Nobody was surprised when war was declared on Great Britain.

I'm sure everyone could see it coming. They were impressing our soldiers, blocking our trade with France. No one in their right mind could stand for it. So when June 18 rolled around and the official declaration of war was issued, well, we were more than ready.

It was a beautiful summer day in Philadelphia. The sky was a light shade of blue, and there was a slight breeze. It was the perfect day for a send-off as several hundred people stood crowded in Philadelphia's center. I could hear the farewells, see the embraces and the sad smiles. The promises of return, the declarations of victory, from the young men of the militia.

I stood beside my closest friend, William Stone, as we stood with our families. He was just pulling back from an embrace with his wife Lydia, a petite woman with light blond hair and green eyes. "Please be careful," she said.

William grinned widely. "Don't worry. I've got the big, strong Nathaniel to look after me."

I frowned in annoyance as William looked down at me, a mischievous light dancing in his dark brown eyes. He wasn't that much taller than me, maybe a little less than half a head, but ever since he'd had that growth spurt back when we were sixteen, he had never stopped gloating about finally being taller than me. "Stop that."

He just smirked before turning his attention back to Lydia, talking animatedly about something that I immediately tuned out so I could focus on my own family. Gathered around me were my parents and my younger brother, David. David was seventeen, a full eight years younger than me, but we'd always gotten along well. Sure, there were the occasional fights, but all siblings fought.

David stood about an inch shorter than me. His hair was a dark brown, much darker than mine, but his eyes were the same shade of gray as mine. Our parents both had brown hair as well, though our mother had blue eyes rather than the gray eyes the rest of us had.

"You're going to need to do a lot more work at the shop now," I reminded David.

"I know."

"Remember to check the inventory twice a week."

"I know."

"And make sure to help Dad—"

"Nathaniel!" David interrupted. "You've told me this about ten times now. I know."

I smiled. "Sorry, David. Just wanted to make sure."

He smiled back. "It's fine. Just worry about yourself, okay?"

I nodded, but before I could say anything else, my captain, a man in his mid-thirties by the name of Ryan Johnson, began calling the militia to form up. I quickly gave a few last hugs to David and my parents, and beside me William was doing the same with Lydia and his father. I picked up my knapsack and musket, which I had placed on the ground beside me while talking with my family, and William and I walked together with the rest of the men as we prepared to leave.

On the second night of our travel north, after we had stopped our march for the day, William and I set up our camp in the first spot we could find. Around us, other soldiers were doing the same, everyone too tired to do anything but set up camp and wait for dinner.

As soon as I finished setting up my tent, I lay flat on my back and folded my hands behind my head, quietly sighing and closing my eyes. I could hear William doing the same beside me. Marching for several hours straight took a lot out of a person. It wasn't like I was physically unfit, but I wasn't used to it, and neither were the other members of the militia. I would probably get used to it after a few days, but for now, even the uneven ground I was laying on felt like the most comfortable bed in the world.

After a few minutes, I heard someone clearing their throat, and I opened my eyes to see a young boy who couldn't have been any older than eighteen standing in front of us. He was tall, definitely taller than me, with sandy blond hair and the brightest blue eyes that I have ever seen.

I pushed myself to a sitting position. "Can we help you?"

The boy grinned easily. "I was wondering, do you want to camp together tonight? I want to meet as many people here as I can, you know, since we're fighting together."

I stared at him, a little bemused. "Don't you have any friends or family to camp with?"

He shook his head. "I came alone."

I shrugged and gestured to an empty spot beside my tent. "Go ahead, then."

"Great! Thanks!" the boy said, crouching down to begin setting up his tent. "I'm Alfred F. Jones, by the way. What are your names?"

"Nathaniel Harris," I said. I glanced at William, who hadn't even bothered to even open his eyes. "And this is William Stone." I nudged William in the side. He groaned and swatted at my hand, but I continued pushing him. "Will, be polite and say hi."

"Leave me 'lone," William mumbled. "'M tired."

"So am I, and I'm sure Alfred is as well. Now say hi."

William opened one eye and glared at me before finally sitting up, grumbling under his breath. "Fine, fine, hello. Are you happy now?"

"Yes. You can go back to sleep now."

But William shook his head. "I'm up now. I might as well just wait for dinner." He grinned across at Alfred, who was still setting up his tent. "Are you from Philadelphia, too? I've never seen you around before."

"I just moved there a few months ago," Alfred explained.

"Why?" I asked. "Don't you miss being with your family?"

Alfred shrugged. "Let's just say that I don't get along with my family and leave it at that, okay?"

William and I glanced at each other but said nothing more on the subject. "So what does the F in your name stand for, anyway?" I asked, moving away from the topic.

Alfred paused in his work, frowning. Then he shrugged, the grin reappearing on his face. "No idea! It just makes my name sound better. Don't you agree?"

"…Sure," I said hesitantly, sharing an incredulous look with William. This boy was definitely more than a little strange.

The three of us didn't say anything more until we were called for dinner, and after that the only thing any of us could think of was sleep. William, Alfred, and I had just enough energy to bid each other good-night before crawling into our tents. I fell asleep as soon as I lay down, not even giving another thought to this strange boy.