It was six-thirty in the morning in Garlen, and Emily stood at the bus stop, waiting for the next ride that would take her near her school. When the bus arrived, she climbed aboard, put on her headphones, and focused entirely on her phone. Without paying much attention, she walked to the back and sat in the last row, right beside a man who was sleeping like a log.
After quite some time, Emily glanced at the clock on her phone and realized her stop was near. She pressed the button to alert the driver, unknowingly waking up her mysterious seatmate, who suddenly sat up cursing under his breath. Emily avoided eye contact, thinking, "How rude." As she stepped off the bus, she accidentally hit the man with her backpack. Turning her head quickly, she finally caught a glimpse of his face and clothes—he was her hero. Yet he ignored her completely, and before she could say a single word, the bus drove away.
The long school day passed with her regretting not having spoken to him. She couldn't help but laugh when she saw how the boy who had caused her that accident the day before was now being chased across campus by dozens of reporters. After classes, Emily rushed once again to the bus stop. She held on to the faint hope that if she stayed on until the last stop, she might find her protector again. It wasn't the best plan—at every stop she feared she might run into someone as vile as the man who had attacked her—but she stayed until the final stop in the late afternoon. The bus dropped her off at the edge of the forest. With both fear and determination in her chest, she stepped off and went in.
She walked what felt like endless miles until she came to a clearing where there was nothing but a massive boulder. Exhausted, she collapsed beside it, her breath ragged. She was too tired to realize the danger—after all, a wild animal could attack her at any moment. Between her heavy breaths, she heard a strange sound. Panicking, she grabbed her backpack as if it could shield her. The sound grew louder, deeper… until a thought struck her. "Snoring?" She looked up at the top of the rock and saw the tip of a black-and-white sneaker.
With effort, Emily began climbing to the top of the boulder. It took her a while to get close. Just as she was about to touch the shoe, she was startled by the man—her hero—who suddenly snapped, "Get lost, dumb girl!" The outburst startled her so badly she fell, crashing hard onto the ground.
When she opened her eyes slightly, she saw him pointing a sword at her and demanding, "What are you doing out here alone? Do you… want to be violated again?"
Furious, Emily shouted back, "Of course not!" Their eyes locked in anger. Then she suddenly remembered something inside her backpack. She rummaged through it and pulled out the blanket he had used to cover her the previous night.
"Here," she said firmly, holding it out to him. "And thank you—for saving me yesterday."
The man took the blanket silently, tucked it away, and turned to leave with his sword still in hand. But before he vanished into the trees, Emily called after him:
"Wait! I want to know… how did you do what you did yesterday?"
He stopped, pulled back his hood, and replied, "I'm just well-trained."
Emily's eyes pleaded with all the innocence and desperation she could muster. "Please, one last thing… Could you teach me to fight like you? I swear, I'd only use it to defend myself."
He stared at her with piercing severity and growled, "Not even on drugs would I train you."
Her heart sank. Sadness overwhelmed her, and her eyes began to water. With a single tear rolling down her cheek, she begged:
"Please! I don't want to go through what I went through yesterday ever again. I'm always weak. Everyone takes advantage of me… And when that monster touched me, I felt like I didn't even deserve to live. If… if it weren't for you, I wouldn't even be here right now!"
The man stopped. He sheathed his sword, dropped his pack, and leapt onto the top of the boulder where he sat. His voice rang out strong and commanding:
"If you want to be my apprentice, then move this rock over there."
He broke a branch, hurled it, and stabbed it into the ground some distance away.
Emily's jaw dropped. "That's impossible! No one could do that!"
Before she finished, he jumped down, pressed his palm against the massive boulder, and with a single strike, pushed it all the way to where he had pointed.
"Well," he said with a wild grin, "as you can see, it's not impossible. Now, get to work. If you want me to train you—you move it. Good luck!"
His crazed expression was the last thing she saw as he finished speaking.