5Hello! I just saw Catching Fire and I thought I should make a Les Mis/ Hunger Games fic.
There will be eventual E/E of course.
Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HUNGER GAMES MOVIE/BOOK OR LES AMIS!
Eponine POV
I wake up to the sounds of angry yelling and glass shattering. I quickly turn to see if my 12 year old brother and sister are in their bed. I breathe a sigh of relief when I see them curled up under the covers. I smile at the twins from my spot on the floor. My smile suddenly falls from my face when I realize what day it is. It's the day of the reaping.
It is Azelma's and Gavroche's first day having their name in, while it's my last. Hopefully I won't get called so I can stay to take care of Azelma and Gavroche because god knows my parents won't. Unfortunately, the odds are certainly not in my favor. My name is in 42 times, since I took tesserae for everyone in my family. I did it so Azelma or Gav wouldn't have to. I will do everything I can to keep them out of the arena.
I get up from the floor and go to the closet to lay out the only nice pairs of clothes we own on the dresser, before slipping on my brown leather jacket and boots. I kiss Azelma and Gav goodbye before I sneak out the window to go to the hob.
Every year since I was 15, all of my friends (who go by the Les Amis de l'ABC) meet in the hob the day of the reaping. Everyone is 19, except Marius and me. So far, only one of us has been called. Enjolras was called before we were all a group, 4 years ago when he was 15. I didn't know Enjolras that well when he was called, but since he came back we have become best friends. Hopefully, neither Marius nor I will be called this year.
When I open the doors to the hob, I am met with loud voices greeting me. I smile over at the group of boys before walking over to sit with them.
" Ep! I was wondering when you would get here!" Grantaire exclaims with a drink in his hand. I snatch the bottle out of his hands before setting it down and making sure it is out of his reach.
"God you wine cask! Its only 7 in the morning!" I exclaim smacking him over the head when he tries to retrieve the bottle. I ignore everyone's snickers. "My parents were fighting again, so I had to sneak out the window." I was met with sympathetic looks from around the table. I roll my eyes. I hate it when they do that. "Stop that. They were probably arguing about money again, which is fine since I got us enough oil and grains from tesserae."
"How many times is your name in?" Courfeyrac asks sadly. They all know that I put my name in a few extra times, but they don't know how much.
I pause for a minute debating whether or not I should tell them. "42." I say softly looking down at my hands. "The odds aren't exactly in my favor." I joke, trying to lighten the mood.
This does nothing except make everyone look down shaking their heads sadly. Suddenly a fist slams on the table "This is not fair! The capital has no right to do this to innocent people!" Enjolras says angrily. I roll my eyes; we go over this every year.
"There's nothing we can do Enj. The capital just wants their entertainment." I say bitterly.
"Killing children does not sound like fucking entertainment to me! They shouldn't be allowed to do this to us!" He replies loudly looking me straight in the eye. He is red in the face with a vein throbbing on his forehead, letting me know how upset he is. I know it's because he hates mentoring kids and seeing them die every year.
"There is nothing we can do Enjolras! The Capital is the one with all the power! Not us! They will cut off our tongues or kill us if we say otherwise!" I yell at him. I know that my friends are planning a rebellion. I share the same ideas as them, but am too worried about my sibling's safety to really think about rebelling against the Capital.
Enjolras just closes his mouth and sit back down, clutching his jaw. I know that he is just worried about us, and this is his way of coping with it. We soon change the topic and start to talk about less sensitive things.
About an hour later, I hug everyone goodbye. I have to get to the woods to get food for my family or I will be punished. I have been doing this since I was 10. Going to the woods and hunting to feed my family, trade fresh game for other necessities, or just selling it.
Once I am out of the hob, I quickly run to the electric fence that separates District 12 from the outside world. I stop and listen to see if there is a buzzing noise, indicating that it's on. When I hear nothing, I slip through the chains and run into the woods. I breathe in the smell of pines and smile. I love this place. When I was little, my dad used to take me out here and we would hunt and swim. It's the only good memories I have of my childhood. Everything changed when I was 10, and my dad got bankrupt and had to start breaking the law even more than he did before to get money. That's when he became the monster that he is today.
I go to the special tree where I hide my bow and arrows. I taught myself how to shoot when I was 11, because it's faster than snares. I got the arrow from my dad when I was 9 or 10 as a gift. He never had time to teach me because that's when everything went downhill. I have kept this side of me a secret from everyone (but family), because 1) if anyone finds out I am at risk of becoming an Avox or worse and 2) I wanted to keep my only good memories to myself so I can hold onto them forever. Sure, maybe it makes no sense, but it I tell myself that it does anyway.
I sling my arrows on my back before advancing deeper into the forest, with a bow and arrow in ready position. I suddenly hear leaves crinkle. I whip my head to the side and see a wild turkey. I smirk to myself before I silently start to advance toward it. Once I get close enough, I aim and pull my arrow back before letting it go. The arrow goes straight into the turkeys left eye. I mentally pat myself on the back for such a great catch before walking over to the turkey to retrieve my prize.
After catching and gutting a few more animals and putting them into my game bag, I decide I have caught enough for the week, so I start to head home. I put my bow and arrows in their spot in the tree and start to walk back towards District 12.
Once I get home, I close my front door before noticing that it's strangely quiet. I slip off my boots and kick them to the side before heading to the kitchen. I see my dad sleeping at the table (snoring quite loudly) with an empty bottle of alcohol next to him. Oh that's why it's so calm I think to myself while rolling my eyes.
I drop my full game bag on the counter before heading up stairs to get ready for the reaping. Once I get to the bedroom I share with my siblings, I open the door to see them playing some silly game that they probably got from school (what was it called again... pat the cake?) When they see me they stop their game and spring off the bed and practically tackle me to the floor.
"Ponine! Where have you been! We've been wondering where you are!" Azelma says while hugging me.
I laugh fondly at them before replying, "I was at the hob, and then I went to go catch some fresh game."
"Aw! Why didn't you wake me! I wanted to go to the hob too!" Gavroche says sadly. He is quite fond of the Amis. I know it's because Gavroche looks up to them, since there is no leading man in his life here.
I ruffle his hair before saying, "Sorry Gav, you can come next time, I promise. Now get ready both of you! Today's your first day at the reaping! I already set your clothes down on the dresser!" They both scurry to the dresser and pick up their clothes before heading to the bathroom to change.
I get my dress and put it on, liking the way the soft worn down fabric felt against my skin. I start to do my hair in a complicated braided up do before Azelma walks in.
"You're so pretty. I wish I could look like you." She says staring at me. I turn around and kneel down in front of her. Azelma has strawberry blonde hair and light eyes. She looks a lot like dad.
"No," I say grabbing her arms," You are beautiful Zel! I want to look more like you." I say putting my hands on her cheeks before kissing her on the forehead. "Now let me do your hair."
After putting Azelma's hair into an elegant French braid, Gavroche walks in, dressed in his shirt and pants.
"I'm nervous 'Ponine. What if one of us gets called?" He says looking at me with a worried expression on his face.
I sigh and hug both of my siblings and say, "You guys won't get called. I promise. Your names are only in once. Everything's going to be alright, okay?" They both nod and I unwrap my arms from around them. I go to my jewelry box, and get my gold mockingjay pin Greasy Sae from the hob gave me for a squirrel a week ago. "This is for good luck, for both of you." I say while handing it to them. Azelma takes it and puts it in her pocket.
We soon head out the house, not bothering to say goodbye, knowing my parents won't care what happens to us.
Once we get to the reaping, Gavroche goes to stand among the other boys before I take Azelma with me to stand with the girls. Suddenly the infamous Effie Trinket walks onto the stage with her pink hair and pink….well everything.
"Hello District 12!" At that point I stop listening to her. I look over at where the Les Amis is standing,at the same time Courfeyrac looks over at me. We start to make funny face at each other, trying to make the other laugh first, and before I know it, Effie is getting ready to call names.
"The time has come to select one young man and woman to do the honor of representing District 12 at the 74th Annual Hunger Games. As usual, ladies first" She says as she walks over to where all of the girl's names are. She selects one and walks back to the microphone. " Azelma Thenardier!" She yells in true Effie fashion.
Azelma stills and turns white as a sheet.
"Come up dear!" Effie says.
When Azelma doesn't move muscle, Peace Keepers come over and grab her arms and start to drag her to the stage. I am frozen, my ears buzzing, hearing nothing but Azelma's sobs.
" Azelma? AZELMA NO!" I yell at the top of my lungs as I start to run towards her. Peace Keepers grab me by the arms and start to pull me back. "NO! WAIT! AZELMA!" I yell as I struggle against the strong holds of the Peace Keepers. Suddenly I'm out of options, so I yell the first thing that comes to mind, "I VOLUNTEER! I volunteer as Tribute!" I screech for all of Panem to hear. I shove the Peace Keepers off of me as I walk on to the stage.
I see Joly pull Azelma back and comfort her as she sobs. My face is angry and defiant when I look upon the crowd with my jaw clenched and tears are in my eyes that I'm not going to let fall in front of all these people. I look at the Les Amis and see they aren't bothering to hide their tears, seeing the look of shock on all their faces and fat tears running down their cheeks.
"Well! Look what we have here! District 12's first volunteer! What's your name?" She asks. I don't even bother to look at her as I stare straight ahead.
"Eponine Thenardier." I say showing no emotion. Effie clicks her tongue.
"I bet my hat that was your sister." She says smiling at the crowd. I furrow my eyebrows and clench my jaw tighter.
"It was." I say.
"Well, everyone give a big round of applause for Eponine Thenardier! District 12's first volunteer!" Effie says happily.
No one claps, instead they put their hands to their lips and put their pinky finger and thumb down, doing the District 12 sign. The District 12 sign isn't used much, so I am surprised to see everyone doing it right now. I still look straight ahead and keep my expression emotionless, still trying to keep myself from crying.
I stay silent as Effie calls the boy. "Henry Montparnasse!" She yells. I used to know Montparnasse when I was little. We were friends before he joined my dad's gang and became a monster. If anyone deserves to die it's him, I am aware of how he loves the thrill of murdering and stealing. I'm glad it's him instead of an innocent kid.
When he gets to the stage, I see him smirking. Sick son of a bitch I think as we shake hands. He looks me straight in the eye, his smirk widening. I clench my jaw and squeeze his hand tighter.
We soon separate paths to say our final goodbyes to loved ones. Before I know it, Azelma and Gav come in and hug me. I close my eyes and put my face in their hair trying to keep my emotions at bay.
"Why Eponine?" Azelma cries clutching me tighter. I squeeze my eyes shut and hold her tight.
"It's going to be okay 'Zelma. I promise. I'll try the best I can to get out." I say trying to calm her down, knowing that I probably won't even have a chance. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out my mockingjay pin and gives it to me.
"For good luck." She says. I take the pin and put it in my own pocket.
"Gav, make sure if anything happens, go to the hob and find any of the Amis got it?" I say looking him in the eye. He nods and hugs me.
"Please come home." He whispers to me as he cries before Peace Keepers ask them to leave. When they don't move away from me, the Peace Keepers pull them off me and start to remove them from the room.
"I love you guys!" I yell just before the door slams shut.
Tears come to my eyes as I realize that was my last moment with my siblings.
A few minutes later, the door slams open as the Les Amis rushes in. They all bring me into a bear hug. "What are all of you doing in here? You can't all be in here!" I say not wanting them to be in danger.
"It's okay 'Ponine, we convinced the Peace Keeper to let us all in." Bahorel says. I look at them all in the face, seeing their eyes puffy and red from crying. It's quite for few seconds before Grantaire speaks up.
"You've got to win this Ep, you've got to." He says surprisingly sober as he wipes his eyes. I nod as I feel even more tears come to my eyes.
"Please take care of Azelma and Gav! Don't let the starve!" I beg, on the brink of crying. Jean steps up and wraps his arms around me.
" Shhh. We will 'Ponine. Don't worry, they are safe." He says while petting my hair.
"You'll be okay 'Ponine, Enjolras will take good care of you." Bossuet says. There is something in everyone's eyes when they mention Enjolras. It looks like worry and a little bit of pity. I put those thoughts aside and just nod.
Suddenly the door slams opens and Peace Keepers tell them to leave. They all don't want to cause trouble, so they reluctantly obey.
"Remember win 'Ponine! Win!" Is the last thing I hear before the door shuts.
A few minutes go bye before a Peace Keeper comes in to escort me to the train that will take me to my death.
When I get inside the train, I'm amazed by how nice it is, with what looks like comfy seats, chandeliers, and food and drinks of all sorts on mahogany tables. I don't let the surprise show on my face though, as I walk to where Enjolras, my mentor will be.
When I reach the room, I see Enjoras sitting in a chair facing the other way. I happily note that Montparnasse isn't here yet.
I step forward and clear my throat. Enjolras suddenly turns around and his face drops as he sees me.
"Eponine?" He says chokes out in shock standing up from his chair to start to move closer to me.
I try to muster up a smile, but fail as I say a simple, "Hey."
He then wraps me up in a hug. Putting his face in my neck. I feel tears on my skin and hear him sniffle a little. When he pulls away, he wipes his face and I don't comment on his red-ish eyes.
"Why? How?" He says searching my eyes for anything. I close my eyes and take a deep breath.
"Azelma got called, I volunteered." I choke out, my face scrunching up as I hug him again, this time it's me who's crying. He rubs my back trying to comfort me. I soon let go of him and take a step back. "I'm going to die." I breathe out.
"No, don't 'Ponine. You won't die, I won't let you." He says strongly to me.
"Enjolras, there are 24 of us. Only one comes out." I say shaking my head. I look up into his eyes and see, shock, determination, anger, and….love?
Our moment is interrupted when Effie and Montparnasse suddenly come in. I quickly conclude that I was just seeing things; Enjolras would never like me like that. Plus now's not the time to be worrying about that considering I'm about to die.
Montparnasse comes over to us smirking and sits down where Enjolras was just minutes before.
"Hello pretty boy." He says in a mocking tone at Enjolras, eyeing the two of us.
Enjolras clenches his jaw, knowing exactly who Montparnasse is, and I know he knows he is the cause of some bruises that show up on my body.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Montparnasse." He grits out, choosing to stick on the polite route. Montparnasse does his annoying smirk, and suddenly, all I want to do is smack that look off his face.
"The pleasure is mine Enjolras." He says looking at me instead of Enjolras. I clench my jaw as Effie ushers Enjolras and I into our seats.
"Okay, so we will arrive in the capital tomorrow, so we will be spending the night on the train. I will show you your rooms after you two talk to Enjolras for a little." She says happily, as she bats her pink eyelashes and goes to the snack bar to eat some expensive capital food.
I look at Enjolras as he starts to go over the basics. "You guys will soon be broadcasted on live TV once we get to the capital. Make sure you smile and be friendly with the crowd so that the people will like you."
"Who gives a fuck what the crowd thinks?" Montparnasse says arrogantly.
Enjolras clenches his jaw and says, "If the crowd likes you, you will get sponsors. Sponsors can mean the difference between life and death. They send you stuff to keep you alive during the games. Without them, you are pretty much on your own."
Montparnasse just rolls his eyes, "What are you here for then." He says in true douche bag fashion.
"I'm here to tell you what to expect in the games. I can also help you get sponsors." Enjolras says patiently. He looks over at me before looking back at Montparnasse. "In these games, you will have some experienced players, and some non-experienced players. Make sure you know which ones which. The stronger players are called careers. They have been pretty much training for this their whole lives. These players are typically from District 1, 2, and 4. All of the other districts are probably around as experienced as you guys. If you want Allies, don't trust the Careers. They will end up stabbing you in the back when the time is right." Enjolras finishes. "Any questions?" When no one says anything he says, "Great. During training we will go over this more so don't stress now."
"Well, please come and let me show you your rooms for tonight." Effie squeals a few minutes later as she waits for Montparnasse and I to get up from our seats to escort us to our temporary rooms.
I sulk as I realize I will have to spend almost all of my time with Montparnasse before the games. I look at him in disgust when he starts to wiggle his eyebrows at me. How can that fucker even be thinking about that when in a few days, we are going to be sent to our deaths ?
At least Montparnasse has a little bit of a chance, with his experiences of killing people. The only experience I have is shooting animals. I'm just glad Azelma and Gav isn't here, or they will probably be dead within 5 minutes of entering the arena.
Effie finally shows me my room and I'm glad, all I want to do is just sleep. Today has been exhausting and I think sleep will help at least a little bit. I slip of my clothes and look in the closet that's in the room. I find a rather expensive looking silk night gown and put in on. I go over to the mirror to take out my hair, before brushing in out. I'm about to slip into bed when my door opens.
I turn around and see Enjolras standing in the doorway. I smile at him as he shuts the door and sits on my bed.
"Are you okay Ep?" He simply asks. I can see he is trying not to stare at me, because this night gown doesn't really hide anything especially when I'm wearing no bra. I sigh and cross my arms over my chest before I sit next to him.
"No. I know I have no chance Enjolras." When I see him open his mouth to protest I make a "shh" sound and put my pointer finger on his lips. "Just listen all right?" When I see that he's not going to interrupt me I continue, "As I already said, I am not going to make it out of this. I just want you to promise me, with whatever happens, that when you return home alone you will take care of Gav and Azelma and get them out of my god forsaken house away from my monster parents. Okay?"
I don't mention the rebellion, knowing that the room is probably bugged by the capital, but the look in his eyes tells me that he understands what must be done. He knows to carry out the rebellion.
He nods before saying, "I will, if you promise me that with whatever happens in the arena, you will try your hardest to get out of there and come home with me. If I can do it, I know you can."
I nod before wrapping my arms around him. I breathe in the smell of him, smelling his aftershave, a hint of pine, and something that is probably just pure Enjolras.
After a while, we both unwrap ourselves from around each other and exchange goodnights. When he leaves the room, I get under the covers in my bed and turn off my lamp.
I fall asleep thinking about what tomorrow has in store.
Thanks for reading! Please review and tell me what you thought about it (favorite parts, or lines etc.) or just leave suggestions! Thank You! :)