Different than I imagined

"So... You're really gonna ditch your main skin now?" Nikolai asked my mother while driving.

"Well, I would have changed it in a few years at most, but I felt generous when I learned that my dear child became a skinwalker. This evening, 'Patricia' will come to the police station and confess everything to you, deputy chief Judith." She said while grinning at him, but then turned to face me. "This way, your dear Father will be punished for his evil deeds. Will that satisfy you?"

"D-deputy chief Judith?" I asked, looking at Nikolai.

"That's my main identity. Been using it for five years now. Like for Aga, the skin I'm currently wearing is just a cover." Nikolai answered me.

"And a trophy too. I still remember vividly how you skinned him in forty-four. It was your first skin." My mother commented, snickering.

"Fucking fascist bastard had it coming." Nikolai grumbled.

"Huh?" I wasn't sure I heard that right.

"Nikolai was the leader of a resistance group in Germany during the second world war." My mother said. "A group my mentor, Oliver, and I found ourselves part of. We helped them in various ways, with sabotage or espionage, but Nikolai was caught by the Germans one day. He was subjected to **** and was on the brink of ****, but we grew to like him, so Oliver decided to share our curse with him to save his life."

"And I'll always be grateful for that." Nikolai said, smiling.

"You... You fought the Germans?"

My mother laughed. "Why are you surprised? I may have been turned into a skinwalker, but I was still Polish; a deep hatred for Germans was coursing through my veins back then. So of course I took the opportunity to cause some chaos there when they started acting up. It was fun to rampage with my abilities without a care."

"And, as our mentor used to say, war is something that affects us all, not just humans." Nikolai added.

That was something hard to imagine... Again, I found myself at a loss for words. Would what she said make them war heroes? Also, the fact that Nikolai was apparently a deputy chief in the police made me wonder what kind of identity the others were using... It seemed like an extremely convenient skin to use to gather intel and protect this coven they were part of.

"Who's this Oliver you mentioned a few times?" I asked after regaining my composure.

"Your step-father." Nikolai replied with a chuckle. "And Aga's right-hand man since our previous leader passed away and she took over."

"He's my lover." My mother said. "You'll meet him soon enough, though. We should arrive in maybe twenty minutes if the traffic stays like this."

I didn't say anything else, I closed my eyes and tried to relax to hide my nervousness. Nikolai drove to the edge of the city, to a remote house. It was an elegant and visibly expensive home, with two floors and a large garden. I even spotted a pool behind it. Five cars were parked nearby.

"Here we are." Nikolai announced as he parked as well. "Not everyone has arrived yet, I see."

"Our less important servants will arrive later." My mother replied before staring at me seriously. "You remember my warning from yesterday, hmm?"

"Yes..."

"Good." She smiled and led me inside, with Nikolai following us.

As soon as the door opened, I heard the sound of a piano, and an angelic voice singing alongside the melody. I found the source of this song in the spacious and luxurious living room. It was a young and cute dark-skinned woman with dyed blonde hair playing the piano and singing happily. Three people were seated on the couch, relaxed. There was a young Asian woman with purple hair and wearing a black dress, a middle-aged blonde woman with an elegant black and red dress, and... my former high-school PE teacher... I froze and just stared at him, shocked.

"Everyone! I thank you for coming on such short notice." My mother said, clapping her hands to get everybody's attention. "But I have exciting news to share."

The girl at the piano stopped and went to sit on the couch next to the other three. I also saw three girls and two men descending from the stairs and looking at the scene from there. Everyone's gaze was on me, making me feel uncomfortable. The Asian girl was smirking while observing me, while the others just seemed confused.

The blonde woman spoke first. "Why is your secretary here, Mother?"

"Huh? Mother?" I looked back at my mother, who gave me a sly grin.

"Well, Aisha, I was about to explain. Oliver hasn't arrived yet but is already aware and will join us soon. Please welcome my son Edward. I was pleasantly surprised to learn yesterday that he transcended humanity and became a skinwalker like us."

Apart from the Asian woman, the others were surprised, especially the person wearing my PE teacher, as his eyes widened.

"E-Edward? E-Edward... became a skinwalker?" He asked. "Y-you're joking, right?"

"I'm not, Ashley." My mother replied, giving her a smug smile.

"I can confirm it too." A woman's voice came from behind.

A woman in a formal suit went to sit alongside the other four. She seemed to be in her late thirties or early forties, but was still pretty attractive.

"I drove Aga and Edward here myself." She said, smiling at me. "Unmask yourself, Edward. Show them."

I understood that she was Nikolai, based on what she said. I nodded and pulled on my neck, removing Elise's face. I spent so long wearing skins these last few days that having my own face was starting to feel strange.

"W-why didn't you tell me beforehand!? I-I'm not ready!" Ashley said, bashful, covering her face.

It was really weird to see my former PE teacher acting like this. I wondered how long he's been worn. And also why this 'Ashley' was apparently embarrassed by my presence. The blonde woman, Aisha, glared at me. I felt some animosity coming from her.

"She didn't tell you just so we could all witness your current reaction. Totally worth it, in my opinion." The Asian girl replied, giggling.

"Y-you knew?" Ashley said, grabbing the Asian girl by the shoulders and shaking her. "Minh, you lazy nympho! You freaking knew and you just preferred to grope yourself instead of telling me?!"

Ashley's actions just made the other girl, Minh, snicker. "Look who's talking, I know what you did in the bathroom as soon as you arrived. Unlike you, I'm not ashamed of my lust. And I still remember you gushing about your 'chivalrous Edward' when you first joined us. ‘Oh, Edward is so handsome, so cool, so gentle!’" Minh said in an exaggerated cutesy voice, before grinning at Ashley. "And I recall how much you wished to become him. You begged Aga to let you try him."

"S-shut up! D-don't listen to his nonsense, Edward!"

"You... You're the one who wanted to wear me?"

I took a step back as Ashley tried to approach me, visibly panicking. "I-I... It's not like that! I just... I just... admired you..." She looked away, appearing so sheepish. "Y-you were so heroic in high-school... You saved me..."

"What? What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

She took a deep breath and tried to calm down slightly. "I-I'm sure you don't remember me... I was two years older, and we only spoke a few times... I… I was often bullied in school… by Luke and his crew. I was used to it, but one day, you showed up. You were a new student, in first year, but you bravely faced and fought them to protect me..."

"Ashley has had a big crush on you since then. It was love at first sight." Minh said as he approached me as well. "She immediately went to skin this PE teacher of yours as soon as she became one of us to keep observing you during your last year of school. She was so lovestruck, it was funny to see. She was almost like a yandere."

"S-shut up, Minh!"

"She was so sad when you left the city, completely heartbroken."

"I said stop!" Ashley said, shaking Minh again. "Don't say anything else!"

"Children, children, let's calm down, alright?" My mother announced as she separated them like they were little kids.

She took Minh further away and started to speak to him, while Nikolai went to check on Ashley. With what Ashley said, I recalled indeed saving a frail girl during my first year of school. She was cute, but extremely shy and introverted, and it made her a perfect target for some of the bullies there. And after saving her, these bullies redirected their attention towards me.

She somehow became a skinwalker at most two years after that, then...

Meanwhile, the dark-skinned girl approached me, giving me a friendly smile. "Sorry about these two, they're always bickering like this. They don't show it, but they care about each other. In any case, I'm Matthew, but you can also call me Chelsea while I'm wearing this skin. It's a pleasure to meet you, Edward."

"Huh, likewise..."

"There's no need to be so nervous. Just consider us as a big family, that's how Aga and Oliver see our coven." Matthew said, giggling. "And now you're part of this family too. Don't hesitate to talk to Nikolai, Oliver, or Aga if you have questions, as they're the oldest among us."

"T-thank you." I said, nodding.

"Aisha, you don't want to greet him?" He asked as he turned and looked at the blonde woman.

She stood up and walked towards me, but still appeared angry for some reason. "I know how you and your useless sister were. I don't trust you, and I have no idea why Mother does, but I won't let you ruin our family."

I came closer and glared at her. "Don't you dare insult my sister. As far as I know, we haven't done anything to you."

"Aisha, dear, don't be like this." My mother said as she came back. "I won't stop loving you just because someone else also calls me Mother. I want you to get along, alright?"

Aisha huffed and left the room, making my mother giggle. "She will probably need some time to warm up to you, my child."

"What's her deal? Why is she calling you Mother, and why does she seem to hate me and Claire?"

"She's just jealous, don't mind her. She never had a real mother caring for her, and she latched onto me once I helped her get reborn as her real self."

"What do you mean?"

"She’ll tell you herself one day. Now, I have a surprise for you, follow me."

I nodded and followed her upstairs, wondering what else she had in store for me. This coven wasn't how I imagined it at all, so I had no idea what to expect.