AVENIR

Chapter 7: Marius Has His Doubts

I opened my eyes and found myself in yet another alleyway I didn't recognize. No one was around, and darkness was falling. I checked that I had my satchel, and quickly opened it and took out the book, my inspiration, the reason I was here. Its pages were still blank; Victor was still too young and had not yet written Les Misérables, so I knew I had landed in a time before 1862. As I replaced the book in my satchel, I tried to hold back tears, fearing repercussions of what I had done to Javert. For I had begun to realize that now, I not only wanted to save Valjean, Fantine, Enjolras...I also wanted to save Javert. I wanted to make him see the good in others. And remembering back to what had happened in Marseilles – being saved by Javert, was more than enough evidence to know that I could succeed. If I failed – then it would have been like I had never gone back in time. Feeling the weight of my situation, I put my head in my hands. I wanted to help them all, and in doing so, I wanted to find myself. I wanted to know who I truly was, outside of that barbaric society of Marseilles. But I had made it this far, and right now, I needed to find out where I was...

What was most important, however, was Enjolras. If only one person was to be saved, if I had ruined all hope for Javert already, there was still Enjolras. I had made a terrible mistake by taking Javert back in time...but I had led Enjolras to Lamarque. And that meant that I was capable of doing good.  I couldn't afford to make another mistake again.

Still thinking of Enjolras, I wondered if I would ever find him again, and I hummed a lullaby I used to hum to myself for comfort back in Marseilles, back in the imprisonment with the other girls.  It was a song about Enjolras:

Where is love?
Does it come from skies above
Is it underneath
The willow tree
That I've been dreaming of
Where is he
Whom I close my eyes to see
Will I ever know
The sweet hello
That meant for only me
Who can say where he may hide
Must I travel far and wide
Till I am beside
The someone who
I can mean
Something to
Where
Where is love
Who can say where he may hide
Must I travel far and wide
Till I am beside
Someone who
I can mean
Something to
Where -----
Where is love?

I fell asleep looking up at the stars.

The next morning, I woke up and jumped to my feet.  I had wasted too much time, and I still didn't even know where I had landed.

I stood up, walked to the end of the alleyway, and promptly got mugged.

I felt a slight poke in my side. The tip of a gun. I whirled around, and immediately recognized Thenardiér. "Give me the bag, little hussy!" he giggled in my ear. He prodded the gun deeper into my side.

There was no way he was going to lay his hands on my satchel. Not only was the book inside, but also the artifact. Luckily, this girl knows her karate. I swung around, kicking Thenardiér in the side. I got behind him, tripped him, and slammed him down on the ground. I kicked the gun away. I knelt down next to him, one foot pinning him to the ground. "Sounds like you better find someone else to pick on. Want to run along home now?"

He whimpered.

"Wanna, Thenardiér? Oh yeah, I know your name. And I know what you're thinking. You wanna send your little gang after me? Yeah? Well, send 'em. I will put them in this exact position. Every single one of the Patron-Minette."

Thenardiér gasped. I had read his mind. "Get on home, you leech!" I yelled, while removing my foot. The little bugger ran out of there for all that it was worth. I huffed. About to continue on my journey, I paused. I felt eyes on me. It was Éponine.

"Mademoiselle Éponine!" I called. She shrank back into the shadows. " Éponine, don't go!" No answer. Another pair of eyes – brilliant green ones – peered out from the shadows. She was not alone.