Claire's arrival

I stepped into the bathroom, Laura's memories easily guiding me. Dahlia's bathroom was spacious, with a multitude of beauty products on a shelf next to a large bathtub with a shower. Laura spent a few nights here before, I knew she greatly enjoyed the bathtub, since she only had a small shower in her dorm room.

I undressed, noticing my naked reflection in the mirror and blushing. Especially after what I just did with Dahlia, I felt overly conscious of the body I was in. This undeniably feminine and toned body I borrowed from Laura. This body that felt so natural to be in, as if I had it since birth. It was quite satisfying for my skinwalker side to know I was this cute tomboyish woman. My vagina was still slightly wet, no trace of my male genitals in sight.

These abilities are incredible... No one could ever guess that a man is hiding undernearth this skin. I'm completely a woman...

I got into the shower as my arousal grew again. I had to clear my mind. The hot water running along my curves was so relaxing, I spent a few minutes just enjoying it before finally starting to thoroughly clean myself. It didn't help calm my arousal, but it was divine nonetheless.

While showering, I heard a knock on the door, and Dahlia speaking. "Ed, may I come in?"

"Sure, what is it?" I replied.

She walked in. I stayed hidden behind the curtains, only showing my face.

"Here's the spats shorts I mentioned earlier. I'm leaving them here." She said as she showed me the shorts.

I smiled. "Thanks, Dahlia. I'm almost done."

"Want me to make some coffee?" She asked.

"I'd like that, yeah."

"I can prepare something for your sister too. What would she prefer, tea or coffee?"

"Coffee." I replied as I finished washing the soap away. "But she rarely drinks any during the afternoon, so no need to bother with that."

"Alright."

Dahlia closed the door and let me get out of the shower. I picked a towel and dried my body properly before doing the same with my hair. I tried to follow Laura's routine, even if she wasn't one to overcomplicate things. Having longer hair meant taking longer for it to dry. I then slipped into the spats shorts Dahlia brought me. They were a bit small, but they'd do until I could return to Laura's dorm room.

Once I was fully dressed, I joined Dahlia back in the living room. I noticed how many plants were all around the flat. Dahlia apparently loved taking care of plants and flowers, and even knew how to make a few different medicines out of them. Laura always wondered how she got that knowledge, but I assumed it was something she learnt while wearing someone else in the past.

Dahlia prepared the table with a few biscuits, bottles of water and orange juice, and three cups, two filled with coffee and the last one empty.

"How was the shower?" She asked as I sat next to her.

I smiled timidly and drank my cup. "It was quite different from what I'm used to."

"I can imagine." She replied with a soft giggle. "Are you enjoying your time as a woman, as Laura, so far?"

"Yes..." I admitted a bit shamefully as I glanced at my feminine body. "I never expected it to feel so amazing."

Dahlia put a hand on my thigh and gave me a compassionate smile. "Ed, don't feel ashamed. From what I've seen, the vast majority of skinwalkers do end up preferring wearing the skins of the opposite gender."

"It's just... so strange. Up until this morning, I was perfectly fine as a cis man. I did wonder about what being a woman would be like a handful of times, but never took that seriously. But I felt so good since I became Laura, it's so natural for me to be a woman already."

"I know the feeling, but what matters is that you're comfortable, isn't it? If you prefer to wear women in the future, there's nothing wrong with that."

I sighed. "I'm kinda worried about Claire's reaction, too. She accepted me this morning, but she wasn't aware of what being a skinwalker meant, and me neither. And now she'll see me being a girl, wearing Laura's skin..."

She caressed my thigh gently. "Everything will be fine, I'm sure. We'll just explain things to her calmly. Believe in her."

I took a deep breath and tried to relax. She was right. Claire was my sister, the only person I could trust completely, I had no reason to be so nervous. She already accepted me this morning, it was just explaining what I now learnt.

"Wanna play a round of Mario Kart while waiting for her?" Dahlia offered while handing me a controller.

I smiled. "Gladly."

She booted up the console and we started playing. I haven't played Mario Kart in years, but Claire and I used to spend hours on it when we were younger. I found myself picking Wario as my character and the race started right after. Dahlia was quite skilled, she played this game a lot, but I could keep up well, and even managed to win the race.

"You're making good use of your new skills, huh?" Dahlia said, chuckling.

"What do you mean?"

"Laura and I, we play this game a lot. She knows both the game and the way I play by heart at this point. And so do you right now. You didn't notice? You played exactly like her."

"Huh... I was so focused that I didn't even notice, no."

"And its not all. Laura is also a pro at skateboarding, even if she didn't come with hers today. All her skills are yours to use currently."

As she said that, I could easily picture myself using Laura's skateboard, doing tricks and riding it on the streets. A part of me was getting excited by the prospect.

"You are Laura in both body and soul, and no one could ever tell otherwise."

"It's... really freaky." I commented.

Dahlia giggled. "It is, but that's just our nature as skinwalkers. We are... parasites, in a way. We need to borrow the skins and lives of other people to survive and thrive. But it allows us to become anyone we want, and do anything we want, even if we may not originally have the skills for that. Wear a famous painter and you can now paint as well as them, wear a renowned scientist and all their knowledge is yours to use, and so on. We are free to experience a multitude of different lives."

"I see."

We resumed playing Mario Kart for a bit until we heard the door ring. My nervousness started to return, but Dahlia caressed my shoulder gently, smiling at me. She was being a lot more affectionate and less teasing than earlier. From Laura's memories, I knew that she often acted this way with her and her friends, even if she sometimes had this teasing side of hers.

Which one is the real her? I wondered.

Dahlia and I waited in front of the door for Claire to get here. Claire knocked on the door and Dahlia opened, smiling.

"Welcome, Claire. Oh, you're even cuter than I thought~" She said.

Claire blushed and appeared more sheepish suddenly. She never was good with strangers, she always was pretty shy. And facing a monster definitely didn't help make her more confident.

She eyed us both for a moment before speaking. "Are... Are you Dahlia?"

"It's me, yes. Please come on in."

"Where's Edward?" Claire asked.

I looked away, blushing slightly. "H-here..."

Claire tilted her head. "Huh?"

"Get inside, we'll explain everything properly." Dahlia said as she led Claire to the living room.

We sat at the table, Dahlia offering Claire a glass of orange juice and a cookie.

"T-thanks." Claire timidly said as she started to eat.

"To answer your question, Edward is right here." Dahlia announced while poking my shoulder gently.

I took a deep breath before grabbing my neck and pulling on it. I believed it was better to start the explanations like this. Claire's eyes widened and she gasped as I removed Laura's face and revealed my own underneath. My skinwalker side seemed to dislike it, but I paid it no mind.

"E-Edward?"

"Yeah. Like I told you, I know what a skinwalker does, now..." I replied nervously.

"We skinwalkers have the ability to absorb the souls of humans and turn them into what I call skinsuits, allowing us to wear them and fully become them, no matter their size or gender." Dahlia started. "With that, we can easily replace anyone, using their memories to act like them and fool their entourage. Edward is currently wearing the skin of my best friend, Laura."

As Claire was clearly weirded out, I spoke. "She's fine, don't worry. I can restore her back to normal."

"I wouldn't have let Ed wear her if it could cause her harm anyway." Dahlia continued. "And I don't plan for him to stay as her more than a few days at most. It was just to show him how our abilities work. Speaking of which, don't forget to put her face back on, Ed."

"Right..."

I did just that, pulling Laura's face over mine again. This feeling of belonging resurfaced as I felt whole again. Claire watched the process with a mix of uneasiness and curiosity.

"You're... You're fully her, then?" She hesitantly asked.

"Y-yeah. In 'body and soul' as Dahlia said to me earlier."

"Wow, it's... it's insane... Even your voice is different." Claire said, approaching me and examining my borrowed face and body. "I-I'd never guess it's you..."

"We are masters at concealment and deception, it's only natural." Dahlia replied.

As Claire stopped talking for a moment, I spoke. "Are you alright, Claire? I... I hope it's not freaking you out too much?"

"N-no, don't worry. I'm just... stunned. These abilities are incredible..."

"They are, yeah. I'm still kinda overwhelmed." I responded.

"How... How does it feel to be a woman?" Claire more timidly asked after a brief pause.

"It's... very different." I replied, feeling more sheepish.

"He needs a bit of time to get used to it, but I know he's enjoying it~" Dahlia said, her teasing grin returning.

I let out a soft sigh. "I... can't deny that."

Claire smiled a bit awkwardly. "Well... If you like it, it's fine."

"There's... something else I learnt, though." I then said, a saddened look on my face. "I will... lose my skin, someday."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Our original skin degrades with time. Wearing another person's skin often slows down the process, but it's inevitable. We end up **** to take another skin after a while." Dahlia explained as Claire gasped. "You still have time, though, Ed. But I recommend not waiting too long and already start to think of the kind of life you'd like to borrow."

I sighed. "Maybe. I'm just... scared. Even if my own life kinda sucks, I don't think I'm ready to give up on it."

"I know, it's sometimes hard to let go of your human life..." Dahlia replied, a hint of sadness in her eyes, before smiling at me. "But you have your sister. She accepted you, do you have anything else that would chain you down to your original life?"

"I don't know..."

It was true that I didn't really have any ties to my life other than Claire. I didn't have any plans for the future, no real hope of things getting better for me. I didn't have close friends, even if my boss at the bar has been very kind to me. I haven't spoken to my ex-girlfriend in months either. It made me realise how empty my life has been apart from Claire.

"Take your time, you're not in a hurry." Dahlia said, putting a hand on my thigh. "You could try wearing a few different skins to see how you'd feel? If you need help, don't hesitate to ask."

"I'll think about it, thanks. I should go, it's getting late." I replied as I got up. "Claire, want me to walk you home?"

She smiled. "Sure, but may I use the bathroom first, Dahlia?"

Dahlia nodded and gave her the direction.

As Claire left us alone for a bit, I spoke. "I expected you to flirt with her more now that you met her."

Dahlia giggled. "I briefly thought about it, but it would have been rude after what we did this afternoon, wouldn't you agree~?" My blush returned and I looked away, but Dahlia continued, her tone becoming more flirtatious. "You know, if you wear another girl in the future, we could do it again, and maybe go even further~ I had a lot of fun, and I know you felt the same."

My cheeks reddened even more and my abdomen was warming up again as I imagined myself having lesbian sex with Dahlia. My skinwalker side found the idea extremely appealing. This part of me wanted to feel more about what it's like to be a woman.

The sound of the toilet flushing made me regain my senses and I tried to calm down before Claire came back, not wanting her to see me in that state.

"Your flat seems lovely." Claire said to Dahlia as she returned.

Dahlia smiled. "Thank you. I do take great care in decorating it and taking care of it."

Claire examined Dahlia for a moment before speaking again. "You're... very different from how I imagined you."

"I'm sure, but do know that I am an anomaly among skinwalkers. The vast majority of our kind aren't as nice and friendly as I am. Be careful if you ever meet another one of us. Most only see humans as toys to use for their own amusement, not having any kind of respect for their lives."

"I-I'll keep that in mind." Claire shyly said. "Goodbye, Dahlia."

"Goodbye, it was nice meeting you, Claire. And hopefully I'll see you tomorrow at college, Laura." Dahlia replied with a warm smile.

I smiled back, sinking a bit more into Laura's persona. "Yeah. See you tomorrow, Dahl."