Visit the butler

The butler, George, was the safest and quickest option, in my opinion, one that wouldnt tempt my increasingly more bothersome skinwalker side any more than necessary. George and I were on good terms when I still lived with my parents. He usually was the one driving me to my boxing club after school and we often talked about sports and other hobbies. I always tried to avoid speaking about politics with him though as I didn't want to get him in trouble.

With a target in mind, I boarded the plane and took another nap, trying to ignore the cold that I was starting to feel once again. I was fine for a few hours after I restored Laura, but it was slowly coming back, slowly but surely getting more and more uncomfortable; a constant reminder of my new condition that I apparently had no way to escape from without wearing someone permanently, something I definitely wouldn't do anytime soon.

After landing, I bought a box of chocolates to not arrive empty-handed and took a cab towards the city center, as George's apartment was located there. On the way, I observed the scenery, reminiscing about my childhood and teenagehood. It's been four years since I've last been here, and it was the town I grew up in. I saw the comics shop I always went to whenever I had free time, the cafe Claire absolutely loved the lattes of, the arcade we sometimes hung out at after school and where she often kicked my ass at Tekken, the gym, and a few other places I felt like visiting again before I'd get back home. I didn't want to leave Claire alone for too long, though, so I'd have to see later.

A moment later, I found myself in front of George's door. I was reassured when I saw his last name on the doorbell and rang. It didn't take long for me to hear footsteps coming closer on the other side, and the door opened, revealing the familiar middle-aged man in his late forties, wearing some pajamas and looking at me with widened eyes.

"Edward?" he asked, visibly confused by my presence.

"Hi, George. I know it must be surprising for me to visit without announcing myself, but I had no way of contacting you beforehand." I took out the chocolate box and handed it to him. "I wanted to thank you for helping Claire. She's been living with me for the last seven months and can finally be happy, far from our parents."

He smiled, accepting my gift. "I'm glad. Would you like to come in for some tea or coffee? I'm sure a lot happened to you in four years, and I have some time before I need to leave for work."

"I'd love to. We have a lot of catch-up to do."

He led me to his kitchen and started to brew some coffee. I didn't hear any other noise coming from the house, which I found strange.

"Your wife or dog aren't here?" I wondered.

He let out a sigh. "My wife and I divorced last year, and she kept Olly with her."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

I met his wife a few times in the past, she was a kind woman who loved animals. Their dog was a cute and playful German shepherd who liked me a lot.

"No worries. I sort of knew it'd happen one day. Our relationship wasn't like it was twenty years ago." he replied as he brought the coffee pot and two cups to the table.

We spent more time talking about the past and I filled him in on my and Claire's current life. He even asked if I finally found a decent girlfriend, knowing that my past relationships never lasted very long. I said I didn't have anyone yet, but had someone I was interested in.

Finally, he told me that he needed to get ready and stood up. I asked if I could quickly use the bathroom before leaving and, apprehensively, used the spines on him while he guided me there.

"W-wha-"

I'm sorry, I'll make it up to you somehow...

I saw him slowly deflate as I felt his soul flowing into me. It was similar yet so different from when I skinned Laura... There was this nagging sensation on the back of my mind... Was it disappointment? Did my skinwalker side not enjoy skinning George as much as it did Laura? A skin was a skin, right? So why was I almost feeling depressed at the prospect of wearing him?

That's stupid...

I shook my head, there was no point in pondering about that right now. I could ask Dahlia later, but, currently, I had things to do. I stripped and opened George's back. It was so trippy to think that I'd become someone twice as old as me, but I went on with it, sliding my legs inside his. My own legs melted inside his until I was connected to their nerves. I didn't want to linger on it longer than necessary due to how weird this situation was so I quickly wore everything else, doing my best to ignore the strange feeling of his genitals replacing mine. At least, it was far less arousing, that's what I was thinking.

As with Laura, his memories flowed in my mind once I pulled his head over mine. I saw memories of me always watching my mother cook with fascination, studying cooking in high-school, starting to work as a chef in a fancy restaurant in town, meeting a beautiful woman who became a regular, asking her out one day and her accepting, us dating for a few years before marrying with a wonderful ceremony, the restaurant I worked in closing and me applying to work as a butler and cook for the Arston family, seeing their children for the first time and being worried they might be rich brats but warming up to them with time, and hating their parents for how rude and heartless they were.

You really have a high opinion on us, huh?

Having memories from far before I was born was yet another alien experience that I was able to live due to my new abilities.

I opened my eyes, ready to enact my plan. I went to George's bedroom and mechanically changed to his work attire and grabbed my bag, throwing my clothes inside and taking it with me to his car. While I did all that, I could feel the aging pains of George's body; he wasn't as fit as he used to, which was normal considering that he was almost in his fifties and didn't do much sport anymore.

I drove towards my goal, soon spotting the familiar mansion in the distance. My excitement was growing stronger the closer I was getting. I parked and followed George's routine, walking towards my father's office to announce my presence. On my way there, though, I was having a hard time hiding the sadistic glee that had taken me over. My father kicked me out to fend for myself and made my sister's life a living hell, finally getting my **** on him would be so cathartic.

I knocked on the door and waited for an answer.