Look in My Eyes

The bright lights blinded Jared, but he had grown accustomed to that by now. He didn't squint or flinch as the photographer snapped another shot. He called out for Shannan to move a little to the left and lower his chin.

His brother did so and in another few seconds the lens blinked capturing the slightly altered image on film. The photographer consulted with his assistants for a few minutes. The make up people reapplied everything they had put on the band. Jared flashed his most brilliant smile at Kai. She smiled back from the chair she was sitting in off to the side.

She couldn't hear anything over the music that was throbbing from her MP3 player, but she had watched the entire, not necessarily interesting, photo shoot instead of reading the thick novel she had brought with her. Jared felt the warmth of his love for her saturating his chest. Naturally he found it extremely difficult to remove his brilliant blue eyes from her stunning green ones.

The photo shoot was continuing and the photographer was trying to get his attention. The low battery screen flashed on Kia's MP3 player ominously. She turned it off and kept her attention focused on Jared.

His beauty overwhelmed her as much as his voice soothed her. Regardless of her never ending adoration for him she still had to stifle a yawn. They had been here for three exceedingly dull hours. The next forty minutes passed by in what should have been two full days.

Only a few more shots the photographer was saying, and they could all go home. A rampant cheer went up at the announcement. The guys all posed where they were told to with a bit more luminosity in their eyes. Three flashes later Kai's world would stop.

"Fucking prick," someone spat. The photographer looked over his shoulder annoyed and angry, the band just looked confused. Most of the florescent bulbs had been turned off in the rest of the room to create the perfect lighting that 30 Seconds To Mars was now bathed in. Out of these shadows came a man dressed in one of the uniforms for the company that had been hired to take the pictures.

"Josh I specifically told you that if you didn't like the subjects you didn't have to come in today. This business doesn't revolve around you the way you seem to think it does. Your behavior was completely inappropriate." the photographer scolded, looking extremely pissed off.

"You can apologize to the clients now," Josh smiled but it was too malicious to make Kai feel any better. An intense nausea had settled over her upon hearing the voice.

"I won't fucking apologize to that asshole. He's such a bastard," the undisguised passion in his voice was making Kai tremble. She looked at Jared frantically. He sent her a soft reassuring expression; despite his own fear his first concern was her well being.

"I'm sure whatever the problem is we can resolve this-" he spoke kindly to the crazed looking employee.

"No!" he screamed. His entire face had gone red and he was breathing heavily. Terror clutched at Kai relentlessly, vigorously gripping her diaphragm and pulse. Josh lowered his head as he spoke.

"My girlfriend fucking left me because of you, 'Jared the perfect one' 'Jared the handsome one' 'Jared the singer' 'Jared the actor'. If she hadn't loved you so much she could have loved me." He raised a shotgun from his coat pocket. He lifted his eyes to Jared, tears streaming down them.

"She could have loved me," he stated solidly. Kai's heart had stopped, her breath frozen in her lungs.

"There's no need for violence." Jared raised his hands so that they were visible, keeping calm as time slowed to all but a stop for Kai.

"Josh put that down!" the photographer screamed shocked.

"No," Josh didn't even look over at his boss. "You stole my girlfriend, if you die she'll realize what she had and come back to me. You won't be so perfect underground." Josh sneered.

"I have no intentions toward your girlfriend," Jared said soothingly. "As a matter of fact my fiance is sitting right over there," Jared gestured to Kai briefly, but brought his attention away from her.

"I'm sure if you talk to her she'll consider going back out with you. Sometimes life just throws things at you-"

"No!" Josh screamed. "You stole her and you have to pay. That girl probably isn't even your fiance!" Kai couldn't move, and respiration was completely out of the question, though her heart was thudding in her ears, it's erratic rhythm becoming a dull hum.

"Josh stop this this instant!" The photographer screamed.

"I tried to tell you not to bring him here but you wouldn't listen!"

"Bro, I'm on your side," Jared said with a warm expression, trying to gain some ground before someone was hurt.

"No you're not! No one is on my side but me!"

A shot rang out.

Kai could physically feel the blood freezing in her veins as Jared fell to the floor in slow motion. She heard the screaming but didn't recognize that it was her own. She didn't even realize she was running until she was at Jared's side clutching his hand and sobbing. The bullet had penetrated his abdomen. His band mates had already made a circle around him openly weeping, his brother clutching his other hand crying like a small child.

"I love you Shannon," Jared managed to speak softly, a little hoarse.

"I love you Kai, keep my heart for me while I'm gone." His eyes flickered.

"I love you Jared, please hold on, I need you, please don't leave me! I can't do this without you," Jared tried to smile, but it only held a ghost of the glory it once did.

"I'll be fine. I love you," The blood oozed slowly to her knees, staining her jeans. The ambulance could be heard, blending with police sirens screeching to a halt outside of the building. The medics came, yelling for everyone to move away from Jared. Shannon and the rest of the band complied, though Shannon especially didn't go far. Kai couldn't be forced to let go of Jared's hand until a two police officers dragged her away from the gurney.

"No!" She wailed in a strangled and unfamiliar high pitched voice. "Jared!" As the doors closed she screamed "I'll always love you, forever!" At the unmistakable blue eyes that the oxygen mask stopped just short of.

The vehicle rushed off to the hospital at once. It took four men in blue to force the maniac into the back of a squad car. He laughed as he struggled to get away looking elated. The head of wardrobe and two assistants had tackled him to the ground a second after he shot. The officers held Kai as she cried and cursed.

It only took an hour for the new to reach her the EMT's had done everything they could but Jared hadn't made it. He had been DOA. Kai felt she would burst with and emotion that transcended the words 'sorrow' and 'loss'. She was in physical pain as the tears cascaded endlessly down her face. Jared was gone.