Sons of Liberty University | Hamilton College AU

Chapter 1 - Arrival

Alex

The first things I noticed when I got off the plane were the colors.

It was a mixture of red and orange and yellow with only the slightest hint of green. They flew into the air at the touch of a whispering breeze, painting the wind and chilling the air.

I kept walking through the terminal, staring out the windows all the while.

New York is really colorful this time of year, I thought. Mama would love it. I'll need to send her a picture.

I quickly swallowed the lump in my throat as I thought about her. I was here to make her proud, not to wallow in my misery. I was going to help her. She was going to get better.

I walked towards one of the windows and looked outside.

The leaves flew by in a swirling arch. I pulled out my camera and snapped a quick picture through the glass.

The leaves were a blur of color.

I put the camera back in my backpack and made my way to the baggage claim. There was a large conveyor belt. Suitcases were being spit out of a hole in the wall covered by black plastic strips.

Eventually, my suitcases were thrown out. I picked them off of the conveyor belt and moved on to a large open square that looked like a mall. There were dozens of apartments overlooking it, and a large american flag hanging on an empty wall. A large sugar maple stood in the center.

I had spent a good half hour researching North American trees so that I could tell which was which. We didn't really have forest trees in the Caribbean.

There were three college-aged boys standing near a Starbucks with cups in their hands. They were laughing and chatting.

The first was a boy with long and curly black hair and warm olive-colored skin. On his head was a dark green beanie. He wore a black hoodie with a faded Vitruvian Batman printed in white. He wore a faded pair of jeans and a pair of beat-up black and white sneakers.

The second was a boy with dark skin and a shaven head. He had a grey beanie and a grey jacket. He wore a pair of ripped jeans and dark grey lace-up boots.

The third was a boy with frizzy curly black hair pulled back into a loose ponytail. He had tan skin and a slight beard. He wore a navy zip-up hoodie and a pair of black sweatpants and tennis shoes.

The first spotted me and waved.

"You Alexander Hamilton?" he asked in a crooning voice.

I nodded and awkwardly waved.

"Come over here! We're your dorm mates!"

"Ah! Monsieur Hamilton! Venez ici, c'est un plaisir de vous rencontrer enfin!" the third said cheerfully. (Translation: Ah! Mr. Hamilton! Come here, it's a pleasure to meet you at last!)

I grinned. About a month ago, I had sent a letter to a Monsieur Lafayette. One copy was in English, and the other was in French. He quickly replied in the same way, and we soon became fast friends.

"Monsieur Lafayette! Tout le plaisir est pour moi! Comment avez-vous été? Nous n'avons pas parlé depuis si longtemps," I said, then quickly walked over to them and shook his hand. (Mr. Lafayette! The pleasure is all mine! How have you been? We have not spoken in so long.)

"Oh, sweet Jesus," the second said jokingly. "Nerd Alert."

"What's your major?" the first asked. "Mine is Art with a minor in music."

"Culinary," Lafayette said.

"Fashion," the second said, then scratched the back of his neck embarrassedly.

"English, Theater, and Creative Writing," I said. "With minors in Philosophy and History."

Their jaws simultaneously crashed to the floor.

"DUDE!" the second said. "That's insane!"

"Mon ami, this is incredible!" Lafayette said.

I shrugged. "I need to get into a job that makes money," I said simply. "But I still need to enjoy it. Otherwise, I won't be productive."

"Well, I think we should introduce ourselves to you," the second said. "I'm Hercules Mulligan."

"John Laurens," the first piped in.

"Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier," Lafayette said.

"Jesus, man," John said with a laugh.

"Alexander Hamilton," I said. "It's a pleasure to meet you all."

"We've been looking forward to meeting you all week, to be honest," Hercules asked. "We're gonna stay at my mom's place until Monday."

It was Saturday right now.

"Come on guys!" John said. "Let's get going! Sarah said she was making pizza tonight for Alex!"

We all quickly ran to the car, where John helped me load my luggage into the back. He sat next to me in the back seat.

"Yo, what time is it?" Lafayette asked.

"SHOWTI-"

" I SWEAR TO GOD, MY MOTHER HAS INFLUENCED YOU TOO MUCH, JOHN!" Hercules shouted as he drove out of the parking lot.

"You love me and you know it!" he said, a huge grin on his face.

"I only tolerate you because I have to live with you for several years now," he grumbled. "And because my mother is brainwashing you all with her weird hip-hop musical obsession."

"Dude, your mom is dope!" Lafayette said. "She taught me how to rap really fast!"

Lafayette opened his mouth, but Hercules put his hand over his mouth.

"NOT THE TIME!"