Getting ready for the flight back home

"Edward, you should wake up." A male voice said as I was gently shaken awake.

When I groggily opened my eyes, I was greeted by John's face, and I instantly recalled my situation...

"Ashley?"

"Y-yeah. Aga will be here soon." She replied more shyly. "I, uhh, took the liberty to help you pack for the trip while you were asleep." She added, pointing at a suitcase near the wardrobe. "Aga told me you'll probably stay the night."

I got up slowly. "Thanks, Ashley."

"Are you.... Are you feeling better?" She asked while petting March, carried in her arms.

I sighed as I glanced at my petite and feminine body. "I don't feel like crying, at least..."

I couldn't say I was better. I still hated what I had been **** to do. Elise didn't deserve having her life stolen, she was a gentle soul. But I also knew that staying depressed wouldn't change anything. I chose to take her life myself instead of handing it to my mother, I had to try enjoying and embracing it. For Elise's sake. I wanted her to keep good memories once it'd be time for me to leave her skin.

I tried to smile at Ashley as I petted March. "I'll get better, though. I have to."

"I-if there's anything I can do to help, f-feel free to ask." She timidly said.

"Thank you. Would you mind making breakfast while I get dressed?"

"N-no, not at all. I'll do it right away, Edward!" She replied before hurriedly leaving the room, March still in her arms.

I chuckled weakly. Ashley did seem like a fairly nice girl, and even in this strange situation, I couldn't help but find cute the way she acted. The Elise part of me also found it weird and funny to see 'John' act like this.

I went to the wardrobe and put on my underwear, some plain bra and panties. I just wanted to wear something comfortable today. I grabbed a white dress Elise quite liked, slid a pair of sheer thighs on my legs, and slipped my feet into a pair of white flats to match the rest of my outfit. I brushed my hair, putting it into a side bun as Elise often did, and applied some light make-up before observing my reflection. Elise looked quite cute like this.

Once done, I joined Ashley in the kitchen. She was still cooking when I arrived, focused and meticulous.

"I... wasn't sure what you liked, so I chose to make Elise's favourite, is it alright?" She hesitantly asked.

I smiled. "Yeah, it's perfect. Thank you."

"Y-you're welcome." She replied, blushing.

She quickly brought me a plate and a cup of coffee, smiling shyly at me.

"It's really good." I commented as I started to eat, making her blush again.

She tried to hide her reddened face behind her own cup of coffee. "I-It's nothing, I just... used John's knowledge."

I kept eating in silence, anxiety starting to rise within me as the time to reunite with Claire was slowly approaching. I was afraid of her reaction, afraid of what Mother might try to do to her... Afraid of being separated from her again...

Ashley might have noticed my mood shift, as she spoke again. "Like... Like I said last night, I'm truly glad I was able to meet you again, Edward... I-I tried to act like you when I became a skinwalker, to help people. To protect those being bullied at school now that I had the power... I, uhh, wanted to do something that'd make you proud... It's part of why I wore Steven. Y-you saw, right? All the things I did during your last year at school?"

My PE teacher had indeed changed a lot during my last year of high-school. While he was a fairly nice man overall before, he never actively seeked to prevent bullying. But during my last year, he started to promote anti-bullying campaigns and became a lot harsher with bullies he saw or heard of.

"It's why he changed so much, then... I suppose you did the right thing."

My answer made her smile shyly. "Y-you think so?"

I nodded. "I do. I would probably have done the same had our roles been reversed."

She looked away, embarrassed, but I could see she was beaming. She loved being praised, it seemed.

Her phone rang soon after, and she looked back at me. "Y-your mother is here."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before standing up and smiling at her. "I see. I'll be leaving then. Please treat March well while I'm away."

"Of course. He's... really cute." She muttered. "Have a nice trip, Edward."

"Thanks."

I grabbed the suitcase and left the flat, seeing Nikolai downstairs, wearing the blonde German man again and leaning against his truck. With him was a young woman in her early twenties smoking an electronic cigarette. She had dyed dark red hair, brown eyes, thick make-up, and was wearing a mesh tanktop, a checkered skirt, and fishnets alongside a pair of combat boots, giving her a punkish look.

"Morning, Elise. Let me store your luggage." Nikolai said while grabbing my suitcase.

The woman smiled when she saw me approaching, observing me. "Good morning. You're beautiful, my child."

"Mother?" I asked while trying to hide the satisfaction I felt from being called beautiful.

She giggled while twirling in place. "It's quite a contrast from my previous skin, isn't it? After spending so long as a straightforward and proper businesswoman, I decided to try a more... rebellious life for a change. My current name is Olivia, young college student and daughter of one of our collaborators."

"I... I see." I replied, at a loss for words.

She grinned playfully at me. "I do know you like these kinds of girls, but try not to fall for your own mother, will you?"

I blushed and looked away. "I won't..."

"I thought it'd be a good opportunity to try to learn more about yours and Claire's hobbies. About these bands and games you enjoyed so much." She said while taking a puff of her electronic cigarette.

"Huh? Why?"

"Shouldn't a good mother try to learn more about what her children like?" She chuckled softly before looking at me more seriously. "Believe it or not, Minh actually gave me a small lecturing last night. Him and Ashley told me about the state you were in, so I wanted to try to be a bit more... considerate. I'm sure you probably resent me, but I do wish for us to properly bond, now that I don't have to worry about keeping a façade anymore. I truly am glad to have you stay here with me."

I didn't say anything for a moment, simply looking down at my feet.

"Alright, get in, ladies, or you're gonna miss the flight." Nikolai announced soon after.

I sat in the back, Mother doing the same, and Nikolai started to drive towards the airport. I wasn't sure what to think anymore... With what Minh said last night and what Mother just told me, she did seem to truly care about me...

"Do you... Do you plan to do anything to Claire?" I asked her.

She didn't reply immediately, as if she were thinking of how to answer. "I recently got back the ability to turn a human into a skinwalker. I considered gifting her our blessing when we met."

I was stunned. "What?"

"At first, I admit that I had planned to do it no matter what, but I will simply offer her the choice." She replied, apparently truthfully. "I would be delighted to have her join us here, but I know you'd probably not take it well should I do it without her consent."

"You... You want to turn Claire into a skinwalker?"

"Yes, wouldn't you like having her stay by your side? You two could live happily as part of the coven, here. You would never lack anything."

"I-I don't know..."

"It'll be her decision anyway, so we'll see. I'm pretty excited to meet her again after these last seven months." My mother added, giggling.

"She's probably changed quite a bit since we helped her escape." Nikolai commented.

"Huh?" I looked at him, confused.

"I'm the one who helped her flee." He explained. "When Aga had had enough with your bigot of a father, she asked me to take Claire away and help her find you."

I never expected Nikolai to be the one to have helped Claire. But if what he said was true, it was due to him that we were able to get reunited.

"I see. Thank you for saving her, Nikolai." I said, smiling slightly at him.

He chuckled. "No problem, your sister clearly deserved better."

While these last few conversations were still quite confusing internally, as I still wasn't sure what to truly feel about Mother and the coven, they did help me forget my situation for a brief moment, something I was grateful for. But my anxiety was slowly creeping back in as we got closer to the airport. I truly had no idea what to say to Claire and Dahlia when I'll see them...