Beyond The Barricade | les misérables

thirty four

A week had passed since my return and it was the most relieving week ever.

I stayed at the house and Enjolras refused to leave my side. Even Marius had decided to stay here with Cosette, who I learned was his now wife. I was barely allowed anywhere on my own but oddly, I was okay with that.

I sat in my bed with Enjolras beside me, his arm wrapped loosely around my waist as my head rested on his chest. He kissed the top of my head and grabbed my hand. He started messing with the ring on my finger silently. I smiled and shifted closer to him.

"When are we gonna make this promise real life?" he mumbled.

"Whenever you ask my father if it's okay," I joked. He shook his head and interlaced our fingers slowly.

"I think he'll be fine, let's just do it."

"That's not how it works, Enjolras."

"It is now."

I laughed and leaned away to look at his face. He was smiling at me. Something had changed in him since I showed up. The way he looked at me was different now.

"I missed you," he whispered. "I missed you so much."

He kissed my forehead and held me closer, resting his chin on my head.

"I'm here now," I mumbled. It was peaceful. There was no pressure, no expectations, no higher cause looming over our heads. It was just us together. That was how it should be.

I let my head rest on his chest and breathed slowly. To me, it had been days. Days since everyone we knew lost their lives. Days since the barricade fell. But, I knew for him and everyone around me it had been a long year of healing. By the way he held onto me, I could tell he had never let himself heal fully.

I let my eyes close, falling asleep with Enjolras beside me. I shifted my body closer to his and got comfortable.

My eyes snapped open and I was back at the barricade again. My body ached and my hands were coated with blood. I tried to push myself up but a sharp pain stopped me. Anthony stood over me, a gun in his hand.

"Did you think you could escape me?" he said, a dark look in his eye. I felt my heartbeat quicken and I couldn't catch my breath anymore. I felt like I was on fire. He smiled at me evilly and stabbed a knife into me. I let out a scream and he laughed in my face.

"Weak girl."

Anthony turned around and he grabbed at something. I looked up and there was Enjolras. He was covered in the same amount of blood as I was. He had wounds and his red jacket was nearly torn to shreds. I felt the tears before I could even acknowledge the emotions that had made their way into my system.

"You honestly think you can be with him? He doesn't love you, he loves your ideas. He loves that you helped his revolution. He'll be gone when he realizes that."

I shook my head and Anthony grabbed onto Enjolras jacket, pulling him forward. I was frozen in my spot as he pressed the gun to Enjolras' head. I couldn't speak, the words caught in my throat whenever I tried to say them. I tried to scream, call for help, anything.

There was a bang and blood splattered everywhere. Enjolras fell next to me, laying lifeless as blood poured. I grabbed onto him and looked at Anthony. He vanished and the scenery changed. I was locked in that cold room again. I still couldn't stand. I struggled in the bed as Anthony came in, an evil smirk on his face.

"Where's your protector now?" he said, taking slow strides toward me. He got closer and I tried to make myself sit up, feeling the tears fall.

"Hyacinth," he taunted. His hands were on me now, running down my arm.

"Hyacinth," he said again.

"Hyacinth!" This time it was urgent, and it wasn't Anthony.

I closed my eyes and when I opened them again, I was back in my room. I gasped and could feel my heart pounding in my chest. My face was wet from the tears and I sat straight up.

A hand hit my back and I flinched, turning around.

"It's me," Enjolras mumbled, his hand hovering over me. "It's just me."

I could see the worry in his eyes and I broke. He grabbed onto me and held me against his chest. I gripped onto his clothes and felt his hand run through my hair. I cried against him, my body shaking in his arms. He kissed the top of my head and pulled me closer.

"You're okay," he whispered. "I'm here."

I tried to calm myself down, trying to force my breathing to go back to normal. I could still see it. It was so real. He was still out there. Still walking free. She was with him. Would they come for me again? What would happen if they did?

I heard the door open and felt Enjolras turn his head. I heard footsteps and then someone sat next to us. I turned my head and met eyes with Marius. My father stood in the doorway with Cécile. They all looked at me with the same look.

Fear.

Marius put his hand on my arm and looked at Enjolras. I took a deep breath as he looked back at me.

"Breathe," he whispered to me. "Breathe with me."

He breathed in deeply and held it for a second, watching me as I followed his lead. He exhaled and so did I. He repeated a couple times until my breathing had started to calm down. Enjolras rubbed my back softly.

Father came closer and stood behind Marius. This was the first time this had happened. A week without any of this madness.

Father seemed to know exactly what was happening in my head. He gave me a small smile and put his hand on me. I saw him glance at Enjolras and nod once. Enjolras hesitantly let go of me and Father grabbed onto me. He pulled me into a hug and I wrapped my arms around his neck slowly.

"You're safe here. I won't let them so much as look at you," he whispered into my ear. I held onto him and didn't want to let go. I couldn't close my eyes now. He was there with his evil glare. Father rubbed my back and I glanced over at Cécile. She stared at me, her fists clenched at her side. When I looked at her she slowly walked over to me, sitting next to me. I let go of our father with one hand and grabbed onto Cécile's hand.

I pulled back and Marius stared at me.

"Are you okay? Do you need anything?" he said, putting a hand on my shoulder. I shook my head and tried to force a smile.

Father stood up and looked down at me. I watched him closely in silence. As he turned away, I felt a hand on my side. I looked over my shoulder at Enjolras and his eyes were soft. I'd never seen him like this before. Marius looked at him as Father pushed Cécile out of the room.

"I'm gonna stay in here," he said. Enjolras nodded and pulled me toward him. I moved to sit with him and rested my head on him again. I put my hand on top of his and tried not to think about the dream. I listened to Enjolras' heartbeat, feeling like nothing else mattered. He was here and that was enough.