John's POV

Alexander.

That was all I remembered. Just that one name, Alexander. I don't know who Alexander is, or why he-or maybe she?-is so important to me, but it kept echoing in my head with a certainty I couldn't describe.

Other than that, I didn't remember who or where I was, or how the heck I even got there in the first place.

The area I woke up in was covered in grass. How did I know this was grass? I could make out some shade of green on the ground. Plus, it kept tickling my face when I woke up lying on my back. I looked around at my surroundings. The sky was dark, and I saw strange shapes sticking up from the ground. I stood up, and was surprised to find I was taller than these shapes. Some of them were rectangular, and others were in the shape of a cross-wait.

My stomach churned, realizing I was in a cemetery. For some reason, the mention of a cemetery gave me chills down my spine, so I ran out of there as fast as I could. I eventually found my way to some gates, and exited the cemetery. It occurred to me now that it had been raining. Puddles lined the sidewalks of the-I'm guessing this is a city. Buildings towered 40 feet over my head. Some of them were old and decrepit, and others were newer and were made of shining steel.

I peered into a nearby puddle and was shocked to see a young man peer back up at me. He had green eyes and curly brown hair that was tied back into a ponytail. Numerous freckles were scattered across his face. So this was what I looked like. I looked down at myself and saw I was wearing a gray T-shirt, beige shorts, and sneakers. I reached into the pockets of my shorts and pulled out … a wallet? There were a couple dollars in there and a note. The note read: I'm not supposed to help you out, but I figured you would need this. Use wisely, and good luck:)

I was even more confused than ever. Who wrote this note, and what were they wishing me luck for?

Alexander. The name repeated itself in my head again. Maybe… maybe my name is Alexander. Why else would I remember it so clearly? I looked into the puddle at my reflection again. I looked like an Alexander. Maybe I am Alexander.

Unless Alexander is the one who wrote the note, I thought. No. For some reason, I strongly felt that an Alexander couldn't have written the note. And besides, two people can have the same name, right? I decided that until I found out more about myself, my name was Alexander.

There was no point in me just standing around, so I started walking on the sidewalk, hoping maybe I would see someone who could help me. It was still nighttime, and the sky wasn't showing any sign of brightening anytime soon. Maybe that was why there was no one out. Everyone was probably sleeping.

Which was why this was the perfect opportunity to sneak around and gather some info about this place before meeting its residents. I stopped at a wall that was covered with graffiti. The red spray-painted letters read: Welcome to New York City-you made a mistake. I gulped. That was a welcoming sight.

I did learn some things, though. I was in a place called New York City, and some of the people living here were edgy. Hopefully, there was someone who would be willing to help me figure out what was going on.

My eyes scanned the buildings, and landed on what appeared to be a coffee shop. It read "Starbucks Coffee," and was marked with a logo of a woman in green. Unfortunately, the shop was closed, so I would have to wait until it was daytime to get something to eat there.

I yawned. It was still dark out. Might as well get some sleep and get ready to talk to strangers tomorrow. I walked some more, looking for a spot where I could safely settle down and rest.

There was a park nearby, with trees large enough to probably shield me from plain sight. I chose to sleep under a tree that had broad leaves and widespread branches. That way, I would be partially hidden by the large shadow the tree would cast in the daytime. I curled up into a tight ball at the base of the trunk and listened to the sound of crickets for a moment. Eventually, the noise lulled me to sleep.

Please, give me another chance!

I woke up with a jolt, and accidentally banged my head into the tree trunk. I hissed and let out a stream of curses that I strangely remembered using. I rubbed the back of my head, wondering what that dream was about. Who was that voice? Another chance at what?

I groaned. I had hoped to get rest by sleeping, and instead I only got more questions. My stomach growled.

I should probably get some food, I thought. Maybe that Starbucks is open now. I got up and let my stomach guide me in the direction of the coffee shop.

Alex's POV

John.

That was all I could think about. Just that one name, John. It had been three weeks since the funeral, and I missed him so badly it hurt. I knew Lafayette and Hercules were trying their best to get my mind off of him, but nothing seemed to work. My head kept replaying that horrible scene, over and over. The hospital bed. The blood. The line on the heart monitor flattening out. His beautiful green eyes glancing at me for the last time, before closing permanently.

Tears welled up in my eyes. Laf patted my back soothingly, but I didn't feel it.

"Mon ami, are you okay?" Laf asked me, a concerned look on his face.

"I'm fine," I answered. "I just… miss him so much, is all."

"Alex, we all do," Herc said. He and Laf had been taking me on a walk through the park in an attempt to cheer me up, Herc on my left while Laf was on my right. "But you gotta stop being so depressed all the time. John wouldn't want that, y'know."

I wanted to scream at him. Easy for you to say, I thought bitterly. You've never had your boyfriend of two years get killed by some drunk truck driver. Do you know how much he meant to me?! He was my everything! But instead of this, I dully replied, "I know."

"Say, why don't we get you some coffee?" Laf suggested cheerfully. "I see a Starbucks up ahead."

We had reached the park's exit. Or entrance. Didn't really matter. There was an open gate there, and we walked through it. Sure enough, there was a Starbucks waiting for us on the block across. I wasn't really in the mood for coffee. Then again, I wasn't really in the mood for anything. But I also felt pretty bad about Laf and Herc. I was already making everything hard for them by sulking and ignoring their attempts at comforting me. So, to show I still cared about them, I nodded. They exchanged hopeful glances with each other before smiling at me.

"That's the spirit, man!" Herc grinned, and gave me a hard pat on the back. I couldn't help but chuckle a little.

As we were waiting for the traffic light to turn red, I caught a glimpse of a boy across the street. I didn't see his face, but my eyes widened when they saw the fluffy ponytail.

"John," I whispered softly. Suddenly, I was yelling across the street. "John! John!" I waved my hands wildly in the air to catch his attention.

"Mon ami, what on earth are you yelling about?" Laf grabbed my hands and pulled them down. He and Herc looked at me worriedly.

A few passersby gave me funny looks before moving on. "Sorry, my friend gets giddy really easily," Herc apologized to them. Then he quickly turned to me. "What's up with you?" he whispered.

I didn't answer. I kept my eyes trained on that mess of curly hair. Then a truck passed by, and he was gone. God, I hate trucks.

I looked at my friends, who were looking at me like I was crazy. Which I probably was, but I didn't care.

"I-I saw him," I said excitedly. "I saw John!" I pointed across the street.

Laf and Herc looked in the direction my finger pointed. They saw nothing out of the blue.

"Alex, I think the lack of sleep is finally getting to you…" Herc said.

"What? No, I swear, I saw John right across the street just now! Alive!"

"Come on, mon petit lion, let's get you some coffee." Laf gently tugged me across the street. I sighed in frustration and crossed the street with my friends.

Maybe… maybe I was just hallucinating. After all, the only time I saw John now was when I was sleeping, when I dreamed about him. The only time when I got any comfort at all from pretending he was still here with me.

We entered the café, which was already bustling with people getting their morning coffee. Laf went to reserve seats for us, while Herc and I joined the long line to order.

"Tell me what you want, Alex, and I'll pay for it," Hercules told me.

"Herc, I can pay for my own coffee," I reassured him. "Just because I'm grieving doesn't mean I don't know how to put money on a counter."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, you and Laf have done so much for me already. I don't wanna add to your burdens."

He shook his head. "If you say so." Then he grinned playfully. "But you should know, Laf and I are more than happy to take care of you, you big baby."

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up."

John's POV

I looked over the menu, deciding what to order. Suddenly, I was at the front of the line, and it was my turn to order.

"Um, a butter croissant, please," I nervously told the lady at the counter.

"Name?"

"Um, that's the thing," I started. "I… don't really remember what my name is. You see-"

The lady gave me an exasperated look. "Just give any name, honey."

I felt the back of my neck warm up. "Okay, Alexander." I paid for the croissant, and waited for it at the pickup area. So much for my first interaction with a New Yorker.

Alex's POV

"Hey look, it's Peggy!"

Hercules pointed at the pickup area where people were getting their muffins and sandwiches. I looked over and saw a girl with her dark, curly hair pulled back into a ponytail. She was putting a croissant into the microwave to heat it up. I couldn't help but smile at how content she looked with her job. The youngest Schuyler sister made brief eye contact with us and waved. We grinned and waved back.

Herc and I were almost at the front of the line, when we heard Peggy call out, "Alexander!"

I immediately looked over at Peggy, but she didn't seem to be focused on me.

Must be another Alexander. Suddenly, I heard a scream. Then I saw who she was gawking at.

It was him. Fluffy ponytail, freckles, bewildered green eyes. It was him! Alive!

Peggy continued to scream, and he backed away and ran out the door. Despite how long we had been waiting to order our coffee, Herc and I stepped out of the line. Herc rushed to Peggy's side. Meanwhile, I frantically made my way past the small crowd of people entering the Starbucks.

"Well, look who we have here," one of them sneered at me. The boy towering over me had poofy, black hair.

Normally, I would've snarled back at Jefferson, but I was too desperate to get out the door that I didn't care what he said to me.

"Get out of my way!" I shoved past him and made it outside. I looked frantically left and right to see where John might've gone. It was too late. He was nowhere to be seen.