Pleasantville, two weeks later...

"Hezekiah, you look as if you've been glowing underneath the sun!" was the first thing that left Thorn's mouth upon my arrival in his office for another therapy session. Two weeks spent with Chance at Pacifica Vista was something that would live on in my memory since coming to the Nexus. And now, I was back in Pleasantville and in the therapy seraph's office as I was expected to see said therapy seraph upon my return (Chance had to get back to his job as the hotel bellboy, but promised to see me later this evening). "I take it that you had a blast at Pacifica Vista?"

I smiled softly as I took a seat in front of his desk. "It was a great vacation," I replied. "No, it was a magnificent vacation that I want to be the start of many more."

"I can tell, seeing that your tan proves that you did have a good time," Thorn chuckled. "What did you do?"

I took a deep breath. "A bit of everything that I had never enjoyed on Earth since I was locked away at St. Anslem's or in my room with tutors for the holidays and summer vacations. I swam in the spacious sea that felt like I was taking a long bubble bath, enjoyed walks on the beach, checked out the local townsfolk, met some interesting people, and...well, let's just say that Chance and I got to fully reignite our friendship and elevated it into something more."

A mischievous twinkle filled Thorn's eyes. "Do tell."

I couldn't help but laugh at that request. "I can't give all the details away, but a couple of days before I left for Pacifica Vista Chance and I had decided to cut our losses and begin to truly break down the walls that kept us from knowing more from each other," I told him. "He even said that he wanted to give us a chance and start building a relationship that was denied from us back on Earth."

"You're soulmates, you and Chance?" Thorn deduced.

I nodded. "We are, and it's both thrilling and scary. Even more so, given that Catalina wants Chance for herself," I admitted. "You probably heard about what happened at Alvin and Damon's dinner party."

Thorn nodded, writing down some notes on his pad. "The arch-demons and Catia did give me the heads-up," he told me. "Miss Slade has really crossed the line with what she said."

"The sad part about her telling me that I didn't deserve to have a soulmate was that I almost believed her," I commented. "Even though I had the love from Minnie Jean and the other maids and servants at home, I was reminded by Mom and Dad that I wasn't deemed worthy of love since I was the product of a rapist. 'No one worth their salt would be brave enough to be with you,' Mom would hint. 'Life would be better off for me and my family if you never existed.' Unfortunately, I believed her, even after learning of Chance's death before junior year began."

"That's harsh," Thorn commented, eyes narrowed in silts.

"Well, I was used to being ignored and rejected in my home. In a way, I kind of guessed that my time was limited before I met with that gypsy who would confirm of my tragic end on Earth. As odd as it sounds, I was kind of relieved to know that I was going to die. Dad told me that being homeless or turning to crime would pose questions from the public while a mercy killing was the better way to go."

Thorn set down his pad and pen. "Any more time spent watching AUTV?"

I inhaled sharply, nodding. "Surprisingly enough, everyone was faring off without me pretty good- my family that is," I replied. "On the first day of vacation, I cried as I watched Mariah and Andrew- her boyfriend- confirm their relationship goals as a future married couple while my family was on their own vacation getaway. That's when Chance gave me some tough pills to swallow, telling me that my family except for Cameron was worth crying about since they never cared about my well-being and all. Cameron was the only one who saw me as his equal and never left me to fend for myself. Everyone else saw me as dead weight. Chance told me that I needed to focus on myself for a change and let myself love me for me in the same way that he does."

"He's not wrong about that," Thorn remarked. "AUTV can do too much emotional damage for a resident if one's family really believes that life would be better off without him or her in it. In your case, the emotions that you show from watching your parents and three of your siblings are going to hold you back from enjoying life here in the Nexus if you watch your family thrive and all. I'd suggest staying away from AUTV for the moment so you can let your mental and emotional health be renewed. Who knows? Maybe things aren't what they seem to be for your family in the alternate timeline."

"True," I agreed, nodding my head. "I just don't want to think too much of what could've been if things were different on Earth. No doubt that it wouldn't do me any good."

"It wouldn't. The Nexus is all about helping the rejects from Earth find their own identity and providing a safe haven for everyone who felt like they never belonged. You can't truly heal if you think about how everyone else is faring without you or what you could've done back when you were alive. Hezekiah Chamblee, it's time for you to start letting everything go and find your center. The best is yet to come if you allow yourself to heal. Life on Earth goes on. But the true benefits of living in the Nexus are for those who want to heal."

"I want to heal, Thorne. I just don't know what move to make next."

Thorn smiled softly. "You coming to talk to me is a start," he told me. "Everything else will fall in place. The only way to true healing is by taking it one step at a time."

One step at a time. I can work with that.

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

The therapy session came and went with two hours recapping on my escapade in Pacifica Vista and promising myself a visit to Winterhaven since I already visited Woodland and Axis. After another hour spent with running errands, I was soon back at my home and taking in the partly-cloudy afternoon as the neighbors were enjoying some outdoor time or doing yardwork.

"Hezekiah!"

I turned around from fetching the mail to see an elderly woman waving hello. "Hi, Mrs. DeLesseps," I greeted her as she came over to the mailbox. "What's new?"

"Darling, someone had left you an odd bouquet of red roses on your doorstep," the regal woman (she had died from Alzheimer's complications back in the eighties with no one to care for her) told me. "The sender who dropped them off looked kind of shifty and I wasn't able to get a good look at him or her. But the roses themselves looked a bit too...well, let's just say that I'd be careful."

She pointed to my doorstep where the red roses in question were indeed in front of my door. Motioning for the older woman to follow me, I made my way up the walk and climbed up the stairs before getting a good look at the flowers. The flowers looked as if they were as red as blood. Noticing the card on the glass vase, I took it and began to read.

Roses are red.
Your blood is too.
Watch out, Hezekiah Chamblee.
I got my eye on you.

You spending time with Chance is a symbol that you're my enemy.
And now, you're on my list. You've been warned.

-C.S.

I gulped, a wave of dread filling my stomach.

"Hezekiah!"

I snapped out of my reverie to see the newly-arrived arch-demons coming to my side as Azrael took away the flowers before setting them on fire. My horror intensified as I watch the roses began to scream, a terrible stench starting to fill my nose.

"Mercy!" Mrs. DeLesseps gasped as some of the neighbors stopped to watch the spectacle. "What is all of this?!"

"Catalina," I breathed. "She sent me the roses."

"That she did," I heard Abaddon say as he led me to one of the patio chairs. "Those were blood roses, straight from the lake of fire themselves. They were sent as a message of hatred."

"How did she get them here?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Damned if I know, but she must've heard about you and Chance getting closer and is seeking revenge," Azrael noted, his glare apparent yet softening as he joined me and his twin brother.

"Gentlemen, the mystery sender said that he or she hoped that Hezekiah would enjoy those roses and remember them by," Mrs. DeLesseps explained.

"Who did the person look like?" Abaddon asked her.

"I couldn't really tell since he or she was dressed in a black trenchcoat, a scarf that covered almost the entire face, sunglasses to hide the eyes, and long boots," the older woman replied. "But the build was a bit feminine and the voice was a bit accented."

"That had to be Catalina," I replied. "I may not have the proof, but it has to be her for sure."

"Hezekiah!" Chance's voice yelled as he soon came up to me.

"Chance," I breathed as I let him hug me. "It's Slade. She sent me some blood roses with a threat."

I showed him and the others the message that was written in the card. "Abaddon and Azrael, do you guys know about her intentions," Chance asked.

"We were just on our way to check in on Hezekiah when we heard about what's going on," Abaddon said. "And it's good timing because Louis and the others have more than enough info about our Brazilian femme fatale. Can you guys wait until tomorrow so we can make sure that everything's verified?"

I nodded. "The sooner we know more about Catalina Slade and what's she capable of, the sooner we can prepare ourselves for what she's planning next," I replied.

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

Third-Person POV

Meanwhile...

"The dogs of war have been unleashed," Catalina Slade murmured to herself, sipping on a glass of wine as she worked on her tan by the side of her pool. "Hezekiah is taking what is rightfully mine. Chance and I are meant to be together despite him being that runt's soulmate. With the Convergence soon to arrive to affirm everyone's place in the afterlife, it'll be more the reason to make my move and claim him as mine. Once I take care of Chamblee, Chance Dalton will be mine for the claiming."

With that declaration made, she raised her glass in a silent toast before finishing the last of her glass and diving into the pool, oblivious to her nudity.

Gentle readers, by making it this far into the story you have truly seen the development of a love story that was left untold on Earth as well as the start of a downfall for one Catalina Slade. As for Hezekiah's family on Earth, the stage was set for what would be the start of the end for the Chamblee Diamond Standard that was tainted with double standards, immorality, and secrets.

As it's been said, so say I the narrator: "What's been done in the darkness would soon be brought into the light and what's been spoken in whispers would be spoken on the rooftops." And gentle readers, all would be made clear for Hezekiah Chamblee and the people who influenced his life. Turn the page. The final act of the story awaits.

END OF ACT TWO

Now we're cooking with gas on the open-flame grill, folks! The stage is being set for what will be the mind-blowing act three that will lead to a satisfactory ending for some and full of revenge for others. The meek will be raised high while the arrogant will be brought low! And all I can tell you is that a LOT is going to happen in act three: cliffhangers, game-changers, drama, scandals, revelations, resolutions, two weddings, a near-death experience, and a love story that will be the stuff that dreams are made of. And let's not forget the steamy moments for Chance and Hezekiah (not to mention the planned threesome with my boys and Landon McMurray). All that and more is on the menu in act three, so you better not miss it!

Come to think of it, the prologue for act three is when we'll see the wedding plans for Mariah and Andrew take place while Senator Coleman and his wife read Hezekiah's journal entries and Boston's chief of police hears the testimony from the former bodyguards who shot Hezekiah. All that and more is coming your way as the prologue for a juicy act three is coming up next!

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