The Echo of my Shouts

Chapter 2

A/N: It is so amazing to be back with Elijah, but I have to admit, I have been back for almost a year now. But now I get to share him with all the readers again, and I haven't been this excited in a very long time to be honest. Just note: Last year where I released the news that this book was in the works, I posted a preview under "Chapter 1". I have since updated it to a full chapter, so even if you did originally read it, please go and read again, because there was a lot added on to what was originally there. And then, enjoy this chapter, and I will see you all after this weekend for Chapter 3 when we finally get to see Lucy again!

"I am telling you now! You can't! You can't have your hubby call me and cancel everything! The show must go on!" Catherine yells into my ear.

For a moment I move the phone away from me, trying my best to concentrate on the road in front of me, fighting the urge to throw the cell phone out the window.

"I am serious Elijah! You have a signed contract! Where the fuck are you heading in any case?! You are supposed to be here! What am I going to tell the studio? You are supposed to be filming tomorrow! And the signings? Do you have any idea how this makes you look to the public? To the publishing house itself?" Catherine keeps on yelling loud enough that I can still hear every single word even through the phone is an arm length away from me.

"I need you to turn that car around right now! Do you hear me!?"

I sigh. I probably need to answer her, but contracts, signings, and a television interview is the very last thing on my mind. All I want to do now is finally bury Blake, see Lucy, and get back so that Timothy and I can live happily ever after.

"Catherine. Stop. The contract clearly states that I can cancel a tour if there are valid personal reasons for doing so," I breathe into the phone as I bring it closer to my ear. "And if you shout at me one more time I will end the call and turn the phone off."

"Do you have any idea the massive amount of damage control I will need to do? Seriously Elijah, you have obligations. Responsibilities. There's the meeting for the movie deal next week..."

"Which I am sure you will be able to handle perfectly. It's not like they need me there to decide what will happen in the contracts. That's why I pay you. To make sure all of that stuff is sorted. You won't need me before we need to write the screenplay, and even then, I am sure they will make sure I have little to no part to play in the production thereof," I sigh into the phone again. "You know I hate all of this stuff. I don't want to deal with all of it."

"Okay," Catherine answers. She sounds short of breath, almost like she ran a marathon. "Okay, let's say I handle everything. Can you at least tell me where on earth you are going? What the hell is going on? I seriously thought you tried to kill yourself or something. Timothy sounded pretty serious."

"Maybe I am trying to kill myself a little bit," I answer, quickly checking the GPS on the dash before making the left turn that I have wished so many times over the years I could take.

It had been hard, but I haven't been back. Not to Blake's grave. Not to see Lucy or Michael. They haven't taken my phone calls, but every now and again I have been lucky enough to get a comment on Instagram or Facebook. And at least none of the letters I have written to them has been returned unopened, which at least means they have received it. They have wanted me to leave the past behind me. They didn't count that breathing the past and living in it, even if I was on the other side of the world from where everything happened, still meant that I could never live on.

"Seriously Elijah. Where are you going?" Catherine asks again before she takes a deep breath.

"I'm going back. To my hometown. I'm going to go and bury Blake. Finally," I answer. I hear the syllable of each and every word as it hits me in the chest, but I almost feel nothing while I am saying it. Almost like the words aren't actually mine.