Categories > Celebrities > 30 Seconds to Mars > Strangeland
Chapter Eleven
0 reviewsJared wakes up, clinging to the memory of 2 years ago, and gets a worried call
0Unrated
Jared woke up the next morning the clinging pain of a hangover about ready to begin its assault. The memories of that night two years ago hung over him like a wound he wasn’t sure was even healing. He supposed that it hadn’t been much, that the threat of what Shannon had done perhaps didn’t justify his constant fear sometimes towards his brother but it wasn’t really what he had done that had scared the hell out of him. The days following the party had been drawn out in strain and walking on eggshells. Jared had grown accustomed to rarely speaking to his brother except when it involved his mom. He had made the excuse that he had gotten into some kind of fight the night of his birthday which would explain the remnants of Shannon’s beating. He would wake up sometimes in the middle of the night having been unable to sleep to find the door closing as if someone had only just left. He started to feel Shannon’s glare on him all the time but he brushed it off as simple exaggeration.
He had asked Shannon about Alicia, where she had gone. Apparently she had been thoroughly heartbroken and had gone back to Minnesota to live with her grandparents. She never wanted to set foot near this city again because the memory of what Shannon had done to ruin their relationship was just too much. Jared had gotten the idea to call her but she hadn’t answered. Of course that could mean that she didn’t want anything to do with the whole family but he really couldn’t help the horrible feeling he was getting from the entire situation. He felt horrible when he had gotten a call from a guy saying he was Alicia’s boyfriend telling him that he was sick of him harassing her with his calls. He had laughed about it and then was unable to really look his brother in the eye. What had he thought happened? Had he really thought that Shannon would have done something to her? Just because he had attacked Jared in the heat of the moment didn’t mean that he had that sort of violence latched inside of him.
After that Jared had found a better job at the place where he worked now. He was head of everyone in the office except of course for the head of the company. He was proud of himself. He was also proud that when he walked in to work everyone immediately flocked to him. He was again the beloved man everyone took to. He was invited places, asked to go out, he earned friends everywhere. He relished the idea that what had happened only recently was beginning to wear off and that he was taking on a more mature popularity. He was no longer the guy going out for drinks all night, waking up in a pile of his own vomit. He was the guy that people wanted to talk to, wanted to get to know. And that was when he had met Emma.
He looked beside him now, following the gentle contours of her face in the glow of the early morning. She was peaceful laying there, her blue eyes now closed and her blonde hair in a messy braid. Despite everything that had happened he managed a smile and pressed a kiss to her shoulder which stirred her a little. She turned her face to him and suddenly all the anguish he had been feeling just vanished in the glisten of her eyes. She nestled closer to him, her hands delicate on the skin of his arms. He could hear her heart beating and made that the reminder that what was going on hadn’t destroyed everything, hadn’t killed it all. He wanted this to be the reality, he didn’t want the world outside where some man was killing one of the girls he used to know, where there was someone stalking him and scaring Emma. This was what he wanted. He always got what he wanted why was this suddenly so hard?
“Don’t go to work today.” Emma whispered against his chest before she lifted her head and rested her chin on her folded hands.
He smiled, the blue of his eyes delicate as they watched her. He touched her face with the back of his hand and made to answer but a knock on the door prevented him. “Come in.” He called out with disappointment.
Emma retreated beneath the blanket at his side when the door opened and Shannon looked in. Jared couldn’t help the sudden halt inside of him when he looked into his brothers dark eyes. He was looking down at him like he had those two years ago.
“What is it?” He asked after swallowing harshly and turning his gaze away.
“The phone’s for you downstairs.” He said plainly, lacking any and all emotion.
Jared nodded and slipped out of bed causing Emma to sigh regretfully. He smiled a little when she looked up at him. “I’ll be back.” He said softly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. He slipped past Shannon who hadn’t moved from the doorway and began to make his way towards the stairs. He looked back and found him still standing there looking in at whatever Emma was doing- or not doing- before he turned to look at Jared. He smiled a little but not the kind that exuded friendliness or that said that everything was alright between them. He couldn’t even really decipher what had happened between them.
Jared tried to brush it off and made his way down the stairs, taking the phone up to his ear. “Hello?”
“Jared?” It was his boss on the other end. There was a bit of panic in his voice.
“Mr. Hendricks? What is it?”
“You have to come down here Jared.”
“What’s going on?” He felt his own worry peaking.
“Just get down here.” And then he hung up.
Jared hung the phone up himself and heavily sighed. He didn’t want something else to happen. He wasn’t sure he could bear another terrible thing. He went up the stairs to get dressed, the burden of fear forming heavily inside of him.
He had asked Shannon about Alicia, where she had gone. Apparently she had been thoroughly heartbroken and had gone back to Minnesota to live with her grandparents. She never wanted to set foot near this city again because the memory of what Shannon had done to ruin their relationship was just too much. Jared had gotten the idea to call her but she hadn’t answered. Of course that could mean that she didn’t want anything to do with the whole family but he really couldn’t help the horrible feeling he was getting from the entire situation. He felt horrible when he had gotten a call from a guy saying he was Alicia’s boyfriend telling him that he was sick of him harassing her with his calls. He had laughed about it and then was unable to really look his brother in the eye. What had he thought happened? Had he really thought that Shannon would have done something to her? Just because he had attacked Jared in the heat of the moment didn’t mean that he had that sort of violence latched inside of him.
After that Jared had found a better job at the place where he worked now. He was head of everyone in the office except of course for the head of the company. He was proud of himself. He was also proud that when he walked in to work everyone immediately flocked to him. He was again the beloved man everyone took to. He was invited places, asked to go out, he earned friends everywhere. He relished the idea that what had happened only recently was beginning to wear off and that he was taking on a more mature popularity. He was no longer the guy going out for drinks all night, waking up in a pile of his own vomit. He was the guy that people wanted to talk to, wanted to get to know. And that was when he had met Emma.
He looked beside him now, following the gentle contours of her face in the glow of the early morning. She was peaceful laying there, her blue eyes now closed and her blonde hair in a messy braid. Despite everything that had happened he managed a smile and pressed a kiss to her shoulder which stirred her a little. She turned her face to him and suddenly all the anguish he had been feeling just vanished in the glisten of her eyes. She nestled closer to him, her hands delicate on the skin of his arms. He could hear her heart beating and made that the reminder that what was going on hadn’t destroyed everything, hadn’t killed it all. He wanted this to be the reality, he didn’t want the world outside where some man was killing one of the girls he used to know, where there was someone stalking him and scaring Emma. This was what he wanted. He always got what he wanted why was this suddenly so hard?
“Don’t go to work today.” Emma whispered against his chest before she lifted her head and rested her chin on her folded hands.
He smiled, the blue of his eyes delicate as they watched her. He touched her face with the back of his hand and made to answer but a knock on the door prevented him. “Come in.” He called out with disappointment.
Emma retreated beneath the blanket at his side when the door opened and Shannon looked in. Jared couldn’t help the sudden halt inside of him when he looked into his brothers dark eyes. He was looking down at him like he had those two years ago.
“What is it?” He asked after swallowing harshly and turning his gaze away.
“The phone’s for you downstairs.” He said plainly, lacking any and all emotion.
Jared nodded and slipped out of bed causing Emma to sigh regretfully. He smiled a little when she looked up at him. “I’ll be back.” He said softly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. He slipped past Shannon who hadn’t moved from the doorway and began to make his way towards the stairs. He looked back and found him still standing there looking in at whatever Emma was doing- or not doing- before he turned to look at Jared. He smiled a little but not the kind that exuded friendliness or that said that everything was alright between them. He couldn’t even really decipher what had happened between them.
Jared tried to brush it off and made his way down the stairs, taking the phone up to his ear. “Hello?”
“Jared?” It was his boss on the other end. There was a bit of panic in his voice.
“Mr. Hendricks? What is it?”
“You have to come down here Jared.”
“What’s going on?” He felt his own worry peaking.
“Just get down here.” And then he hung up.
Jared hung the phone up himself and heavily sighed. He didn’t want something else to happen. He wasn’t sure he could bear another terrible thing. He went up the stairs to get dressed, the burden of fear forming heavily inside of him.
Sign up to rate and review this story