Life after Death: The Afterlife of Hezekiah Chamblee

Chapter Two: "We Must Move Forward with Our Lives"

Third-Person POV

One Hour after Hezekiah's Death...

"Mission accomplished," Adelle Chamblee cheered to herself as she bid the last of the police officers farewell before joining her husband Jeffrey back in his private den where he was pouring celebratory drinks. "Everything went according to the script, Jeffrey darling."

The fifty-seven-year-old financial analyst hummed in satisfaction, handing his wife a glass of her favorite martini. "Glad to know my dear," he replied. "Jose and Maurice fulfilled  their duties of ridding this family of the young man who reminded you of the man who had no morals or good sense to know that you were a married woman. If it wasn't for your father insisting that we'd keep the abomination in our home, we'd have gladly had him removed before he came into this world. That way, all of our time and money wouldn't be wasted on providing him with what could've been used on our true heirs and heiresses."

"We live and learn, Jeffrey. Now, the main thing to worry about is how we'll approach the news to the children," Adelle said crisply. "It's no secret that none of them shared any true bonds with Hezekiah, so it'll be easier for us to convince them that he ended his life for some reason or other."

"But of course," her husband commented, nodding in assent as he sipped on his glass of brandy. "I know that our daughters thought that he was a waste of space for the most part. As for the boys, they're still relatively young and naive enough with Alex being the most headstrong and more eager to convince. Cameron, on the other hand, has been the wild-card with him always being the silent type."

"Is it possible that he might resent us for keeping him from having a relationship with Hezekiah? The boy is more than likely to be seen with commoners and the street rats if we don't keep him under a firmer grasp."

"If that was the case, we'd have known by now." Jeffrey paused when he heard the limousine pull up outside. "But you could be right in making sure that Cameron doesn't go near anyone that might be a distraction to the Chamblee Diamond Standard. For now, we have to make sure that he and the others know what happened and where we'll go from today. Afterwards, the hard work of keeping up appearances will take place."

Adelle nodded, knowing that a lot of people from their social circles and throughout the greater Bostonia area will have their eyes on them. "Then we must prepare ourselves, Jeffrey," she said as she let her husband escort her out of the den. "To the Diamond Standard."

"To the Diamond Standard."

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

"It brings me and your mother great pain to announce that Hezekiah had been found dead in his bedroom with a gunshot through his head," his mother said morosely, giving her surviving children an Oscar-worthy performance as she and her husband gathered their newly-arrived children into one of the family rooms and sat them down. "He was struggling with his personal demons, yet never bothered to leave a note. And it's the main reason why committing suicide is something that can never be condoned in this family."

"Quite right, my dear," her husband said, patting her on the back while focusing his attention on his attentive children.

Alex raised his hand. "So what will this all mean for us?" he asked.

"It means that the next few days is when we'll have to go through the week-long mourning period," Jeffrey answered candidly. "Your mother and I will be arranging for a private memorial service in the days to come, but we must keep a strong and united front to brave through this scandal. If anyone asks you if either of you knew what was going on, tell them that you just found out when your mother and I announced this to you."

"This is a lot to take in," Leigh-Anne, a strikingly beautiful young woman who took after her father's features and was one of the most-respected fashion models, noted. "Then again, I know that I saw Hezekiah as nothing more as...well, like live-in help. I remember him being silent and rather bookish in a way. He was a total dredge with his schoolwork."

"I know," Mariah, who took after her mother and was slated to marry her boyfriend- the son of a well-respected senator, piped up as she applied a fresh coat of lipstick on her lips. "Andy always said that Hezekiah was never much of a party boy. Then again, he might've caused unwanted attention if any of my friends found out that he was my brother. Thank goodness that he had good sense to stay out of everyone's way."

"Well, he's dead and out of our lives," Alex, him and Cameron being carbon copies of their father, interjected as he rolled his eyes. "No one really cares for him anyway. And besides, he would've wanted us to move on without him."

"Exactly," Adelle hummed, giving him an approving smile. "This may be a bit hard for us in the days to come, but we must move forward with out lives and take in the Chamblee Diamond Standard with honor and duty. The sooner that we start forgetting that he existed, the better off we'll be."

Cameron, the more contemplative twin, only remained silent until he was dismissed to his bedroom. Once upstairs, he finally let the tears fall from his eyes as he locked his bedroom door before heading to his closet and pulling out a hardcover journal that belonged to Hezekiah. "I can't believe that you killed yourself, Hezekiah," he said through his tears. "Then again, I don't think that you really did kill yourself. I know that Mom and Dad hated you because you were the son of the rapist. They just wanted to wait until you graduated today to finally have you our of their lives. But as long as I live, I vow to make sure that I read your journal and keep it safe from everyone else."

He opened the front cover and read his older brother's well-kept scrawl. To my brother Cameron, keep this safe for me. Make sure that no one knows of our brotherly bond, the inscription read. If possible, don't let Mom or Dad know about my secrets and keep this away from Alex and the girls. Knowing them, they'll just take it and burn it down.

I have to read his journal, Cameron vowed as he put the journal away and let himself cry to sleep. Mom and Dad as well as Alex, Leigh-Anne, and Mariah have gotten their wish. Hezekiah was dead and will be forgotten. But not for long. One way or another, what's been done in the dark and whispered in the shadows will soon come to the light and be shouted out on the rooftops.

"I miss you already, 'Kiah," Cameron mumbled to himself as sleep crashed over him. "I miss you so much."

Family is always meant to show love to one another, not tear each other down to make one feel good about themselves. Looks like Cameron was the only one who got the message because he treated Hezekiah like a human being. As for the journal entries, we'll see several of them in the chapters to come, and they'll be JAM-PACKED with juicy secrets, scandals, and a mind-blowing game-changer that you're not prepared for.

But coming up next, it's time to head back to the Afterlife Station to see Hezekiah get ready to leave for the world of the Nexus! And folks, you're going to love how this will turn out!

Song: "Sincerely, Jane" by Janelle Monae. Dedication: IskippU and MarCafeWrites.

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