Angelica strutted down the campus, flanked by her two sisters. Their parents followed close behind. Their father glared at the multitude of boys who were staring in interest. At first look, no one would guess that they were even remotely related, let alone triplets. Their parents couldn't have kids, so they had to adopt, but despite their many differences, visible or not, they could not be closer. Eliza, with her bright attitude and general sweetness, helped to balance out Angelica's intensity and Peggy's reserved nature. She wasn't the most outgoing person, and preferred the company of her sisters to strangers.

A boy who seemed to be studying on a bench looked up and, true to form, Angelica flashed him a dazzling smile. He blinked in surprise, people were rarely that friendly, but eventually returned her smile, then yelped at her father's stormy countenance. Peggy smiled, and rolled her eyes. She couldn't understand how Angelica was so open with other people, but it amused her nonetheless.

"What are you smiling about?" Angelica chimed brightly.

"You." Her sister offered a confused smile. Peggy explained. "You're doing it again."

"Doing what?"

"Smiling at strangers," Eliza laughed softly.

"Everyone does that!"

"No, they don't," her father grumbled. Angelica politely chose to ignore him.

Peggy shook her head. "You're not everyone."

"Well, I am pretty extraordinary."

Peggy chuckled. Angelica had a bit of an ego, but it was well deserved. She'd graduated as valedictorian, and excelled at almost everything, save for drawing. She was terrible at drawing. Peggy studied the people who would could be her future classmates. An energetic girl was chattering energetically to somebody, who looked very anxious to leave. Some boys were playing a very dangerous game of catch with their textbooks. Peggy sighed. People are so strange.

"Here it is," Angelica murmured. "Tawney Hall." A red-bricked building loomed in front of them, guarded by stone lions. The sisters glanced at each other, making a promise. No matter what, family comes first. The trio hugged their parents, promising to look both ways, eat their vegetables and don't talk to boys. Bound together by that oath, the trio ascended the steps towards their destiny, suitcases clacking all the way.

The sisters huddled together at the bulletin board, ignoring the bustling mass of fellow freshmen. Angelica perused the wall of paper and thumbtacks, searching for the room assignments.

"Here they are!" Peggy tapped a delicate finger on a light pink sheet of paper, squinting as she tried to read the tiny print. "Angelica Schuyler, Eliza Schuyler, room 132." The two exchanged a look, excited but at the same time, apprehensive. Peggy was considered the baby of the family, and they were loath to let her be by herself.

Peggy kept on reading. "Peggy Schuyler, Theodosia Prevost, room 134" Peggy turned to them, grinning. "At least I'll be right next to you guys!" Eliza released a small sigh of relief. She knew it was ridiculous, but she tended to be a bit overprotective of Peggy, acting more like her mom then her sister. Really, she was everyone's mom.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Angelica started towards the door, already planning her wall layout. "Let's get unpacking!" Eliza scrambled after her, startled by her sudden change of direction and Peggy followed close behind, calling for them to wait up.

"Wait!" Alexander called. By some miracle, the bus heard him above the din of New York, and paused at a street corner. He lugged his suitcase at top speed, which is to say, not very fast. Why am I so weak? The suitcase was a clunky, practical thing, built more for functionality as opposed to fashion. In it, Alexander had packed everything he'd ever owned, as well as a couple of gifts from neighbors wishing him well. As in, the entire town. As a result, Alex was stuck with a suitcase which weighed a billion tons.

A familiar hum reached his ears, and Alex stared in dismay at the bus that was now driving into the distance. "Dammit!" he shouted. He almost made it. Now he had to hail a taxi. A quick look in his wallet told him that he'd most likely be able to afford the rates, but might not eat lunch today.

"Are you alright?" a voice questioned. Based on his guttural r's, Alex identified it as French.

"No," he whined. "I just got off the plane and if I don't find a ride, I'll be late for move-in day for college." The deadline was noon, and by Alexander's estimate, it was already ten-thirty.

"Oh? Which collège?" The man smiled genially, and Alex found himself warming to this amiable stranger.

"Paul Revere University."

The stranger's eyes lit up with recognition. "I am going there too!"

Alex grinned, then he noticed the distinct lack of suitcases the man seemed to have. "Where are your bags?" He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. His mother had always warned him about strangers, telling horror stories of little boys like himself who were kidnapped and forced into slavery. It had terrified him as a child and made him wary as an adult. He braced himself, ready to sprint if the man made any sudden moves.

The man just laughed, light-hearted and easy. "I live in an apartment near the campus. I moved in one week ago." Alex clutched his bag closer to his person, still leery of this genial man, but accepted it. For now.

"What's your name?" he asked.

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

Alex blinked at the length of the name. There was no way in hell he was going to remember all that. "How about I call you Lafayette and you call me Alex?"

"D'accord," he nodded, grinning all the while.

Really, it would have been rude if Alex didn't grin back. So he did. "Do you know how to hail a taxi?"

Jefferson sighed, relaxing in his apartment. His parents weren't going to come overseas until next year, so he was on his own.

"It's business," his father had said. "You understand, right?"

"Yes," he'd said. And he did. It didn't take the sting off though. He looked out his window, down at the campus below. Parents laughed with their kids, lugging suitcases and attempting to park overloaded minivans. Jefferson got to avoid that hassle. He'd moved in a week ago. It didn't take long, and he'd met some fairly nice tenants. Still, it was a lonely homecoming.

He straightened up, shaking his head. He wasn't completely alone. According to the college's Twitter, they were having a mixer for incoming freshmen tonight. Maybe he could make some friends.

Not maybe, he told himself. I will. With that in mind, Jefferson settled into his bed, setting his alarm for later that night. "Nothing like a nap," he murmured.

Theodosia Bartow was far too tired for her job. As RA, it was part of her duty to make sure incoming freshman felt welcome. That took a whole lot of patience and a whole lot of pep, precious luxuries at this point. She'd been doing this job since nine in the morning, dealing with annoyed parents and even more annoyed students, all of whom were anxious to run amok. It was taxing, to say the least.

"Excuse me?"

"What?" Theodosia was at her wits end. Her arms were burning from lifting boxes and her cheeks hurt from all her forced smiles. Through some miracle, she managed to grace this poor soul with a manic grin.

The boy was obviously a freshman, but he looked much more mature. His eyes were brown, almost black, and Theodosia had a faint recollection that they were old eyes for such a young face. Right now, they were staring at her warily, put off by her threatening tone. "Obviously, you're busy. I'll ask someone else."

"No, ask." Theo tried to put on a better face. It wasn't his fault, and he seemed nice enough. "I'm here to help anyway."

"Do you know the way to the library?"

"Yeah, down this hallway, then take a right and a left." The boy smiled gratefully, though it wasn't very warm, and started down the hallway. There was something very solemn about the way he walked, and Theodosia realized she'd never met anyone who seemed so lonely. "Hey!" The figure stopped, confused by her outburst. Theo took his pause as the opportunity to catch up, footsteps thudding in the carpet. "Let me walk you."

"You don't have to."

"It's my pleasure," she grinned. The silent boy stared at her warily, then shrugged. It was a small victory, but Theodosia took it. They walked in silence the whole way to the library, save for the random sneeze or two. Eventually their trek ended and the duo was forced to part ways. Theo frowned. She didn't want to end their conversation like this, especially because they hadn't started one.

"Are you going to the mixer?" After a few seconds riffling through her bookbag, Theo pulled out a bright blue flyer. It looked fairly tacky, with its bright white text and comic sans, but it got the message across. Tawney Hall was hosting a small party for incoming freshmen, just to help them make some friends on campus. It was actually her idea. Back in her first year, she had been pretty lonely. It seemed that by the time classes started, everyone already chosen their friends. Even her roommate had people she preferred. Needless to say, it was a misery, and she'd rather no one else went in like that.

"I'm not one for parties." The boy shrugged. "Besides, classes start in a week, and I'd rather be prepared."

"Try it. You might have fun." Theodosia handed him the flyer, smiling genuinely for what felt like the first time that day. "What's your name?"

"Aaron." He hesitated, as though unused to people making inquiries into his own person. "Aaron Burr."

"Theodosia Prevost. See ya around."

The boy slipped into the library, but not before he flashed her a faint, but very real smile.