Mother's gifts to Claire

After a while, we took a break. Dahl left to buy some groceries in order to cook dinner while I kept watching over Claire. I was trying to keep my mind occupied, scrolling through my social media, when I heard a groan coming from the couch.

I immediately knelt next to Claire, observing her slowly wake up. She was so much paler than this morning already, and sticking out of her fingertips were skinwalker spines… She was like me now.

“Claire, are you okay?” I asked, helping her rise.

She seemed confused for a brief moment. “Sis?”

“Yeah. The… transformation is done,” I replied quietly, glancing at her hand.

She followed my gaze and gasped, examining her newfound spines. “It's done? I'm… a skinwalker?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

It took her a few more seconds before the spines slowly retracted underneath her fingertips, the skin stitching itself back together almost instantly and leaving no visible trace of her transformation.

“Wow…” Claire muttered in awe.

“How are you feeling?”

She smiled at me. “I'm okay. I'm feeling cold, though.”

“It's normal, you'll feel better after wearing a skin,” I answered, trying to sound reassuring. “It'll be fine, don't worry.”

“I know. I should tell Mother I'm awake,” she said, pulling out her phone and sending a text.

“Are you… leaving with her tonight?” I asked.

“Probably, yeah. She wanted me to come back with her after… blessing me,” Claire replied.

“I see… Dahl should be back soon with groceries, she planned to cook some lasagna for dinner.”

Claire sighed. “Ah. I'm gonna miss her cooking…”

“Then you better come back to taste it again.” I smiled slightly. It wasn't easy to joke right now. I didn't like the idea of being separated from Claire.

She smiled at me. “I told you I would, sis. I won't abandon you.” Claire's phone buzzed and she checked it out. “Mother is coming back soon. I'm going to pack a few things.”

“Alright.”

Claire went to her room and I sat on the couch, sighing and trying to relax reading some comics. A few minutes later, Dahl came back, her hands full with shopping bags.

“Claire's awake?” She asked when she noticed that I was alone in the living room.

I nodded. “Yeah, she's in her room packing stuff. Mother should arrive soon to pick her up.”

It surprised Dahl. “She's leaving so soon?”

“Mother would prefer not having to stay the night,” Claire explained from her room. Her hearing clearly got better now that she was a skinwalker.

Dahl looked down. “It's… sudden.”

Claire came back, giving Dahl a hug. “Sorry for not telling you sooner, but I was… afraid of how you two would react. I wanted it done quickly.”

“I understand, considering my feelings for Mother,” I said with a sigh.

“Even if you trust your mother, always be careful, Claire, okay? Stay safe,” Dahl said, squeezing Claire more.

“I'll be careful, don't worry. I'm not trusting her blindly. I'm giving her a chance, but if I end up noticing anything bad, I'll leave.”

It made Dahl smile. “Good.”

Dahl went to store the groceries she had bought, and I helped Claire finish packing. She wasn't bringing much, only one change of clothes and a few trinkets of sentimental value, like her favourite comics. She said it would be pointless to bring anything more if she were to wear someone else's skin anyway, and it was a fair point.

I observed Claire too. Her skin was so much paler than it was this morning. Her breathing was also louder, even if not by much. I wasn't sure how long she'd be able to last before the urges took over, but she was already in pretty bad shape, similar to how I was when I turned. I hadn't experienced the withdrawal symptoms in a long while, but I could still imagine how bad she was feeling.

Once she was done packing, I suggested she took a hot shower to help a bit while waiting for Mother, which she did. The doorbell rang shortly after she locked herself in the bathroom. Dahl went to open and let Mother walk in, alone this time. She was carrying a backpack that appeared massive compared to Elise's tiny frame.

“Hello again, my children,” she said with a smile.

Dahl raised an eyebrow, resting her hand on her hip. “I'm not your child.”

Mother giggled. “You're Yun's betrothed, are you not? This makes you my future daughter-in-law.”

“Claire is in the shower, she'll be ready in a bit,” I said. “You can wait on the couch.”

Mother dropped her bag on the couch. “Good. I can unpack my surprise for her.”

She opened it and surprised us by pulling out the deflated skin of a young woman with curly blonde hair and tanned skin. I could also spot in the bag clothes most likely belonging to that woman.

“Who's she?” I asked.

“Rebecca, Claire's assistant. She'll be wearing her to come back.”

“Her assistant?”

“Every skinwalker member of the coven has a human assistant, someone to help stay in touch with the other members more discreetly, and whom they can wear should they need to,” Mother explained. “Rebecca is the perfect fit for Claire, I know she'll like her.”

“How big is your coven?” Dahl inquired.

“Eight skinwalkers, including Claire, and twenty-eight humans,” Mother simply answered.

“So many…” I muttered.

It made Mother chuckle. “We used to be much more, but some of us left a while ago.”

I could hear that Claire had finished her shower, and Mother did too, looking towards the bathroom. When she stepped into the living room, she wasn't surprised by Mother's presence, but she was by the skin laying on the couch.

Mother grabbed it alongside the bag and handed them to Claire, an excited grin on her face. “This is another gift for you, my child.”

Claire stared at the skin for a moment, stunned. But I could see the burning desire in her eyes. I probably had the same gaze when I was about to wear Laura for the first time.

Breaking her out of her thoughts, Mother stabbed Claire's arm with her spines. “Here, the second half of my gift.” She was most likely giving her Rebecca's soul. “Come on, go put her on.”

Claire awkwardly nodded, rushing back to the bathroom. Mother was giggling gleefully, I couldn't remember the last time I saw her like this, so ecstatic.

A few minutes later, Claire returned, now in the skin of Rebecca. She was slightly taller and her figure a lot more curvaceous. She had pink lipstick and dark eyeshadow with a line of eyeliner. I spotted a tattoo on her left shoulder, partially covered by the pink shirt she was wearing. Alongside it, she had a pair of denim shorts, polar thighs, and heeled leather boots. She was also carrying a thick leather jacket with fur collar. It was a style Claire would never have worn as her original self. But it suited Rebecca perfectly.

“How are you feeling, my child?” Mother asked with a warm smile.

“I'm, uhh, good, Mother,” Claire replied, smiling more shyly. She was holding her wrist and looking at her feet, but she seemed happy.

Her voice was a lot more raspy. Made me think Rebecca was either a big smoker or a rock singer. Or both.

“Feeling comfortable?” Dahl wondered.

Claire brushed her hair, but her gesture wasn't the same as usual. It probably was Rebecca's mannerisms taking over. “Y-yeah. It's pretty trippy, though, having another person's memories.”

Dahl chuckled softly. “You'll get used to it, Claire.”

“Have you finished packing what you need? We're leaving soon.” Mother said.

“I have, yes. I'm ready.” Claire answered, taking a deep breath.

“Yun, Dahlia, would you like to accompany us and meet the coven?” Mother then asked us. “I wouldn't mind paying for your tickets.”

She already offered that earlier, and we still hadn't come to a decision. I wasn't fond of the idea of coming back to my hometown, I had to admit. I glanced at Dahl, who seemed as hesitant as I was. Knowing her past experience with a coven of skinwalkers, it was understandable.

“What do you think, Yun?” She asked, waiting for my opinion.