Hezekiah's POV

FLASHBACK (Pre-teen in Summer Camp)

"I'm home," the eleven-year-old me said as I walked inside my home and surprised to see the maids and servants running about with packing and cleaning the place. "What's going on?"

A tall and pretty lady with blonde hair and a chilling smile came up to me, her heels clicking on the marbled floor. "Are you Hezekiah?" she asked me.

I nodded.

"Good, I'm Miss Pastek, your mother's personal assistant," she introduced herself as we shook hands. "Listen, your parents, brothers, and sisters have left for the airport earlier to stay in New York for the summer. Unfortunately, they didn't want to invite you since they believed that you'd be a distraction for them. And while your mother knows that you're growing up to be a fine young man, she thought it's best that you start spending your summers away from the help."

Mrs. Sammons, the head maid, came up to us with a look of confusion on her face. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Ma'am, I was explaining the Mrs. Chamblee's son that he'll be going away for the summer," Miss Pastek replied. "Unfortunately, he won't be with his family as they think that it's not right for him to join them."

"Then where is he going to stay?"

"Well, his parents arranged for him to spend his summers at an all-boys summer program at a private school in Monaco," the blonde woman replied. "He'll be taking classes there and his teachers there will make sure he stays out of trouble."

Mrs. Sammons wasn't having it, she shaking her head. "Lord Jesus," she muttered. "Ma'am, I-"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but this isn't for debate. All his bags have been packed and the house will be cleared for the summer. A liason will soon arrive to pick Hezekiah up shortly to take him to the airport and he's expected in Monaco in the evening for dinner and orientation. He'll be able to contact you once he gets settled."

To me, "This is for your own good, dear. Besides, you're not really ready for the family's standards and will likely drag them down if you're not careful. And think of it this way, your summers in Europe will do you good. You'll be studying and focusing on your personal growth. It's all a part of the Chamblee manifesto where perfection is key."

She walked off, leaving me to my thoughts.

"Heffa," Mrs. Sammons spat. She gave me a sad look. "Baby, your folks are no good. If you were mine, I'd make sure that you got a good home and real love. This place right here is full of money and greed. You keep your head up and remember that I'm praying for you."

"Yes, ma'am," I replied as a tall man came in to collect me. And from the time of my arrival in Monaco was when I would start looking forward to summer and winter vacations in Europe in boarding schools and camps that featured endless homework, young men who were too cool to speak to me, teachers that kept me away from Mrs. Sammons or the other servants back home with no chance of contacting them, and time spent wondering what I did to deserve being rejected by my own family.

But hey, anything to make my parents proud. All I could do was keep my head up, my opinions to myself, and accept what fate gave me...

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

PRESENT-DAY (Back in the Nexus, the following day)...

I had a feeling that my visit with God and Lucifer- Satan- would soon arrive.

And the moment that I had finished breakfast and greeted them at the door was when I knew that this was going to be the start of these rendezvous together as I let both deities inside my home and into the parlor room.

God himself was a strikingly handsome man who appeared to be like any middle-aged man: gilded-blonde hair with a touch of gray, tanned skin, ice-blue eyes that were kind, and an athletic build that hugged his all-white business suit perfectly. Lucifer, on the other hand, was a younger version of Tom Ellis with a slightly-slimmer lower body as he was dressed in an all-red business suit with black accents, a pair of eyeglasses completing his bad-boy preppy look.

Surprisingly enough, both of them looked rather comfortable in their respective personas.

"Hezekiah Chamblee, we finally meet at last," God said as the three of us sat down at the table. "So, how are you settling into your new home here in the Nexus?"

I took a deep breath. "It's a bit like Earth, for all I know," I replied slowly. "I mean, it's my second day here and I haven't been out much other than meeting a few other residents here and there at Chance's home next door."

"Ah, but you must admit that things are like heaven in a way," Lucifer suggested. "On the other hand, time is really nonexistent here in heaven or hell. But in Earth time? You've been here for only a day, give or take an hour."

"But the main thing is that you're here in the Nexus," God said, steering back to the main topic. "And it's time that my brother and I explained to you why we didn't feel like you belonged in either of our after worlds. You see, I created you out of curiosity. And my, you were quite a looker if you were a full adult and back on Earth. But I had placed a heart that was too pure for my brother's world as you were so full of innocence and simplicity that I didn't find it fitting for you to go to Earth at all. But I did and you soon learned of the secrets of man. I knew that you weren't going to be well-received by your family much less loved like you needed to be loved by them since your birth father raped your mother."

"Who is in hell, by the way," Lucifer interrupted. "I saw that your mother wasn't happy with the conception and wanted to get rid of you if it wasn't for her saintly father- who is in my brother's world, if you want to know- deciding that it wasn't right to kill my brother's creation. So you came into the world and was immediately given a relatively bad hand with so much indifference and indirect hate aimed right at you."

"You abided by my Word when you were baptized in the church at a young age," God went on. "You chose a life full of heartache and suffering while shunning evil even though you dealt with temptation. By that time, I sent Chance to you as your future soulmate when the time came for you two to meet. But his life was tragically cut short by his father's harsh hands as he was also meant to be sent to the Nexus. And now, my child, here you are as I can only tell you how truly sorry I am that you were never really loved on Earth while you stayed there."

All I can do is nod, not knowing what to say at this moment.

"It's not easy for you to hear this, Hezekiah, but you deserved to remain in my brother's care if he hadn't sent you to Earth, even if it wasn't intentional," Lucifer commented, noticing my sad gaze. "Now that you knew too much of man's designs yet never being  allowed to truly experience life, the Nexus is your place in the world as you can finally see your path here. And with Chance with you, maybe this is when you two can finally find solace in each other."

I finally found my voice. "What about my family on Earth?" I asked hesitantly. "What about Mrs. Sammons and the other servants and maids who-"

"All will be made clear in due time, my child," God said, cutting me off. "It is by my designs that justice will be made known to those who ended your life. All you can do right now is focus on your life here in the Nexus and view the timeline where you never existed. As for Chance Dalton? Well, take a chance on him and learn to lean on each other."

"Okay," I said uneasily. "I can do that."

"That's all we ask," Lucifer replied as he and his brother stood to their feet. "Until next time, Hezekiah."

The two deities snapped their fingers and disappeared.

What a visit that was! This definitely called for a trip into the Nexus world and see what it's really like for people of my caliber!

Cumulative word count so far: 9324 words.

Talk about a fireside chat with God and Satan! Don't get too comfy just yet because a trip to the city of Axis (the capital of Nexus) leads to a run-in with Chance and some choice words from Catalina! Oh, my!

Dedication: xiamond.

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