to Éponine. She understood. It was the morning of the revolution. The revolution would be in a few hours. That was all the time we had left.

She discussed all the plans with me. She made sure I knew which barricade I would go to. She made sure I had the starting song memorized. She made sure I knew everything. She also said she would keep watch of me at the barricade. Grantaire didn't know I was fighting still. I thanked her many times for all of her help. She smiled halfheartedly, I could tell she didn't wish for me to fight. Perhaps she didn't want to fight, herself. It's just beyond either of our power. When you care about people that much, there's nothing you wouldn't do for them.

I hug her and swiftly walk out of Grantaire's home. There's so little time today, for so many things I want to do.

I find myself at Courfeyrac's apartment. I take a deep breath and slowly knock on the door. I wait briefly, and there's no answer. Did they kill each other last night? I wouldn't put it past them.

I knocked again and then I opened the door. I walked inside cautiously. "Hello?" I call out.

I hear a moan from the bedroom. I walk over there. Is Courfeyrac hurt? I walk in and see both of them, asleep. There were a few wine bottles on the floor. Had they been drinking? Together? Well, they weren't fighting each other. It was nice. I smiled and walked over to the corner of the room where Gavroche normally slept. I grabbed my basket that had Grantaire's clothes and place it on my arm. I make sure the clothes are well hidden. I looked to both of them.

I didn't want to get ready yet. I wanted to be able to talk to them. The revolution was at nine o'clock though. It was already eight.

I sighed and decided it would be best to wake them. I tried thinking of the easiest way possible, and the most amusing. So I took a deep breath then screamed. Just once, but it was enough. Both of them woke up, shouting. I smiled to myself. It was a little amusing. They started looking around several times yawning trying to see what made the noise. Once they had become almost fully awake, Courfeyrac turned his attention to me.

"Where did you go last night?" Courfeyrac asked concerned.

"To Grantaire's," I say. Enjolras looks over to me.

"Why would you want to go there?" Enjolras asks. He sounds disgusted. I frown slightly. Poor Grantaire.

"Him and Éponine don't fight over me every few minutes," I counter, looking directly at both of them. "Now, goodbye," I say. I turn for the door, but I'm met by two different hands, both reaching for my wrists. I stop and turn around.

"Yes?" I say. "Something the two of you need?"

"You're going to England. You just planned on saying goodbye, by just waking us up, and just saying leaving?" Courfyerac asked. He expected more. I expected to see him at the barricade though. I was making sure this wouldn't be our last goodbye.

All I do is nod, and quickly run out of the door, before they could stop me again. Marius sees me in the street.

"It's time. I'm going to Éponine to get ready. Good luck to you," I say nodding to him and smiling worriedly.

"Good luck to you as well," he replies and we turn off in opposite directions. I saw Éponine not too long after that.

"Can you help me get ready 'Ponine?" I ask her. She nods. I was expecting to be able to go into a room to undress, but she takes me to a dark alley. I undress and put on the manly clothes. They're oversized. I grab my own old maroon colored jacket and put that on over Grantaire's white shirt. She hands me a revolutionary pin which I place on my jacket.

"What do you need help with?" she asks.

"Well, just the hat basically," I say. Se nods. She begins the painful process of pinning all of my hair up. She then places a hat on top, and puts pins around it to make sure it would stay. When she was done, she nods to me as if admiring her work and my new appearance and walks off.

I try to follow after her, then I pause. I catch a glimpse of myself in a puddle. I look completely different. I could go anywhere. I could do anything. I smiled and walked on. I see Gavroche and keep walking straight to see if he notices me. He keeps walking then does a double take and trots over to me.

"Gabrielle?" he whispers. I look down to him shocked.

"How did you know?" I asked him. He looked up.

"Your eyes give you away," he said smiling. "What are you doin'?"

"I'm going to fight," I whisper.

"Me too," Gavroche said happily. I look directly into his eyes.

"No you won't. They all say you won't be anywhere near the barricade. They don't know I'm fighting though, so don't you dare mention it to anyone," I say.

"I have my ways though," he says mischievously. He nods his head. He won't tell anyone. He had some sort of plan though as to how he'd be able to fight in the barricade. I'd have to stop him. He walked with me for a while until we were back at Courfeyrac's apartment.

"Make your voice deeper," he says. I realized I hadn't been bothering to do that the whole time we'd been talking. This would take a lot of work.

"Like this?" I ask awkwardly lowering my voice.

"Great," he replies happily. He runs up the stairs and I chase after him, only to be met by Courfeyrac and Enjolrad in the hallway.

"Gavroche? Where have you been all mornin'?" Courfeyrac asks Gavroche whose running directly to him.

"I made another friend," he says and they direct their attention to me and nod.

"What's your name?" Enjolras asks suspiciously. He was looking into my eyes. I thought I might've shuddered knowing that maybe he would be able to figure out who I was. He had last time after all.

"Peter," I reply thinking of the only name that came to my mind.

"Where are you from?" Enjolras asked.

"From England, just came to Saint Michele today," I reply, still using the awkward deep voice. Enjolras nods, shakes his head slightly, and looks back to Gavroche.

"Do you know where Gabrielle is?" Courfeyrac asked him.

"She's close. She was with Éponine," he replies. He steals a quick glance at me, but the others don't seem to have noticed. I nod.

"The funeral. We have to go now," Enjolras says. Courfeyrac lifts Gavroche onto his shoulders and they start walking out of the hallway. Courfeyrac turns back to me suddenly then.

"Thanks for finding him," he says nodding to me and walking off after Enjolras. I walk out as well and find a man waiting near the door. They look at me and smile. I immediately recognize them.

"Éponine?" I gasped. She looked so unlike herself. I hoped I looked the same.

"It's starting. Let's go," she says. She pulls my arm and we see a huge crowd of people. We walk into the crowd and are immediately separated. I find my place at Enjolras's side somehow. We wore matching maroon jackets, and identical pins. He glanced over to me and nodded.

I took a deep breath and prepared myself for what was about to happen. It had finally come. The revolution. It was happening. It was happening now. There would be no turning back.