Burr was pacing the interior of the tent. He knew he had something to tell the General, but what? He knew that he's been looking for an opportunity to get out of his house for a while, but he just couldn't place why.
He was biting his finger desperately, murmuring under his breath. Just as he angrily smacked the side of his head with his palm, another man came into the tent. He frowned at him. "Is something the matter, Laurens?" He asked as he began rifling through some stuff in a satchel that was lying on a nearby cot.
Burr looked around him, confused, then took his finger out of his mouth and pointed it at himself. "Oh. Me. Yeah, I'm fine."
The man, who looked a little bewildered, scratched his head. "Are you sure? You really don't look like you are."
"Well, I am." Burr said in a flat tone.
The man shrugged, then lifted the flap so he could leave the tent. He paused. "Oh, wait, the general asked me to ask the other aides if they have any spare ink. Do you?"
Burr glanced at a desk, where three ink pots were sitting. "Yes," He answered.
"Bring it to the general's tent. Hamilton spilled all the ink."
Burr felt small pleasure at that, before he remembered it was Mulligan, not Hamilton. "Why can't you do it, though?" He frowned, taking one of the ink pots from the desk.
"I'm.. already doing something." The man replied, sounding hesitant. Burr raised an eyebrow.
"I just- ugh. Washington's been really stressed lately. Why would I want to go to him when he already got annoyed with me for accidentally spilling the bucket of water I was bringing to my horse?"
Burr sighed. "Alright, alright, I'm going."
Taking the ink pot tightly in his hands, he took off at a brisk trot towards the tent the young soldier had indicated to earlier.
The first thing he saw once he got there was Hamilton, who was wiping at a desk with an old cloth. The desk now had a dark stain across it, which was where the ink spilled, Burr guessed.
Washington turned as he entered, and Burr immediately saluted, and with a nod, Washington told him, "As you were."
After a moment, Burr realized that Lafayette was also in the room. He gave a curt nod in his direction, then turned back to Washington. "You asked for some ink, sir?" He held the pot up for him to see.
"Ah, yes, thank you, Laurens." Washington exhaled.
Burr felt he was being a little stoic. He forced a smirk on, then hurried to Mulligan before he could see their reactions.
He handed the ink pot to Mulligan immediately, then whispered, "How are you holding up?"
"Terribly," He replied in a whisper as well, grimacing.
Burr sighed. "We'll find a way out of this."
Lafayette was suddenly behind them. "Out of what?" He asked, speaking a little slower than usual.
Burr and Mulligan jumped. "Oh, nothing." Mulligan stammered.
Lafayette narrowed his eyes at him. He looked quite suspicious. "Is that so? Tell me, then," He began, licking his lips, like he was uncomfortable with them. "Don't you feel a little, I don't know, different?"
Mulligan, who paled the slightest bit, shook his head immediately. Burr shook his head, too, as Lafayette gave him a glance.
"You're sure about that?"
They nodded vigorously.
"So," Lafayette placed both of his palms onto the table and stared Mulligan in the eye. "You don't feel like—this will probably sound strange—but like a completely different person?"
Burr and Mulligan froze, giving each other a quick, alarmed sideways glance.
"Wait... How-? I mean, uh," Mulligan stammered nervously. He glanced at Burr, then back at Lafayette. He narrowed his eyes. "You aren't Lafayette, are you?"
Lafayette shook his head. "And I simply do not believe you're Hamilton. I'd never spill the ink like you did." He rolled his eyes. "Really quite embarrassing."
Burr and Mulligan blinked, taking in what he just said.
"Hamilton?!" They yelped in silent shock.
Lafayette—Hamilton, Burr corrected himself—sighed in relief. "Finally."
"But how?" Burr asked in surprise.
Lafayette—Hamilton—shook his head, giving a wary glance at the general, "I don't know, but I need to know, who are you two really?"
"Hercules Mulligan,"
"Aaron Burr,"
Lafayette's—HAMILTON'S—eyes widened. Before he could say anything more, however, Washington called out, "Is there a problem?"
"No, sir." They replied immediately, turning to him sharply.
Washington looked a little confused. "Alright, then," He murmured. "Lafayette, we need to finish the plans." He continued, waving him over.
Hamilton nodded nervously, glancing again at the other two. "Yes, sir." Then whispered, "We'll figure this out later." And hurried away.
Washington turned to Burr with his eyebrow raised. "Do you still have a reason to be here, Laurens?"
"No, sir." Burr muttered, abashed, then hurried to the exit.
Just as he stepped his foot outside the flap, he stopped. He felt a memory hit him in the head. He remembered what he had to tell Washington.
"Actually, sir," Burr called, turning back inside. "I do."
"What is it?" Washington asked, sounding tired.
Burr swallowed. "I, um, recently got a letter from Aaron Burr."
As the general raised an eyebrow, Burr continued, "He was worried. He told me that he was afraid his tutor was a loyalist." He swallowed again. "Apparently, he's been trying to keep him cooped up in his studies a lot more than normal, and he seemed to be keeping a constant watch on him. He asked me to inform you immediately."
Washington's eyes had widened. "Alright, then." He said. "Hamilton?"
Hamilton opened his mouth to respond, then immediately shut it closed again. Mulligan looked around at them for a moment before remembering. "Yes, sir?" He spoke hurriedly.
"I need you to write a letter to Mulligan. We can have him check on Burr and see the situation, then have him come here for his report."
"Yes, sir." Mulligan replied, trying not to laugh while he took out the quill, beginning to write immediately.
"Tell him not to do anything. It's important we do this as quietly as possible. Just in and out." Washington added, "We don't want the loyalist making any rash decisions."
"Yes, sir." Mulligan said again, writing rapidly.
"Good." Washington looked to Burr. "Thank you for informing me, Laurens, you may be excused. I'll tell you if I need you."
Burr nodded, then turned on his heel and left the tent.
Lafayette had no idea where Mulligan could have placed the pants. He could sense the Redcoats we getting quite impatient, while the tailor was getting nervous.
Lafayette was frantically looking through the many piles of clothes in hopes of finding it, but the thing was he didn't even know how they looked. He looked nervously at the Redcoats. "I'm sorry." He muttered for the fifteenth time.
The Redcoats didn't even reply this time. They just kept looking at a gown that was lying on the table Lafayette was searching now. He had discarded it to the side just a moment ago, and the Redcoats seemed to have taken some interest in it.
"Is this for sale?" One of the men asked curiously, pointing at it.
Lafayette murmured, "Uhh," and glanced his mentor, who nodded at the Redcoats for him.
One of the men looked at his cohort. "Do you think mum will like it?"
"I think?" His brother scrunched up his eyebrows. "I mean, it looks like something she'd like." He stopped scrunching up his eyes. "And I think she'd look pretty in it."
"Yeah, I think so too." His brother grinned, then he leaned into his brother's ear. "Although she'd look pretty in anything."
His brother smiled.
Lafayette, who heard the whole thing, couldn't help but feel surprised. Sure, he was aware that all men had mothers, but the fact that they were talking so openly about her, and unashamedly at that, was quite sweet.
The brother picked up the gown and held it up. "It looks like it would fit," He murmured, then turned to Lafayette. "We'll excuse you for losing our trousers," He said, handing the dress to him. "In exchange for this dress. As we already payed for the fixing of our pants, let's just say that we bought this." He nodded at the dress in Lafayette's hands. Lafayette nodded quickly, hurrying to the counter. Grabbing a small sack, he folded the dress and placed it inside just as the other man added, "Oh, but if you find our trousers, we can just add the payment when you deliver it."
Lafayette tried to hide his snort of disbelief. Honestly, why would anyone trust them? He handed the sack to one of the men, who smiled at him. "Thank you," They bid in farewell, then left the shop.
The mentor sighed. "That was quite close." He shook his head, then sat himself down at the counter and began writing something down on a catalogue.
Lafayette stood their awkwardly for a moment. What am I supposed to do now?
The mentor looked up at him, his eyebrow raised expectantly. "Are you going to look for the trousers, or not?"
Lafayette sighed, but did what he was told.
He went to a drawer he hadn't looked in and found, to his surprise, two pairs of trousers, one of which had a hole on the knee. He held it up and grimaced. So it was here this whole time.
At the sound of his groan, the mentor looked up again, then gave a disapproving click of his tongue, which sounded a little amused, if truth be told. "You really seem to be having a bit of a day, don't you?"
Lafayette just sighed loudly once again as he sat down at a table to sew up the hole.
Until he remembered he had no idea how to sew.
Thankfully, the other pants was already fixed, so he really didn't have to do that much anymore except find out how to sew this pants' hole closed, then he could have it brought to those Redcoats.
Lafayette looked around for the sewing machine he had heard earlier, but it was not here. Turning to the counter where the mentor was sitting at, Lafayette's face fell. The mentor was just beside it, and it was obvious that he was about to use it. As the hum of the machine began, Lafayette picked up a needle and frowned at it skeptically. He really had no idea how to sew. He always asked someone else to do it for him, because he never bothered to learn, because he didn't think it was necessary to, anyway, especially when he had enough money to simply buy the clothes he needed or to pay someone to have them fixed.
He took a piece of thread. The only thing he knew was you had to put the thread through the eye of the needle. He looked at the needle. Where was the eye? It just looked sharp and pointy. He flipped the needle around. The eye of the needle came into view immediately.
Lafayette shook his head at himself, then slowly attempted to put the thread in. It took several frustrating tries, but soon he was able to slip it in. He grinned triumphantly, until the thread slipped out of the needle again, and he was back where he started.
Lafayette groaned and let his head drop onto the table. Where was Mulligan when you needed him?
Just then, a postman was knocking on the doorframe of the open door. "Excuse me?" He called out.
The mentor looked up from his work. "Yes? What do you need?"
"I have a letter for Hercules Mulligan." He waved the envelope in the air, and Lafayette stood up to aquire it. "It's from the General," The postman continued silently, "He said it's urgent."
Lafayette took the letter. "Thank you." He said, and the postman nodded at him, then hurried away.
Lafayette sat at Mulligan's work table again and slit the letter open. Slowly, he took the letter out. His eyes widened as he read its contents, but what confused him the most right now was the fact that the handwriting looked different. It was not Washington's, and it was not Hamilton's. In fact, he didn't know who's handwriting this was at all, but he pushed that thought aside. He needed to get to Burr's house, and fast.
With some help from the mentor, Lafayette had a reason to go there, besides the letter, of course. Taking the satchel full of clothes Burr had ordered a day ago, Lafayette hurried through the familiar streets of New York to where he knew Burr lived.
When he reached the house, he took a deep breath, staring at the door nervously. He hoped he wasn't too late. Steeling himself, he raised his fist and rapped his fist sharply on the door.
Laurens and the tutor looked up from the ground as there was a sharp, fast knock on the door.
The tutor glared at Laurens, then let him go. He pulled him to his feet as the knocking grew louder, and more urgent. The tutor whispered, "Get rid of him. If you tell whoever that is about any of this, I will have them killed."
Laurens swallowed and stared nervously at the door as the tutor slipped into another room.
Laurens waited for a moment. Maybe whoever that was would go away. But as if the universe simply just wanted to oppose his wishes, the knocking came again.
Laurens clutched his non-existent hair with one hand and sighed through his nose, then opened the door.
Standing there was Mulligan, who had just raised his fist for another knock, and had narrowly missed hitting Laurens in the face.
"Hercules." Laurens announced, trying to sound bored. He needed to get Mulligan away. Anything could happen if he stayed too long.
Mulligan nodded at him and held up a bag. "These are the clothes you ordered," He glanced at the bag. "You did order them, right?"
Laurens, who had his arms crossed, frowned. That didn't sound like Mulligan at all, but he pushed that aside. He had no idea if Burr ordered clothes, but he was just going to pretend he did for the sake of the act.
He nodded curtly and, opening Mulligan's satchel, hurriedly took out the bunches of clothes and, holding them under his arm, asked, "How much do I owe you?"
"Uhh," Mulligan grimaced, looking inside his satchel again. "I can't remember." He muttered, more to himself than anyone else. He scrunched his eyes closed hard, Laurens frowning at him impatiently. If he didn't leave soon, the tutor might lose his patience, and only God knows what could happen to Mulligan if that were to occur.
Laurens, who found a coin pouch sitting on the nearby table, shoved it abruptly into Mulligan's surprised hands as he groaned, "Just take the money and go. I have a lot of studying to do."
Mulligan looked a little unsure, but after a moment shrugged and slid it into his satchel. He frowned at Laurens. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, I am." Laurens said, sounding irritated. He had felt like his Burr-act was on point, but maybe it wasn't too convincing.
Then, like that swift fly that flew into the house, an idea hit him.
"I'm just... Not feeling like myself today." Laurens added, to a slight raise of the eyebrows of Mulligan. Laurens gave him a pointed look for a moment, before Mulligan's eyes widened in return. He coughed. "Me, too, actually." He grimaced. "I've been forgetting a lot of things as well."
"Same here." Laurens agreed. Was it possible Mulligan wasn't who he seemed to be? He peered into his eyes. Peeking out of them didn't look like Mulligan at all. There was something about them that looked strangely like..
Laurens bit down on his tongue hard as he almost cried, "Lafayette?!" into the dull, afternoon air. He gave him a warning look, which Lafayette had no trouble interpreting.
"Anyway," Lafayette said, already walking backwards. "I have to go. A lot of stuff to, um, sew."
"Yeah," Laurens swallowed, "Me, too. I mean, study, not sew. My tutor is being a pain." He rolled his eyes.
Lafayette blinked. He suddenly looked like he was on high alert. "Your tutor?" He repeated.
"Yes. He's been bugging me to read my law books for hours on end even when I was already reading them. As irritating as a Redcoat, if you ask me."
Even if that term was common around America recently, it was also was a very risky one indeed. Although the tutor was, in fact, not a Redcoat, that was the closest thing to what he really was.
Lafayette, who was looking into the house, gave Laurens a sigh. "That sounds irritating."
"It really is."
Lafayette gave him a forced look of pity. "Oh, well. Would you like to meet up with me and perhaps the others in the bar later for a drink?"
Laurens knew what Lafayette was really asking. He wanted to know if he could leave the house at all. Laurens shook his head sadly, leaning against the doorframe. "My tutor's a strict man."
Lafayette frowned in a fake pout of disappointment. "Oh, alright." He took a step backwards. "I guess you should get back to studying again. Goodbye, Burr."
"Goodbye, Hercules." Laurens waved.
Lafayette gave him a worried look as he walked away, and Laurens just nodded at him.
Closing the door, Laurens leaned on it in exasperation and called out, "I don't think he suspected anything."
"Good." The tutor replied immediately, stepping out of his hiding place. "Because I wouldn't want him to see this."
"See what-" Laurens was cut of sharply as he was swiftly smacked on the side of his head, and he fell forward, unconscious.
Mulligan was starting to get bored with Washington's and Hamilton's planning. Sure, it felt good to do something besides sewing and spying, but he'd rather do those again if it meant getting back into his own body.
Just as he thought this, Laurens—Burr, Mulligan corrected himself—came running into the tent, a moment later followed by... Mulligan. He looked up sharply at their faces of alarm.
The real Hamilton looked up as well as Washington turned to them. "What is it?"
"It's true." The imposter Mulligan breathed. "There really is a loyalist in there. Burr's being held captive by him. I highly suspect something more is up."
"He told you all this?" Washington asked.
"Uh, no, not exactly." Mulligan frowned. "But he couldn't say that all straight out, for fear of his tutor hearing it."
Washington nodded in understanding.
Hamilton was looking closely at the newcomer as well. He definitely looked like Mulligan, but the way he moved and talked was all wrong. He looked closer at him, and as that Mulligan finally took notice, his eyes widened. "How-"
Hamilton spoke over him immediately, "Your Excellency," He began. "I think I should go to him and help him, and maybe catch the loyalist and see what he knows."
Washington furrowed his eyebrows as he thought about it. "Alone?" He asked.
Hamilton looked at Mulligan, who looked like him, then glanced at the man who looked like Mulligan, then turned to Burr, who looked like Laurens. "No." He made up his mind. "I could bring them. We could just be visiting him."
Mulligan and the other two began to nod.
Washington looked a little worried. "I'm a little unsure about this." He muttered.
"We'll be fine. Just in and out." He was already beginning to take a step to leave the tent, and Mulligan was slowly raising himself from the chair. "We'll come back immediately." Hamilton promised as Burr and the other Mulligan took small steps toward the exit flap.
Washington was no fool. He noticed everyone trying to leave. He sighed. "Alright."
The others bit back their grins of triumph, and Washington added, "But if you can't figure anything out, and if you can't get him out, come right back, immediately."
"Yes, sir." They all simultaneously saluted, then they ran out.
The four walker together in silence for a moment as they walked to their horses. Mulligan was glaring at the man who took his body. How dare he? Hamilton was glancing suspiciously towards the man as well. In turn, the man who looked like Mulligan was watching Hamilton with a hint of distrust.
As they finally reached the horses, Burr, who was watching their exchange with slight irritation, stopped and faced them all. "Just tell each other who you really are already." He groaned.
The imposter Mulligan raised an eyebrow, and Burr added, "Oh, yes, and I'm not Laurens."
"Unfortunately." Hamilton muttered, and Mulligan snickered.
"I'm Aaron Burr." He finished, giving them a look.
The not-Mulligan looked a little surprised.
Hamilton sighed, throwing up his arms, "Alexander Hamilton."
Not-Mulligan's eyes widened, and widened even more as Mulligan said, "Hercules Mulligan."
They looked at him, expectant. Not-Mulligan sighed in relief, "So I'm not alone. It's me, Lafayette."
Hamilton sighed in relief. "Finally, we found you."
"Wait," Lafayette turned to Burr. "but if you're not Laurens, then that means.." He gasped. "Oh, no. It's Laurens who's stuck with the loyalist."
Mulligan turned to Hamilton to see him blanch. He himself suddenly felt a lot more panicky then he had a moment ago. Hamilton ran to his horse and clambered on immediately, and the others followed.
Burr frowned. "So if it's me, you wouldn't hurry as much, but if it's Laurens, you will?"
Mulligan heard Hamilton laugh as the four of them urged their horses forward, riding off to New York.
As the four of them dismounted their horses and tied them to the fence of Burr's house, Hamilton felt panic clench inside of him. The house was eerily silent as the four of them eyed it with apprehension.
After a few moments, Hamilton stepped forward and knocked. The eerie silence stretched on, causing the four to glance at each other wearily. Suddenly, there was a creak, and the four turned sharply at the door and saw it had swung open, but there was no one there. A weird force was emanating from inside the house, and they all shuddered.
"I don't like this.." Mulligan muttered.
"You can feel it too, can't you?" Lafayette murmured, looking inside the house again.
Hamilton shuddered again. "Did you feel this last time you were here?" He asked, turning to Burr and Lafayette questioningly.
They shook their heads nervously.
The feeling, which had been continuing to hover around them, suddenly became stronger. They all suddenly felt an unnatural urge to go inside.
"It feels like.. Dark magic." Burr breathed.
"Magic?" The three repeated, sounding uncertain.
"Don't you think so?"
The three others stood still for a moment, then slowly, they nodded.
"Maybe we should go." Mulligan grimaced, staring inside again.
"But we can't just leave Laurens in there!" Hamilton cried.
They fell silent. Everyone was feeling the very same thing as every instinct they had in their body yelled at them. No! It was yelling. Stay away!
Hamilton shook his head and set his will. He took a step inside the house.
The other three glanced at each other anxiously, unsure, then followed him in.
The door slammed closed the moment they were fully inside, and Mulligan and Burr, who were closest, immediately attempted to pull it open.
"We're trapped!" Mulligan gasped. He pounded his fist on it furiously.
"Cet endroit est hanté!" Lafayette cried, sounding genuinely terrified.
"It's not haunted, Lafayette." Hamilton rolled his eyes at his friend. "It was probably just the wind."
When Lafayette turned away from him with a look of nervousness, Hamilton added under his breath, "At least, I hope so."
The four stuck together wordlessly as they peered into several rooms, opening and closing all the doors silently. When they reached the door at the end of the hallway, however, they found that this knob refused to turn.
Hamilton's eyes widened as he watched Mulligan attempt to turn it several times. "It's locked."
"Stand back," Hamilton waved him out of the way. He consented, and Hamilton, grinning a little in eagerness, lifted his leg and slammed his foot at the door. It splintered a little on its hinges, and he did it again. The door crashed to the floor, narrowly missing-
"Laurens!" Everyone yelled in alarm as they saw their friend, sitting unconscious, straight up in a chair.
They rushed inside. As Hamilton ran to Laurens' side, he saw Mulligan fall forward. Seconds later, Lafayette and Burr followed his example, seemingly knocked out. Hamilton stood up straight in alarm, but before he could do anything, he felt something crash roughly at the back of his neck, and he slumped forward, out cold.
Laurens groaned, opening his extremely heavy eyelids. He raised his head, and it felt a little sore, but any thoughts about his neck sped out of his head as he realized that Lafayette, Mulligan, Hamilton, and... Someone that looked like him were sitting on the other chairs beside him. There was an oil lamp in the middle of them, illuminating the room and giving it an eery feel. Turning back to his friends, he saw they were sitting rigidly and stiffly in their respective chairs except for their necks, which were slumped forward. They were unconscious, and he instantly remembered the tutor.
"Guys!" Laurens yelled in alarm.
The four beside him snorted awake, jerking their heads upwards the moment their eyes fluttered opened.
Hamilton could see his friends beside him, and remembering what happened, tried to stand up.
Tried to. His body didn't move at the command. Alarmed, Hamilton looked down. He was not bound at all, but he couldn't move, nonetheless. He tried to lift his legs, but they were anchored to the floor, as if they were made out of stone. He could not feel them, nor make them do anything he demanded them to. He glanced at his hands, which were sitting on his lap. He attempted to wriggle his fingers, but even they refused to comply to his wishes. He felt panic rise inside of him, and he turned to the others and saw them struggling desperately to move their motionless bodies as well, their necks and heads the only things mobile.
"Why. Can't. I. MOVE!?" Hamilton roared, furious.
"It's some sort of paralysis!" Burr groaned.
Everyone was becoming frantic as they struggled to move anything. Anything at all.
After a few moments, they stopped, slumping their heads backwards in pain.
Laurens turned to the man who looked like how he was supposed to. "Who are you, exactly?" He panted
He sighed. "Aaron Burr. We know it's you, John, so you don't need to hide it."
Laurens felt relieved, which turned to confusion. "But.. Why are we in different bodies?"
"We're ALL in different bodies." A man that looked like Hamilton said. "I'm not Alexander, if that's what you're thinking."
Laurens' eyes widened in surprise as everyone introduced themselves as who they really were. After a moment of more silence, Laurens asked, "But why? Why did whoever do this.. Do this to us?"
"I don't know."
"I do."
All five looked up sharply as a new man came into view of the firelight, though he wasn't so new to Laurens and Burr.
"You!" They growled simultaneously.
The tutor grinned. "Thank you Hamilton, Lafayette, and Mulligan. You fell right into my trap." He turned to Burr (The actual Burr, not Laurens). "And it's nice to see you again, Burr."
Laurens narrowed his eyes. "So you knew who I was the entire time?"
"Of course." Chuckled the tutor, patting Laurens' cheek, much to his annoyance. "I'm not as innocent and dumb as you five."
"Excuse me?" Hamilton called out at him, taken aback.
"Ah, Hamilton." The tutor turned to him with a wide smirk. "Enjoying Lafayette's height, I presume?"
Hamilton blinked. "Well, of course, but- yeah- I- Stop trying to change the subject!" He snapped.
Lafayette rolled his eyes at the sky as he murmered, "Mon Dieu, aide-moi."
"Ooh, bonjour, Gilbert Du Motier." The tutor grinned, turning to Lafayette, who winced at the use of his real name by a stranger. "C'est bon de te voir." The tutor spoke fluently.
"Alright, alright, smarty pants, you know who we really are. Amazing show." Mulligan snarled sarcastically. "But you're a real heckin' coward to just keep us paralyzed here." Then he added under his breath, "However you're doing it."
The tutor turned to him and gave him another smirk. "Hercules Mulligan." He went over to him. "That untrustworthy man who pretends to be 'friends' with the British. In short, a Liar, just like me. Although probably not just like me, seeing as I'd never get caught, unlike you."
Mulligan flushed furiously.
"So, I finally have the whole gang." The tutor continued, turning away and clapping his hands eagerly. "You, my children," He spun on his heel to face then again, "Are a vital part of my master plan to take Washington down in one fell swoop."
"Hah, like we'd ever help you." Hamilton laughed.
"Oh, but I think you will." The tutor remarked with his eyebrows raised. He snapped his fingers, and Hamilton suddenly screamed in pain, his eyes rolling to the back of his head.
"What are you DOING TO HIM?!" Laurens screamed, amidst the cries of, "HAMILTON!"
The tutor, looking amused, snapped his fingers again, and Hamilton stopped screaming, panting desperately as he glared at the tutor with newfound hatred and.. Fear.
Burr was staring at the tutor with pure and utter shock. "I was right." He breathed. "It is dark magic." He stared at his tutor straight in the eye with burning intensity. "You've been practicing sorcery!"
The tutor chuckled, patting him on the head. "It took you long enough."
"Practicing sorcery is a sin against God," Burr scowled. "It's a sin against reality itself!"
The tutor raised an eyebrow. Then he suddenly cracked up and burst out laughing, much to the bewilderment and annoyance of the five.
"I'm sorry," The tutor giggled, wiping a fake tear from his eye. "I just can't take you seriously when you're like this." He gestured at them and giggled again.
"But you're the one that-" Lafayette began infuriatedly.
"Which is why I'm going to put you back." The tutor cut him off with a wave.
Laurens glanced at the others skeptically, when he suddenly felt a throbbing, violent pain in his head, as if his brain—his soul—was being forced out of his current body. The pain was indescribably unbearable, and the five of them would have screamed if they could, but it was simply not possible.
The other four all felt the same as Laurens as the five of their heads were forced to look up by some terrible yet invisible force. Their eyes glowed white as they saw their spirits leave through their mouths, and suddenly, they felt themselves sucked strongly. The next thing they knew, they blacked out.
When they opened their eyes again, they were back into their own respective bodies. Laurens shook his head groggily, then noticed the tutor watching them. Laurens' face contorted itself into a vicious scowl. "What did you do that for?!"
The tutor raised an eyebrow. "You should be thanking me, Laurens, not contradicting me."
"He meant," Hamilton groaned irritatedly, opening his eyes and rolling his neck. "Why did you switch our bodies in the first place? Especially if you were going to put us back?"
The tutor furrowed his eyebrows. "I thought it would have been obvious, Hamilton, but since your little brains still haven't caught on yet, I guess I'll have to explain."
He leaned forward on his chair (Which he must gave gotten while they were unconscious again) and eyed the five. "I was on the side of the Americans, like you five. Blind, hopeful, and dumb, but much too weak to join in as a soldier. I decided to take up sorcery, in hopes of somehow aiding the revolution." He began.
The five gave each other looks, but kept silent.
"I was still not powerful enough to help in a fight then, but I could foresee when the British would attack. I tried to give this information to your general, but he didn't believe me."
He shook his head. "He completely missed the opportunity to catch the Redcoats by surprise, but no, he decided on his tactics. His plans. And look where that got him." He sighed, sounding immensely disappointed.
"He's a good general!" Hamilton suddenly and quite uncharacteristically burst. Laurens turned to him in surprise, and Hamilton himself even looked a little shocked. "Yeah, he is a good general," He continued, glaring. He sounded like he was about to get riled up. "There's no such thing as perfect, but he's the best we got, whether you like it or not, and honestly, if I was given the choice, I'd die for him if the need arose!"
The other four nodded in sage agreement, eyeing the tutor with distaste. The tutor just sighed. "But that's why I did this. I knew you were going to fall right into the trap. Why did I set a trap, you ask? Because, as I said before, I need you." He stood up, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "I need everyone to see just how weak the general truly is."
"And how do you expect to do that, exactly?" Burr raised a skeptical brow. "If you didn't know, the general has been known to kill in cold blood during battle."
"Ah, yes, but do you think he'd actually kill one of his own? Or," He swept his arm across them. "Five of his own?"
There was utter silence as his words sunk in. Slowly, Hamilton began shaking his head, horror and dismay filling his face. Laurens felt panic rise inside of him. Lafayette was suddenly alarmingly pale, and Mulligan's eyes were wide, while Burr's breathing became uneven.
"He- he'd never do such a thing." Hamilton stammered. "He'd never kill us."
"Thats exactly what I was counting on, Hamilton, weren't you listening?" He laughed at him.
Hamilton opened his mouth in protest, but no words came out. He blushed furiously as the tutor just laughed again, shaking his head like he thought he was cute.
Laurens glared at the tutor. "But what do you want from us?" He asked, amidst Hamilton's angry swearing under his breath. "Because if you haven't yet noticed, we'd never betray our country or our general. "
"Ah, but that's where you're wrong," The tutor smirked, taking a step towards Hamilton. "You will betray your general, because I'm going to make you do it."
"I'd never do such a thing." Hamilton spat as the tutor came closer to him.
"Yes, you will. My plan is quite clever and foolproof, if you ask me, I mean.."
He was standing in front of Hamilton now, grinning at him with such malice that Hamilton actually looked.. Scared. Terrified, even.
"The great George Washington-" The tutor slowly lifted his hands. "-killed by five young men, two of whom were his favorite secretary and general." He shook his head. "What a shame they're going to have to kill you for this crime. I really did enjoy having this chat."
The tutor's hands hovered closer to Hamilton's head. Hamilton jerked his neck backwards as far as it could possibly go. "No." He breathed. "No!"
Then, in one, swift motion, the tutor grabbed the sides of Hamilton's head, ignoring his wail of, "Noooo!"
His friends could only watch in slowly growing horror as he struggled uselessly at the hands of the deranged man.
Hamilton desperately attempted to jerk his head out of the man's hands, but his grip was too strong. No. He thought desperately, trying to break free of the spell that he could feel creeping at the edge of his mind, threatening to encase it completely. He thought of his friends. They needed him, they needed..
But all thoughts of his friends were forcibly swept aside, and the spell continued to creep on, and he shuddered uncontrollably when he felt a hand reaching out to grab his brain, to take control of it. NO! He screamed in his head. The hand jerked backwards a bit, like it was stung. He thought of Eliza, and the hand began to recoil. Triumph filled him as he added in thoughts of his son Philip, until, in one violent movement, the hand shoved all thoughts of Eliza and Philip out and stuffed them into another corner of his skull, and, despite his brain's horrified screams of protest, the hand grabbed his entire brain in its filthy fist. Almost immediately, he felt himself growing weaker. He jerked his head backwards in another futile attempt, but it was no use, and as his struggling slowed, he thought he heard Laurens yell, "No! Alexander!"
Soon, Hamilton was completely immobile as he sat there. He felt no will whatsoever to struggle against the tutor anymore. In fact, he had no will at all. His eyes glazed over, and any bit of control he had left melted away, making way for total and utter submission and obedience.
Laurens watched on in horror as Hamilton sat absolutely still as he allowed the tutor to add his finishing touches to the horrors he was doing, and finally, he let go of him.
"So," The tutor asked, snapping his fingers again. "Are you now willing to be more... Cooperative?"
Hamilton slowly stood, the paralysis spell having been washed away by the melancholy snap that Laurens was, inevitably, learning to dread the next events when he heard it. He shuddered. Hamilton's eyes, which were glazed over, were also eerily unfocused as he replied in a dull, flat voice, "Yes, sir." And, to the utter horror of all his friends, knelt down in a bow at the tutor. The tutor broke into a grin of pleasure, then turned to his other captives. "Who's next?"
Laurens felt a creeping sense of dread overwhelm him as the tutor turned and fixed his gaze upon him, his eyes glinting maliciously.