Memoirs of Les Amis de l'ABC

Chapter Eighteen: I Can Feel it Coming in the Air Tonight

It was the the twentieth of October as Sybill Fauchelevent and Cosette Fauchelevent knelt in the pews at the Notre-Dame Cathedral for the first time since they had arrived in Paris. Both of the girls had felt ashamed that they had neglected their religious practices in such a way. They knew the cause of this avoidance. It was because of their engagement in practices that the priest at confessional would look on as unholy considering how ever since they arrived in Paris the two girls had been almost exclusively in the company of men. It was hardly a customary practice by any means. Cosette fully repented her sinful stolen kiss or two with Marius out of wedlock while Sybill stayed silent on hers with Enjolras. The latter felt no remorse and therefore sought no repentance.

The great cathedral showed far off in the distance as the pair travelled back across the Seine towards the center of Saint-Michele. It was now well past noontide, and Cosette was anxious to meet with Marius. It had been arranged that after church Cosette and Marius would meet in Madame Dubois's bakery while Sybill pretended to play the part of chaperone.

In reality, Sybill hoped to meet with Courfeyrac. She had not seen the great romancer much in the past while since he swore his heart was captured by Galya. Sybill herself could not help but feel a tinge of envy at her charming companion changing care so quickly after offering courtship to her.

There was a sort of bitterness in Sybill's demeanor of late that Cosette noticed instantly. The blonde-haired girl never brought it to the attention of her sister, but she knew that something was clearly causing her distress. Sybill had gone so far as to refuse walking with Courfeyrac to the Café Musain on more than one occasion.

Thorns had appeared so suddenly in the flower garden heart of the girl with the green eyes. Since Enjolras had banished her from the Café a fortnight before, she refused to even go near the place. Though she did not wish to admit it, his breaking off their relationship in such a public manner had set her on a distraught path. The little nightingale now lived in a cage with the bars made of words binding her to stay in her own so-called silly place.

"Come, Sybill!" called Cosette cheerily a few paces ahead which brought Sybill from her thoughts about a certain blonde-haired man. "I fear we will never reach the bakery at this speed."

"Dearest," sighed Sybill as she reached her sister. "You seem so overly taken by the man that I fear for your judgement. You do realize that he is a revolutionary who will fight?"

"Yes," nodded Cosette, "and I will fight by his side."

Sybill looked at her sister in utter shock as she stopped. "What do you mean?" she mustered after a moment.

"I will fight by my love's side," reiterated Cosette. "I am in completelove with him, and I will gladly fight alongside him for his beliefs."

"But what of your own?" Sybill questioned. "Cosette, you know not how to even fire a weapon. If you fought alongside him, you would die. Worse yet, you would become for a martyr for a cause that you are ignorant about."

"There is more than one way to fight," countered Cosette. "And I will accept your silence as an apology for claiming me to be ignorant for I know more than you think, dearest." Sybill gave her a questioning look, but neither girl spoke more.

All was silent. Sybill was filled with an internal intensity spurned by Cosette's desire to fight and die alongside a man she hardly knew. There was no conceivable way that her sister could act so rashly! Sybill could not even consider how it was possible that Cosette would behave so immaturely. There was no reason. She had no reason herself to fight besides her love for Marius. It angered Sybill though she could not fathom why.