A dreadful morning

I was deep asleep when I got shaken gently, and I heard a name being spoken.

"Elise, wake up."

Elise...?

It was so difficult to wake up, but my eyes suddenly opened when I felt myself being kissed.

"H-huh?"

A man was kissing me, a familiar man... John... And I immediately realized that last night really happened... An intense guilt filled me as I stared in his eyes, but I did my best to avoid showing it.

"It's rare for you to not wake up before me." He commented.

"I-Indeed... Sorry about that." I awkwardly replied.

"Are you alright? When I came back from the shower last night, I noticed you crying in your sleep." John said as I rose up.

I looked down. Last night's events weighed heavily on my mind, I wasn't sure when I would recover from that...

"I... I had a nightmare, I think..." I just replied before smiling at him. "But I'm fine, don't worry."

"Alright. Since you weren't waking up, I made breakfast. Here."

On the bedside table was a small plate with some bacon and eggs, and a cup of tea. John really was a caring boyfriend, always there for Elise. I thanked him and started to eat. I needed to be in top shape today, to be ready for what was going to happen with my mother.

I went to the bathroom to wash my face, catching a glimpse at my reflection, and grit my teeth to avoid crying. I had to keep a straight face for now.

I'm so sorry, Elise... I'll remove you as soon as I can.

I spent the morning with John and March, trying to act like Elise's usual self, petting and playing with March, and kissing John a few more times. I then left, going on my way to the office. I greeted the security guards and the reception officer and got into the elevator. As soon as the doors opened, I was greeted by the sight of my mother making herself some coffee.

She turned to face me and smiled. "Good morning, Elise. How are you feeling today? Do you want a cup of coffee?"

I approached her, glancing around to make sure that we were alone, and spoke. "How do you think I'm feeling, Mother?"

She chuckled and poured some coffee in another cup before handing it to me. "You seem tense, you need to relax a little, dear. How was your evening? Did you try getting more intimate with your boyfriend?"

I looked away and sighed. "I... I did..."

She seemed surprised. "Oh my, I didn't expect you to concede so fast." She then leaned closer and gave me an amused smile. "So~? How did it feel~?"

"It... wasn't all that bad..."

"But judging from your tone, I assume that you still prefer women, hmm? Well, we all have our preferences." She just shrugged. "Becoming a skinwalker doesn't necessarily make us pansexual, even if we often end up more open when it comes to our sexuality."

"There's that, but... I just felt sorry for Elise." I replied truthfully. "She doesn't deserve any of this..."

"I believe you're overthinking things far too much, my child. Where's the harm in what we did? We had some fun playing Elise's role, and she kept sweet memories of 'her' nights with her loving boyfriend. There's nothing more to it."

"That still doesn't make it right. She's a nice girl, not a toy for our own amusement."

"I knew you'd be like that." My mother said, drinking her cup. "But really, you're being too idealistic. If you didn't do anything to ruin her life, you shouldn't worry and just enjoy the ride. Embrace your desires, your new nature, and have fun. That's what defines us skinwalkers. Just be careful not to be too greedy, an excess of greed only leads to one's demise."

"What do you mean?"

"I've seen my fair share of skinwalkers fall because of their greed. Some skinwalkers, especially newborns, love to cause chaos while donning skins, acting out of line and collecting dozens and dozens of skins, but it's far too short-sighted. Having many people disappear and some suddenly act differently is bound to attract the attention of hunters, and it ends up only being a matter of time before the troublemakers get taken care of. My coven and I, we prefer to lay low and have fun in moderation, that's how we survived for so long."

It sounded similar to what Dahlia said the night before I left. In addition to not angering my mother too much, I also had to be careful not to be found by hunters.

My mother approached me and smiled smugly. "You know, despite what you might think, I've actually been **** than the original Patricia. She wouldn't have done anything for you or your sister, and would have just been happy as a trophy wife basking in wealth. Meanwhile, I gave you two numerous opportunities to enjoy life, wouldn't you agree?"

"Maybe..."

"Your father should arrive soon, so let's get back to work for the time being. At lunch, meet me at Kate's cafe."

"Alright." I just said, going to Elise's desk.

My father indeed showed up a few minutes later, acting like normal. He ignored me and went to his desk, talking with my mother. I focused on Elise's tasks meanwhile. Despite my skinwalker side wanting to stay in this skin, I personally wanted to become myself again as soon as possible. I didn't want to keep being Elise any longer after what happened, I felt far too guilty.

As soon as lunch break started, I left the office, grabbed my bag that was in Elise's car, and went to the cafe. My mother had already left a few minutes earlier, so she was most likely there too.

When I stepped inside, I didn't see Kate, but a man wearing a similar uniform. He was diligently cleaning the counter.

"Good afternoon." I said.

"Good afternoon. Kate is waiting for you, you can go through the door in the back." He just replied, pointing at the door Kate went through yesterday.

The way he spoke, I assumed that he was most likely aware of the situation as well. I thanked him and went through the door, finding myself in the break room. Kate was here, half-naked, and I immediately turned my head to not peep on her more. Although, I noticed something: the clothes my mother wore earlier, laying on a chair.

"Ah, you were fast, I didn't even have the time to fully get dressed." Kate said, although her tone and way of speaking were vastly different from yesterday. "You can leave your own belongings here to get them back after our meeting, it's safe."

"Mother?"

“Who else? I wouldn't move around with a face as recognisable as Patricia's. A cute and naive barista is far less conspicuous than the vice-director of a major national bank. And Kate loves being worn by me anyway." She added this last part while caressing her face and smiling.

"What did you do for her to serve you so obediently?" I asked, suspicious.

She came closer, still in her underwear, and looked me in the eyes. "Edward, I have the feeling that you only see me as a cruel monster, as one of those supervillains from these comics you love so much." I could feel that her intimidating aura didn't disappear even in Kate's cuter skin. "But I'm not as heartless as you may be led to believe. Am I selfish? Yes, I'm not going to deny this. Even seemingly acts of selflessness, I only do them because they benefit me one way or another. But am I cruel? Unless you cause harm to my coven, no."

She grabbed the rest of her clothes and finished getting dressed, but continued speaking. "As for why Kate is so loyal, do you remember what I told you last time you visited me in the office? I think it was shortly before you were done with high-school, when I asked about your prospects for the future."

I searched through my memories, trying to remember. My mother and I didn't speak often back then, since she always was fairly distant with me and Claire.

"That true loyalty is earned through kindness and understanding?" I finally said, unsure.

"Exactly. You will never earn true loyalty through fear and oppression, something that your father has always been far too stupid and self-centered to understand. It only leads to resentment and betrayal. Trust me, as a Polish person, I know that perfectly well." She snickered at the end.

I knew next to nothing about Polish history besides World War II and the thing she mentioned yesterday about the Austrian occupation, so I didn't really understand what she was referencing.

Nonetheless, she continued. "But if you're kind, if you show you care about your underlings, they will be far more willing to serve you. That's why the employees at the company love me so much and dislike your father, and why Kate follows me blindly."

Her smile was smug and proud. She knew she was the true leader in the company, and one much more popular than my father. All the workers I wore to reach my mother shared similar feelings towards her, even Elise.

Now that she was fully dressed, she picked up Kate's phone and quickly brushed her hair while continuing her speech. "Do you want to know her story? Kate was a homeless girl when I found her. Her father died and her mother was a **** addict locked in jail. She had no one, and would have died alone in the streets had I not rescued her. I gave her a second chance at life, and in exchange, she serves me faithfully. She now has a nice place to live in and a cozy cafe she manages, following on her father's footsteps. And believe me when I say that she's been absolutely delighted by this deal. Or maybe you think it would have been better for her to die a meaningless ****?"

I didn't know what to answer to that. What she said made sense, and if it was true, she did help Kate in her own twisted way...

A phone buzzed and my mother held my hand. "Our ride has arrived, let's go."

Outside, a pick-up truck was waiting for us, with a blonde man in the driver's seat.

He looked at us and smiled. "Get in, ladies."

"Thank you, Nikolai." My mother said as we got in.

"No problem, Aga. So, this is your son, huh." He said while observing me. "Can't believe he really became one of us. I still remember him as this energetic naive kid."

"Do I know you?" I asked.

He wasn't familiar at all, but if he was a skinwalker too, he was probably wearing someone else in the past.

He chuckled. "Not really, no. I sometimes came to see your mother under the guise of your butler or old maid, but I only spoke with you a few times."

I grit my teeth and didn't say anything. It was like I was discovering that more and more of my life has been a lie...

"The others are waiting. I assume that, apart from Oliver, you didn't tell them anything yet?" Nikolai asked my mother as he was driving.

"It's a given that Oliver knows, but, apart from you, I only told the truth to Minh as well, since his help was required. Kate sent him a message yesterday." She replied. "The other three don't know, I wanted to keep the surprise. I can't wait to see Ashley's face especially." She added, giggling as she said this last part.

"She'll be in for a shock, heh? It'll be fun." Nikolai simply said, chuckling.

Meanwhile, I wasn't sure I liked where this was going, since I had no idea what they were talking about. I was just getting very anxious about this meeting...