The States

The American Revolution, Part Three, 1776

V. Common Sense, Empires, and Independence
I've been reading Common Sense by Thomas Paine; So men say that I'm intense or I'm insane
-Schuyler Sisters, Hamilton
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Freedom hath been hunted round the globe. Asia, and Africa, have long expelled her; Europe regards her like a stranger, and England hath given her warning to depart.
-Thomas Paine, Common Sense

Philadelphia, PA- January 10, 1776
They get locked out of the Continental Congress meetings a lot.

So they have their own in the other rooms of the Pennsylvania State House, or sometimes in the hallway outside the Congress room-trying to listen, to hear what was going on.

Sometimes, they'll bring something they don't quite understand, because Alfred always said to work together, and sixteen heads are better than one.

Will knows exactly what he has in his hands the day he brings Common Sense to the meeting.

His siblings sit in the hallway on either side, backs to the wall and listen to him read the pamphlet aloud.

"Sounds like treason." Scarlett says with a smile. Congress meetings are treason. Lexington and Concord were treason. They no longer fear the word. 

"Sounds like fun." Davy replies, and then the colonies are laughing, laughing until their sides hurt and a delegate comes out to yell at them.

Philadelphia, PA- March 1, 1776
Arthur finds Alfred in Philadelphia.

All Alfred can do is pray that William doesn't sense the empire on his lands and decide that the Quakers wouldn't mind him punching out England.
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New York senses England before she sees him, thankfully, and ducks into an alley before he sees her- specifically her eyes, the same as America's. They could give her away.

She'd been looking for America, mostly relying on the internal compass all personifications had for each other. It was funny, because colonies could sense nations, but only nations who knew to look for them could sense a colony. 

She close enough to hear, but not see.

"You are only thirteen colonies," She can hear England snarl to America. New York wants to laugh. He's also Louisiana, and Ohio, and La Florida-East and West. He's Maine, and Vermont and everything from the Atlantic to the Mississippi at least. Even if he was only thirteen colonies, he'd still be bigger than you.

"Your economy belongs to me. Your army belongs to me. Every inch of your land belongs to me- and it has since your creation." New York wants to scream, no it hasn't, but you stole me from the Dutch, and Jersey too, and you took Delaware from Sweden! We weren't yours but you couldn't keep your hands to yourself, now could you? You wanted an Empire, so you took and took and took. America is not all yours, he has never been all yours- he is Dutch and French and Spanish and Swedish and German and Native and American. But then England is continuing.

"You rely on me in ways you will never know - I protect your borders and your trade." liar. "Without me you will die." England puts emphasis on the word die.

New York flinches, even though she knows it isn't true. Not Alfred. Never Alfred-he's stronger than the rest of the colonies. He's America. No matter what happens, he will endure.