Claire's admission

As weeks and months went on, it almost felt like things were back to normal in our lives. Or well, as normal as it's been since I met Dahl and became a skinwalker.

I kept working as a model and Instagram fitness coach, sharing health and fitness advice to my audience. I even started streaming some games at Sherine's recommendation, as she told me I'd surely be awesome at it. And she was right, my popularity skyrocketed even more as a result. More and more brands of various kinds were contacting me to promote their products, be it ‘healthy’ food, all styles of clothes, video games. I even received a brand new expensive mountain bike, and I greatly enjoyed taking it for a spin in the hills nearby, with Dahl filming me. Although I did keep my partnerships ethical, I refused to promote some brands I knew to support discrimination or which blatantly tried to lie about their products.

When Laura came back from her parents home, she seemed to be feeling much better. I doubted she'd do a full recovery anytime soon, but she was now getting good at pretending things were fine, at least. We hung out a few times, skating and watching anime with Sherine, and also having some group studies to make sure we'd be ready for the mid-term exams.

With Dahl and Lia, we also talked a few times about potential trips we could take once we were done with college. I was still very tempted to take a sabbatical year to visit other countries around the world, and would love to do it with them by my side. We even started to plan our wedding, with the help of her parents, finding a place to book for the party. Her parents were taking care of the decorations while we contacted restaurants and bakeries to discuss the dishes and cakes we could get. I wanted things to be perfect.

I didn't get any news of my mother or Minh, thankfully. They kept following me on social media and didn't come back. Or at least I didn't think they did. They never showed themselves, at least.

The almost back to normal was due to Claire. I was hoping she'd open up on what was bothering her, but she kept it to herself. She was isolating herself more, spending more time alone, and it worried me. I could obviously skin her and learn what's been going on, but I didn't want to invade my sister's privacy.

Finally, at the start of December, Claire asked us to meet, saying it was important. Dahl and I reunited at my place. Claire seemed tense, searching for her words as we patiently waited for her to speak.

She took a deep breath and looked at us. “You probably guessed already, but there's something I've been hiding from you.”

I nodded. “It was obvious, but I didn't want to be pushy. I felt you'd tell us when you were ready.”

She smiled at that. “Thank you, sis. When you were visiting Dahlia's family… Mother came back.”

“She did?” Both Dahl and I spoke at the same time.

“She just wished to talk, she didn't do anything to me. She… felt sorry for what happened.”

“Sorry? I find it hard to believe.” I groaned.

“She was sincere, I know it. She spent some time with me as Sherine, we… talked a lot.”

“About what?” Dahl asked.

“She… offered to turn me into a skinwalker.” Claire admitted, shocking us.

“Turn you into a skinwalker?”

“I'm glad you and Dahlia are so happy, you know? But I admit I… I feel like I don't really belong anymore…”

“T-that's not true!” I protested, stunned by what she said.

“It feels that way to me. Understand me, sis. My sibling, her girlfriend, and even my own mother… You're all skinwalkers. Meanwhile, I'm just a… defenseless human… And I've been feeling jealous and left out for a while now… I thought about it until recently, but I want to accept Mother's offer.” She finally said, her voice and gaze determined. “I want to become like you, to understand and relate to you better.”

“Are you sure, Claire? There's no going back once you're cursed.” Dahl explained.

Claire nodded, clenching her fists. “Yes, I'm certain. I already contacted Mother yesterday, she told me she'd arrive today.”

I was lost, I didn't know what to say. I wanted to refute what she said about feeling left out, but I knew things had changed between us since I became a skinwalker and embraced Seo-Yun's life. It went well at first, but this distancing started before we even left for London. I was just too blind to really notice it, basking in Seo-Yun's life…

Dahl spoke first, letting out a sigh. “I'm sorry you've been feeling that way, Claire. I tried my best but I know how weird it's been for you. I understand and respect your decision.”

“Sis?” Claire asked, waiting for me to speak.

“If… If that's how you truly feel… I'm sorry… I didn't realise…” I started awkwardly, looking down.

Claire put her hand on mine, smiling at me. “It's okay, sis, I'm not blaming you, you did nothing wrong.”

“Why… Why didn’t you tell us earlier?” I asked.

She looked away. “I… I didn't know how to admit it… I know you still hold a grudge towards Mother. But I… I really want to give her a chance…”

“Do you… do you really trust Mother to keep her word?” I had to ask.

She nodded. “I do. She could have done anything to me during her time here, her or other members of her coven. But she didn't. She was sincere. She saw sharing the curse as a way to apologise and make sure I wouldn't get hurt again… and to grant my wish.”

“I see…”

Claire got up and gave me a warm hug. “I'll be fine, sis. Believe in me.”

After a second, I returned the embrace, closing my eyes and resting my head on her shoulder. “Okay… If that's what you believe is the best, I'll support you. I believe in you, Claire.”

“Thank you.” She let go of the hug and looked at me. “There's something else, too. Mother invited me to go back with her to meet her coven.”

“You're going to leave?” Dahl asked, surprised.

Claire nodded. “Only temporarily. I want to learn more about Mother, about the real her.” She then smiled at us. “But I'll come back for the wedding, I promise you.”