AVENIR

Chapter 4: The Road to Paris

A/N: I'm back!  Hope everyone is staying safe out there during these crazy times.  I think you'll really enjoy this next chapter.

It's a longer one, but we all have time :) and you'll want to read it all; here's when things start to get crazy!  

Hope you enjoy; let me know your comments below!

We left off with Avenir promising Enjolras that they would travel to Paris to hear General Lamarque speak...

Enjolras's eyes grew as wide as dinner plates. "Really? Paris? Do you truly mean this? When are we leaving? When is he speaking?"

"I'm not sure...remember, I just got here, but you did mention it is 1815, and if my math adds up right, this would mean Lamarque is 45. He should be campaigning in Paris, and you've clearly heard of him. Tell you what – we'll go."

"It's not that far to Paris!" Enjolras added. "My parents will never let me go but it only takes them a few hours by carriage! Or so they say...they never let me out of the house."

So his parents had taken the carriage. We would have to walk. And...

"Enjolras, are there maids in this house?"

"Oh yes, Papa hired five maids which take care of us. I always try to be friendly to all of them, but they don't like me."

"They can't know about me, Enjolras. You realize that-"

"No, it should be fine, they pay me no attention-"

"But I come from the future, Enjolras, and they'll be expecting Ms. Laurent, your normal sitter, to be here. They can't know. Think about it. If they know, their first loyalty is to your parents, even if we could make peace with them. It's not worth their jobs to keep information about me hidden. I can't stay here."

"Well, I'm going with you!" he said stubbornly.

"No, Enjolras, this makes everything so difficult..." I said. "You can't go to Paris, they'll expect us to stay in the house-"

"Wait," said Enjolras. He was thinking hard. "Do you really think Ms. Laurent is a good sitter? You have never met her, but she makes me stay with her all hours. Which means she's in my room or her own room every time. She never goes downstairs. And I'm forced to stay with her everywhere."

"Yes...but what about food?"

"Madame Laurent eats twice a day. Meals are left outside the door."

"So if they see the meals aren't being eaten...that means they'd know we had left the house. Enjolras, I'm sorry, but that would never work."

"Well then, what about this?" he said, taking his half of the magic artifact out of his jacket. "If you could come here from Marseille, from the future..."

"I don't know how I came here..."

"How about wishing?" Enjolras asked. "That's always how it works in stories. I wish Avenir and I could go to Paris and come back without getting into trouble," he said seriously, eyes closed.

I burst out in my harsh laugh of the streets. "I wish that would work, but unfortunately, not only is it broken in half," I said, pulling out my half, "but look – there's this bronze color to it. When the magic worked, it had a golden color to it."

"Like that?" Enjolras asked, pointing at my lap. I looked down once again at my half – the color had returned. I looked at the half in his hand, which was also now back to its gold tinge. "What –"

I was interrupted by a grandfather clock out in the hall striking 8AM. "The servants. They'll be coming. Quickly, now, you'll hide in my father's closet," said Enjolras, thinking fast. He opened the door, and we scampered down what seemed to be a mile-long hallway, him in his red jacket and trim walk while I stumbled about, still clutching the French flag around my body like a dress. He opened the door of the master suite, and I threw myself into a closet about the size of the bathroom of the guest suite. Enjolras put a finger to his lips, then ran off –