Dawn Over the Seine

Chapter 3

Eponine finally reached the marketplace with a look of determination on her face. She headed towards a group of trees as soon as she reached the busy gathering place of the people of Paris. Eponine leaned against one of the trees and waited. Every other day, the girl came to this exact place where she would meet either one of two people. Sometimes, both people came, but not very often. But today, Eponine knew who was to meet her.

After about 10 minutes of waiting, Eponine finally saw the person who she was expecting. She stood up straight and smiled wide. "Azelma!" The young girl ran over to Eponine, hugging her tightly once she reached her. Eponine stroked her sisters long auburn hair. "Hey there little sister." Azelma looked up at her older sister, a huge grin on her face.

"I missed you so much, Eponine. Mother and Papa have been furious. Where have you been for the past two days?"

Eponine sighed. "Nowhere that you need to know, 'Zelma. All that matters is that we're together now. Okay?" Azelma nodded quickly. "Alright. What has Dad wanted used to get today?"

Eponine's sister pulled a piece of paper with a list scribbled onto it. "We need, two loafs of bread, three chunks of bread, and four apples. Oh and..." Azelma trailed off.

"What else do we need to get?" Eponine questioned.

Azelma looked up at her sister. "He wants us to get money."

"How much money, Azelma?"

"I'm not sure. He just wrote how many euros we can get."

Eponine straightened out her t-shirt and newsboy cap. "Well, I guess we should get started. I'll get the money and apples. You need to grab the cheese and bread and then get back home. I'll meet you there when I'm finished." Azelma nodded in understanding and the two sisters split up and walked separately to get what they needed. Eponine occasionally slipped her hand into the pockets which belonged to the market goers who were looking at different stands. After she grabbed their wallets or loose banknotes, Eponine stuffed the stolen money into the pockets of her trench coat.

It was a very simple job for a girl who had years of experience. Eponine's father taught her and Azelma at a young age how to pick pocket. It came in handy for the poor family, but it also gave Eponine a rush. As she stole from her fellow Parisians, Eponine forgot about everything else in her life. Just like when she watched the sunset. For a while, she could forget all about her troubles. But, Eponine did have one worry when she pick pocketed. The law. Especially the one police officer all of Paris feared the most.

The man walked around the streets, day and night. If there was some sort of scuffle, he always appeared in time to break it up. If someone was caught doing something illegal, he would be there, watching them. He always caught all criminals. Well, not all. Eponine's father, Thenardier and his gang outsmarted the police man most of the time when they were committing their crimes. Thenardier taught his children how to get away from the man and other officers, which was pretty handy. But Eponine seemed to be the one who was never caught. She could always get away from the law, but she had never been caught by the certain officer, so she was unfamiliar with his tactics. But if she could get away from all the other police men, what was so different with the other?

Eponine finally reached the apple stand and as she walked past it, she quickly grabbed two apples and stuffed them into her pockets. So far, so good, she thought to herself. Eponine walked back to the stand and looked at the apples. The man running the stand was busy with a customer which made Eponine's job so much simpler. She grabbed a large red apple and carefully put it into another pocket.

The girl checked her surroundings. Finding no officers, Eponine went in to get the last apple. Eponine grabbed the fruit and quickly walked away. She let out a breath which she was holding. Good work 'Ponine. Wait until Azelma sees how big they- Eponine's thought was cut off as someone grabbed her wrist tightly and turned her around. Eponine stared at the broad chest, trying to breathe. No no no. The girl slowly looked up at the man who was holding her wrist which was connected to the hand holding the stolen apple.

Eponine gasped and tried to free herself, but it was no use. The grip on her wrist was too tight, and tightened even more, causing Eponine to wince. "Let me go! Let me go," she cried out. "Please!" The man grabbed Eponine's chin with his free hand and forced her to look back at her.

"Now what have you got here?" the man who was holding her captive asked. His voice was deep and powerful, and it caused Eponine to shudder from fear. The man plucked the apple from Eponine's hand and let out a sigh. "You Thenardier rats just can't properly buy anything." This comment caused Eponine to fume. She looked into the dark gray eyes of the officer.

"I am not a rat," she snarled. The man let go of Eponine's wrist, but she did not run away. She stood up straight and kept eye contact with the man who had caught her. "I am Eponine Thenardier, and I will mess you up!"

This caused a laugh to come from the officer. "Do you not know who am I, rat?" Eponine shook her head, but she knew well who this was who was holding her wrist. He was the one her father told her to worry about. The one she knew she had to be scared of, but scared, she was. The man lowered his face close to Eponine's, so their lips were only a few inches away. Eponine's eyes widened as he looked into her eyes. "Well it's time for you to learn my name." Eponine didn't struggle, she didn't kick him in the knee, but she stood there paralyzed as the man smirked. "I'm Inspector Javert."