Minh's surprise

When I woke up the next morning, I realised it was almost eleven. I slept like a log that night, it seemed. I quickly put on some clothes, not really bothering to look good now that I was my bland, male self again. Looking in the mirror, all I could feel was disappointment.

I sighed. It's been less than a full day and I already miss being a woman...

Was I secretly transgender? Was it the reason I felt so much better as a woman? Or was it the curse warping my sense of self? I noticed yesterday how most of the skinwalkers in the coven were wearing skins of different genders. Nikolai as Judith, Matthew as Chelsea, Minh as Yumi... Was it normal for us?

I should ask Mother about this.

I went downstairs, finding Mother doing her yoga and fitness session. Father was nowhere to be seen.

"Good morning."

"Good morning, my child. Did you sleep well?" She asked with a warm smile.

I nodded. "Yeah."

"I didn't want to wake you up, but your breakfast is in the microwave if you're feeling hungry."

"Thank you, Mother. Where's Father?"

"In his office, trying to fix a mess he made a week ago. Minh called, by the way. He's working on your surprise and will pick you up at five."

"I see. I'll be ready, then."

I went to eat the surprisingly nice breakfast Mother has prepared and joined her back to the living room. She was still exercising, demonstrating just how fit and nimble she was despite nearing her fifties. Or well, her current body nearing her fifties.

I decided to follow her example, doing some push-ups and sit-ups for a while. I hadn't exercised at all during my stay as Irene, I missed it a bit. Mother glanced at me a few times, smiling. It felt so strange to be reunited with her again, under the same roof. My image of her that I had since I was a kid completely shattered in less than a week.

"Mother, may I ask something?" I said after finishing a series of push-ups.

"Of course, what is it?"

My cheeks reddened in embarrassment for what I was about to ask. "Do... Do skinwalkers often like to wear skins of a gender different from theirs?"

She laughed, not out of malice but just amusement. "Did you perhaps realise something about yourself~?"

"I... I felt so wonderful being a woman... It was... almost liberating. But I hardly ever thought about what being a woman was like before..."

"You said it yourself. It felt 'liberating'. We have the freedom to be whoever we want, of course our sense of self is going to change. I spent most of the last century as a man, only becoming a woman again in the long term with Patricia. Most of us went through what you're going through, so don't worry. As long as you're comfortable, it's all that matters."

"I see."

We resumed our workout after that, not saying anything else for a while. When we were done, we went to the kitchen to eat lunch, Mother cooking for us two.

As she cooked, I had another question that came to my mind, about Mother's past. "You said last night that two of your former assistants became skinwalkers, and that you're also the one who turned Minh and Aisha, but did you have more... 'children', as you put it?"

Her smile became more melancholic. "I have, yes. I've blessed eight humans throughout my lifespan so far. Apart from Minh and Aisha, I'm still in contact with another child, who chose to leave and founded her own coven in Bulgaria, her home country. I've lost contact with three of them, who decided to be completely independant. My first child and the one I blessed before Aisha were murdered by hunters, both shortly after becoming skinwalkers..." She concluded, her tone colder and her fists clenching.

She was almost shaking with anger just remembering this. Her hate for hunters resurfaced, and she looked quite terrifying. I didn't want to ever be the target of her wrath.

She closed her eyes and sighed, relaxing slightly. "Sorry, but you understand now why I despise hunters."

"I do, yes. Sorry for asking."

Her smile became warmer again. "Don't apologise, it's natural for you to be curious."

She focused back on the cooking, preparing some pasta with carbonara. I offered to help, but she refused. Once she was done, she brought two steaming plates of delicious-looking pasta.

"Thanks, Mother." I said as we started to eat.

The dish was incredible too, I never knew Mother was that skilled at cooking.

We were silent for a moment, until Mother spoke. "Ever since you returned, I've been considering finding a new life for myself."

"Huh, really?"

"I've been living as Patricia for twenty-six years already, almost twenty-seven. It's been an exciting life, for a multitude of reasons." She said, glancing at me with a loving smile. "The main one being that I finally discovered the joys of motherhood."

I blushed and looked away shyly.

"This life has been useful in helping the coven grow, but Minh and Oliver are also helping with funding nowadays, so it is no longer necessary for me to stay. Oliver has been telling me to take it easy for a while, so I might follow his advice."

It was hard to imagine my mother as anyone other than the person in front of me. I knew she was a skinwalker just wearing this skin, but it was the appearance I've known my whole life...

"Who would you be, then?" I asked.

As she twirled some spaghetti around her fork, she answered. "I'm not sure yet. A potential candidate would be Elise. You remember her?"

I did. Elise was the secretary working for my parents in the company. She joined a year before I left the town. She was a cute woman, very short but elegant and kind.

"I've been wearing her from time to time whenever I wanted a break from this life. Her life is comfy, she has a gentle and caring fiancé, and she's quite cute. Living as her for a decade or two would be relaxing."

"I see..." I simply said, feeling awkward.

I didn't know what else to add. Elise was a sweet girl from what I remembered, one who didn't deserve to have her life stolen. But I now believed Mother wouldn't harm her in any way.

"There's still some time before Minh shows up, do you have any plans for the afternoon?"

"Hmm, not really. Just rest and wait for him, I guess."

Mother chuckled. "Is that so? In that case, why don't we have a little bonding session together?"

I tilted my head. "What do you mean?"

"Your game consoles are still there, so maybe you could teach me about some of your favourite games? It's a hobby I never tried to get into before."

I smiled. "Sure, I don't mind."

We went to Claire's room, where the consoles were. Mother sat on the bed, observing me as I plugged in a dusty Ps3 and chose a game for us to play. Tekken was obviously my first pick, a game I knew by heart and that we could play together.

I spent the afternoon teaching Mother and playing with her. I told her about my favourite characters in the game, how to play, and we fought. She was really good, with amazing reflexes, and even if I was still more skilled, she managed to beat me a decent amount of times.

Our game session was interrupted by my phone ringing. It was Minh, telling me to join him outside.

"I'll be going." I said, getting up.

"I enjoyed playing with you, I'd love for us to do it again." Mother spoke sincerely.

"I had fun too." I replied with a warm smile.

It was the truth, I did enjoy our afternoon together. I saw how much she was trying to compensate for all these years of giving me the cold shoulder.

"See you, my child."

Before I left the room, I glanced at Mother. "Thank you for everything, Mother."

She chuckled. "Don't mention it. Have fun with Minh."

I nodded and left, finding Minh outside the gates, in his eye-catching Subaru.

He grinned as usual when he saw me approach. "Hey Edward~"

"Hey Minh. How are you?" I simply asked while getting to the passenger seat.

"Good. Excited for your surprise~?"

"I'm intrigued." I replied.

He chuckled, driving away. "I'm sure you'll love it~"

The ride to his place was mostly silent. I was lost in thought, imagining the kind of lives he had prepared for me. It was exciting, I couldn't deny it.

We arrived in front of the same apartment complex Liam stayed at before returning with Irene. I followed Minh to the last floor, inside a spacious flat big enough for a family. In the living room, I was surprised to see Ashley, wearing Vanessa. She came closer, giving me a loving kiss on the lips.

"Good afternoon, Edward." She said with a warm smile.

"Good afternoon. What are you doing here?"

"Hmm, well... I-I came to see who you'd choose... and in case you wanted to be Vanessa..." She admitted more shyly.

"Ah, I see."

"Come to the main bedroom, your potential new lives are waiting for you~" Minh said excitedly, grabbing my hand and pulling me behind him.

Inside the bedroom, laying on the bed, were two hollow skins. Minh let go of my hand and I came closer, examining them. The first one was that of a young-looking woman with tan skin and long dark hair put into two braided ponytais. Considering our discussion with Minh last week, I assumed she was a college student. Even hollow, she did seem quite pretty. The other skin was that of a slightly older woman, maybe in her thirties. She had a pale skin and light blonde hair, and was very attractive as well. Something about her reminded me of Sarah...

"Who are they?" I asked Minh.

"The one on the left is Amber. Captain of the cheerleader team and student in sociology, like Liam. Her mother is a psychiatrist and her father a nurse, so her life is fairly comfy. You could say she's one of the queens of the campus; fit, beautiful, smart, kind, and respected by most. I'm honestly surprised no skinwalker has snatched her away so far with how perfect she is," Minh explained, chuckling at the end. "If you don't get her now, who knows how long she'll stay available before another of our kind take her for a spin and potentially ruin her life. She's a walking target for our less honorable kindred."

I could see why someone like her would be so tempting for a skinwalker. A beautiful body and a smart mind make for a perfect combination. Just thinking about becoming her was making me excited.

"The other one is Natasha, the trophy wife of one of our wealthy servants. You'd have a comfortable life of leisure as a hot and rich woman, your husband obeying your every whims. You'd have absolute freedom, being able to choose what you'd like to do with her life. Study, find a job, or simply relax and enjoy your wealth however you want."

Looking at her, Natasha was another tempting choice. A calm life allowing me to either enjoy all my hobbies to the fullest or remodel her life to my liking... The fact that she had a husband wasn't even much of an issue if he was part of the coven, I wouldn't have to deal with him if I didn't want to.

"And well, the last option is Vanessa. You already had a taste of her body from the outside," Minh said with a teasing grin, making Ashley blush. "But Ashley and I can both confirm she's a delight from the inside too~"

My gaze kept jumping from the deflated skins on the bed to Vanessa and back. I didn't know what to choose, all three were so tempting...