CHAPTER 9 - A DANGEROUS GAME

They were enjoying the weekend. Off from school torments, they had recovered a bit of serenity. In that radiant Saturday morning, they even ventured a stroll to the near park, because after two whole weeks of just school and home, home and school, a bit of relax and nature could only be good for them.

Although a little timorous, they didn't resist the tempting invitation to go out on such a nice day. After having got themselves some coffee and donuts, they went out walking side by side in the chill breeze, enjoying the warm touch of the brave pale sunrays that, filtering through the red and yellow leaves, projected on their light skins like a luminous rain.

The insecurity of being out of their home, in the condition they were in, soon left space to a sense of overall well-being, such a stranger and rare feeling for the two kids after long days of anguish and nights of ferocious nightmares.

Both Chris and Claire in fact, had begun to have pretty tormented slumbers, waking up with a start in the middle of the night, sweaty and panting, compelled to turn on the lights to check that they weren't in an underground lab during a pseudo-nuclear blast. The worst the dream, the more tired they were the following morning at school. Many times it happened that they had to get out of bed with less than a couple of hours of sleep, as falling asleep again after such dreadful dreams was difficult.

Beyond the body switch, as days went by, both of them became more and more susceptible to everything would remind them the cause of their trauma, such as heavy noises or dazzling lights. The rumble of a truck or a motorcycle sprinting in the distance or every noise that would even vaguely resemble an ultrasound was enough to elicit anxiety and nervousness in them: Claire was by then victim of her usual panic attacks almost daily and it required really a little to provoke a new one; Chris instead, had some lighter crises but not less suffered, as he would feel his heartbeats rise up in pace, the throat dry up and sometimes even vertigo but the concern of prevent his dear ones (Claire in particular) from worrying more, helped him to overcome the crisis or at least to better conceal his malaise.

On that morning, instead, they got a little pause from all that shit they were languishing in. Maybe it was the silence wafting in the crisp air, or maybe the idleness inspired by the weekend but they felt good. Albeit they kept walking holding hands. Physical proximity contributed to make them feel better and instilled strength and safety in their shaky minds. At school they had to be parted for most of the time and this weakened them a little but on that bench, sipping coffee under that centuries-old oak, they felt on top of the world. Invincible.

Fake Claire sat resting her back against fake Chris' side and looped one of those thick arms around his thin neck, placing his head in the curve of the elbow and caressing the big hand that idly dangled with the coffee mug caught between the robust fingers. Fake Chris, in the meantime, adjusted herself behind her brother to rest her bearded chin on his head. It was such a loveliest vision that an old man, when sitting on a nearby bench, mistook them for a loving couple. The two kids let out a heartfelt laugh and simply continued having their breakfast, chatting quietly.

"Fuck!" fake Chris said at some point, hissing in her brother's ear.

"Uh? What's up?" fake Claire asked, soon alarmed by her tone.

"Leon. And Piers. Over there." she whispered with her raw, guttural voice.

Fake Claire tried to turn his head but his sight was obstructed by his sister's wide shoulder. "Did they see us?"

"Yeah…" fake Chris sighed "they're coming over."

Fake Claire gave his sister a little squeeze of the hand and whispered her to keep calm and act natural.

The two cousins joined them soon, taking a little break from their morning jogging to have a jolly chat with their friend and his sister, unaware of the damage their presence was doing to their serenity.

In conclusion, without knowing how or why, the young Redfields got a date for that afternoon to try out a new videogame at their home as the two cousins practically got inviting themselves.

It was the first time someone of their friends would enter their house since the accident. It wouldn't be easy at all. But it couldn't be that bad as they'd be home and together. They could handle it.

When Piers and Leon arrived, at 4 o'clock, they had brought along also Carlos and Kevin and a total of two more Play Station controllers. It was going to be a nerding afternoon!

The two switched kids welcomed them in their living room and set all the necessary for the big Final Fantasy and Gran Turismo Sport tournaments.

As planned, real Chris would've stayed with them, not leaving his sister alone with those jerks.

They had to fake a little in the beginning, pretending an easiness they hardly mustered but, they eventually seemed to forget their worries, for the second time on that day.

"Hey Chris! What's up?! You ok?" Carlos asked.

"What you mean?" Fake Chris answered keeping her eyes on the tv screen.

"You're winning! You must be sick!"

"I'm perfectly fine, dude! It's your gaming the problem, not mine!" She evilly laughed as she was beating him.

"Umpf… Fuckever" he snorted.

She lastly won, making Carlos animatedly curse and almost throw away the controller.

As everything seemed to go well and now it wasn't his turn to play, real Chris grabbed the empty chips tray and went to the kitchen to fill it up and prepare a pitcher of iced tea and some beers.

While accomplishing this little chore, he felt someone walking behind him and entering the kitchen area.

"Hey Claire... got to leave those nerds!" Leon sighed pointing backwards with his thumb and shaking his head, blond locks waving along with it. "As usual, Carlos is going bananas!"

"Yeah that guy has no self-control! And even less gaming skills!" Fake Claire answered smiling and shrugging.

Leon giggled, beaming his shiny smile at the beautiful girl "Yeah... anyway I need a cigarette, but as Chris is playing I'll have to smoke alone. Can I...?" And he pointed at the back door next to them, cigarette already hanging from his lips, still not lighted.

"Of corse! Please Leon!" Fake Claire answered, opening the door and letting him out in the veranda.

"Would you stay here to keep company while I smoke?" He said lighting on the cigarette. "you know… I tend to get too pensive when smoking alone…" he added chuckling and blowing out a first white ruffle of smoke.

The smell of tobacco was tempting real Chris too much to say no. Hence, he closed the door and walked by his friend.

"Do you want one?" Leon politely offered, handing the package to the fake girl.

Real Chris bit his lower lip, as he was fighting hard against his will to grab it and smoke them all.

"Don't worry, Claire, if you want one just take it." Leon added noticing her reluctant stare "I won't tell Chris. He's just started a long fighting tournament, he won't show up."

That idiot of his friend was offering his sister a cigarette at his back?!

If Chris wasn't so desperate to smoke, he would've actually punched him in the gut. He liked Leon, he was a cool guy, but nobody should ever try to make his sister start smoking.

"No thanks, Leon. I don't smoke." He said trying to hide his disappointment under a swift move of his thin hand.

"As you wish, Claire. I'll tell you more, you better not start at all…" the boy said, nodding at his own words "Don't be stupid like me or Chris. It's a bad habit. I'm glad you refused."

Well said, Leon! You just regained the billion points you lost few seconds ago!

They talked a bit about other random things as Chris wanted to avoid thinking about the tempting smell by focusing on something else. It wasn't easy at all. He looked at that lighted cigarette going back and forth with needy eyes, slightly regretting he had turned down the latter's offer.

He wanted to smoke so bad that he hadn't noticed that Leon had got closer, had completely stopped talking and was now staring intensely in his eyes. Before he could even acknowledge it, Leon leaned forward, took his cheek in one hand and sweetly pressed his soft, moist lips on his, kissing him tenderly.

WHAT THE FUCK?

With a ponderous boost of his arms, fake Claire vehemently pushed Leon back killing him with his blue-eyed glare.

"THE FUCK YOU DOING?!" He angrily yelled with his squeaking girlish voice.

"I..." Leon stuttered, embarrassed and upset by that sullen over-reaction "I... I'm sorry, Claire..."

"WHY DID YOU DO THAT, YOU BITCH?!" A wrathful real Chris yelled.

"I'm sorry, you just..."

"I JUST WHAT?! UH?"

Yeah, she what, Leon? The poor guy wanted to bury himself alive in that very moment, for how big was the shame of having been that violently refused by (who he supposed was) Claire. Inside his mind, he could hardly believe at his horrible luck. He couldn't believe he had really made a move on that girl.

"You were looking at me in such a way... I thought... uh... nevermind. Forgive me, Claire." Leon apologised, ashamed and flushed, scraping the base of his neck in embarrassment and looking down to avoid her hostile gaze.

How the fuck could he have believed she wanted to be kissed?! He felt like a total loser: he had just acted like a fathead in front of the girl that… well, that girl. The girl he was so hopelessly infatuated of.

While Leon was sinking in utter shame, real Chris recovered a bit of self-control. Only a bit. He had forgot for a moment that Leon thought he was talking to a girl. If he knew it was actually Chris he would've cut off his tongue instead, for sure.

Real Chris deeply breathed in few times, trying to relent his bewilderment and his will to bitch slap his friend.

But there was a reason to be pissed off anyway… nevertheless, Leon had kissed Claire. How dared his friend to do such a thing as making a move on his sister? He felt betrayed, by none less than one of his dearest friends.

Real Chris deadly glare didn't disappear, nor the itch in his hands beckoned to fade.

Feeling fake Claire upset and willing to make up for his mistake, Leon came closer to her again and placed a timid hand on her shoulder, the other hand down, holding the cigarette. He cleared his throat twice before he could muster enough courage to look again at her.

"Claire, I'm sorry. If I knew that you didn't want it I wouldn't have dared. I swear. You have to believe me. You're my best friend's sister and… a-and I'd punch myself in the balls rather than hurt you." Leon said, a concerned look on his face and eyes clutched to fake Claire's, trying to hide his inner struggle to find the correct words to apologise and speak his mind without sounding too awkwardly embarrassed. "The fact is that... you were looking at me that way... I thought you wanted it. And I like you, so... I went for it." he spelled those last words hastily and looking away from those wrathful ocean blue eyes that were piercing him like two sharp daggers.

If in front of him, inside that body, there had been real Claire, when hearing those words, she'd have clashed her lips on his without hesitation since the deep blue of his eyes and his angelic countenance were too seductive for most girls to resist and receiving such a confession from him was a forbidden dream for half of the girls in Raccoon City High.

But there were no girls there. Only real Chris. And he couldn't give a single fuck about those tantalizing eyes and smile and blonde locks and heartfelt, coyly whispered words.

Leon felt fake Claire's hand brushing his free one and, as he looked down, he saw her grab the cigarette and put it in her mouth.

"This is mine now." Fake Claire grunted before inhaling, greedily.

Leon and fake Claire headed back to the kitchen, grabbed chips and drinks and both went back to the living room not saying a single word.

Fortunately, the other guys were too concerned about winning the car race to notice anything. But when real Claire reached for real Chris to celebrate her second place she noticed something wasn't right with her brother. She hugged him and whispered softly at his ear "You ok?"

Real Chris had to force a smile and said nothing as he felt the nervous stare of Leon hovering on himself.

Leon was in fact scared that fake Claire would tell what had happened, that meaning: his immediate death. Fortunately it didn't happen. But the blond boy didn't relax either. He spent the rest of the afternoon with a sad, downcast look on his face, avoiding the fake girl's gaze and faking to enjoy the games. He was the first one to leave.

When the two siblings were alone again, real Chris simply blurted. He told his sister what had happened in the veranda. He was still pretty upset by the unexpected and unwelcome kiss but, most importantly, he was feeling terribly guilty for having succumbed to the temptation of smoking. She listened to him with increasing perplexity.

"So... Leon said he likes me?" Real Claire asked when his brother finally went silent.

"You heard me, Claire? I've not only being kissed by a guy, but I even smoked with your lungs!" he exclaimed, guilt besieging his heart along with his usual jealousy.

She simply rolled her eyes " Ok Chris, I'm sorry that you had to meet those beautiful lips your friend has... but he said he likes me...?" completely ignoring his constant references to that single stupid irrelevant cigarette.

"Yes that's one of the things he said." He sighed.

"Shit."

"Shit!?" Real Chris flinched in surprise, he was confused "Didn't you just yesterday told me that you're attracted by him?"

"I am but... He's Rebecca's crush."

"And so what?"

"And so... I feel sorry for my friend that has a big, big crush on a guy who likes another girl. She has quite deep feelings for him."

"So is this like a girl version of bros before hoes, right?"

"I couldn't have said it better" she winked. "But I would be a big liar if I'd say I don't wish he kissed me... I'd like to try those lips though."

"Nah... they were nothing special." He bluntly replied with a shrug. Leon is not worth of these lips of yours, Claire.

"Yes, yes, Chris, of course..." Real Claire joked and, nudging at her brother's side and lowering her voice, she added "but I guess someone's gonna masturbate to those lips tonight in Girly Room, though!"

"You're only partially right, Sis." He suggestively winked back.

She was partially right, indeed. Of course, Chris would have done his usual masturbation session on that night but the one having hot feelings raised by Leon Scott Kennedy would have been Claire in a strange, twisted, surreal, wet dream involving that gorgeous boy and… a well-known male body, waking her up in the middle of the night with a huge, fat orgasm and a confused "what the hell did I just dreamed?". The first nightmare free night after more than a week of incubus filled sleep. A one-night exception, as nightmares would've returned to haunt her right after.

Their phones beeped in unison. So funny. They were dining all together and chatting all along. The twinkling sound hadn't the time to fade away that Lily glared at her kids, forbidding them to even think of checking their phones. When they finally got to do it, only after having finished washing dishes together, it turned out that their phones had beeped together because they had received the very same message.

"Sup guys! Next Friday's my birthday. My parents will fuck off somewhere for work, so Oliveira's house will be empty. Big B'day party! Don't bother to confirm your presence, just bring your asses along bitcheeees! From 8 p.m. till dawn! Your favourite hot latino, Carlos."

"Why did Carlos text me too? He's your friend..." real Claire asked.

"Well as we played games together today he must have thought it'd be nice to invite you too. Do you want me to ask him for a confirmation of your invitation?" He asked.

"Yes please."

Chris was right, Carlos truly meant to invite Claire too at his birthday party and that was a true blessing for them as real Claire knew that, being Carlos a close friend of her brother, fake Chris had to go, even if she wasn't sure that she wanted to go to a party. Real Chris was actually happy that fake Claire got an invitation too, so his sister didn't have to go alone.

It was Sunday morning. Outside the weather was nice and neither Claire nor Chris had much will to stay at home. Robert was at work, as usual in those days, restless working for his kids' sake.

Lily was about to leave to go have some baby supplies shopping with her sister-in-law Serena, as the latter's pregnancy was in its last weeks. Real Chris proposed that him and Claire might be taking a car ride and maybe go to a shopping mall somewhere but they'd be home for lunch.

After a while, when they both were ready, they locked carefully the front door and, passing through the living room they headed towards the door to the garage, next to the basement staircase.

Chris' car was waiting only for him to start the engine and freed it from those boring walls, not having it been touched in over two weeks. Fortunately they both had a driver's licence. Or it would have been a whole new mess to teach real Claire how to drive.

Few minutes later, Claire was relaxing on her seat while her brother drove them through Raccoon City streets. She felt safe inside that car. The rest of the world flowing outside the windows ignoring that a stupid not-really-nuclear accident had messed up the lives of four people overall and their families for sure, them and those two scientists of their father's team.

Real Chris noticed her silence and caressed her hand with his little one keeping eyes locked to the street. A gentle touch worth more than a dozen questions.

"I'm happy we're going out after all this time at home..." She said with her masculine voice. "By the way, where are we going exactly?"

"I was thinking about that new shopping mall that opened at Arklay City a couple of months ago, I haven't seen it yet and it's only twenty minutes from here, maybe less."

"Great! So shopping mall it is!"

"Beware, Claire, I'm not going to do a crazy women stores tour! I want to relax and not to go around carrying bags full of girlish clothes and other fluffy stuff you want me to have." He warned. I'm not your fucking sister!

"Don't worry Chris. I wasn't planning any shopping for none of us. I just want to hang around and have a good time too." She said "oh, and breakfast. I'm starving."

They arrived at the mall at about 10 o'clock and just roamed through the shops, hitting only a couple of them.

The music store was their first stop, where real Chris found a couple of old records in the vintage sector he just couldn't leave on the shelf.

"Led Zeppelin and Velvet Underground?" The clerk at the cash desk asked, and looking at fake Chris he added "Man, your girlfriend over here has such a good taste in music!"

Fake Chris laughed and, scraping her beard, replied "thanks! She has good taste in men too!" And hugged that tiny figure of her brother from behind, placing a sound kiss on his crown. Fake Claire chuckled enjoying both compliments, for his taste in music and for his sister's comment while handing the cashier the money.

Once out of the store real Chris said "Thanks for your compliment! My… er… boyfriend has excellent taste in women too!" He said grimacing at the last sentence.

"You're welcome honey!" Real Claire winked at him.

Their second hit was a gaming store, to purchase a gift for Carlos, and in the end they stopped at a bar, where they got some coffee and a slice of cake each. Even there they met people mistaking them for a couple, just like on the park's bench. In fact, a grey-haired old lady sitting at the adjacent table, as fake Claire got up to go to the bathroom, started chatting with fake Chris.

"Have you and your girl been together for a long time?" She asked softly and politely after a while.

"Actually we know each other since we were little kids..." Real Claire replied, giving the old lady the best charming smile that beautiful male face allowed.

"Oh, you must be so in love with each other, it's so evident... you remind me and my husband when we were young..."

Fearing that the said husband might be dead, real Claire answered cautiously "then he must have loved you a lot!"

"Oh, boy! He still does! He's old but still in love as a little boy!" She laughed, stretching her delicate wrinkles in a sweet smile. "You got his same enamoured look on both of your faces, you know? You're such a beautiful couple. And your girlfriend is beautiful too! Beautiful, beautiful eyes!"

Real Claire blushed hearing that and smiling shyly she thanked the woman, when fake Claire got back from the bathroom and, noticing that there was a conversation going on, she waved at the woman.

"Good morning Ma'am" fake Claire said.

"Good morning! Me and your boyfriend were just talking about how much beautiful you are, and it just turns out you are also extremely polite, too!" The old lady said and addressing at fake Chris again she added "she's a rare precious, don't let her go!"

"Oh, I would never let her go, Ma'am!" fake Chris replied giving an intense look at fake Claire.

They left the cafe few minutes later, joking about people addressing at them as boyfriend and girlfriend and about themselves going along with it playfully.

By then after all, they had been spending most of their time pretending to be someone else and, although they could have easily revealed they were simply brother and sister, that small play, those personas behind which they were hiding, seemed to amuse them a lot.

It was a fun as nobody imposed them to do it. Behaving as a couple of young sweethearts was just amusing and innocent, as lying this time had no potentially dangerous consequences on their respective lives.

That's what they thought at least.

They kept playing the couple game even when later on, as they spotted a grand piano in the middle of the big hall, real Claire decided she wanted to play it. "I want to try out your singing voice, Chris! I haven't done it yet and, frankly, I don't know why!" She said.

She started playing Your song by Elton John, with a hoarse, deep, warm voice. She sang sweetly, her brother right next to her caressing her short hair and exchanging soft smiles. And soon a small crowd formed around the piano, clapping loudly as the song ended.

In the middle of that crowd, they felt free.

They weren't Chris nor Claire. Their genders weren't fucked up, their minds weren't an anxious mess, nobody would've spotted a change in their demeanour and they didn't have to lie. They could be whoever they liked. A whatever character, with whatever story and, between a thousand options, the one of the young lovers seemed to put them at ease: they could express and ask all the affection they needed without arousing any suspicion. Differently, if they were at school, such a sweet, fond, intimate behaviour would have caused more than a single eyebrow to raise.

They had fallen into a paradox: lying was the way to feel their true selves again.

They went home eventually and spent the rest of the day doing their homework and tiding up their rooms. The Arklay City parenthesis might have been over, but not their couple playing.

That night, when they both were already in their beds but still awake, they started texting.

And there started a dangerous game. A most dangerous one.

Chris: u asleep?

Claire: no, not yet

Chris: can't sleep?

Claire: not really...

Chris: why is my girlfriend not sleeping?

Claire: girlfriend? I am the boy! This means U are the girlfriend!

Chris: yup I know. But my fingers refused to write that (laughter emoji)

Claire: you're such a dork!

Chris: (heart)

Claire: btw why you awake too though?

Chris: I had a thing to take care of (smirk)

Claire knew exactly what that thing meant. Having been a boy for the last few days had taught her many boys' common saying and code words.

Claire: you jerked off! (laughter)

Chris: (wink)

Claire: Shit! Can't believe my girlfriend did it without me!

Chris: please don't call me like that! At least by you... I'd like to be considered a man.

Claire: ok. Sorry bro...

Claire: I CAN'T BELIEVE MY BOYFRIEND DID IT WITHOUT ME!

Claire: …better?

Chris: yep!

Claire: btw... you must have been pretty horny Chris... we went to bed like 15 minutes ago! (Laughter)

Chris: I needed that.

Claire: where did you do that? Did you even manage to at least hit the bed or you came just as you closed the door? (a whole line of laughter)

Chris: ha ha ha... not funny! I did it in the closet. As always u.u

Claire: in the closet? Why is my boyfriend whacking himself in the closet? (Smirk)

Chris: there's a hot body waiting for me there (wink and heart shaped eyes)

Claire: are you cheating on me?! (Laughter)

Chris: I would never cheat on you honey (heart)

Claire: then whose the body in the closet uh? Do I have to kill anyone? (Smirk and laughter)

Chris: ooh it's a real sexy one. It always does anything I want... (waterdrops)

As his sister didn't reply for a few minutes, he texted again.

Chris: Claire? Hellooooo is my girl still there?

Claire: she is

Chris: hope I didn't wake you honey (hearts)

Claire: no worries, I wasn't sleeping (many smirks)

Chris: ?

Claire: I have to... take care of a thing

Chris: oh (astonishment)…

Chris: you need a hand? (Smirk)

Claire: no thx... these ones here are enough big... and expert (fire)

Chris: wait. You texting me while jerking off with the other hand?

Claire: oooh yeeeeaaaaaaah

Chris: that's my girl! (Heart)

Chris: you watching porn or something? I can suggest you a good website

Claire: naaaah... I don't need it. I have my six pack here doing the trick

Chris: beware! that might make you come faster (smirk)

Claire: this dick doesn't come fast even if its life would depend on it!

Chris: I know. I'd always take at least 20 minutes to come. Now you know why I workout my arms that hard... Or why my showers are so long (laughter and... eggplant)

The chat went silent again. After a while he heard the Man's Cave door open, blurred steps pass in front of his and the bathroom one close quietly. He knew his sister had finished. When he heard the footsteps going back to the room and the door closing, he started texting again.

Chris: you stained another shirt?

Claire: no... I came in my hand this time.

Chris: good to know you went washing hands then and not throwing away my poor shirts... (laughter)

Claire: yep! Why? Don't you wash yours right after having played with my vagina?

Chris: no. I actually lick my fingers

Claire: ew... gross! (Laughter)

Chris: oh, come on... if only you knew how good you taste

Claire: how do I taste?

Chris: like the honey you are (heart)

Claire: (heart)

Chris: Btw you were pretty fast though (smirk)

Claire: yep... that idiot of my boyfriend started teasing me about male physique

Chris: such a bad guy

Claire: yeah... kind of... but you know... I love him so...

Chris: (hearts) I love you too honey

Claire: (heart)

Chris: do you feel better?

Claire: I do. It was awesome! You always make me feel better, thank you

Chris: my pleasure (heart)

Claire: next time you'll be masturbating to my reflection in the closet, text me so I can "return" the pleasure

Chris: (laughter) you have no idea how much pleasure should "I" return you instead (wink)

Claire: I'm just glad I'd make you feel better too. You deserve it.

Chris: (hearts) I think we better sleep, hard day ahead. I'm sure you'll sleep tight now honey...

Claire: yeah... I'm soooo sleepy now (zzz)

Chris: goodnight sweetheart

Claire: goodnight honey (heart)

They had kept playing that sick game all along, thinking it was just an innocent way to sweep off all the pains from their wrecked lives. The fact that they were doing it through the screens of their smartphones and through a face and a body that weren't theirs only made it easier, like wearing a mask, a mask that made them feel free to say or do whatever they wanted. Their lives had become a living Carnival, made of dissolute attitudes and debauched talks.

Inside they were hurting badly and hurting every day. That not so innocent chatting was an escape route to them and way to procrastinate their sleeping but they ignored the sign that they were crossing a line they ought not to cross.

They weren't anymore two siblings getting over nudity issues or taking pleasure from bodies that weren't their own in the secrecy of their rooms, they were becoming far too intimate even for the condition they were in.

What they ignored was that they were just nourishing hot embers smouldering under an always lesser thick layer of ashes. A huge fire would soon run over them and burn them to the bone.

They both fell asleep, naively - and also a bit purposefully - ignoring that not only they had dirtily flirted, but also that they had both admitted implicitly that they were being aroused by each other.

Do you see how fast we are running towards the incestfield? The second week has just ended and they're getting pretty nasty, aren't they?

P.S. no Leon Kennedy has been harmed while writing it.

Or, at least, I hope so.