It is just another typical Monday morning for Ashley Monroe. Ashley is seventeen years old and in 11th grade. Like every other Monday morning she goes to school, then soccer practice, then home to do homework and do it all again the next day. The big green numbers that are lighting up her bedroom read 6:00 a.m. Suddenly she hears the piercing sound that she does not want to wake up to. The constant beeping of her alarm clock is yelling at her to get out of bed. She barely peeks open her eyes just to see the snooze button. She hits it and slowly drifts off to sleep again. Ashley's mother walks in with her usual grin, that anyone could tell she is a morning person.


"Ashley, honey, it is time to wake up and go to school."

"Just five more minutes," Ashley says as she pulls the covers up to hide her bed-head.

"You are going to be late if you do not get up now."

"Fine."


Ashley sits up in a stupor and her mother smiles sweetly at her and walks out of the room. The fragrance of fluffy scrambled eggs and a side of bacon is the only thing that gets her to her feet. She gets dressed and sluggishly walks out to the kitchen to see her breakfast there on the table waiting for her. She finds this quite unusual since her mother never usually makes her breakfast on school days. She plops herself onto the chair, still weary eyed, and devours her delectable breakfast then leans back with a full stomach and thanks her mom. She thinks that maybe it will be a good day after all.


Ashley decides to walk to school today since it is a nice day out. As she walks to school the birds chirp songs from the trees and the aroma of the blossomed flowers make her jubilant. She decides to take another way to school for a different scenery, but suddenly her beautiful surroundings disintegrate as she looks up from the silent pavement to notice a strange man standing there, staring, eyes piercing me. He starts running towards her. She tries to run as she drops her books, but he quickly catches up to her and grabs her. He drags her into the abandoned building and pushes her to the ground. Pointing a gun to her head he tells her to take off her clothes. She refuses and he begins to beat her.


"Do it, I say, or I'll shoot you!" He yells.

"Please don't hurt me, Sir!"

"Do it! This is my last warning!"


She begins to take off her clothing as she shakes with fear. She wants to scream for help, but it is like one of those dreams where she screams and screams, but nothing comes out. And if she did try to scream he would blow a hole in her head. Ashley will never forget this day that she was raped, for it is now engraved into her mind like a childhood memory. Tears roll down her bruised face as she puts her clothes back on. He shoves her out the door and demands that she comes back the next morning and says that if she does not or if she tells anyone he will kill her family then come find her.

She never went to school that day. She walks home and her mother asks what happened to her face. Ashley tries to be strong and holds back her tears. She tells her mother that she had just gotten into a fight at school. She goes to her room and begins to cry into her pillow.

“Honey, your friend Sarah just called. She wanted to know why you were not at school today and if you are ok?” Ashley’s mom questions, wanting a good answer.
“Well, after I got into that fight I left school right away. I needed to get away. I did not see Sarah before that.”
“You know you are not allowed to leave school, Ashley Monroe.” Ashley’s cell phone vibrates vigorously on her night stand. “We will talk about this later,” her mom continues.


“Hello?” Ashley says as she answers her phone.

“Hey Ash! Where were you today?” Sarah wonders.

“I- I was sick. Sorry, girl.”

“What is wrong? You sound like you have been crying?”

“Oh, nothing, I just- am really tired.”

“Oh, okay. Well, are you going to be at school tomorrow?”

“I should be.”

“Ok see you then! Get well!”



The next morning she goes into the abandoned building and does as the man says, being beaten and raped again. This time she shows up at school. She tries to hide her face by staring at her feet all day, not making eye contact with anyone.


Sarah approaches her in the hallway before class and says, “Hey chica! You feeling better?”

“Uh- yeah, I- I’m better.”

“Ashley, why are you looking at the ground? Look here.”

“I am sorry I have to go-“

“Wait, Ashley, what is going on? This is not like you. You are usually giddy and talkative and now you will not even look me in the eyes.” Ashley turns around, speechless, and begins to walk away. “Ashley!”


Ashley avoids running into Sarah for the rest of the day. When she gets home she goes straight to her room and goes to bed, without eating dinner. She is going through too much stress to be hungry.

On the third day she repeats everything. She walks into the abandoned building like a scared kitten and begins doing as she is told, but this time before the man has a chance to do anything someone kicks in the door and there stands a tall figure. He comes just in time. The rapist continues to hold the gun to Ashley's head and tells mysterious man that if he takes another step he will shoot her.

The mysterious man quickly pulls a gun out of his back pocket and shoots the rapist to the ground. He is not dead, but he is lying on the ground swearing in pain and anger. Ashley’s hero who shot her rapist puts a cell phone in her hand. He does not say a word the whole time, but when she asks him what his name is he says that his name is Travis McArthur then he leaves. Ashley looks down at the phone in her hand and it says calling 911 and she puts it up to her hear and tells the cops to come immediately. Noticing that Ashley is on the phone with the police and that his best chance is to run, the wounded man limps towards the door to escape. He does not get very far down the street before the cops show up to arrest him. He now has a life sentence.

The police ask Ashley a bunch of questions. She also tells them about Travis McArthur and how he saved her life. The police take her home and she explains everything to her mother. Later that night the police call and tell Ashley that there is no record of a Travis McArthur, that he does not exist.


She tells them, "That is impossible, he was there. I saw him and he shot that man."

"I am sorry but there is no record of Travis McArthur," the police officer told her.


They hang up. The police later call Ashley again and tell her that there is still no record of a Travis McArthur, but that Ashley’s rapist has been convicted of the same charges just a few months ago. The police have no proof that this mysterious Travis McArthur guy shot the rapist and that it was not Ashley who did it, but after seeing the bruises on her body they decided that she was innocent according to self-defense.



Through all the chaos Ashley lays in her bed and thinks to herself for a while then realizes that she saw her guardian angel today.


She looks up, smiles and says, "Thank you, Travis McArthur, for saving my life today!"