Claire's rebirth

I kept watching TV for a long while, until past one in the morning. My eyelids felt really heavy, it was extremely late for Elise's regular sleeping habits, but I had to be awake for when Claire regained consciousness.

Finally, I heard some cloth rustling and movement in her room and got up, rushing to her side. Claire was slowly waking up, sitting on the side of the bed. I could see skinwalker spines coming out of her fingertips, confirming that her initial transformation was over.

There's no going back, now...

"Claire, are you alright?" I asked, sitting next to her.

"E-Ed?" She wondered, looking visibly groggy and confused.

"Yeah, it's my life for the time being, remember?"

"R-right..." She glanced at her hands, noticing the spines. "I'm... really a skinwalker, then..."

"You are, yeah. How are you feeling?"

She smiled softly. "I'm... a bit cold, but otherwise I'm fine. Don't worry, Ed."

I held her hand gently. "Of course I'll worry about my little sister. We'll find you a skin tomorrow morning to get rid of the cold, alright?"

"T-thanks." She replied, looking at the bony protrusions from her fingertips. "So I... stab someone with these to turn them into skin?"

"Yeah, it should be instinctual. You'll feel how to drain someone's soul and skin them when you get to use them. That's how it's been for me, at least."

She kept observing her spines for a moment longer, processing her situation, until they retracted inside her fingertips, now perfectly hidden under her skin as it mended itself.

"It is... freaky." She commented before smiling at me and hugging me. "But now... Now I can be like you and Dahlia, I can relate to you, and I can keep seeing you more easily, even if you're far away..."

"If you're really fine with it, I suppose I was worrying for nothing..." I sighed.

"I am, Ed. It was my decision, I knew what it'd mean when I accepted Mother's offer."

I smiled weakly."Sorry, you're right. I should stop treating you like a child, you're old enough to make your own choices now."

I let out an extremely loud and long yawn, almost losing my balance. Claire glanced at her watch and gasped.

"It's so late! You stayed awake just for me?"

"I had to be there for you." I replied, trying to appear fine. "But I am quite tired, I'll admit."

"Go sleep, Ed. I will try to rest more until the morning." Claire said, opening her wardrobe and grabbing a pyjamas, before glancing awkwardly at me. "Do you... Do you need one, too?"

"No need, I have a gown in my suitcase. I'll go change now. Goodnight, Claire." I smiled at her and walked away, giving her the intimacy to get changed too.

"Goodnight, Ed." I heard her say as I closed the door.

Retreating inside my room, I locked the door and undressed. Seeing this tiny yet undeniably feminine body of mine was still strange, but after what happened, I was slowly starting to not dislike it anymore. Elise always was self-conscious about her height and small breasts, but it didn't matter much to me, I found her really pretty nonetheless. My guilt lessening and my acceptance of this situation allowed me to appreciate her beauty better. I could even feel my lower abdomen warming up slowly.

You have nothing to be ashamed of, Elise. You are a beautiful woman. I thought while admiring myself in the mirror.

I didn't feel well enough psychically yet to try anything more with my new body, though, and especially not with Claire in the next room, with her now enhanced hearing as a skinwalker.

After another smile at my reflection, I slipped inside my night gown and laid on my bed for probably the last time in my life. Starting tomorrow, I wouldn't be living there anymore, and neither would Claire really soon... I would definitely miss this town. My kind former boss who took me under his wing when I had nothing, my lovely and smart ex-girlfriend a small part of me still missed, the cute barista Claire and I were slowly befriending, the regulars at the bar I got to enjoy the presence of... I'd probably never see them again.

Instead, I would be seeing Elise's cute dog, her friendly neighbours and coworkers, her siblings and her parents, her close friends she made in high-school and college, John's own parents... It would be my life now, hanging out with people I didn't know, but whom Elise loved and cared about greatly.

And, well, with Mother, Ashley, Melissa, and the other members of the coven, I guess...

After my last conversation with Mother, I was admittedly growing curious. Even if Minh and Matthew had terrifying abilities, they still intrigued me, especially after what Mother said about the goal of her coven. I wondered what led to them becoming skinwalkers, the kinds of lives they had before being found and taken care of by the coven. Aisha, too, but considering that she apparently hated my guts, I didn't expect her to tell me her story anytime soon.

I'll have plenty of time to get to know them better, anyway, I'm not in a hurry.

I then started to wonder about the kind of skins Claire would try wearing. Would she like wearing men? Would she prefer to wear pretty girls who were her type? Being in the skin of someone you were sexually attracted to seemed like something most skinwalkers would enjoy. I couldn't deny having enjoyed it myself, and Dahlia, Minh, and Ashley did appear to like their current skins a lot.

I turned around, laying on my side as I let out another long and tired yawn. It was too late to think about all of this, I had to rest and be ready to help Claire during her first-hand day as a skinwalker, before we'd leave for our hometown with Dahlia and Mother.

I hope everything will go well...