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We must take pride in our gentle resilience through adversity.

-From the Philosophical Considerations of Lady Françoise Renaldt

Your mother calls to you through the throng. "Come on, darling, you'll miss the train!"

You drag your trunk through the crowd of parents, noisy students, and various relatives and hangers-on. Few people but Gallatin students take this train; most of the people your age are dressed in the Gallatin College uniforms, just as you are.

The platform is pure chaos. Thick steam billows from the engine; guards bellow commands and blow piercing whistles. From the road nearby, car horns blare out. Younger siblings squeal, while students shriek and throw their arms around each other.

"Excuse me," someone behind you snaps, and shoves past you for the train door.