No, not yet

I couldn't tell her, not yet anyway. I needed to learn more before being able to reveal the truth to her... A part of me was also afraid of her reaction, I became a sort of monster, after all...

"I... got into a fight while trying to help someone last night... I escorted them to their home but was so exhausted afterwards that I fell asleep and spent the night there... I'm fine, don't worry."

I wasn't sure if she was fully buying it but she didn't ask anything else. "Okay... But please warn me next time... When I woke up and saw that you weren't here, I started to panic..."

I hugged her closer. "It won't happen again, I promise, no matter how tired I might be... Now, get ready for work, I need to take a shower."

She smiled. "Alright. I'll also start the coffee machine for you. You... huh... look like you need one."

I left her and went to the bathroom, looking at my reflection in the mirror. I was indeed looking like I was lacking sleep, my skin slightly paler and bags visible under my eyes. I didn't pay it much attention, believing that it was due to how badly I slept last night.

I started to shower, the hot water unable to help me get rid of this constant coldness I was feeling since waking up. I let free of the spines in my fingers and observed them. Despite being part of my own body, they were scaring me a little. Another part of me, though, was starting to get used to their presence. Retracting and freeing them quickly became natural, even the slight stings of them piercing through my skin wasn't bothering me anymore.

After the shower, Claire and I hung out some more, watching TV together and drinking coffee until it was time for her to leave for work.

I went onto the computer and tried to do some research, to find more about skinwalkers, but only found native-american legends that seemed fairly different from what I became.

Of course it can't be easy...

I looked back at the note Dahlia wrote for me. She said that I could find her on the college campus. I was wondering whether or not to go confront her. In the end, I decided that she would be able to explain what she did to me better than if I were to search things on my own.

I grabbed my bag and a jacket and went on my way to the campus. On my way there, I sent her a text using the number she gave me, telling her that I wanted to meet with her. She replied with a bunch of emojis, making me scoff internally.

You're really not taking this seriously, huh...

I already went to this campus a few times in the past, since my last girlfriend, Sarah, was studying there. Back then, I always felt a pang of jealousy watching all these students walking around, being able to freely study what they wanted while I was stripped from the opportunity to do the same by my parents after having been disowned.

I thought that I came to terms with it, the jealousy usually still present whenever I served carefree students at the bar, but not as intense as it used to be. Today, though, this feeling of jealousy was far stronger than ever before. I felt so envious of these students whenever I crossed paths with one. This new part of me was trying to encourage me to use these spines on someone. It was hard to resist, but I did my best. I couldn't stab someone randomly like this...

I went to the campus library and bought another coffee at the machine in front of it while waiting for Dahlia to show up. It was our meeting point since it was the only building I really knew, having waited in front of it quite a few times for Sarah while she was studying late.

I found a bench nearby to sit and put on some music to relax, losing myself in the song as I closed my eyes.