The Changed Girl

8. Do You Hear?

Chapter Eight: Do You Hear?

"Hurry!" Ephonie hissed in my ear as we hurried towards the square where the others were already gathered in the crowd, waiting for the funeral to start. Ephonie and I kept our heads down as we found a spot next to Courfeyrac at the front of the crowd. Across the quiet street I spotted Marius standing with Jehan and a few others from the café.

It finally started as I watched down the road as the carriage that carried Lamarque's coffin came closer to our spot. There were police all around us, keeping the people off the street. How could this happen?

"Do you hear the people sing?" Enjolras started the song in a whisper and more of us quickly joined in making the words loud enough for all to hear around us. "Singing the song of angry men. It is the music of a people who will not be slaves again. When the beating of your heart echoes the beating of the drums there is a life about to start when tomorrow comes."

"Will you join in our crusade? Who will be strong and stand with me?" We all started to break through the barriers as the carriage reached us. Enjolras started to wave a large red flag while others had flags of France. I had to admit to myself that it was beautiful in a way. "Beyond the barricade is there a world you long to see?"

"Then join in the fight that will give you the right to be free!" I couldn't help but watch in admiration as Courfeyrac climbed onto the carriage with Marius, Enjolras, Joly, Jehan, and Combeferre. They all looked like heroes and I guess in a way they were. "Do you hear the people sing? Singing the song of angry men. It is the music of a people who will not be slaves again! When the beating of your heart echoes the beating of the drums there is a life about to start when tomorrow comes. Will you give all you can give? So that our banner may advance! Some will fall and some will live! Will you stand up and take your chance? The blood of the martyrs will water the meadows of France! Do you hear the people sing? Singing the song of angry men! It is the music of a people who will not be slaves again! When the beating of your heart echoes the beating of the drums there is a life about to start when tomorrow comes!"

The song ended as the carriage came to a halt and the men drew their guns and aimed them at the wall of officers in front of us. I clung onto Ephonie's arm as we waited for something to happen and then it did. The gunshot broke through the quiet air and hit an old woman a few feet in front of me. I watched as she fell to the ground, dead.

"She was innocent!" Jehan yelled at the officers as two other men went and pulled out the soldier that had fired. As soon as they shot him in the the police came running at us with guns aimed and swords in hand. Everyone jumped off the carriage and into action.

"To the barricades!" Enjolras' voice called above the fighting. With Ephonie at my side we ran towards the café where we knew the barricade was to be set up. When we reached there though we were greeted by falling furniture as people threw it out their windows to help us build the barricade. As we pushed the furniture into placed gunfire continued to ring out and I felt a stinging in my arm but I ignored it as I kept working with the others.

"We need someone to go and figure out their plans!" Enjolras called as we finally finished with the building of the barricade.

"I can find out the truth!" A familiar looking old man volunteered. "I know their ways. Fought their wars, served my time in the days of my youth!"

"Now the people will fight!" Jehan smiled as he handed the old man a gun and patted him on the shoulder.

"I pray you're right," Grantaire took a pull from his wine bottle. With that the man was off and I found my way to the empty ally the café. I sat down on a broken crate and slowly pulled back my bark blue shirt that looked almost black. Sure enough I found my arm bleeding from a gunshot just below my shoulder.

"Are you alright boy?" I recognized Grantaire's voice as he came down the ally. I kept my head down in hopes that he wouldn't recognize me as he looked at my arm. "Damn Aloe, how did you already manage to get shot?"

"How did you know it was me?" I hissed at him.

"Two other guys got hit and you're the only one who didn't go to Joly for help." He rolled his eyes at me. "Plus Gavroche went looking for you this morning and couldn't find you anywhere. So is fighting still foolish?"

"Shut up and just help me with my arm." I glared at him as he pulled some clean cloth from his pocket and tied it around my gunshot wound before I fixed my shirt.

"Why are you here anyway?" He sat back and took a pull of his wine bottle as I relaxed against the wall's cold stones.

"I said your plans were stupid, not that they weren't right." I grinned. "Besides, if I wasn't here who would protect you all?"

"You mean protect Courfeyrac." He returned my frown with a smile. "He came back to the café after you ran off this morning. I overheard him talking with Jehan about you. He told him how you'd kissed him on the cheek and how he'd wanted to tell you how he felt but he didn't think it was right to do that to you since we're all pretty much dead. He said that he's fallen in love with you."

"How do I know this wasn't just some drunk dream you had?" I bit my lip.

"I can go and get Jehan," he offered as we both got back up to our feet.

"Don't you dare." I grabbed his arm with my bad one and tried to ignore the pain that ripped through me. "I don't want anyone to know that I'm here."

"Fine," he held up his hand as if he were surrendering. "Just make sure to watch what you're doing and try not to get shot again."

"I'll do my best," I chuckled as we walked down to the front of the café. I spotted Marius, Enjolras, Combeferre, and Jehan all at the top of the barricade with people I didn't recognize and then I spotted Courfeyrac and Gavroche lower down on it talking with one another. I wanted to run over and drag Gavroche out of this place but I knew I couldn't so I walked over to where Ephonie was sitting at the bottom of the barricade just watching out at the empty street on the other side. Now all we could do was wait.