The cotton sheet whispered across her collarbone as she sat up. Her bed jolted beneath her, just once, and her muscles coiled beneath her skin. What was happening?

Her housemate was in the next room; was she alright? She swung her legs over the side of the bed, felt her toes caress the frigid hardwood floor, and slipped silently off her mattress. A bright light instantly flooded the room, burning her eyes. She plastered her hands over them, her mouth open in a silent scream.

“Move your hands.” a voice shimmered over her, wrapping her in an embrace softer than any she’d ever felt. She let her arms fall to her sides, and a cool, refreshing breeze blew over her.

“What- who…?” she blinked rapidly, but lost her voice when she realized who stood before her.

A man, with flowing brown hair and releasing the soft glow of a distant star, stood at the foot of her bed. “My name,” he murmured, kneeling, “Is Gabriel.” he was dressed in immaculate white slacks, a white dress shirt.

“You mean the Gabriel?”