A lesson about skinwalkers

Dahlia pulled me behind her and started to follow the same path Sarah just took.

"Where are we going?" I asked in an annoyed tone.

She stopped and turned to face me. "Cranky today, I see."

"Why wouldn't I be pissed after what happened last night?" I retorted, venom in my voice.

I was still angry about what she did to me, but I also had this frustration and depression that formed within me after seeing Sarah again, and this jealousy I've been feeling since I set foot here, so I had a harder time controlling my emotions. It felt like all of them were amplified.

"You really don't seem to be in the mood so I should probably tone it down a bit, huh? I wanted to make your turning last night grandiose and theatrical but I probably didn't leave a good first impression, I imagine?"

Seeing me frown, she continued, a bit more insecure. "Hmm, listen, I apologise for leaving you hanging like this last night, I had an emergency and the conversion process would have taken a lot of time anyway. I don't want us to be enemies, okay?"

"I just want some explanations, I'm not here to make friends with you."

She sighed. "Alright, alright... Follow me, I'll tell you everything. I know where to find a quiet place."

We resumed our walk and entered one of the buildings, Dahlia leading me to an empty classroom. We met a handful of students on the way but they didn't pay much attention to us. Some did check Dahlia out, but that was about it. Had I not been clouded by my anger, I could have appreciated her beauty more.

"No one uses this room this hour, we won't be interrupted." Dahlia said as she locked the door behind us. "Don't ask how I got the keys."

She walked towards the professor's desk and sat on it, crossing her legs in a seductive manner. "Now, my dear pupil, it's time for your first lesson on how to be a skinwalker."

As my glare intensified, she coughed awkwardly and sat normally. "Okay, I'll stop. You can't blame me for being excited, you're my first child after all."

"First... child?" I asked.

"Hmm! You're the first human I turned into a skinwalker, so you're my child and it's my role to take care of you. Now, let's start with the basics: you already noticed the spines in your fingers and your new skinwalker instincts, I assume?"

I held my hand in front of me and freed the spines. "I have, yes... I even somehow know what they're supposed to be used for... but it's so surreal I have a hard time believing it..."

Dahlia freed her own spines and smiled. It surprised me to see them pop out of the hand of a cute girl like her. It contrasted so much with her appearance.

"I know. It took me a while to come to terms with this situation too, at first. But believe me, it is real. With these, we turn people into skins and absorb their souls. Then we can wear them and fully become them, no matter the size or gender, and with their souls and memories, we can perfectly live their lives. If we don't need them anymore, we can just restore them as good as new and even alter their memories to make them forget what we don't want them to know."

"You're probably also feeling the cold? This, as well as your sickly tone, are due to our need to wear a skin. The longer you spend outside of one, the sicker you're going to look."

I looked at her in shock. "Huh? You... You mean..."

"That we're **** to wear another person's skin. Especially since our own skin deteriorates fast and inevitably starts to break. I would have shown you how I look underneath this skin but it might not be the place for it, and I don't think you're in a good state of mind right now."

"I'm... I'm going to lose my skin...?" I muttered, fear mixing with my already intense other emotions.

"By wearing a skin from time to time to satiate your skinwalker urges, you can probably keep your life for a few years, but you will have to choose a new skin at some point, there's no avoiding it."

I was starting to spiral, my breath becoming more erratic and panic overwhelming me as all my emotions were like a whirlwind within me. I didn't want to lose my life, no matter how bad it was. I didn't want to lose Claire... Just thinking about being separated from her was terrifying…

Dahlia came closer and gave me a hug. "Calm down, Ed, it's alright. You have some time before it happens."

I pushed her away and stared at her, gritting my teeth. "Why… Why did you turn me? Why did you do this to me…?"

Seeing how badly I was taking everything, she looked away. "Hmm… I was curious… I wanted to try turning someone, and you… you seemed like an interesting guy… I liked your chivalrous attitude…"

She tried to approach me again and held my hand gently, giving me a reassuring smile. "Listen, I can assure you that it's not that bad. You have almost limitless possibilities now. You can live however you want, you can be whoever you want, be it a man, a woman, or someone in between… You can become a rich businessman, a talented sportsman, a famous actress… Or you can keep a more mundane life and become a student to turn a new leaf, a teacher to help the younger generations, or a flight attendant traveling around the world…"

I wasn't focusing on what she was saying, I was trying my best to regain some semblance of calm. How could I deal with that? How would Claire react? Would she be disgusted? Would she hate me?

"You're… worried about your sister, right?"

I immediately glared at her. "How do you know about her?"

"I… checked your ID when you were **** and did some research… I knew I saw your last name somewhere... Please, calm down… You spiraling like this is only going to make things worse. I told you that I wasn't your enemy, I want to help you…"

She was holding her head and looked at me with pleading eyes. She was extremely distraught as well but I wasn't able to notice it due to my breakdown.

"You turned me into a freaking monster and you say you want to help me?!"

Dahlia's demeanor suddenly changed and she slapped me, glaring at me. "I told you to calm down. I am not human anymore, that is true, but I'm not a monster, and you aren't one either. It's you who chooses how to use this gift. A lot of skinwalkers are indeed selfish bastards who only use it for their own gains, but you don't have to. You can just replace an asshole and make everyone around them happier like I did. So stop acting like a fucking crybaby and think of the possibilities you now have. I offered my help specifically because I know how hard it can be to face this change alone."

I was staring at her, her sudden slap and change in attitude having managed to momentarily calm me down.

"But… What about my sister? Am I supposed to just leave her alone?"

She shrugged. "That's for you to decide. Tell her, run away and never see her again, or stay by her side without her knowing, hidden under a new identity. Just make sure to not regret it should you decide to hide the truth. I know someone who deeply regretted it once it became too late."

"What do you mean?"

Dahlia checked her phone, ignoring my question, and frowned. "Well, I should reunite with my friends. Think of what I said, and think of your potential future. You have some time, your skin isn't going to break soon, so use this time to decide whether or not you can trust your sister. Now come, I need to lock the door behind us."

I followed her outside, taking deep breaths to avoid panicking again. She locked the door and started to walk away, but she suddenly held her head and stumbled a little, leaning against the wall.

Despite what happened and how confused I felt, I still went to check on her. "A-are you okay?"

She avoided looking at me. "I-I am… Just… got light-headed for a second. I'm sorry for that, but I really believe you should give it a chance, being a skinwalker isn't as awful as you might believe."

She seemed completely different from just a moment ago, she acted closer to how she was before slapping me.

"If you have more questions, or want to talk more, you can call or text me. I was serious when I said that I would help you and take care of you."

On that, Dahlia left the building, and I followed her shortly after, sitting on the same bench I was on before meeting her, a multitude of thoughts swirling inside my head.