I'll recover on my own

I weakly shook my head and spoke slowly, the **** still making it hard. "Thanks, but... I'll recover by myself... I don't want to wear someone... unless I absolutely need to... I don't want to **** these powers..."

Dahlia seemed saddened for a moment before scoffing. "Fine, keep holding onto your stupid pride... You'll be **** to wear a skin at some point, no matter what."

She stood up and walked towards her bedroom, her face more gloomy. "S-sorry, didn't mean to burst out like this... But... I... I firmly believe that you should really start to think about what kind of life you want to live already... You're a skinwalker now, and struggling against your new nature is only going to make the breaking process quicker... I know that well..." She looked down and muttered that last part.

I knew she was right, but I was so terrified of losing my identity, my life, my values... I didn't want these powers to corrupt me, to turn me into a monster. It wasn't like I was living a fulfilling life, but still... I wasn't ready to completely lose it and steal someone else's life permanently...

As Dahlia retreated inside her room, Claire sat onto the ground, leaning against the couch. She was still visibly shaken by what happened.

She gently held my hand. "I... I'll stay with you for the night, Ed. I won't leave your side."

I didn't say anything, she was far too worried to be able to listen to me.

"I... I don't really know how it is to be a skinwalker, but Dahlia told me about what you've been experiencing... I don't... I don't want you to suffer..." Her voice was slightly shaking.

"It's just... some cold... I can manage... I still have time..."

She stayed silent for a moment. "Hopefully you'll get better tomorrow..."

I smiled at her. "I will... You know that... I'm quite resilient. You used to scold me... whenever I got into fights... back in high-school..."

She smiled back. "Dahlia and I will scold you once you recover. You won't escape from it."

Dahlia returned a dozen minutes later with a blanket, a pillow, and a bottle of medicine. She was acting normally but her eyes seemed a bit red.

Did she... cry?

"Here, you'll be more comfortable like this." She said as she covered me with the blanket and softly raised my head to slide the pillow underneath.

She grabbed a glass of water and handed me a pill. "It'll help you fall asleep."

"Thanks..." She was about to leave but I continued. "Dahlia... I am grateful to have met you... I don't... hate being a skinwalker... I'm just... scared..."

She didn't turn to face me. "I know. Try to rest, you need it."

She left the room again and I slowly started to drift off, the medicine taking effect.

That night, I had a strange dream... I dreamt of Laura, vividly remembering the time I skinned and wore her. I dreamt of how it would have been like to be her for longer, to go out and being satisfyingly perceived as her by her friends, her teachers, her family, deceiving them as I played Laura's role flawlessly. My skinwalker side loved this feeling, craving for me to become a woman again. The dream turned into a nightmare as I tried to remove Laura's skin and saw that the mirror reflected a red skull covered by a blue translucent skin instead of my own face, making me panic.

I woke up shortly after, panting heavily. The sun was already up and I saw Dahlia, or Claire, next to me, sitting on the ground and seemingly napping, resting her arms and head on a chair. She rose her head when she heard me wake up.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"I-I am..."

"You had a nightmare, right? That's usually what happens once the withdrawal symptoms start to appear." She said as she stood up.

"You're Dahlia?"

She nodded. "Claire and I switched back after you fell asleep." She hugged herself. "No offense to Claire, she's pretty cute, but I like my body way more."

I tried to rise up but the pain flared when I moved my arms and I felt nauseous, making me fall back. "Where... is she?"

She approached me and helped me sit. "Take it slow, Ed, you got beaten up pretty badly. She left a bit earlier to grab some clothes and other stuff for you back at your flat, she'll return soon."

"I hate feeling so weak..." I muttered.

"It's already impressive how quickly you woke up considering what they used to **** you, it's no wonder you're still feeling like shit." Dahlia commented. "Let me bring you something to eat and drink."

She went to the kitchen and I heard her crack some eggs and cook something in a pan.

She came back a few minutes later with a plate and a glass of milk. "I don't know if you can chew properly but, just in case, I sticked to scrambled eggs. Be careful, it's still hot."

"Thanks..."

I started to eat, trying and sometimes failing to avoid burning my mouth. Still, it felt good to eat, I was famished.

While eating, I recalled the events of last night. Being **** was such an awful feeling... I didn't want to experience that ever again if I could avoid it... It was a possibility that I'd be exposed to **** again during my time as a vigilante... I also remembered what Dahlia said during our first proper meeting, she mentioned that skinwalkers could get evolutions based on their desires. Could I try to **** one that would prevent me from ever getting into that kind of situation again?

Dahlia noticed me being lost in thought. "What are you thinking about?"

"Do you think I could **** my body to develop an immunity to **** thanks to these skinwalker evolutions you mentioned last time?"

She seemed surprised by my question but became pensive. "It's a possibility. I don't know much about how skinwalker evolutions work. But even without an evolution, it might be possible to make you more resistant to their effects. You know mithridatism? The practice of making oneself resistant to poison by slowly ingesting some every day? We could always try that."

She grinned at me somewhat sadistically. "I can assure you that you won't have a good time during our 'trainings', though."

"You'd train me? How?"

She snickered. "Ed, I said last night that I've been an herbalist for some time, do you think balms are the only things I learned how to make? Anyway, do you want to see if we can **** this evolution to happen? You made me curious myself."