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Saturday seemed just an ordinary day.

The more accurate word would have been extraordinary.

Roman was a working man, flitting from one arena to the next and traveling roads unknown, but on the odd day off from the confines of the squared circle, he milked his free time for all it was worth. Walking cleared his mind, removing him from the restraints the wrestling business often held him hostage in, and he left his house that morning with a pep in his step, not a care in the world. Healthy leaves rustled from high above in the trees and the ones that had fallen to their bitter demise scuttled across the pavement below, prompting Roman to absently kick them out of his path as he strolled along. When he reached the end of his block, a quiet community lined with two-story, conservative homes, he strayed from the clear path and set out for a grassy, open field.

The outside wrestling world would assume he did nothing except pal around with his fellow Shield members while away from the ring, but the truth of the matter was quite to the contrary. When he, Dean, and Seth came upon an opportunity to spend time away from the company, they all enjoyed it in their own hometowns, wanting to leave their stable behind for a while and reconnect with the roots they had left behind in their quest for superstardom. Being home allowed them to recapture the best, truest form of themselves so they could return to work healthy and with a clear head on their shoulders. Slipping his hands into his right side pants pocket, Roman's fingers bumped the upper edge of his cell phone, which, surprisingly, wasn't ringing off the hook as it normally did.

His friends' instincts had served him well, as they probably realized he craved a break from talking business and character development in regards to their roles on television, and they likely wanted the same for themselves. That wasn't to say he didn't miss talking to them, but technology was a service he only planned to use over the course of the weekend if he was in dire straits, and now was not one of those occasions. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the sky was a sea of pure blue, and his mind was free of all clutter. As was oft said, all good things must come to an end, and Roman should have known better. He should have sensed that a day so beautiful and free of chaos must have only served as a representation of the calm before the storm.

That was when his eyes first settled upon her.

Her emerald dress clung to her curves so well he would have thought the garment were painted on, had it not been for the lower fringes of the dress fluttering in the breeze. She was just a woman, standing alone in one spot, but Roman was too intrigued to look anywhere besides her. He knew his neighbors quite well, and the people in his neighborhood whom he didn't know usually found a way to run into him during his walks around the neighborhood, all of them wanting to meet Roman Reigns, the great WWE superstar. Their attention was flattering, although it sometimes went unwanted, but he always made it a point to be generous no matter who approached him. The mystery girl standing yards away was enough to make him consider introducing himself to her, instead of the other way around.

She remained motionless at the edge of the railroad tracks, staring into the halcyon sky above as a flock of birds swooped around in wide circles overhead. Perhaps it was her designated thinking spot, the place she came when the world grew a little too difficult and disheartening to stand. Roman averted his eyes, feeling as if he might be intruding on what was meant to be a private moment. Regardless of her presence in a public setting, she had gone out of her way to avoid passers-by, and he wanted to respect that, relating to the need for solitary peace. Roman was already in the process of turning around and leaving when he registered the vague ringing of a train's bell, accompanied by the faint blare of its horn.

Soon enough, the red-and-white-striped barriers would be lowering into place and her safe spot would be on temporary hiatus, falling victim to a passing train. Roman didn't want her to turn around and find him standing there, staring at her as he hovered nearby, because she would probably assume he had bad intentions. He would never live the humiliation of that down, so he spun around and started back the way he came, his mindset shifting to what he would do to unwind once he returned home. Living in Florida, there were plenty of options for mellowing out and having a good time on the weekends, with no shortage of hot spots to settle on. All that was left for him to do was choose a local party destination.

It wasn't until he left the field behind and returned to the pavement he had started on that the train horn boomed louder, and his instinctual urges told him to glance back and see where the woman had gone. If she wasn't far behind, he thought he might strike up a conversation, but when he turned back, she remained at the side of the tracks, precisely where she had been before. Roman came to an abrupt stop, squinting hard as he struggled to determine if he was actually witnessing what he thought he was witnessing. From where he stood, it looked as if the woman had not only failed to vacate the area near the tracks, but she had gone so far as to stand directly on them. As the train roared closer, his internal warning signals were abuzz, alerting him that something was terribly wrong.

He couldn't very well leave, at least, not in good conscience, so he looked both ways down the street before crossing back to the field and breaking into a light jog. The grass squished under the weight of his sneakers and each of his footsteps was accompanied by a choppy thud as he raced to avert what might become a crisis if he didn't reach her in time. He sped to a full-blown sprint as time slipped away, his speed matching the thumping of his own racing heart, rattling against his chest as the train closed in. It was difficult to tell whether the woman was suicidal or simply playing a dangerous game for the thrill of it, but Roman didn't like what he saw one bit.

He cupped his hands over his mouth, not slowing for even a second as he called out to her. "Hey! Get off the tracks!"

His attempt, thoughtful as it was, fell on deaf ears as the woman held her arms straight out at her sides, sending a silent challenge to the train to come and get her. There was a distinct moment when Roman felt he had left his own body and was no longer a part of the situation, instead watching as an innocent bystander while the terrifying scene played out like a movie. His body ran on pure adrenaline, kicking itself into high gear when he checked on the whereabouts of the train and found it bearing down on the girl, a mere matter of yards away. His lungs burned and his legs ached for a break, but he pushed through the pain, reaching out and latching onto the woman's arm. He yanked her off of the tracks and fell to the ground in an exhausted heap with her on top.

No sooner had they collapsed to the earth below than the train's shadow fell over them as it chugged past, each car's wheels creaking along the path of the tracks. The woman was first to rise to her feet, and Roman pushed himself up with his palms right after, brushing the dirt and grass blades off of his pants while he waited for the train to pass the remainder of the way. He couldn't even hear himself think over the noise of the engine, but the second it was gone, every emotion that had rushed through him in the wake of such panic came out in his haggard tone. "What's the matter with you, huh?" he shouted. "What the hell were you thinking? You could have gotten yourself killed, or, even worse, gotten both of us killed!"

Even in his raging anger, Roman couldn't deny the girl's beauty. Her face was pale but paired with rosy pink cheeks, a favorable combination that gave her a classic look. Her hair was jet black and a stark contrast to her coloring, dark like a raven's feather, and her locks fell about halfway down her back, wound into loose curls at the ends. Her eyes reflected the color of her dress, a few shades darker than the grass on which they stood, and her lips formed a soft pout. Aside from that, her expression was impassive, anything but the look he would have expected to find on the face of someone who had nearly been smashed flat like a pancake by a rushing train. Something was off, and it had become Roman's mission to find out what.

"I just saved your life. The least you could do is answer me!" he demanded, leaning his face in toward hers. The intimidation factor was the breaking point for her, and her brows knitted together as she took several clumsy steps backward, trying in vain to create distance between them. Sometimes Roman forgot how threatening his large frame could be to people who didn't know him, and especially to people of the opposite sex, so he took a shaky, deep breath in and let it out. When he next spoke, his voice had dropped several octaves. "Look, I'm sorry. I don't mean to yell, but, shit, do you need an ambulance or anything?" he asked, eyes flashing when he realized she could have been injured during their fall to the ground.

"No, I'm fine," she said, rubbing up and down her arms with the palms of her hands, trying in vain to warm herself. Roman would have gladly offered her the jacket right off his back, but he hadn't brought one along. An awkward silence settled over them, Roman looking from the tracks to her, as she looked everywhere except at him.

"What were you doing on the tracks in the first place?"

"I...I like to come out here and think," she shrugged.

"That much is reasonable, but not when a train is coming right at you. Were you trying to..." he struggled to get the words out, nearly losing his composure in the process. "Were you trying to hurt yourself?"

"What?" her eyes grew wide, and she stumbled back another few steps. "No! I'd never do something like that. I love life too much."

"That's all well and good, but you have to see this from my point of view," Roman said. He stepped forward to compensate for the extra space between them, but each time he moved toward her, she retreated. "It's okay, you don't have to be scared of me. I'm sorry for yelling earlier. I shouldn't have done it, but I was just scared and didn't know what to think. I'm not here to hurt you. I just want to talk."

"All right," she fiddled with the ties on her dress and stared at the ground. "I guess I can talk."

"Can I take a few steps toward you?" Roman asked. He added, "I don't bite, I promise."

"Yes," she nodded. Roman closed the gap and, though there was a fidgety air to her mannerisms, she didn't back away, which was a good sign. If Roman could get her to trust him, he could get her to talk, and the more he found out about her current state of mind, the more capable he would be to offer his help. He could call her family or get her to the hospital, depending on which seemed the more feasible option.

"Thank you for not backing up. I'm not such a scary guy, you'll see," he said. "Are you from around here?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"My name's Roman. What's yours?"

"Eleanor, but everyone I know calls me Ellie," she replied, making eye contact with him for the first time since he had pulled her to safety. "I was named after my grandma on my mom's side."

"That's a very pretty name, Ellie."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Roman shoved his hand into his pocket and produced his cell phone, intending to call someone who could remedy the situation, but Ellie gasped at the sight. When he glanced up, she had a hand over her mouth.

"Please don't call the police on me," she said. "I don't like police officers. They bring up too many bad memories," she shuddered. Her fingers wrapped even more tightly around her arms, gripped so soundly that her digits were draining of color. "I just want to go home."

"I can walk you there."

"I should really go on my own, but thank you for the offer."

She managed a smile, forcing every inch of it onto her face, and then turned and began trekking away from him. Roman was almost fully prepared to let her go on with her day, but he couldn't leave the scene without notifying somebody about what he saw. If Ellie was in trouble and needed help, it was his responsibility to guide her in the right direction, and his muscles stiffened until he could no longer take the pain. He had to go after her, and so he did, calling her name as he jogged so she wouldn't be alarmed when he came up behind her. She stopped, waiting for him to catch up.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"It's just that I'm thinking maybe I should report this to someone. Are you having problems at home or something? I can get you the help you need if something is bothering you," Roman offered, chest puffing in and out with each of his breaths. "It feels wrong to just let you walk away like this all by yourself."

"It's no big deal. I really was just trying to take advantage of such a beautiful day. Look at the sky, watch the birds, soak in the silence, that kind of thing."

"But the train started coming and you purposely stood on the tracks, I saw it. You held your arms out and waited for it to come," Roman said, demonstrating the pose he had found her in. "You were trying to get hit, weren't you?"

"I was going to move before you tackled me like a linebacker," she rolled her eyes, crossing her arms as her pupils caught a glint of light cast off the sun. Ellie's gaze met his and he was hypnotized, caught in a trance. This time, she smiled a real smile, as if she was used to that type of positive attention from guys, and Roman wasn't surprised a single bit by her reaction. Pretty girls typically knew the advantages of their wiles. "Stop staring. Didn't your mother ever tell you how rude that is?"

"Well, excuse me," Roman answered, sarcasm dripping from his tone. "It's not every day that I see a pretty girl almost hit by a train."

"Thank you for your concern, but I'm really fine."

"How old are you?" he asked, almost out of the blue. Ellie's eyes twinkled as she played along.

"How old are you?"

"I asked you first."

"I asked you second."

"All right, fine, I'll bite," he grinned. "I turned 28 this past May. Your turn."

"I'm 21."

"That's a fun age."

"It could be, I guess," she bit her bottom lip, a deep solemnity settling in her eyes like clouds in the sky on an overcast day. She stared into space for a moment, perhaps mulling over the cruelty of a life that hadn't given her all she had hoped for. Her expression tugged on Roman's heartstrings, and it was uncommon if not unheard of for him to invite perfect strangers into his home, but Ellie was quite clearly stuck in a state of distress that wouldn't be solved by returning home. For all he knew, there would be no one there waiting for her, and the worst thing she could do was be alone during hard times, so, against his better judgment, he extended a kind offer; one she couldn't easily refuse.

"Hey, why don't you walk back to my place with me? It's right in this neighborhood over here," he said, pointing over her shoulder. "We can have some coffee and talk if you want to. It might make you feel better."

"Thanks, but I should be getting home."

"Will someone else be there? You should at least have someone to talk to."

"Uh...yeah, someone's there," she said, hesitating in a way that let him know she was lying through her impeccable teeth. Still, he couldn't very well hold the girl under duress, so he saw no choice but to let her continue on her way. The slight hero complex he suffered from screamed at him from inside, pushing him to do more, but, instead, he backed off. Ellie had been through enough drama for the day. "Thanks for helping, but I really would have been okay," she assured him, wearing an easy smile. "I was going to move, I swear."

"I know. I believe you," he replied.

She shook her head, chuckling softly while she tucked some hair behind her ear. "Sure you do."

Ellie strolled through the grass, arms swinging casually at her sides as she traveled in the direction of her home. Roman watched her go for a short while, turning back to look at the tracks where the close call had occurred. He couldn't shake the feeling that Ellie had been in some sort of trouble, but there was always a chance she was being up front and had planned all along to jump out of the way at the very last possible second. Maybe she was the type of person who valued cheap thrills to keep herself occupied, but Ellie had left him with an unsettling heaviness in the pit of his stomach. Roman shifted away from the tracks, wanting to check on Ellie a final time before he headed home, but he was shocked to find that she had already drifted out of sight.

Out of sight, and out of mind.