Look for my uncle

Once I'm dressed, I take my backpack, stashed with some items including my new DIP Card, and leave the room. I make a plan to present my female self and identity to him to save him the trouble of finding out for himself. It also gives me the chances to explore the house without any hindrance of family. I do have to watch for my cousin Roxanne. Since she is on my late aunt's side of the family, I don't really recall any time I've interacted with her male persona. The fact they had recognized me upon my entrance was a surprise to me. Hopefully she stays near the pool for the time being, until I find my uncle.

The third floor has but two rooms, one of which I'm residing in. The other does have a view of the pool and also has a more obstructed view of the surrounding landscape. I smile to myself knowing I chose the better option. I descend down the stairs to the second floor, which in a fan-shaped layout, has the most bedrooms. All of the doors are open except for one. Behind the closed door, I can hear music playing. I wonder if this is the room my cousin Roxanne chose. And I also wonder how long she's been here. When did she arrive? And how long is she staying?

I descend to the first floor, having found no sign of my uncle on the second. I check the kitchen again and then the adjoining living room. I explore and find a den, a sort of entertainment center complete with a large flat-screen TV. The room sports no windows that may bring unwanted natural light. And again, my Uncle Nathan is not here.

I venture outside, finding the neglected courtyard once more. In the driveway there is a trio of cars, one of which, the Tesla Roadster, is the one used by my uncle. Does that mean the other two belong to my late aunt and my cousin respectively? I explore the grounds, discovering that the property itself is set upon the incline of a hill. The house sits at the very center of the property and the driveway snakes it way down in a winding pattern, down to the foot, where the gate sits. I wonder if my uncle could be at the summit of this hill.

I make my way up, past the pool house, and walk along a stone path that eventually leads up to a round clearing. In the middle of this space is a gazebo, with a 360-degree view of the surrounding landscape. Seated in the gazebo is none other than my uncle, though he is not alone. There is no mistaking the blonde hair of the person sitting next to him, as he sits looking at a rising sun.

My uncle stands upon hearing my footsteps and turns. He is surprised for a split second, but knowing that it's actually his nephew Charles in female form, his expression hardens. I'm not sure if my approach is welcome or not, so I cautiously step forward, entering the gazebo.

“Well, shit. The damn copycat's here,” Roxanne comments. I ignore her and step up to my uncle.

“Now what do I call you?” he asks. I present him my DIP Card from out of my backpack. He looks at it and studies it, as if to memorize everything recorded on it. “Charlene. And in my understanding, this is the name you chose?”

“Yes Sir,” I say.

“Did you get one too?” my uncle asks Roxanne.

“Of course, I did,” she says, though in a stuck-up manner. If I didn't have Uncle Nathan's patience, I would slap the shit out of her. Her insensitivity makes me think she has a Bimbo Flavored X-Change pill within her and not just a regular Basic.

My uncle doesn't react to Roxanne's whining and hands me back my DIP Card. Seeing my backpack, he asks, “Are you going somewhere?”

“I went to look for you. Now that I found you, I think I'm going to go explore the property,” I tell him.

“Okay, but be careful,” he says. I turn on my heel and go back the way I came, down the winding path lined with stone. At the bottom of the path, I'm about to go back towards the house, when I spot a grouping of shorter trees. I approach and examine them, finding them to be a natural orchard of peach and plum trees. I'm drawn to the color and the hanging fruit, some of which are in my reach. I pull one of each to harvest and squeeze them, to confirm their ripeness.

“I'm no expert, but I think those are ripe enough to eat,” the voice of my uncle says behind me. I turn and see him standing near another tree picking a fruit himself. “I can't help but think that you have some inside information. Like has your mother told you anything?”

“Mostly about you. She taught me to see past what may be superficially... how should I say... daunting,” I explain, to which he chuckles.

My uncle smiles at that, telling me without words that he has heard that before. “Always the observant one, my little sister. And I take it you're observant too?” he asks.

“I try to be,” I say. He closes the distance between us.

“But your mom hasn't told you anything regarding your Aunt Lena, has she?” he asks. “Like how she hated the pool and how she loved stone fruits, like peaches and plums.”

“I wasn't told anything of the sort. I only came here for a change of scenery. And maybe for a snack,” I tell him plainly and honestly

He laughs and backs away from me. “Right, right. I'm sorry. I guess it was only coincidence,” he says, keeping his distance, though staying in earshot. “So, this pill that you took to transform yourself. Is it the same one that your cousin Roxanne took?”

“I hope not. There are Basics, which last for 24 hours, and there are pills called X-tra Strength, which last for 30 days. I took the X-tra Strength pill,” I explain, taking a seat against an incline with a tree acting as my backrest.

“So, you're like this for a whole month. That's a rather big commitment, if you ask me. You don't have much convenience in regards to time,” he points out while taking a seat near me.

I take a big bite out of the peach and since it's not soft to the touch, yet has a reddish skin across it, I have to rip out the flesh with my teeth.

“How is it, the peach?” he asks.

“Crunchy,” I say as I digest the hard chunk of peach already in my mouth.

“Might need to keep those out after we harvest any,” he mentions.

“Uncle Nathan?! Where are you!” the voice of the Roxanne is clearly heard, cutting the natural sounds of the outdoors.

My uncle gasps and I can see a slight expression of dread as he gets to his feet. “That is my cue to leave. If you'd like, harvest some of these peaches and leave them out. Once their soft enough, we can make some pie,” he says and turns for the house. I get up and open my backpack, using it as a receptacle to contain peaches that I pull off the tree. When I'm finished with my harvest, I zip up my bag and turn towards the house. I spot my uncle looking through the window and see what looks like a smile on his face. It's not a very big smile and not out of happiness. It's more like it's gladness, relief from something weighing him down.

When I return to the house and here the unmistakable voice of Roxanne coming from the living room. I put down my backpack in the kitchen and follow the sounds to find my uncle, seated on a couch and my cousin on his lap, kissing up and down his neck. For the entire time, I notice my uncle resisting her advances and even preventing her from putting her lips on his.

When he sees me approach, he effortlessly removes her from his lap and gets to his feet. Roxanne comes up from behind and tries to resume her blind lovemaking, but my uncle rebuffs any further advances. “I can assume that you two came here for the very same thing, just in different versions. I'll give you a chance to show me what you plan to achieve, but will you let me show you two a secret of mine? This secret I shared with your late Aunt Lena,” my uncle explains. We both nod.