Life after Death

Chapter Fifteen

Third-Person POV

Land of the living (Five days after Hezekiah's death)...

Andrew Coleman, a well-respected financial representative and son of a senator, knew exactly what he was getting himself into when he announced his intentions to marry Mariah Geneva Chamblee,  a beautiful and ambitious model who also planned to go into acting.

Despite his parents' strong objections, he believed that his plans to make it to the high social circles were needed when he married into the Chamblee family. He knew that his expectations for his version of the American dream were not lined up with those relating to his family's liberal-minded morals where opportunity should be available to all and people who didn't have much should have their piece of the pie.

No, readers. Andrew Coleman knew what he wanted and if it mean debasing himself to please his future in-laws, then he was willing to take the chance. Much to his surprise, Jeffrey and Adelle liked him more than they loved their son Hezekiah. "He just doesn't click with what we stand for," the patriarch noted as he and Andrew enjoyed a round of golf out on the course. "The boy does everything we ask, yet he's the odd ball in the family- a product of a rapist and my wife. Adelle doesn't like to talk about that night, but we know that the boy is too much like the bastard in looks. If not for the fact that my late father-in-law didn't want him to be aborted, we've would've gladly done it by now. But days like this make me wonder if it'd been easier if my wife and I got rid of him easily."

If Joshua Coleman, a hard-faced Massachusetts senator and family man, heard that statement; the man would've knocked him out with an uppercut to the jaw.

Andrew, on the other hand, was all for talking trash about the middle child. One look at him when he and Mariah were going steady as boyfriend and girlfriend was enough to make him consider staying far away from him.

He knew that his parents would never forgive him for not standing up for Hezekiah and not insisting that the young man join in on the planned festivities. But it was all for the Chamblee way of life. Anyone who didn't measure up to the standards were considered worthless.

He knew that the day would come when the teenager would meet his end. And he couldn't wait when the day would come so he could be considered as the son that Mr. Jeffrey Chamblee would've had.

***********************

"My brother is dead, Andy."

That caught his attention the moment that he was greeted by his fiancee at the arrivals area of Logan International Airport, Mariah looking beautifully dressed in a flowing red sundress as her hair was styled in an English bun. "Really, now?" he commented as he let her collect his luggage. "How did the runt bite the dust?"

"Simple gunshot to the head," Mariah commented as she led them to her waiting BMW roadster convertible. She gunned the engine before leaving the parking lot and started the drive to the family home. "Suicide, for the most part."

"Thought that it goes against the family values."

"It does, but we all know that he wasn't truly a Chamblee because his late father's a rapist. All the same, he just couldn't deal with the pressures even after his high school graduation. Anyway, Dad's having him cremated and there'll be a small ceremony for show. As where we'll place his ashes, Dad'll just toss him somewhere. Besides, the one friend he had is dead long ago and no one at his school would care to attend the services. He's expendable, like a sixth finger on a hand. And now that he's gone, our family will be fully complete."

"Does the help know about his death?" Andrew asked.

"They do, but they turned against us as they see him as a sweet kid who got the short end of the stick," Mariah commented. "The head maid saw him as one of her kids, usually taking care of him when he was a kid before Dad sent him to camps and boarding schools in Europe for the summer. She and everyone cut ties  with us and walked off two days ago after the death was announced. We hired new help since then, but Mrs. Sammons made sure that everything is running smoothly. Too bad she decided to walk away from a good job that would ensure that she'd be living large. Oh, well. She made her bed. Now she and her fellow unemployed haters can lie in it."

"What fools," Andrew scoffed as the drive to the Chamblee home continued with talks of wedding planning and the pending festivities for the summer.

An hour's drive later, the engaged pair were soon at the spacious parlor where Mr. Chamblee was enjoying a glass of whiskey on hand. "Mariah! Andrew!" he cheered as he set his glass down before hugging both of them. "Adelle and the others were just wondering when you were going to show up."

"I had to greet Andy at the airport since his conference at his job ended early," Mariah explained. "He said that everything was swift and all affairs were quickly settled. Not only that, he figured that he'd surprised me early."

"Splendid," cooed Adelle, she walking into the parlor dressed in a pink pantsuit ensemble by Dior. "Anyway, we've talked with the funeral directors and told them about the plans for the memorial service for the boy. After we all give them a star performance of playing the grieving family, we'll just toss the ashes in some garbage dump. As for any of his belongings, they've been disposed of properly and the room's been made into a guest room."

"Good," her husband hummed, grabbing his glass of whiskey as a quiet servant distributed glasses of champagne to the family (alongside a newly-arrived Leigh-Anne). "Now that the abomination is out of the picture, our family is truly the diamond standard of the Noveau Riche. To a new era! May there be no more unwanted flaws!"

"Cheers," his family exclaimed as they clinked their glasses with his, the twin boys watching silently as they enjoyed their kid-friendly cocktails. While his brother was smiling widely and supportive of his father's judgement, Cameron knew that his family was soon to face a nasty downfall. And he knew that there was more than what he was told to believe about Hezekiah's suicide. He just needed to get the proof.

*************************

Back in the void...

"That family is full of rotten eggs that spoil a good lineage," Lucifer mused as he, God, and their respective guardians (Gabriel, Michael, Abaddon, and Azrael) watched the celebration on Louis' screen. "But I believe that the Cameron child isn't really buying what his father's selling."

"He's not, my liege," Abaddon (he and his twin Azrael being twin brothers with dark-chocolate-brown skin, massive muscles, and domineering features) commented. "There's still some goodness in him, but he's in danger of being extinguished as long as he stays in the family."

"Agreed," God said as he adjusted his suit jacket. "But we need to talk about Hezekiah. He's been sent a letter from Catalina Slade who signed it as 'Cataluna' and is going to cause quite a headache for everyone in the Nexus. With Hezekiah and Chance spending time with each other and finally addressing their feelings for each other; there's no telling what she can be capable of. We have to keep her under close watch."

"I did learn from Thorne that Hezekiah is going to take a small vacation to one of the beaches," Gabriel noted. "Maybe a getaway could be a great cover for him to lie low for a while."

"Definitely," Michael agreed, nodding his head. "But we'll need to make sure that both Hezekiah and Chance are far from Miss Slade's grasp. In all fairness, she should've been placed in hell a long time ago. No offense, Lucifer."

"None taken," Lucifer replied. "In retrospect, I should've been the one to place the girl in hell. Everyone thought that she's a wayward soul like the others in the Nexus."

"Which is all the more reason for us to keep a close watch on her," God intoned. "I destined the Nexus to be a safe haven, and I won't let anyone try to make it into a garden of revenge."

He, the creator of all, was sure of it.

Cumulative word-count so far: 16,733 words.

The heat is going to be on and poppin as secrets and demises are going to be in full play on Earth while drama and scandals take place in the Nexus! You AIN'T seen nothin' yet!

Coming up next, it's a nice visit to the beaches for Hezekiah as he meets another stud for him to make nice with...but what the mystery guy has in mind isn't one that Chance will go for. Or will he?

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