An almost normal morning of classes

The more I walked, the more I was starting to realise how different everything was now that I was wearing Katherine. With each step, I could hear the clicking of the heels resonating in the corridor. I could feel my hips swaying more, my breasts jiggling slightly despite the bra, my hair waving around, my nylon-covered thighs rubbing against each other... I noticed how people perceived me as I greeted some of Katherine's colleagues in a friendly manner and some students in a more formal way, no one realising that the woman they spoke with had been replaced by me...

It was such a strange experience, my skinwalker side loved this feeling of deceiving these people, while my human side was afraid of these powers who so easily allowed me to replace someone.

Before going to the lecture hall, I quickly stopped at a bathroom nearby, looking at my reflection just to confirm that everything was indeed real. Instead of my bulky male self, I was greeted by the sight of a mature yet still attractive woman.

I smiled as I relaxed. Ever since I wore her, things felt so much more right. It should have been weirder to become someone almost twice my age, and a woman at that, but it already felt natural.

While I was admiring my reflection, I thought of Katherine's daughter. Her name was Megan, she was nineteen and in her first year of college. She was a decent student but had a somewhat rebellious side. Still, Katherine loved her deeply, and feeling her emotions like this was more enjoyable than I would have expected. It made me feel warm...

I snickered, thinking about my parents. I was dead certain that they never felt something like this towards me or Claire. Love was a foreign concept to them.

Finally, I stepped outside and went towards the lecture hall. As I entered, I felt all the gazes of the students on me. I reached the desk, grabbed the microphone, and greeted them.

"Good morning, everyone. Today, we'll continue our previous lesson on French Naturalism."

I sank inside Katherine's personality and let her guide me throughout the lecture to make sure I was doing everything like she would. I could see some students being distracted, bored by this lecture, but paid it no mind. Katherine's way of teaching wasn't very interactive. Some students asked questions at times, but it was mostly me reciting the lesson she prepared and the students taking notes. I could see why Sarah had some issues with Katherine, I knew that she cared a lot about students' interactivity, and also about having an almost friendly relationship with them. Although, it wasn't like Katherine didn't care about her students, she just had different methods and prefered to keep a more professional relationship with them.

The first lecture went by in a flash as I lost myself in the thrill and satisfaction brought by playing Katherine's role so flawlessly. Even if Katherine's methods weren't as interactive as Sarah's, she was truly passionate about what she taught.

After this, Katherine had a language seminar with a group of second years. I approached the classroom and observed the students waiting, but was surprised by who I saw.

Dahlia?

The redhead was here, reading a book while leaning against the wall next to the door. When she spotted me, she gave me a cute smile. Katherine's memories told me that Dahlia was indeed one of her students for this semester. She even had some of the best grades when it came to the French language despite it not being her major. Katherine quite liked how motivated and serious she seemed to be in class. It was strange to perceive Dahlia so positively since it clashed with my own feelings for her.

I regained my composure and got back to playing Katherine's role, greeting the students and opening the door for them. I sat at the desk and booted the laptop, ready to start with the seminar. Like with the lecture, I let my stolen personality guide me as I explained some rules of French grammar, gave the students some exercises, and then corrected their mistakes. Despite the relatively mundane activity, I did enjoy playing the role of a teacher, a sense of fulfillment washing over me as I shared Katherine's knowledge with the students.

Dahlia was fairly active, participating a few times, helping her seat neighbours, and asking some questions. It surprised me, not expecting a skinwalker to be so friendly and studious, but she did say that she liked her current life and didn't want to abandon it. The preconceived image I had of her right after she turned me into a skinwalker was fading away the more I saw how she was.

At the end of the class, Dahlia waited until the other students left and approached me, smiling. "I can see that you're having fun, Ed."

I looked at her as I closed the laptop. "How could you be sure it was me?"

Dahlia giggled. "Well, I don't remember Ms. Moreau being so enthusiastic and passionate ever since I had her as my professor."

I went to close the door to make sure we were in private before returning, sitting on the desk.

"I noticed your gaze on me a few times during the class, you were analysing me, then?"

She smiled playfully. "Indeed. I didn't expect her to be your first skin, it was hard to keep a straight face when Sarah announced her name."

"That's why you said 'see you later'?"

"Yes, although I wasn't sure if it was really you at first, it took me about twenty minutes to be certain. For your first time, it's impressive how well you impersonated the original Katherine."

I felt conflicted after hearing her compliment, a part of me liking the praise while another disliked knowing that I was good at replacing someone...

"I suppose that I did enjoy teaching like this." I admitted.

Dahlia approached me, putting a hand on my thigh. "Ed, I can guess what you're thinking about, but relax. You are allowed to enjoy yourself with these powers. You are allowed to spend days or weeks as someone else if that's what you want. From what I've seen of you, I'm sure you wouldn't do anything to cause any trouble to the lives you borrow."

I sighed. "I don't want to have to 'borrow' anyone's life... My own life sucks but it doesn't mean that I want to lose it..."

She caressed my thigh gently but looked down. "I'm sorry, I know that what I did was wrong... I acted impulsively when I turned you into a skinwalker... But once you get your sister's support, I think it will make things easier for you."

"You say that as if it was guaranteed..." I gestured at myself. "Look at me, wearing the skin of a woman almost my mother's age..."

"Well, Sarah accepted you, didn't she? After witnessing her honesty, I doubt your sister would reject you either..." She looked away, a wan smile on her face. "Honestly, I'm jealous of you... You have a wonderful woman like Sarah who still supports you even after knowing the truth..."

I smiled weakly. "I'm relieved she's been so supportive... I was really afraid when I told her..."

"With her by your side, I'm convinced that your sister will easily accept you."

I remembered what she said yesterday after slapping me. "You didn't have anyone to support you, I imagine?"

She seemed confused. "Huh?"

"Yesterday, you told me that you knew someone who deeply regretted having hid the truth to their loved ones. It was you, right?"

She closed her eyes and replied shortly after, sighing. "I... I said that, I see..." She took a deep breath before continuing. "Yes... I was referring to myself... I didn't trust the people close to me when I became a skinwalker... I was panicking, with no one to talk to, and the skinwalker who turned me vanished right after doing the deed, leaving me completely alone to deal with whatever was happening to me... And the only thing I thought of doing was running away, to not harm the ones I cared about, fearful of these new instincts, and terrified of people discovering my new nature."

She looked back at me. "That's why I wanted to help you. I didn't want you to go through the same things I've lived. Unlike me, though, you have someone accepting you, and your sister will soon follow, I'm sure. Then, all you'll have to worry about will be which life to take as yours and settle into. Hopping from life to life is fun for a while, especially when you're on your own, but since you have two people you care about here, I imagine that you'll want to stick around."

"I don't want to be separated from them, no. But I also don't want to think about stealing a life permanently... It's... far too soon for that..."

"Trust me, I know the feeling. It took me a while to come to terms with that. But fighting against your new nature isn't going to end well for you. You can embrace it while still holding onto your moral values like I did. You can have fun living other people's lives without causing them any harm, and look for a person you might want to be in the long term. Maybe this person could be a student or a professor here if you want to stay close to Sarah. Maybe even Katherine, since you seem to enjoy being her so far."

I shook my head. "No, I certainly don't plan to steal Katherine's life. She's a mother, she has a daughter, it'd be wrong... I'm only wearing her for a day."

Dahlia smiled. "Alright. In any case, I did enjoy this class more than usual. Having you as my professor was a nice change of pace."

"I didn't expect you to be so studious when I first saw you."

She leaned closer and whispered. "Can I tell you a secret? I already speak French. I only took this class to get some easy credits."

I chuckled slightly. "That's sneaky."

She giggled. "Can't have my old knowledge go to waste, after all. But don't let the real Katherine know, alright?"

"I don't intend to make her remember any of our conversations."

"Thanks. I'll take my leave, I need to meet back with some friends. Have a good day, Ed." She gently tapped my leg. "And try to have fun as Katherine while it lasts."

"I'll try." I simply replied, standing up and opening the door. "Have a good day."

On that, we parted ways, with me going to Sarah's office to meet back with her. She most likely was wondering how my morning went.