2 The Awakening

In which new people are met, who become instant friends

I thought I was a goner, to be honest, but I'd dealt with the pain. Another emotion I've learned to overcome, the same way I did with all the others.

I awoke from my battering by a subtle shake of the shoulder. My body refused to regain consciousness.

"Hey, Mister?" A voice faintly called. It almost sounded like heaven. "Hey, Mister?" My eyes slowly but reluctantly opened, to see three distressed male faces. "Thank God, he's alive!" He muttered under his breath. I recognised the voice. It was one of those kids from earlier, but I was too tired to identify him. "Are you ok?"

"Fine," My hands patted the surface beside me. It was like a cloud, soft and inviting. "What is this? This thing I'm on."

"Ha!" he chuckled, "You're in my house. In my room, to be precise. On my bed. Why?"

"It's... Wonderful... I've never felt anything like it!"

"I'm glad." He genuinely smiled, "Wait... You. Haven't. Felt. A bed. Before?!"

"Well, technically I have. Except, that 'bed' is the concrete ground."

"How is that possible?"

"I'm an orphan. Mother died when I was 12. Ran to my cousin, but he was dead the day after he let me in his home, and I've been roaming these city streets ever since."

"Poor thing... Well, you're welcome to stay here. John Laurens. A pleasure to meet you." He extended his hand.

"Hamilton." I sat up now, "Alexander Hamilton." I shook his hand firmly. "Now, who are your companions?"

"Hercules Mulligan," The curly-haired individual answered. "Nice to meet you,"

"Et moi, je m'appelle Lafayette! Comment tu t'appelles?"

"Je l'ai déjà dit, Lafayette, Alexander Hamilton."

"Ah, oui, oui!" The other two looked at me with a hint of surprise.

"You speak French?!" Hercules cried, bewildered.

"Ou--I mean... Yes. Read a fair few books when I was younger. A few is an understatement!"

"Now we have a human translator! No need for that dusty old book!" He pulled it out of Laurens' pocket and tossed it to the floor.

"Hey!" Laurens quickly picked it up and dusted it off, "I still need that, for important reasons! Y'know... In case our translator is wrong... And college!" He averted his gaze.

"Which college do you attend, Hamilton?" Mulligan inquired.

"I'm enrolled in for King's College. What about you guys?"

"King's."

"Le roi du Collège."

"King's College."

"What pot luck!" I cried, "When do we start?"

"You should know that Hamilton, it's tomorrow!" Laurens exclaimed.

"Shoot! I don't have any books, equipment, anything!" I ran my hands through my hair in a state of frazzled panic.

"The school has high standards, so... I'm not sure how you'll fare." Mulligan commented.

"No need to further emphasise my life problems."

"Ça ira. Le professeur est assez indulgent, surtout avec le plus intelligent comme toi." Lafayette piped up.

I turned to face him, "Vraiment?"

"Oui. Sinon, nous nous assurerons que tout va bien!"

"Merci, Lafayette! Merci, Laurens! Merci, Hercules!" I nodded to each of them in turn, once again realising the other two had watched us in dumbfounded disbelief. "Laf explained that the teachers are understanding, particularly with smart people. And if the teachers aren't, you'll take care of me!"

"Well... I guess that's it, then. We are your guardians now..." Laurens sighed.

"Is that a bad thing?" I replied in a jarring manner.

"Uh... No. We are also Mulligan's guardians, so we can be yours just the same!"

Lafayette and Hercules quietly exited the room, now knowing that I had recovered.

"Good to know I'm not alone in this world..." I muttered under my breath, wrapping my arms around my knees.

"Don't worry," Laurens placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder, "You're no longer an orphan, and you never will be again. You have a friend in us, the same way we have a friend in you!"

"Really? You hardly know me." I sunk further into a spiral of doubt.

"Man, honestly." He looked me dead in the eye, "Stop doing this to yourself, let loose. Don't let these things nitpick at you! Just... Chill..." His voice trailed off, as he watched my eyes slow blink into fatigue. "You might wanna move to the living room couch..." I drowsily nodded, navigating my way through the maze of a house. As I proceeded, a strange sense flooded through my veins. A sense of self that I'd never felt before, along with tiredness I never knew. When I finally found the resting place, my body gently embraced comfort for the third time that day.

First, a bed.

Then, a friend. Make that two. Or three.

And finally, comfort in my newly found inner identity. Even though I look like dirt, never judge a book by its cover.