A tense reunion

There wasn't much else to talk about for the time being. Even if I was still hesitant, Claire made her decision and was determined. As her sister, I could only support her and make sure Mother kept her word.

We tried to keep our minds occupied by playing some Mario Kart until Claire's phone rang.

“It's Mother,” she told us. “She's outside.”

I closed my eyes and breathed slowly. I wasn't sure I was ready to see her again but I had to stay calm. I followed Claire downstairs, my nervousness rising with each step. When we reached the front door, we were greeted by ‘Elise’, flanked by whom I assumed to still be Minh, as well as a dark-skinned woman with curly hair. A woman who seemed surprised when she saw me in particular.

Mother smiled, a warmer smile than the ones I was used to from her before. “Good morning, my children. May we come in?” Claire nodded and returned the smile, letting them in. As we climbed the stairs, Mother spoke again. “I've been following your social media activities closely since my last visit, Yun. It truly pleases me to see you flourish in this life. You're brighter than ever.”

Despite the compliment being from Mother, I couldn't help but blush slightly. “T-thanks…”

“You even got another new diehard fan right here~” Minh chuckled, patting the other woman's back.

“M-Minh!” The woman hushed in panic.

“Who are you?” I decided to ask, wondering why this person was also here.

Minh seemed to be someone my mother deeply trusted, but I didn't know anything about this other person.

She started to fidget with her fingers nervously. “I-I'm Ashley. It's, uhh, nice to see you, Edward.”

I couldn't help but wince hearing that name, even if it used to be mine. “Please don't call me that again. Just Yun is fine.”

It made Ashley appear even smaller. “Oh, s-sorry. I-I didn't know.” She was acting really shy, which surprised me considering she was a skinwalker. “I didn't want to offend you…”

“Let's all talk more once we're in private, alright?” Mother said, pausing the conversation. It didn't take long for us to be back inside Dahlia's flat, with all the privacy we needed.

Dahl was waiting, her arms crossed, staring at the trio intensely as if she was expecting them to pounce on us at any second.

Mother spoke again. “Greetings, Dahlia. It's a pleasure seeing you again.”

I went by Dahl's side, holding her hand. We both needed each other's support right now to stay calm. Ashley's gaze was still focused on me, and she appeared visibly saddened. Claire meanwhile sat on the couch, nervous.

“You already know the reason for my visit, so why are you tense like this?” Mother wondered.

“Because you didn't leave a good impression last time? Or maybe because you're flanked by two more skinwalkers?” Dahl, or possibly Lia currently, dryly replied. “Forgive us for still being wary of you.”

“We only came here to fulfill Claire's wishes and have a chat, nothing more. If you want to know, Ashley followed us of her own volition. She wanted to see you again, Yun.”

It confused me. “See me again? What do you mean?”

“You, uhh, probably don't remember, but we used to be in the same high-school,” Ashley said quietly, looking at her feet. “I was two years older, and you… saved me from Luke and his friends, during your first year.”

I wasn't expecting that. “Really?”

I tried to recall my time in high-school, but it felt like so long ago now. At first memories of Seo-Yun's high-school life flashed, but I filtered them out to focus on my original memories. I did recall helping a shy girl who was being bullied by some dumb jocks, Luke being their leader. I became their new target afterwards, constantly butting heads with them. If Ashley was that girl, it meant she became a skinwalker only a few years ago at most.

Minh wrapped his arm around Ashley and squeezed her shoulder gently. He seemed to have a lot of affection for her.

Minh's action helped her continue. “I-I always… admired you since that day. And when I became a skinwalker, I-I tried to be like you, to help people.”

I had the feeling there was more than just admiration considering her reaction when she saw me hold Dahl's hand, but I didn't comment on it. She knew I was already with someone.

“I-I see,” I just said, unsure of what to reply.

“Anyway, Claire, are you ready?” Mother then asked, sitting next to Claire.

Claire glanced at us before nodding, clenching her fists. “I-I am, yes.”

Mother grinned. “Wonderful~ It will only hurt for a moment, don't worry.” She then caressed Claire's cheek with a finger. “Soon, you will be reborn as something greater, my child~”

Right after, she swiftly pierced Claire's neck with her spines. Claire gasped in pain before starting to have convulsions. Part of me still expected a betrayal, but now I knew Mother was truthful. Claire wasn't deflating, she was shivering and weakening as the curse flowed within her.

It was a disturbing sight, but I had to be brave. It was what Claire chose. I could only support her and hope she'd love it. Minh and Ashley were observing the scene in silence, while Dahl grit her teeth.

“Sweet dreams~” Mother added in a whisper as Claire's consciousness was fading, her body going limp. Finally, Mother laid an **** Claire gently on the couch and got up. “No more harm shall come to you,” she said, brushing a stray strand of Claire's hair. She seemed so excited, grinning from ear to ear.

That was it. In a few hours, Claire wouldn't awake the same anymore. She'd be a skinwalker, like she wanted. It wasn't easy to come to terms with it, though. I'd need time.

Mother then looked back at me. “Claire told you she wished to leave with me, didn't she?”

“She did, yeah,” I replied.

“If you'd like to visit, you two are welcome, you know?” Mother added, smiling at me and Dahl.

I glanced at Dahl, who seemed as hesitant as I was. Visiting Mother's coven wasn't something I’d ever thought of doing, I pretty much dropped the idea of returning to my hometown someday. But I was also unsure about leaving Claire alone there from the get go.

“We'll think about it,” Dahl answered for now.

“You still resent me, and that's fair, but I hope we'll be able to bury the hatchet and move forward. At least for Claire's sake,” Mother said, glancing at Claire. “We all care about her safety and happiness, after all.”

“Will she truly be safe with you?” I had to ask.

Mother nodded. “Yes, I give you my word. Our coven is a safe space, carefully hidden from the prying eyes of hunters. She'll thrive with us, I know it.”

“She'll get along with most of us no problem. Only Aisha might be stubborn for a while, but she'll have to soften up eventually,” Minh chimed in, giggling.

“Who's Aisha?” I wondered.

“The last person I blessed before Claire, and another member of the coven. You might get to meet her should you visit,” Mother answered. “Anyway, we will take a walk and let you watch over Claire until the process is done. Minh, Ashley, come.”

After that, Mother left the flat, quickly followed by Minh and Ashley. Meanwhile, Dahl and I sat on the floor, next to Claire.

“I hope she won't regret her decision,” I said, observing Claire's **** face.

“I don't think she will, Yun,” Dahl replied, holding my hand. "It's clearly something that's been bothering her for a while, we just didn't realise it until she told us. Now, all we can do is make sure she can rely on us.”

I sighed. “Right.”

Dahl smiled at me. “Let's play something while waiting for her to wake up, there's no point mopping around.”

She handed me a controller and we played some Tekken for the time being. Claire and I had been teaching Dahl and Lia how to play these last few months, and they were getting the hang of it by now. They were closing in fast and proved to be a challenge. Claire and I still had a lot more experience for the time being, though.