From one sea to another

"Zuzia, if you don't get up now, you're going to be late." A male voice whispered in my ear as I slowly opened my eyes, still tired from last night's... activities.

"We really should stop doing it on work days, Karol..." I replied, yawning. "I'm drained..."

"You should have complained last night, it's too late now." Karol chuckled as he opened the curtains. "I'll prepare breakfast while you get ready."

"Thank you."

I got up and walked to the wardrobe, changing into my underwear for the day and slipping into a cute black dress, alongside a pair of pantyhose and leather boots. I brushed my light brown hair and tied it into a ponytail before applying some lip gloss and eyeshadow.

I smiled, content with my look. Zuzanna was a beautiful woman I borrowed the identity of three days ago when I arrived here. A pretty and cheerful twenty-five year old Polish woman who started working as an elementary school teacher a year ago. It was a lucky coincidence that she was my first skin here and was also a teacher. She lived with her boyfriend of two years, Karol, who was a high-school teacher himself. He was a fairly chill guy, a bit perverted, but kind and caring.

"Breakfast is ready, Zuzia!" Karol's voice resonated through the flat.

"Okay~"

Once I was done with my makeup, I quickly joined my boyfriend in the kitchen, giving him a quick peck on the lips before eating breakfast with him.

After spending another few days as Soraya, I decided to leave Marseille and continue my journey across Europe. I've visited Spain, Italy, Germany, Belgium, and Denmark, and was now staying in Gdańsk, Poland for the time being, right next to the Baltic sea. I only briefly explored it yesterday, touring the city center and discovering more about Polish culture. It was a very relaxing city, pretty clean and full of colourful and majestuous buildings.

In two weeks, it'll also mark a year since I became a skinwalker. After all this time, being someone else truly became second nature. I played the straight girlfriend or wife multiple times throughout my travels, and mostly enjoyed it. Although, the two times I wore lesbians confirmed that I still preferred women overall. I tried to avoid meddling too much with the lives I borrowed, unless they really needed my help, and usually simply lived as they would, avoiding causing them any trouble.

I've stayed in touch with Dahlia, too. Claire slowly moved on, thanks to Dahlia introducing her to her group of friends. She still missed me, of course, but Dahlia kept reassuring her. I even called her once a month ago, to prove that I was still alive. I knew it wasn't something I would be able to keep doing in the long term, though. I didn't know how long my original skin would last, but probably another year or two at most.

When it happens, I'll have to think of what to say with Dahlia...

"Zuzia?" Karol asked as he saw me stare into the distance, lost in thought.

"Oh, sorry. I'm still sleepy." I replied with a cute giggle, drinking my cup of coffee. "For real, we need to set some rules from now on, we can't keep going like this or I'll one day fall asleep in the middle of a class."

Karol and Zuzanna both had pretty high sex drives, but it was a bit detrimental to their sleep schedule.

"Should we do it only on weekends and holidays?"

"It'd be better, yeah."

We parted ways after finishing breakfast, Karol going to the high-school he worked at while I took the bus to my elementary school, looking forward to teaching more. I wore school teachers and college professors a handful of times during this past year, and I loved every single second of it. It was always so fulfilling and enjoyable. That time as Sarah truly lit up a new passion within me.

I arrived at the school, greeting the janitor and my colleagues I met on the way to my class. My little students were waiting in front of the room, chatting with each other.

"Good morning, everyone." I said with a bright smile as I approached them.

"Good morning, Ms." They replied, most of them happy to see me as well.

They were seven to eight years old, still very young, but adorable and enthusiastic. For the most part, at least. While the majority of them eagerly walked inside the room as soon as I unlocked the door, one took her time. A young blonde girl, Kasia. A shy but dilligent student who always had very good grades and seemed to love being here.

"Is there something wrong, Kasia?" I asked.

She was looking away this whole time, covering her face with her hood.

"N-nothing, Ms." She timidly replied, but I could briefly spot a bruise on her face.

It wasn't the first time Zuzanna noticed similar bruises on her body, but Kasia never answered her questions. I could easily recognise bruises made by someone hitting you, though. I got myself into far enough fights for that, and my former father also sometimes hit me or Claire back then.

I knelt in front of her and gave her a warm, reassuring smile. "Kasia. You can trust me. If you have any problem, just tell me, alright? I'll do my best to help you."

She nodded, but still avoided my gaze, keeping her mouth shut. I really disliked seeing such a bright girl look so gloomy, but I wasn't sure what I could do to help her. From what Zuzanna knew, she didn't seem to be on bad terms with any other child here, so these bruises most likely came from her family.

I should look at her family situation. Her parents are probably the ones mistreating her...

For the time being, I tried to focus on the classes, teaching them exactly as Zuzanna would, and loving it so damn much. The kids loved me, they were so eager, so enthusiastic, it warmed my heart.

During lunch break, I went to see the principal, an elderly woman name Agata. I wanted to learn more about Kasia's family. I took the opportunity that we were alone to skin her and check her files, finding the one about Kasia. Her father apparently passed away a year ago, and her mother was a lawyer. Zuzanna met her once, but they barely spoke. She didn't seem invested in Kasia's school life in the slightest.

Does her mother hit her? I wondered as I closed the file and covered any traces of my presence.

After restoring Agata, I ate lunch and got back to teaching. Kasia spoke a few times when asked questions, but mostly stayed silent. She did focus a lot on the classes, but I also noticed some scribbles in her notebooks.

I need to help her...

I just couldn't stand it, I had to do something. First thing first, though, I wanted to meet with her mother to see if she was indeed responsible.

At the end of the class, I approached Kasia. "Kasia, would it be possible for me to see your mother?"

She immediately tensed when she heard me. It wasn't a good sign, but it reinforced my earlier suspicion.

"Did I... Did I do something wrong, Ms?" She asked, shaking.

I smiled. "No, not at all. You are a great student. I'm just curious about her. I've spoken a few times with the other parents but not with her."

"I-I see... I'll... tell her." She timidly muttered before leaving the classroom.

She was so frightened when I mentioned her mother. It reminded me of Claire when she was younger. She was terrified of my father as a kid.

I observed the entrance of the school, watching the parents taking their kids back home or to their afternoon activities. Kasia slowly approached a red-haired woman with an elegant white suit, who was too busy looking at her phone to notice her daughter coming.

Kasia spoke something, and I could see her mother frown, glaring at her, her eyes full of disdain. There was no love in these eyes.

Kasia's mother walked towards me. "Ms. Kaminska, my daughter told me you wanted to speak with me?" She said.

I nodded. "I do, yes, but I'd prefer to speak in private. Would you mind following me to the classroom, Mrs. Zielińska?"

It was clear as day that she was annoyed by my request, but she tried to hide it and keep up appearances. "As long as we make it brief. I am very busy."

"Of course." I replied, leading her to the classroom.

I discretely locked the door behind me to make sure we wouldn't be interrupted. She sat on one of the desks.

"I'll make it brief, Mrs. Zielińska." I said. "Throughout the year, I've noticed multiple bruises on Katarzyna, but she's always avoided telling me anything, clearly frightened."

"She probably fell. She's very clumsy." She didn't even bother looking at me.

"It's not the kind of bruises you get from falling. More the kind you get from being hit."

Finally, she stared back at me, frowning. "Are you implying that I'm hitting her?"

"I have my suspicion." I simply replied. "You seem quite cold and disdainful towards her."

"Oh, really? And what proof do you have? You do know that I could sue you for defamation after hearing that?"

"I am perfectly aware. And I do have proof. Or will soon have, anyway." I said, a smirk forming on my face as I got closer, my spines slowly coming out of my fingers.

In an instant, I was piercing her neck and covering her mouth, preventing her from making any noise. Her soul flowed within me as her skin deflated, a look of terror mixed with bliss on her face.

I focused on her soul, searching through her memories. Małgorzata Zielińska got her master in law and met her husband while studying. The two of them were close, but, one day, Małgorzata got an unwanted pregnancy. Poland being a very conservative country, she couldn't abort and had to give birth to Kasia. She hated her, since she never wanted a child, but her husband took care of Kasia nonetheless, loving her and being a good father. He unfortunately died from cancer a year ago, leaving Kasia alone with a mother who despised her. She often hit her for petty reasons now that her husband wasn't there anymore to protect their child.

There's not an ounce of affection for her own daughter... She only sees her as a liability...

I grit my teeth and clenched my fists hard, disgusted by these memories. There was no way a woman like this could be convinced to stop through talking. I didn't want to get too involved with the lives of the people I wore, but I couldn't turn a blind eye to this.

Fuck... What can I do...?

I was so frustrated, because even if I told the authorities, Kasia would just be sent to an orphanage, as her grandparents were unable to take care of her or already passed away.

I need to do something...

I stared at Małgorzata's hollow skin, realising that I had an easy way to make sure Kasia would be safe... I was a skinwalker, after all.

I could become her... become Kasia's mother.

It would mean stopping my tour of Europe, as I would need to stay here and take care of Kasia, but I've already explored a good chunk of the continent. Settling in for a while didn't seem to be a bad idea.

A small part of me was still hesitant, though... Maybe there was another way...