…They took a deep breath and the five friends stepped into the mist...
Jo’s description of the tunnel had been accurate. At one end you could see the shapes of people walking about, when they looked behind themselves they could see the glade where they had stood only a few moments before. The tunnel was very cold and a fierce wind whipped around them as they slowly walked forwards. The end of the tunnel came upon them sooner than they expected, so suddenly in fact that they fell out of the tunnel. They fell in a heap on the floor, as they scrambled to their feet and looked behind them, the swirling mist was no where to be seen. They quickly turned around the first thing that hit the small band was the noise, the second was the smell. The group found themselves stood in the middle of a busy street.
Once the crowds had passed, the three friends made their way back out into the square. They looked around and realised they were missing the rest of their party.
PART THREE
“ Where’d the trees go?” Mark screwed up his nose and Jenny looked decidedly pale.
“ I told you I didn’t like the look of the that thing!”
“ Good move Jo!” exclaimed Lucy, her voice dripping in sarcasm as she quickly covered her nose with her hand.
“ Where the hell are we?” Rosie’s eyes opened wide as she stared at the chaos around her.
“ I think the real question is…” yelled Jo as she yanked Jenny out of the path of a cart racing down the street, “…when are we?”
“ Please don’t suggest what I think, no, I know, you’re suggesting!” Lucy looked sceptically at Jo.
“ I’m not suggesting anything! Just look around, does any of this look normal to you!!” Jo waved her arms excitedly in the air, narrowly missing Mark’s head, “ Plus, the fact that we arrived here by walking through a red, swirly, blowy, misty…tunnel doesn’t strike me as normal either!”
The group looked around and began to realise that there was some truth in what Jo was saying. The street was teaming with people, their clothes definitely not familiar. The buildings seemed to be built on top of each other. Crowding the street, blocking out the sky. Carts and horses passed up and down, no sign of cars. The smell was unbearable and a quick glance at the floor confirmed why. A thick layer of sludge covered was pavement there was. It was then they noticed that their clothing had also changed. Jo’s jeans and T-shirt had been replaced a long dress, as had the clothing of Jenny, Rosie and Lucy. Mark stifled a giggle as he looked at them.
“ I don’t know what you’re laughing at mate!” snapped Jo as she pulled at the skirt of the dress. Mark looked down at himself and gasped slightly. His own jeans were no where to be seen. He was now wearing a dark suit, like the other young men on the street.
“ I think we’re in the 1800’s,” as the friends exchanged looks amongst themselves, a couple of men pushed through the group. They were speaking quietly but their accent was obvious.
“ We can’t be…I mean…it’s not possible!” Mark exclaimed.
“ Are we where I think we are?” Rosie gasped.
“ Paris!” Jenny and Lucy muttered together.
“ Well…let’s go sightseeing!” Jenny suggested, smiling for the first time since they fell through the mist.
“ To see what exactly?” exclaimed Jo.
“ I dunno, the Eiffel Tower, the Champs-Elysees,” shrugged Jenny.
“ Well, we won’t find the Eiffel Tower!” stated Rosie matter of factly.
“ Mr Eiffel has only just been born! He won’t design it for another thirty or forty years, if we’re when we think we are!” laughed Jo.
“ How the hell have we ended up in nineteenth century Paris?!” Mark raised his eyebrows. No-one could answer him.
“ Well, we’re here now,” mumbled Jo.
“ Can I ask that we try and find somewhere less…” suggested Lucy as a breeze carried a foul stench over to them.
“ Yes!” said everyone together and they headed off.
After a while they found a square, nothing overly impressive but far less squallid than the street that they had started on. There were a few people milling about in small groups. Here there were people from both ends of the social scale. Beggars sat in doorways and those higher above them walked gracefully in tasteful clothes. Suddenly a large group of young men and women began to pour out of a doorway on the far side of the square. They were oblivious to anyway and as they ploughed across the square the group of friends got split up. Rosie and Jo were caught in the middle. Mark managed to drag Jenny and Lucy into a doorway as they watched the group go past. A young man bumped into Rosie,
“ Sorry Mademoiselle,” he said quietly, his dark eyes catching hers, as he carried on with the others. However, Rosie stood like a statue staring after him, Jo grabbed hold of her arm to prevent the two of them being split up.
“ Jo! Did you see that?!” Rosie exclaimed, wide eyed.
“ Yes I did! No manners this lot…” Jo looked annoyed.
“ No! Not that. Did you see him? The one who bumped into me, didn’t he seem…familiar to you?” Jo glanced at the young mans retreating back, he turned briefly to talk to one of his friends and she saw his face. Youthful, dark eyes and eyebrows and somehow familiar.
“ A little, I guess, but god knows why…” Jo admitted, Rosie started to follow him but Jo pulled her back. “ What are you doing?!” Jo yelled.
“ I want to know who he is, come on, you know you’re just as curious as I am!” Rosie took Jo’s hand and started to pull her through the crowds.
“ What about Jenny and the other?” Jo asked, as they dodged their way through the crowd.
“ They’ll be fine!” Rosie grinned, her brown eyes bright with excitement. Soon they were walking briskly along a street following the mysterious youth.
“ Just remind me, why are we doing this?” Jo wondered out loud.
“ I want to know who he is! He seemed so familiar Jo, and if we find out who he is, he might be able to explain what’s going on.” Rosie didn’t take her eyes off him for a moment.
“ I suppose so but…” started Jo. The young man suddenly turned left into a side street and they lost sight of him. Rosie broke into a run and dashed after him. Jo realised what was going on and started to run after Rosie. However, she discovered that nineteenth century dresses were not designed with running in mind. She grabbed the skirt, hitched it up and began to run in what she was sure would be called an ‘unladylike’ way. Rosie dashed down the side street but when Jo got there there was no sign of either of them.
“ Rosie!” Jo yelled as she started down the street. Soon she came to a fork in the street. She glanced down both ways, looking for either Rosie or the young man. Jo tutted to herself, “ This is just wonderful!” She stood still and tried to catch her breath when she heard movement down the right fork. “ Rosie? Rosie!” Jo yelled as she ran down it. Little did Jo know, Rosie had followed the young man down the left fork.
“ JO!” yelled Mark, “ ROSIE!!”
“ Where on earth have they gone now?” Lucy looked around, a concerned look on her face.
“ I thought I saw them go after a man…” started Lucy.
“ They’re probably inside somewhere, out of the cold,” suggested Mark as he rubbed his hands together.
“ Oh, you’re always cold!” scolded Jenny as she looked around. “ Only you could be cold in June! But it is getting dark and the chances are Jo and Rosie are around here somewhere waiting for us.” They stood glancing around, looking for signs of life in the now deserted square. Then the sounds of laughter filtered through the evening air and they headed towards the sound. They soon found a doorway, the one that the large group had come out of earlier. Looking at each other they pushed open the door and went through.
“ Welcome to the Café Musain…what’s your pleasure?” they were asked almost as soon as they had got through the door.
“ Well, actually we’re looking for…” started Mark.
“ I’m Grantaire!” their host explained as he grabbed Mark’s arm, propelling him towards a table. Jenny and Lucy followed closely behind, exchanging nervous glances between each other. Once Grantaire had left them in search of glasses Jenny leaned towards Lucy and Mark.
“ You know who that was! You do realise where we are!!” her eyes were sparkling as she looked around. “ This proves what Jo said…we’re in Paris…”
“ It doesn’t seem like Paris,” stated Lucy
“ It isn’t!” Jenny exclaimed.
“ But you just said…” Mark’s mouth hung open in confusion.
“ It’s the Paris of Les Misérables. A fictional Paris, with fictional people. That’s Grantaire and this is the ABC society!”
“ You mean we’re in the musical?” Lucy was still confused.
“ No, I think we’re in the novel…”
“ So that bloke you thought you saw Rosie running after would have been…” Mark was beginning to understand.
“ Marius!” said Jenny and Lucy at the same time, broad smiles covering their faces.
“ You know Marius?!” Grantaire had returned, brandishing a bottle in his hand.
“ You could say that…” Jenny smiled.
“ Well, he’d better get here soon, we’re due to have a meeting and he’s late enough already! If Enjolras gets here…” a hush fell over the room as someone opened the door.
“ Looks like Marius is in it for it again. That’s our intrepid leader…Enjolras…” Grantaire pointed at a tall student who had just walked I through the doors. His black shoulder length hair was tied back and his bright blue eyes flashed around at the students.
“ Who are you?” demanded Enjolras upon noticing the new group sat amongst them.
“ We’re…we’re students,” explained Jenny to Enjolras.
“ We knew once word got out we would have more support!” he announced loudly to the rest of the students. “ I take it you’ve come to join us…” he asked, his eyes looking deeply into Jenny’s.
“ Is this the ABC society?” Jenny mumbled, scarcely taking her eyes from Enjolras’. Another student, who was sat at another table, stood up and happily slapped Grantaire’s back.
“ See! Our reputation preceeds us!” He held his hand out to Mark, shaking his in return. “ I’m Courfeyrac.”
Mark leaned over to Lucy as Grantaire filled their glasses with what looked liked red wine.
“ I wonder where Jo and Rosie are?” Lucy looked concerned.
“ Oh they’ll be fine…” Mark took hold of his glass, raising it towards Grantaire’s. “ Having read the book more times than there are pages and having listened to the musical more times than the musicians who play the songs…If we’re where we think we are, there are no two people better equipped then Rosie and Jo! Are there?!”
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