Claire learning her family's secrets

When we reached the manor, we were greeted by Yumi, waiting for us in front of the entrance. Claire returned to holding my arm as we approached her.

Yumi smiled gently, giving off a sense of safety as she observed Claire. “Hi Claire. I'm Yumi, a friend of Ed.”

“N-nice to meet you,” Claire shyly said.

Yumi giggled. “I'm not gonna bite you, cutie, don't worry. Come, get yourself settled.”

Inside the large and fancy living room, Claire and I both felt awkward as we sat on the couch, but for different reasons. Yumi and Mother were facing us, appearing calm and collected.

“So, now that we're home, I believe it's time to tell you the truth, Claire,” Mother said before looking at me. “Would you like to do it, my child, or should I?”

I felt like it'd be best if I was the one admitting everything to Claire. “I-I will, Mother.” I held Claire's hand, squeezing it gently. “Just… I love you, Claire, no matter what.”

Claire seemed worried by my nervousness. “I-I love you too, Ed, but what's going on?”

I took a deep breath and tried my best to stay strong despite my fears. “I've been hiding some things from you… Do you remember that first night I didn't come home after work without warning you?”

She slowly nodded. “Yeah?”

“That night, I saved a woman, but she… wasn't human,” I awkwardly tried to explain.

“Wasn't human?” Claire repeated, confused.

“She was a skinwalker, and she turned Ed into one too,” Yumi chimed in to help.

“A skinwalker?”

“Before we explain more, I want you to know that you are safe, my child. We'd never harm you,” Mother added, her tone reassuring and her expression warm. “And to answer your question, a skinwalker is a being who can borrow the skin of humans, temporarily replacing and impersonating them.”

As Claire was getting even more lost, I spoke. “It's true. I became a skinwalker that night.” To prove it to her, I freed the spines from my fingers, making her jump up in shock. “These spines are what we use to… skin someone… I'm still myself, though, I promise you.”

I couldn't look at her, I simply stared at the ground while waiting for an answer. For a moment, there was only silence, but Claire then placed her hand on mine. “Why… Why didn't you tell me, Ed?”

“I-I was afraid and lost. I needed time to think about everything. But I also ran into another problem…”

Claire noticed me shivering. “What happened?”

“I fought a monster hunter. I almost died, but I managed to escape… hiding as someone else. I couldn't be myself anymore, she knew about my identity… and about you,” I admitted while finally looking at her. “I couldn't get you involved in that… I preferred to hide and leave the town to protect you.”

I was interrupted by a tight hug from Claire, her face resting against my shoulder. I felt some wetness there, and noticed her crying. “I… I would have helped you, Ed. You know I'd have… We'd have found something,” she said after a good minute of hugging.

“You know how Ed is, Claire. Your sibling is quite stubborn and sometimes doesn't think much before acting,” Mother said with a small chuckle.

It made Claire look at her briefly before focusing back on me. “You, uhh, told Mother and Yumi, then?”

Before I could say anything, Mother spoke first. “Ed came here with the intent of borrowing money from Victor to help you, and to punish him. When we reunited, I was surprised to see that my oldest child had become a skinwalker and tried to skin me. My first biological child became like me.”

“Like… Like you?” Claire asked. I had a feeling she was connecting the dots, but needed confirmation.

“I am a skinwalker as well, Claire,” Mother declared bluntly. “I've been one for more than a century, and I've lived as Patricia ever since before yours and Ed's births. Yumi, or Minh as they are truly called, is another skinwalker, one I personally blessed five decades ago.”

Claire appeared stunned and almost fearful as she stared at the two in front of her. I squeezed her hand gently. “It's okay, Claire. They're trustworthy.”

Yumi waved at Claire in a friendly way. “While I can't deny most skinwalkers are selfish dickheads, we are trying not to hurt anyone while living our lives in peace.”

Mother got up and approached Claire slowly, trying not to look intimidating. “Again, I apologise for my past behaviour towards you, Claire. Considering my nature, I simply couldn't let myself get too… emotionally attached to a human. But know that I truly love you, and if you let me, I wish to repair our relationship. I have missed you since you left.”

“You're… You're telling the truth, right?” Claire finally asked after a moment of silence.

Mother freed her own spines in front of Claire, nodding. “I am, yes. Although I am the only mother you've known, my real name is Agnieszka.”

“I… I'm not sure what to say…” Claire muttered. “It seems unbelievable, but I've seen it…”

“It's a lot to take in, I know,” I replied quietly.

There was another awkward pause before Claire hesitantly spoke again. “So, uhh… You wear the skins of humans?”

“We do, yes. Although it is less violent than what you're probably imagining, there's no blood or gore involved. We don't kill the humans we wear. These spines simply allow us to absorb their souls and deflate them, and we can restore them once we decide to change lives,” Yumi explained. “And when wearing someone, we can perfectly act like them, using all their memories and knowledge to impersonate them, their entourage none the wiser.”

After hearing Yumi's explanations, Claire looked at me. “And you… did that?”

My cheeks reddened in embarrassment. “Y-yeah… I had to in order to hide from the hunter… and I kept doing it here. I, umm, actually have another life I've kind of… temporarily adopted.” Since the cat was out of the bag, I decided to be fully truthful with Claire.

“R-really?”

“What you have to understand, Claire, is that wearing a skin is a physiological and psychological need for a skinwalker. We cannot live without one. Ed struggled with this at first due to their morals, but they ended up accepting that fighting against it was futile,” Mother said. “And we, as in my coven and I, do not see the harm in borrowing a person's life and living it the way they would. Like Minh said, most skinwalkers don't offer the same courtesy to the humans they wear, and those are the dangerous ones.”

“You're probably feeling overwhelmed, so let's take a break. Is there anything you'd like to eat, Claire?” Yumi asked while getting up and stretching. “It's my treat, don't worry.”

“Uhh, I'm… I'm fine with anything.”

Yumi grabbed her phone and started typing. “Alright, I'm ordering some Mexican, then. Know a good place nearby. Shouldn't take too long.”

“Your room is still as it was when you left, Claire,” Mother said. “Your game consoles are there if you wish to play with Ed and relax a little.”

Claire got up, still appearing somewhat meek. “O-okay, thank you.”

She unsurely left the living room and walked towards her room with me by her side. She was still holding my hand. “Are you alright, Claire?” I asked when we reached the privacy of the bedroom.

“I… I think. It's just… a lot,” she softly replied.

I pulled her into a hug. “I know. But thank you for accepting me despite everything… I was so terrified of your reaction…”

She returned the hug, clenching my shirt. “I would never reject you, Ed, you should know it by now… I'd do anything for you…”

“Thanks.”

We both sat on her bed, at first not saying anything more. Claire observed her former bedroom, the one she's lived in for the past 19 years before joining me. It probably was a strange feeling for her, she didn't think she'd ever be back here. But well, I believed the same until recently.

“So… Mother is really a skinwalker?” Claire finally said.

“Yeah. I know things weren't great with her, I used to resent her for not doing more to help us. But now, after learning the truth and spending more time with her, I… I kind of understand her point of view,” I admitted. “The life of a skinwalker is very different from that of a human.”

“What… What is it like? To be someone else?” Claire wondered.

I blushed, shy and shameful. “It's really interesting. Being perceived as the person I wear, having their memories, feeling their emotions, using their skills flawlessly, it's… strangely enjoyable.”

It only seemed to intrigue Claire further. “And the person you're, hmm… living as, who are they?”

I reddened even more, wondering how to tell her about Amber without looking like a perverted creep. “I… I'll show you later, okay?” I finally said. I hoped that I'd feel more comfortable inside Amber's skin to talk about this situation. Her confidence and smarts should help. “Mother will probably want to introduce you to the rest of the coven, too.”

“What's this coven you've all been talking about?”

“Mother is leading a group of skinwalkers and humans. They're, or I guess we are all helping each other and living together. I was weary at first, but I discovered that they were actually really nice. It may sound weird, but it kinda feels like a big family.”

“Really?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Minh is kinda… quirky, but they're pretty caring too. And the rest are really friendly as well. But you'll see for yourself soon.” I got up and looked at her shelf full of games. “Our old Tekken is still there, wanna play for a bit? I miss our daily games.”

Claire smiled. “Of course.”