Life after Death: The Afterlife of Hezekiah Chamblee

Prologue: The Death of Hezekiah Chamblee

Last name Chamblee.

First name Hezekiah.

Middle name Oshea (The middle name's irrelevant unless it's necessary, but I digress).

Anyway, I'm seventeen years old and the middle child of a well-respected family that's part of the upper-crust society of the greater Boston area as well as all of New England. That means my family is involved in the theme of life, liberty, and the pursuit of opulence.

But if you think that it's all fun and games for me, then you're clearly mistaken. You see, my family thrives on the "Chamblee Diamond Standard," the manifesto of seeking true perfection in everything that we do and say. Unfortunatley for me, nothing I ever did was considered part of that impossible ideal simply because I was the only child that was not only unplanned but unwanted. And all because some sicko decided to rape my mom (a former beauty pageant queen) while Dad was on a business trip.

Sad, am I right?

My father, a financial tycoon, wanted my mother to have me aborted to keep their family legacies intact. Surprisingly enough, she wanted it. And had it not been for my maternal grandfather and his strict Catholic upbringing, I wouldn't be telling this story right now. "This child is not your fault," he had declared when the subject to having the abortion take place came up. "To commit such an act will tarnish the Chamblee and Warner family names completely. I will not allow it. You will have this child, Adelle, and you and Jeffrey will see to it that it is treated like a part of the family and love as equally as your daughters."

If only the man was alive long enough to see that wasn't going to be the case. Oh, I was born into the world, all right. But that didn't stop neither of my parents to have me in the care of the maids and servants who  showed me more love than either of them did. Even when I was in diapers, I had a feeling that my mother felt like she should've gone through with the abortion procedure because I was told over and over again how I only brought bad luck to the family.

"An abomination that this thing is, reminding me of my shame. I wished that I'd gone through with the abortion so our family wouldn't be seen as the flaw in our diamond standards."

Lovely woman, am I right?

Anyway, I was mainly kept out of the spotlight and told to focus on my schooling and never let myself be seen with any of Dad and Mom's friends or even my sister's friends. And when my younger twin brothers Alex and Cameron came into the picture (As a way to make up for me being born with the twins being planned), it all sealed my fate of being the unwanted and invisible middle child. My objectives were clear: stay focused on school, make no contacts with anyone who might see me as part of the family, don't ask questions, and accept the fate of being an unwanted child.

Middle school came around and I was soon facing summers in boarding schools and camp programs in Europe far away from the maids and servants who treated me like I was a member of the family. I had no contact with the outside world and wasn't allowed to go home early. All I could do was let the tutors keep me occupied with endless lessons, no chances of making any friends with the other kids who got to go home early to parties and family gatherings, and adults who made sure that I spent my free time in my room with only the voices in my head to keep me company.

High school at Allendale Christian Academy didn't make things easier as my parents instructed the headmaster and teachers to keep me occupied with homework, test preparations, and have me labeled as the teacher's pet with ho chance of any extracurricular activities in sight. I had one friend named Chance Dalton, a star athlete who wasn't like the stereotypical jock, but no one approved of us being seen together after the first two years, so it all ended. He died during senior year, but I wasn't allowed to attend his funeral because Dad thought he was a distraction. "Your job is to make sure that you keep the family name spotless and do what you're told," he intoned. "There's little room for distractions, boy. Eyes on the prize and your nose clean from scandals."