Authors Note: This was an English essay. 2 pages, double spaced, Times New Roman, 1 inch margins. Prompt: Write a short story using the line, "It was a pleasure to burn." It isn't supposed to be that detailed, I wasn't supposed to write more than a page so... this was the best I could do. Nonetheless, I'm putting it up here if anyone wants to read it.

Alex Rider belongs to Anthony Horowitz, writing is by me though.

Have you ever seen a star? Well gosh, of course you have, who hasn't? What about those absolutely brilliant night skies where the whole sky is filled with stars? The dark pigment filled with bright dots scattered in the atmosphere as if they were glitter, dumped by someone out of a bucket. Simply beautiful. Alex had hopes of seeing something like this one day. He tilted his head in curiosity, wondering if maybe, he'd see the sky in its true beauty. He quietly sat under the protection of a small tree, watching the night sky come out.

Alex sneezed in thought;he thought to much. Too much time alone;too much time to think. Have you ever been lost? To have the feeling of not knowing where you were? To know that, maybe, you might not get back to somewhere familiar? It was a horrid feeling. It would not be pleasant, having your thoughts consume your mind on future possibilities. Is something behind that corner? Or in that shadow? It was like hiding in a shell, yes? However, Alex wasn't lost, physically at least. He was lost in thought. Can it be the same feeling? Knowing that something might happen? Possibly. It might not be the same feeling, but it was certainly the same concept.

Alex shook his head, void of all thoughts. He really needed to stop thinking. He would do what he usually did, look at the bright things of life. A routine. It was familiar. Not lost... it was nice to feel comfort wrap him like a blanket. He would know what to expect then. He would not be lost, knowing what would happen. Routine would have normally been very important to him. It would help him adjust, learn not to be afraid of change. However, that's not what his life was like.

Alex lifted his head back up and looked at the stars. There was more than he last saw, and that was only a few moments ago. He didn't like to think, obviously it left himself more confused than he first started to, but it was familiar. His mind. He knew how it worked. It was complicated, that's for sure. A sigh escaped him as he somberly dropped his head into his hands, rubbing his eyes. His shoulders hunched forward, back slacked against the tree, while his elbows rested on his crossed knees.

He sat in deep thought before the light sound of running feet reached his ears. Blinking, Alex brought his head up to see who had kicked the cat. "Alex, what the heck are you doing out?" Tom. An easy going smile reached his face, but not his eyes. "Hey Tom. I'm just thinking." He paused to raise and eyebrow and truly glance at his friend before continuing. "What are you doing out at this time of night?" Tom finally reached Alex, and as he did, he plopped down next to his best friend. "You know. Getting away from parents."

Alex quietly chuckled, understanding weaving into his calm voice. "Yeah, that's understandable." Tom absentmindedly nodded, thinking to himself. Alex blinked and side-glanced his friend;well, his only friend. He wasn't the spitting image of Alex, but he wasn't far off. Both had fair hair, brown eyes, and well... everything else was... average. Tom was a little shorter than Alex though. It wasn't much to say that Alex was much more fit also, due to his experience in the field of... well everything that involved fitness. He didn't like it.

It was just another one of those factors that separated him from everyone else. It made him a freak. He was as healthy as a horse, yet did his friends see it that way? "Alex." No, of course not. All because of his work. He gritted his teeth in frustration as he thought about the path his life had taken him. It wasn't a pretty path. "Alex." It twisted and turned and tried to buck him off the road. Probably in hopes he'd hit a tree and crash, or tumble off a mountain cliff. It was only the luck of the devil that had gotten him this far, and even luck had to end sometime.

"Alex!"

Jumping, Alex blinked in a confused daze up at his friend. "What?" Tom looked at Alex in concern. It wasn't usually like him to zone out like that unless he was in his own working mode. Stuck in his own life. Tom was worried, though he didn't want to show it;Alex had enough on his shoulders. So instead he just shrugged. "You're just... burning daylight." Skeptically, Alex rolled his eyes. "Tom. It's night time." With a grin, in hopes of enlightening his companion, he said, "Fine. You're burning night light... and my time." Alex dejectedly smiled. "Well then, it was a pleasure to burn, Tom."