Chapter 1
The fields stretched out like a wide ocean of green as the train chugged by. Soothing breeze from the window enough to lure him back to sleep however Burr couldn’t being himself to close his eyes. He’d travelled this path many times before as a boy coming for the long holidays so he could tell they were getting closer with each passing second.
In fact they were almost there. A smile tugged at his lips as the name of the place of wonder came to mind.
Amerika, the city of dreams.
A place bursting with opportunity and change.
Everything was perfect there or so he’d heard. Advanced technology, higher standards of living, less taxes, better paying jobs, the kind of place where an orphan with so much to live for could start a new life.
A good life.
The kind of life his parents would want him to have.
Their memory brought a nostalgic feeling of grief as well as love and he absentmindedly fisted his hands in the cloth of his pants.
He’d gotten a new job in Amerika. He was going to have a new home and start a bigger and better life. The legacy they’d passed on to him would definitely be protected. He’d make sure of it.
It helped that it wasn’t his first visit to the big city. He’d studied there before on a scholarship.
Losing his parents in between his studies had been the most difficult thing to happen to him, he’d almost broken down, but he forced himself to carry on for the sake of everything they’d sacrificed to get him this far. He passed too, ranking high among the best among his peers and even graduated before many of them. Advancing to higher levels because of his recognised genius.
Thanks to his degree, finding a job had been smooth sailing. Before he knew it he’d achieved citizenship. A rare feat.
He’d returned home, taken care of all the affairs his parents had left behind. Settled them, sold what had to be sold, paid what had to be paid, and now with everything through he was finally coming back to Amerika and coming to stay.
His phone vibrating in his pocket pulled him from his thoughts and he immediately answered the....video call?
“Aaron!” Madison laughed happily as soon as he picked the call and Burr found himself returning the smile.
“James?” He grinned the side of his eyes crinkling just a little. He hadn’t expected to get a call so soon from his dark skinned friend so soon.
“Hey hey hey!” called out Madison’s much taller partner of lighter skin. Jefferson swaggered in with a cocky grin as he planted his ass on a tall stool by the table. His long afro curls wrapped up in a towel told Burr he’d recently been in the shower. The towel and the hair dryer he set on the table.
“It takes that long to pick a phone call Burr?” Jefferson drawled his southern accent just as thick as Madison’s though their tones made them sound so different.
“Sorry Thomas, James.” Burr apologised with a small sympathetic laugh.
“It was in my pocket.”
“So you didn’t feel the vibrations...at all?” Jefferson raised an eyebrow in query.
“My mind was a little distracted......” Burr admitted. His sentence trailing off at Jefferson’s interrogation.
“You’re nervous aren’t you.” Madison smiled knowingly. He recognised all of the signs. How Burr seemed restless even though he was always known for his composure.
As if to prove his point Burr tapped his finger on the phone screen absentmindedly.
“Maybe I am.” He finally said unable to stop the small smile creeping along his face again.
“Something tells me it’s more than just your new job too.” Jefferson teased with a smirk and Burr smiled wryly at him, or at least he tried to.
“Amerika is just a more interesting place than I imagined it could be.” He laughed.
The Cupid system.
He’d heard whispers about it while he studied there but he hadn’t expected that it could be true.
A system that worked using the collective data it gathered from all of its citizens from the moment they were born to find them a perfect match. Their soul mate.
For every child born within Amerika's walls they were matched perfectly with another. Every soul to another perfect soul. Parents were even made aware of who their child’s future mate would be as soon as the system had made a match. Marriages would be arranged sometimes before the child could even speak and hardly anyone went against the systems chosen mate. It was said to end in disaster when a person tried to find a mate on their own.
The Cupid system was one of the most prominent systems in the entire of Amerika, most of the affairs within the City revolved around it. How birthdays were celebrated who a person could sit with or partner with. How restaurants were fashioned, how houses were built. There was hardly ever any single seating in Amerika because absolutely everyone had a soul mate.
Everyone.
And now that he was to become a part of Amerika, he was going to get one too.
The idea still seemed almost unbelievable to Burr, especially as he already has a match before he’d even made it into the city. A system that could take years to find a match for its own citizens already had a match for him?
It almost sounded too convenient.
Take Jefferson and Madison for instance. Madison had been living within Amerika for quite a while. Working and doing well for himself when he’d suddenly gotten matched with Jefferson as soon as Jefferson flew in from overseas.
Admittedly everything had worked out for the best but was it really possible for a machine to match two strangers up so perfectly?
To just know the one person they’d been searching all their lives to find? Just like that?
How was that even possible for an emotionless piece of machinery. What sort of data did they use?
So many questions unanswered but he wasn’t the type to pry.
Madison assured him that the process was airtight and whoever he got matched with really would be this person he hadn’t known he’d needed all of his life. The idea was both exciting and unsettling.
Was he ready for this? This new world.
This woman that would change... everything.
He’d actually been exchanging letters with her, even before the move.
The first letter from her had come as a surprise, he didn’t even know how she’d gotten a hold of his address but according to the letter she just couldn’t wait. She was so excited to have a mate and she sent her greetings and regards.
Intrigued he’d sent a letter back and they’d been writing back and forth ever since. All of her letters were signed with her initials, ‘A.Ham’ .
He had the letters with him in a special bag. Keeping them close to his heart. Her writing was so elegant. He could just tell she was going to be a genius. This was so exciting.
“I never imagined that I’d actually get one.” Burr chuckled.
“Right before you even get here too.” Jefferson pointed out with a grin. “Aaron you are one lucky man.”
“They’ve probably been waiting here for you all this time.” Madison smiled happy for Burr and happy for his mate.
He’d known how it felt being all alone while most of his friends were mated. Getting called names and how everyone shook their heads in pity, suspecting his health stopped him from ever getting a match up.
But then Thomas showed up in his life and changed everything for the better. He wanted the same for Burr, heaven knows Burr deserved it. A silver lining to the cloud that had constantly plagued his life.
“Waiting just for me.” Burr said softly but he felt so touched. Someone....was waiting all this time.
He couldn’t hide the small blush that spread on his cheeks at the thought and his friends began to laugh knowingly again.
“So what’s her name?” Madison asked excited.
“Or his name. We won’t judge.” Jefferson shrugged.
“Oh Lord no.” Burr laughed and he glanced down at the card that held his soul mate’s name. He’d been given one to help identify her though there was no picture attached.
“Her name is Alexandra. She’s going to pick me up at the train station. I think she should have gotten one of my passports so she’ll know who I am..... “
He was excited.
“Bet you can’t wait.” Madison added looking like he was more excited for Burr’s mate than Burr was.
Burr let out a hearty laugh and looked back to the file he’d been given.
“Yeah......” he said absentmindedly but he knew that wasn’t exactly true.
There was nothing he couldn’t wait for.
*
On getting to the train station though, Burr realised the waiting thing might have been taken too far this time.
He swore he’d been sitting at the platform for two hours, still no sign of Alexandra.
He’d walked around the platform twice just to double check if he’d missed her but still nothing. He was getting hungry and tired and grumpy. Very grumpy.
What was going on here? Was she going to come at all? He did hope being late wasn’t some kind of thing of hers, that was assuming she was going to show up at all. Perhaps she didn’t fancy the idea of an outsider being her soulmate.
The thought made Burr slump slightly but her letters cancelled out that theory. After all she’d written to him first.
He sighed and rested his head on a hand which was propped by the back of the chair. The flowers he’d bought for her as soon as he got off the train looked like they’d gotten tired of waiting too.
He’d stayed this long so he figured he’d wait just one more hour then find his own way to his new home. His soul mate, who was kind of now his roommate, was supposed to help him settle in but he could do that fine on his own. Things were going to get awkward if he got to the house and found her there just chilling. Maybe even watching some TV.
Nothing saddened him more than the thought that she had made it here, after all she was the only one with his picture. She’d probably taken one look at him and decided he wasn’t worth it.
As heartbreaking as that thought was it was a lot more encouraging than the idea that she might have had an accident. He wouldn’t even know where she was or how to contact if such had happened ....
“Pardon me, are you Aaron Burr sir?” a male voice asked pulling him from his inner ramblings and he groaned not actually in the mood for running into a possible ex-classmate. Not all had been very fond of him.
“That depends who’s asking?” he muttered without bothering to look at who was speaking to him.
“Oh sure, Sir.” The voice went on sounding more upbeat. “I’m Alexander Hamilton, I’m at your service sir. I have been looking for you.”
“Excuse me what??”
Alexander Hamilton? He didn’t recognise that name from class but something sounded so familiar about it.
He turned to glance up at the man now and found himself staring at a man of pale skin. He was even much lighter than Jefferson was, heck he was of an entirely different race.
However when it came to looks he was rather easy on the eyes, in a messy hair bun sort of way. With soft brown eyes and a bubbly smile that seemed to dance on his lips. Added to the way his body seemed to bounce on the heels of his feet as if he was that excited to meet Burr who had no recollection of him at all.
Until it clicked.
Hamilton!
That was his mate’s name. Alexandra Hamilton!
Burr’s eyes widened and he stood fast excitement beginning to blossom within him but accompanied with worry and fear.
Where was Alexandra?
“Are you....her brother?” he asked but was rewarded with a look of utter confusion on Alexander’s face.
“Huh?” He blinked and Burr frowned holding up the Cupid card he possessed.
“Look. Her name.” He said handing the card to the stranger hesitantly but watching the man’s face carefully for any sign of recognition.
Alexander studied the card curiously then his face lit up. Burr’s heart lit as well in triumph but he found himself confused with Alexander's next words.
“Oh oh no see that’s a typo.” He smiled handing the card back to Burr and rapping where the letter ‘A’ met the letter ‘R’.
“It’s supposed to say Alexander.”
“Alex...ander?” Burr repeated confused. Did she actually have a masculine name then or did this mean....what he thought it meant but couldn’t possibly mean......
“Here see.” Alexander went on reaching into the file bag he’d been holding. He pulled out a file of his own and handed that to Burr.
“I have your name.” He went and sure enough there it was.
Aaron Burr matched by the Cupid system to.....to..... AlexandER Hamilton.
Burr stared dumbfounded at the file thinking there had to be some kind of mistake but his new mate wasn’t done breaking down the facts.
“Look, I even have your letters.” He smiled pulling some of them from the file bag and handing those to Aaron too.
“The A stands for Aaron right? A.Burr, Aaron Burr. A.Ham, Alexander Hamilton.” He beamed. “We’re A-A.”
“And you’re my....my....” Burr gaped and Alexander smiled wider in a strange way that somehow made his eyes sparkle.
“Yup!” he beamed. “I’m your soul mate! It's a pleasure to meet you in person Mr Burr."