Getting on with the original plan

I had another nightmare that night, too, but this one was far more terrifying...

It started pretty well, I was wearing a woman I often spotted at the bar, living her everyday life as if it were my own. Everything was fine, I was having fun at a nightclub and hanging out with her friends, loving the thrill of deceiving them and everyone around, of being seen as this pretty woman drinking and dancing. But when I left the club, I was greeted by Aurora, glaring at me. She swiftly stabbed me in the chest without me being able to do anything, and everything went dark.

I immediately woke up, screaming and panting heavily as I frantically checked my chest for any injury. I breathed a sigh of relief when I realised that it was a nightmare, but it was still very disturbing nonetheless. I almost died last night, it would take a while for me to recover from that... I never feared **** before despite getting into a lot of brawls but, twice in a short time, I ended up flirting with ****... It truly made me realise how weak, how incapable I was currently. I hated this feeling...

"Ed, what's wrong?" I heard Dahlia's voice and turned to face her.

She was in front of her bedroom, with Claire next to her, observing me.

"I just... had a nightmare..." I replied, catching my breath and holding my stomach, the pain from the kicks flaring up again. "I'm sorry for waking you up."

Dahlia gave me a reassuring smile. "No need to apologise, I know that what happened weights heavily on your mind. Once you're in my neighbour's skin tomorrow, I suggest you lay low and take some time to recover properly. It's not like you're in a hurry anyway."

I sighed. "Yeah, it's a good idea..."

"The positive is that laying low is our specialty." She added, her smile more teasing. "As long as you stay inconspicuous, it'll be fine."

"Right. Anyway, get back to sleep, you two, I'll try to do the same."

"Alright... Rest well, Ed." Claire said as she looked at me.

She was still very worried, I could easily tell, but I understood her. I hoped Dahlia would be able to reassure her.

"Thanks, you too."

I laid back on the couch and tried to sleep for a few more hours, focusing as hard as I could on positive emotions. At least, I would get rid of the freezing cold and the cravings tomorrow morning... even if by wearing a man. My skinwalker side would obviously prefer a woman, but it'd do the job.

I grit my teeth and tried to shake off this feeling of disappointment. Be satisfied with it, it's better than nothing...

I woke up again at dawn due to the rays of the sun piercing through the curtains. Dahlia and Claire were still asleep apparently, so I decided to quietly go to the kitchen to make myself something to eat. I was feeling pretty hungry.

I went for some toasts with jam, and quickly gobbled them to satiate my hunger. I also made some coffee to wake me up properly, and prepared things for Dahlia and Claire's breakfast. And speaking of Dahlia, I heard her approach me, she was leaning against the frame of the kitchen's door.

"You're already awake? Did you sleep well?" She asked as she started brewing some coffee for her.

I smiled, drinking my cup. "Not too bad, I'd say. I didn't get another nightmare, at least. And you?"

"Claire had a hard time falling asleep again due to her nervousness, but it's alright. She's still sleeping right now."

"I see. I'm sorry again for imposing ourselves on you like this. I just didn't know where else to go."

"It's alright, Ed." She said, looking down. "This whole situation is my fault, after all. I was the one who turned you, I have to take responsibility and help you however I can."

"I don't blame you for that, I was just careless and weak. Now that I'm aware of my limits and of Aurora's strength, she won't take me by surprise again." I replied, clenching my fist. "And since I know I'm being hunted, I'll be even more careful. I doubt hunters work alone, Aurora probably informed someone else of my nature by now."

"Most likely. The two of us will have to stay alert. Let's get on with our plan right now, then. I'll go and call my neighbour here."

"Can you tell me more about him?"

Dahlia nodded as she took a bite of a cookie. "His name is Jason, he's twenty-three and recently finished his studies in public administration. Thanks to his aunt's connections, he quickly got a job at the city hall and has been working there for the past six months. He's a bit of a flirt and might be too over-confident for his own good, in my opinion. The two of us are in good terms, but I feel like he's a ladies' man."

"Alright, thanks again for your help."

"That's what friends are here for, right?" She replied, smiling at me. "I'll be back in a few minutes, you can prepare a drink with the glass you gave me yesterday. He loves iced tea, and I have a small bottle of it in the fridge."

On that, Dahlia left the kitchen and the apartment. I quickly got to work, making sure that the substance I produced was undetectable before pouring it into the bottle. I closed it and went to check on Claire. She was starting to wake up, but was still very sleepy.

"Ed? What time is it?" She groggily asked.

"Early morning. How are you?"

She yawned and approached me. "I should be the one asking that, but I'm alright, I suppose."

I smiled and patted her head. "I'm good, Claire, don't worry. And I'll soon be completely out of Aurora's sight. Dahlia is bringing the man I'll become here. He'll arrive any second now."

"Is there anything I can do?"

I looked away a bit shyly. "Hmm... You said you wanted to watch how it's done, so, you just have to be there, and maybe distract him a bit."

She nodded. "Okay, I'll do my best."

I let her get dressed as she was still in the pajamas Dahlia lent her last night, and went to wash my face. My skin was really pale now, I looked like I had some form of flu or another kind of illness. But it'd soon be over, thanks to Dahlia's neighbour.

With Aurora hunting me, I can't show myself anymore, I'll have to stay inside skins. I won't have another chance of being my own self again.

I sighed, I didn't expect to have to give up my own identity so soon, but I at least had Dahlia and Claire to support me, so it could have been worse. I didn't have any other ties to my original life, anyway.

I heard the entrance door open and got quiet, listening attentively to what was going on.

"Really, thank you for your help, Jason, it would have been a nightmare to do it with my car." Dahlia said as I heard her walk towards the living room.

"No problem, it's always a pleasure to help you, Dahlia." Jason replied.

"Would you like something to drink? I have some iced tea in the fridge."

"Sure."

As I heard a third pair of footsteps reaching the living room, Dahlia spoke again. "Oh, this is Claire, the one I told you about."

"Good morning, Claire, I'm Jason."

"Good morning." Claire replied a bit shyly.

"Jason here agreed to help us move the rest of your furnitures here with his car. It will make things far easier for us."

"I-I see. Thank you for helping us, Jason."

"You're welcome."

The three of them spoke for a moment, with me still hiding in the bathroom waiting for Jason to drink the spiked tea and for the **** to take effect.

After a while, I heard Dahlia speak. "Ed, it worked, you can come."

I walked into the living room and saw Dahlia wiping the floor with a mop, the empty bottle of iced tea laying on the ground and Jason deep asleep on the couch with Claire next to him.

"You should have warned me, I didn't expect your **** to be so effective." Dahlia said as she finished mopping the floor. "I'll have to clean it properly later."

"Sorry, it slipped my mind." I said, scratching my head as I approached Jason. "I'll do it now."

I was a bit nervous due to Claire's presence, but I had to get on with it. I freed the spines and swiftly stabbed Jason's neck as Claire watched attentively. Immediately, I started to drain his soul, feeling it flow through my spines and filling me with warmth. It felt good after so long, even if a similar sensation of disappointment as when I skinned George washed over me at the same time.

"It's so... freaky..." Claire commented as she witnessed Jason turning into an empty husk.

She leaned closer, holding his deflated arm and examining it curiously.

"Are you alright, Claire?" Dahlia asked.

"I am... I'm just... amazed by your abilities. It's so surreal." She replied before looking back at me. "You're going to... wear him, now?"

I nodded, grabbing Jason's skin and clothes. "I will, but... I'll do that in the bathroom. I'll be right back."

I hurried to the bathroom and locked the door behind me before undressing. I was hesitant, a part of me would have greatly prefered a woman's skin. But my prideful side didn't want to concede, this desire to be a woman felt so wrong.

I need to get inside quickly...

I opened Jason's back like I did with the last few skins I wore and took a deep breath as I slid my legs inside his, the familiar tingling feeling flaring up soon after as I felt the cold tiles of the bathroom through his feet. I pulled his skin up and slotted my arms into his own, giving me the rest of his body. Like before, I tried to ignore the fact that I now had another man's genitals, as it was a very uncomfortable thought. Finally, I pulled his head over mine and his skin tightened all around me, my vision whitening.

His memories flooded my mind, memories of growing up in a upper middle-class family, of wanting to prove my worth and study hard to not disappoint them, of acing high-school and college, of having relationships with quite a few women in the past, of having a long-distance girlfriend currently, one that I didn't have much guilt to cheat on despite how sweet and loving she was.

He's flirting with Dahlia even though he's already in a relationship? What an asshole... I thought as I opened my eyes.

The freezing cold was finally gone, and even if I wasn't fully comfortable, I still felt somewhat at peace. I let out a sigh of relief as I got dressed and joined back Dahlia and Claire in the living room. Claire kept staring at me as I sat on the couch.

"Ed? Is that you?"

"Yeah, of course it's me." I replied, giving her a reassuring smile.

"How are you feeling, Ed?" Dahlia asked as she came closer.

"I'm alright. I'm glad to finally be rid of this damn cold."

Dahlia smiled slightly. "Good. No discomfort or anything?"

I looked away. "A bit, but nothing I can't manage."

"I see. Well, now you should be good as long as you keep acting like him and be careful. I don't think hunters would be able to find you, no matter how skilled they might be."

"I'll try, although this guy is kind of an asshole. He's flirting with you and other women even though he already has a girlfriend."

Dahlia snickered. "I had a feeling he was like that. Good to know that my intuition was right. Anyway, maybe we should get on with moving Claire's stuff here, now?"

I smiled. "Right. Let me go grab my keys and we can go."