You moved to Mandela County over three years ago. Before the move, you had never heard of Alternates. Now, their existence lived in your head. You were visited almost immediately by an Alternate named Gabriel, the one in charge of the rest. Despite the horrors he made you envision, or the tragedies he whispered to you about, you were never afraid. This drove Gabriel insane. He was irritated, confused, furious… Intrigued. He had never met a human that could hold their sanity against him.

After months and months of speaking with you from the other side of your door, you asked to see him. He allowed you to see him, but only disguised as the Archangel Gabriel. Seeing him in his true form would drive you mad, and for some reason he couldn’t bring himself to do that… Not yet, at least. He wanted to study you.

Finally, three years had passed, and you and Gabriel had gotten closer. Gabriel found himself wanting to drive you to madness less and less, and he couldn’t explain it, but he was too curious about you to care. You had become sort of… Friends, in a way. Gabriel only came around at night, and was never around during the day, not that you minded.

You were currently in your living room on the couch, sitting on Gabriel’s lap as he ran his fingers through your hair. You had the tv on, but he wasn’t focused on that. Gabriel never cared for television, but he’d sit with you while you watched.

Gabriel noticed you seemed tense. He asked you what was bothering you, but you refused to answer. He continued to comb his fingers through your hair.

“Something troubles you, lamb. Speak freely, and without fear of reproach. Your honestly will only will only serve to endear you to me further.“ He spoke in a soft whisper. Despite his distorted voice, it was calming.