cs reflected, and what should have been my assignment.

cs reflected.
the teacher's comment sends the classroom into a hysterical roll of laughter. his laugh, of course, is the loudest. as the class gradually settles down, he glances across the desks to his friend on the other side. his vision is met with a waggle of fingers. he stifles his laugh and smiles instead, his already-small eyes crinkling to make the smile that much more genuine. he turns his focus back to the assignment at hand, but finds that he's unable to focus. he settles for looking in his brightly colored planner instead. he skims the week, as if looking for some form of entertainment, even a surprise. the bell rings, and he's shaken out of his reverie. he tosses his hair, brushing it to the left, exactly how it's already styled. he gives a small sigh and looks at his friend again, who is still focused on the paper on his desk. he gets a mischievous smile, and sneaks around to behind his friend's chair. his snug jacket makes his slight shoulders seem a little broader. with each tiptoed step, his green shoelace races across the floor, leaving streaks of a neon glow in its wake. his faded blue jeans hide nothing about him, showing the legs of a fencer--large, but mostly muscle. he holds himself confidently and almost with a child-like arrogance. as he says his friend's name, he rests his black-clad arms gently on his head. he smiles widely and laughs, throwing his head back. his friend gives him a slight glare, but he can tell that there's a twinkle of amusement in them. he lifts his arms, stretching and says something about hurrying up and meeting him out near his locker. he skips out of the classroom. as he opens his locker, his eyes catch something written on the side, and his face falls. the instant someone walks by, his face switches back on the fake smile, almost a reflex. he sighs, reaching into his locker and grabbing his lunch.

guess who it is! it was really hard to do that cs, actually.

what should have been my assignment.
(maybe i motivated the assigned blog post? haha. oops.)

For him, it was always a race against the clock. He only had a short time to make the most out of things, create as many memories as possible, and then leave.

Some were struck by the way he could sweep in with a smile, and leave as fast as he came. Others couldn’t stand him. But only the few who knew him well were aware of the toll it took. They were aware of the reason for his quick entrances and exits. But what they also knew was that he would never find exactly what he was looking for.

To a special few, he would divulge his secrets and invite them in to his personal labyrinth. Some were intimidated by the task at hand and fled. Others tried to brave its corridors, only to run when ghastly beasts crossed their paths. Most people he encountered, though, only saw the golden gates of the entrance. They wanted in, but he kept his careful distance.

But, there was an even more exclusive group composed of two people. One who survived the maze, and one who shattered it.

The survivor was the sole adventurer who found the exit, but chose to retrace her steps. She herself let loose her personal demons in the maze, giving the creatures companions. Each turn afterwards led her to even darker places, yet the walls continued to shine the way to the finish. But in that final stretch leading to the goal, she turned around and walked back out. Bidding him goodbye she told of her obligations to others, others slightly more in need of her. The secrets etched in the ramparts of the center fortress she kept, promising that she would return.

It was in this state that the final visitor found the labyrinth. Desolate, cold, and even more overridden with horrific beings that defied imagination. Yet, he accepted the invitation and strode bravely in. Unlike the previous adventurers, he kept to himself, arousing the curiosity of the demons. Slowly, they turned to him for answers and he tamed them. The creatures transformed and followed the traveler, guarding him. But as he reached the final gates, he found he could go no further. Following the precedent, he took something with him as he left. Unlike the last adventurer, however, he took the key to the gates. With each footfall, the maze walls crumbled around him. Venturing out through the rubble, he fled, looking over his shoulder once only to see no retaliation, just the maze slowly reconstructing itself.

The key is what the memory maker seeks. Sweeping in, he plants his temporary roots looking deeply into each person’s eyes. When he doesn’t find a part of himself with them, he runs, leaving only a cloud of memories. It is with this reckless abandon he searches, not caring about hearts he tramples and love he misses. All that matters is finding what he’s lost. All that matters is that one person who shattered his walls and left him searching.