Gone (1,045 Miles Apart) | Writer's Blog #3

[ November 24, 2021 ]

Hey, everyone!! It's Kendall this time! Welcome to our writer's blog!

Toward the beginning of next year, my brother and I will be releasing the third chapter in the Adventures of Callie & Elijah, but we're not entirely done exploring the world of these two besties! We have one more planned journey for them!

In this post, I want to share with you guys a short excerpt that I wrote from Callie's point of view. It is set shortly after the second book (Breakaway) when Callie arrives in New York City.

Invincible

“Wow, I’m finally here,” I said, talking to Luke. He was my pet Yorkie, who sat in the passenger seat of my car. I had just crossed the Brooklyn Bridge, into Manhattan. I’d been waiting for this ever since the Jeremy mess. The main reason that I was here was to pursue my dream in fashion. I was excited, but also a little nervous.

I thought aloud, “Who would have thought that I, Calliope Kane, would make it here?”

Not me, I answered internally. Originally, I thought that when I finally did it, my best friend Elijah would be by my side.

Traffic wasn’t so bad at this time, and my GPS guided me straight to my apartment building. I got out of the car, with Luke on his leash, and I went inside to the front desk.

“Hello,” I spoke to the woman at the front desk. “My name’s Callie Kane. I’m moving into my apartment today.” The lady typed on the slim laptop sitting on the counter.

“You’ll be on the fourth floor, apartment 24.” She reached into a desk drawer and pulled out a few forms for me to sign.

After she unlocked the door to the apartment, she handed me the keys, which I put on my Damon Salvatore keychain. I got it a few days ago on the trip to Mystic Falls (Covington, Georgia) that I took with Elijah. The woman walked away, and I stepped into the apartment. It was small, but perfect for me.

I put Luke down to let him explore, while I went back to my car and started to unload my stuff. As I started back into the building with my first load, I accidentally bumped into someone. I was so embarrassed.

“I'm so sorry,” I apologized, looking up at him. I lowered the box in my arms.

“It’s okay,” he responded. “What floor are you taking all this to?” He asked me.

“The fourth floor.”

“I live on that floor, too. Here, let me help you.” The stranger took the box from my hands. “I’m Tyler, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you, neighbor. I’m Callie.”

It only took us about four trips to get all my belongings into the apartment. After the last one, I thanked him for his help and he started to leave, but he stopped at the door.

“Oh, and Callie, welcome to New York.” He closed the door behind him and left my new apartment.

I looked around, trying to figure out what to unpack first, and where to put things. The first box I opened had a framed picture of Elijah and me in Mystic Falls, with the actors that played Caroline and Damon. As I pulled it from the box, I felt my eyes start to tear up.

“It’s going to be a long year, Luke,” I spoke as I sat down on the sofa. Luke came over and hopped up on my lap. He wagged his tail like he knew what I was talking about.

After ordering my first New York take-out, my phone started ringing. It was Elijah. He was FaceTime-ing me. I wiped my face, so he couldn’t see that I had been upset and crying earlier. He knew me, though, so he’d probably figure it out.

I answered and his face appeared on my phone.

“You made it!” He exclaimed with a smile.

“Yeah, and I'm so glad. I don't think I could have driven anymore.” I told him. “I mean, I had the Vampire Diaries playlist, but I was so tired of reading signs.”

“I can’t wait to get there, so we can start our next big bestie adventure!” He responded. I just smiled, looking at him on the screen.

“Well, show me the apartment,” he demanded.

“Okay,” I said, forcing myself to get up. “But I’m not done unpacking.”

I got up and walked to the front door of the apartment. That's where I began the tour. I was excited to show him, but it wasn’t the same as him being here.

“Here, we have the living room,” I spoke, swapping the camera around so he could see the room and not me. “It came with a recliner, a sofa which turns out into a bed, and a few other pieces of furniture.” Eli smiled as I continued.

I entered the semi-small kitchen space. “This is the kitchen. It has a bar with stools, some appliances, and a little round table.” He was being quiet. “It’ll look better when I buy flowers to put on it.” I laughed.

I went down the hallway towards the bathroom and bedroom. “The apartment only has one bedroom, which has a full-size bed and a very small closet. Good thing it’s just me moving into the apartment and not my sister.” We both laughed.

“It looks like a very nice apartment, Cal,” Eli said when I returned to the sofa in the living room. “It's got potential.”

“Yes, it does,” I replied. “All that’s missing is you.” I smiled.

Elijah tried to avoid me becoming emotional, so he changed the subject. “When do you start school?”

“In two days, and I also have to find a job soon,” I responded. “The money I have saved isn’t gonna last forever.”

Elijah smiled. “Well, I'll let you unpack. I'll call you tomorrow.”

“Okay,” I replied and ended the call.

. . .

Coming Soon

The anticipated third book in the Adventures of Callie & Elijah is coming as soon as possible! The release date will be revealed soon! My brother and I are so excited to share this incredibly exciting story with you all!

To keep with the trend of naming our books after Kelly Clarkson's songs, this next book will be called A Moment Like This!

Get Caught Up, If You Haven't

For the first two books in the Adventures of Callie & Elijah, follow the links below!

Because of You (Callie & Elijah, Book 1) [$6.50]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QDY9XJS

Breakaway (Callie & Elijah, Book 2) [$6.50]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0972Z34RQ