I'm dedicating this to diagnosedwithlupus because she is freaking amazing x

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Gabriel's warm, amber eyes stared at the restless couple sitting in his cramped office. Their hollowed cheeks and slumped posture reflected the hopelessness they felt. Sadness was a tangible thing, at least to him it was. People with the 'Touch' displayed different abilities. Gabriel was able to sense emotions in the physical sense.

Most days he felt cursed, like today. He didn't want to have to feel their pain, seeing it in their eyes and the way they held themselves was enough for him. Gabriel frowned, his brows creasing as he looked at the couple.

Suddenly, he stood up and opened a small window located above his creaking chair, but he still couldn't get rid of the foreboding feeling that cloaked his stuffy office.

The woman stared at Gabriel. Her soft, grey eyes were clouded over with pain and something else; anger. Even though she didn't want to leave her babies alone, she had no choice. Her husband had promised her that their precious twins would be safe with her mother.

With a shudder, she pulled her hand from her husband's bone-crushing grip. Leaning over, she pulled out an envelope from her black bag on the floor and handed it to Gabriel. Almost instantly, she returned her hand to her husband. She shot a weak smile at Gabriel but her slick palm encased in her husband's larger one gave her fake bravado away.

Gabriel fiddled with the brown envelope in front of him, thinking. He had been surprised to see them at his office door, asking him for help.

Without consent, his mind glazed over the first time he met them. He'd been overwhelmed by his gift, unable to control the feelings of others that swarmed to him. It was worse when he was in an enclosed space, much worse.

He was young then, he had no one to help him get through it. How could they? Most of the time they thought he was crazy. The couple had crashed into his life like a tornado, a good one. They made him feel whole again - they made him feel alive. Now, they didn't come to him for themselves, but rather for the protection of their twins.

Gabriel shut his eyes painfully tight, trying to block out the resignation he felt emanating from the couples' pores. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Gabriel opened his eyes and reached for the envelope. He knew that by accepting the unspoken promise, he would be condemning the couple to whatever fate brought them to his office door in a frenzy of motion.

Even though he knew that by agreeing, the children wouldn't have their parents while growing up. But they would have each other and that, to him, was good enough. Gabriel gave a brief nod to show the couple he would help. It was the least he could do to repay their kindness to him but somehow, it still felt inadequate.

The woman's hand stilled on her necklace for the first time since the couple sat down on the worn leather chairs. Her free hand had been moving in circular motions as she violently rubbed at the silver pendant that hung loosely around her pale neck. Her hand fell from the silver pendant and into her lap.

Immediately, she dug her manicured nails into the soft flesh of her husband's arm. Her eyes filled with unshed tears as she realized what this meant. Her perfect little babies would grow up without their mother and father. She couldn't muffle her sob fast enough. Her husband turned towards the sound. He wound one arm around her slim waist and pulled her from the chair with him as he stood up.

With a jerk, she pulled out from his grasp and silently removed her necklace. Without her hand blocking it, Gabriel could see it was a little owl made completely out of silver. The eyes, however, were two large circles made from obsidian rock. Something about them made Gabriel look away with a shiver.

The man watched his wife for a moment, confused. He couldn't comprehend why she would remove her necklace. It was her family's heirloom and the only piece of jewellery she wore. Then, he followed her lead and unclasped a matching necklace from around his neck. He may not have fully understood why, but he trusted his wife's instincts. The man took the necklace from his wife and leaned in towards Gabriel.

"Please protect them," he whispered urgently. He kept his voice low so that his wife wouldn't hear; he didn't want to cause her any more pain. His hands shook as he placed the twinkling necklaces on the envelope.

Gabriel didn't know if the man was talking about the children or the items but he nodded anyway. The pure desperation in the man's voice made Gabriel flinch, he'd never felt anything as powerful in his life.

The man pulled back and moved to his wife's side, wrapping an arm around her waist. With a weak smile in Gabriel's direction, the pair exited the office and made their way to their parked car.

The door slammed shut, leaving Gabriel alone with the ominous presence of the two items and the unopened envelope.

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So that's the end of the prologue. I hope you enjoyed reading that.

Please like (if you liked it obvs :) ) and comment. I would love to hear what you have to say x