A night as Melissa

The drive to Melissa's flat was completely quiet. Ashley sometimes glanced at me nervously while I simply stared at the scenery, my face devoid of emotion. I felt empty, I couldn't stop blaming myself for what happened to Elise.

Had I never come here, she might still be herself... and not a mere disguise my mother wears...

"Hmm, Edward...?" Ashley timidly asked.

"What is it?" I flatly replied.

"Huh... I just... I just wanted to say that I'm glad I was able to meet you again..."

"Hmm..."

"I know it hasn't been easy for you, learning about your mother, about us, but... I'm truly grateful. You saved me, you inspired me. Ever since I became a skinwalker, I have tried to be like you, to help people."

And yet you couldn't help Elise... I thought, clenching my fists, before sighing. No... She's not responsible...

"It's why I became Steven in the first place." Ashley continued. "You saw it during your last year of high-school, didn't you? The anti-bullying campaign I promoted as him."

I closed my eyes. I could indeed recall it. My PE teacher, while not necessarily a bad person, didn't do much against bullying apart from when he was witnessing it directly. But he suddenly became much more invested during my last year of high-school, actively seeking and punishing bullies, and helping those other teachers ignored.

"I see... I was wondering why he changed so much... It was you."

"Yeah... I... I mean it when I say that I'm grateful, Edward. I owe my life to you." She declared before appearing more sheepish. "Without you... I don't know if I would have been able to keep going until I finished high-school... You truly saved my life and I... I want to repay you somehow..."

She seemed so genuine in her words that it managed to make me smile slightly despite the depressive state I was in.

"Thank you..." I softly muttered.

Ashley blushed. Seeing my former PE teacher acting like this would probably always feel strange, but considering that she planned to come to my city, she would have to give him up soon anyway.

"Why did you want to follow me so fast?" I asked. "Don't you have people you care about here?"

Ashley looked away, her blush intensifying. "I... huh... simply wanted to stay with you. I do care about Minh and the others, but I... I want to be helpful to you."

"Do you really love me that much even though we barely spoke eight years ago?"

She timidly nodded. "Y-yes. I've... kept observing you until you left the city... You're... a wonderful person, kind, caring, honorable..."

I couldn't help but blush too. She did stalk me, but she was clearly lovestruck, like Minh said earlier. It was weirdly flattering to know just how much someone loved me.

"Thanks... I don't know much about you, but you seem like a nice girl, too." I replied, smiling at her.

Ashley's cheeks became red as tomatoes after hearing me, and she let out a small squeak that was so out of character for my PE teacher, but that I somehow found cute nonetheless.

We stopped at the cafe to grab my belongings and Ashley then drove me to Melissa's apartment. It was a small studio near the city center, owned by Minh. The whole building was his, in fact.

"S-see you tomorrow, Edward." Ashley timidly said as I got out of the car.

"Have a good evening." I replied, waving at her before stepping inside the building.

In the stairs, I crossed paths with one of Melissa's neighbors, greeting them shyly as Melissa would. Acting so shy was a novel experience for me, but it came naturally with Melissa's soul. My skinwalker side was enjoying me masquerading as a cute shy girl like this.

As I walked in my studio, I let out a sigh. The discussion with Ashley helped me feel better, but I was still feeling guilty about Elise. I knew there was nothing I could do, though.

I hope Mother will keep her word...

The studio was quite cozy despite its size. It had a nice comfy bed, a small kitchen area, a desk with a high-end laptop, a shelf with many books, and a well-furnished wardrobe, Minh having bought many clothes for Melissa. A lot of these were clothes Melissa would never dare to wear herself, but Minh had a lot of fun playing dress-up as her, and Melissa kept fond memories of these times despite her shyness. She really liked being worn like this.

While cooking something for dinner, I decided to explore more of her memories of Minh, to have a better idea on what he was like. Melissa really respected Minh. She saw him as her savior, and as a close friend, and from how Minh has been treating her, it seemed to be mutual. Melissa once asked him if he could make her less shy with his abilities, but Minh refused, patting her head and claiming she was already perfect as is. It was this moment that truly cemented Melissa's loyalty for Minh.

"He has frightening abilities and is a huge pervert, but he does have a soft side too, huh..." I mused.

I finished eating, relaxing slightly after this very eventful day. Meeting with the coven has been extremely stressful. I really needed the peace and silence to regain my composure.

I went to the bathroom, undressing and observing Melissa's naked body in the mirror, blushing. She was very cute indeed, and her skin felt so comfy and nice to be in despite her slight chubbiness. My lower abdomen was warming up, the sight starting to arouse me, but I promised her that I wouldn't do anything improper, so I grit my teeth and stepped into the shower. I knew full well that Melissa wouldn't have minded, since I had her soul, but I preferred to ask her myself before trying anything.

I'll try to respect her privacy as best as I can while I'm in her skin.

The shower was quite enjoyable, I loved feeling the hot water running along my feminine curves, a constant reminder of the female body I was currenly inhabiting. I noticed how the majority of the skinwalkers I've met were wearing skins of their opposite gender, apart from my mother, Oliver, and Aisha, confirming what my mother said when we first talked.

"Is it really because of my new nature that I love being a woman so much?" I wondered as I glanced down, seeing my bountiful tan breasts.

My prideful side was still ashamed of these feelings, but it eroded quite a lot after these last few days, first after becoming Elise, and then after learning about my mother and the coven.

Pride won't help protect Claire...

I sighed as I got out of the shower, drying myself up and getting dressed in Melissa's cute pajamas. I had to wake up early tomorrow, so I decided to pack a suitcase for Melissa, storing a few changes of clothes and important belongings, and went to bed afterwards.

I was apprehending tomorrow's family reunion, I hoped my mother wouldn't do anything to Claire...