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The idea of his brother wearing a dress, heels, and makeup didn’t shock Shannon. In his mind, it was only a matter of time before Jared took another outlandish role in a movie. He knew that while Jared’s heart lie with music, his mistress was the film industry and sometimes he had to go and placate the need to leave the world of 30 Seconds to Mars and envelop himself into the skin of another person.
But when Jared came back with no eyebrows and hair missing from under his arms and the rest of his body, Shannon won’t deny that his lips curled in a futile attempt to subdue laughter. Plus, Tomo’s booming laugh didn’t help his restant either. Jared glowered at them, his blue eyes narrowed and if it was possible, putting them six feet under, but the lack of brows made the once haunted glare as placate as a puppy.
After the few minutes of laughter stopped, they merely headed back to The Lab and returned to the relentless work that was recording an album. It was long and grueling; but, Shannon could see the joy in everyone’s face as mere words became beautiful symphonies that will warm the heart of the patient Echelon across the world. Days seemed to sweep by, and that’s when the shocking reality of the role came crashing onto Shannon.
It was a simple action. Jared was merely handing him a stack of papers and he was was flabbergasted at the sight of his brother’s wrist. Was it always that skinny? Soon the playful names of ‘washboard’ and ‘metro-sexual’ left Shannon’s mind, and the sheer instinct to protect flared up. He quelled it for the time-being. He wanted to grab Jared and pull him into the kitchen and force him to eat everything that was in the cabinets; but, he knew it would be vain.
At night, he laid in bed and remember the horrors of “Requiem” and “Prefontaine”. The harsh dieting schedule to look like a ill, drug addicted, man and the labor intensive running to look like a late Olympic runner changed his brother’s body beyond repair. ‘Chapter 27’ floated in the back of his mind, but he prayed that this didn’t end up as bad.
The next day, Shannon found his brother in the bathroom, plucking a few wayward strands from his right brow. “Oh, look, my sister is awake.” he greeted.
Jared glared at him and prompted flipped him the bird before resuming the task. He frowned when he couldn’t get the right angle to get one of the strands. Shannon sighed and took the tweezers from his brother’s hand. He pointed to the toilet and stood in front of Jared. He quickly plucked the strand and smiled triumphantly at his scrowling brother.
“How much do you weigh, Jay?” Shannon asked, suddenly.
Jared looked at him as he closed the medicine cabinet. Confusion swam in the blue irises. And, sadly, Shannon could pick out a hint of fear. “137.” was Jared’s simple answer.
Shannon licked his lips. That was too light. Everything in him screamed at him. He wasn’t doing his job as an older brother. Standing, he wrapped his brother in a tight embrace, “Please…take care of yourself.”
Jared chuckled, his thin arms squeezing his older brother, “Don’t worry, your sister is a tough cookie.”
Shannon closed his eyes and hoped that Jared wasn’t speaking a lie. That this time, he wouldn’t have to hold a shaking Jared as he tried to put on more weight. That he wouldn’t wake up and hear painful whimpers from down the hall. That this time, this role would simply be a role and it would finished on the set, and when Jared came back home, he was Jared. Admittedly, a less hairy Jared, but still Jared.