The Game

Alice sat in silence, staring at a single spot, and from the outside it looked like someone had just switched her off, like a breaker had cut the connection between her mind and body. But that wasn’t the case at all. In front of her eyes, like scenes from an old film reel, flashed moments from that time, from that damn Game, where she lost everything—including herself.

"Next participant, please step forward."

The words of the game’s curator, frozen in a white lab coat with a black mask on his face, echoed through her head. Back then, she—he, Travis Milton—was standing in line among the other participants, stunned, already broken, especially after pulling the pink ticket from the box. The moment that changed Travis’s life forever. The moment fate decided there would be no more Travis, the 35-year-old failed businessman, and instead there would be... an 18-year-old girl, who went through two more rounds of the Game after that and through things she was too afraid to even think about now, let alone remember... Dirty rich perverts, watchers, clients. They got real pleasure from watching it all.

‘Why the hell am I even thinking about this, dumbass…’ — she thought to herself, snapping back to the present.

Somewhere in the next room, there was a sound—male footsteps, steady, a little nervous. It was her husband, Tom. She knew he was angry. His voice came through with dull irritation:

— Alice, you don’t even want to talk about this properly? It’s just a club. No risks, no commitments.

Alice slowly raised her eyes, scanning his body from bottom to top like a machine. Ten years had passed since that damned Game. She tried not to think about it, not to regret anything, convincing herself it could be her second chance. Maybe not the one she had dreamed of, but still—a chance to fix all the asshole things Travis had done that ruined lives even before the Game, and whose greed led him to total collapse—financial, moral, human. Alice sighed.

— Tom... Tom, please, — she whispered, not even looking at him but through him — Stay with me...

— Oh for God’s sake, babe, what is this nonsense! Can you stop making a tragedy out of nothing already, — Tom said with clear annoyance, but beneath his words rang the loud echo of exhaustion. He stepped closer, placed his hands on her shoulders, and muttered through clenched teeth, — I’ll be gone for a couple of days. I promise, when I’m back, I’ll deal with all the debts and we can even...

He stopped mid-sentence when he caught her sharp look—not angry, not broken, but almost desperate, full of pain he didn’t know anything about. Tom went quiet, like the air had suddenly vanished from the room, and he felt like he wasn’t standing beside his wife, but staring into a void he never truly understood.

— You’re not coming back, Tom... — Alice’s voice was quiet, but it carried the tension of a stretched wire.

— Jesus, Alice! I knew I shouldn’t have said anything! You know what? — he stepped closer, grabbing her hand — I. I was joking, okay? It was just a dumb joke. There’s no invitation, no Game, nothing. I just binge-watched “Squid Game” and thought I’d mess with my sweet wife. I’m just going away on a short business trip.

Alice looked at him silently. Her lashes trembled, but not from tears. She slowly pulled her hand away—not sharply, not in anger, but like the life had just been drained from her.

— You’re not good at lying, Tom, — Alice whispered, never breaking eye contact. — Especially to me.

He tried to smile, but his grin twisted awkwardly, like a broken mask.

— It’s just a fucking piece of paper, — he muttered, — some asshole slipped it under the wiper in the parking lot, with a dumbass emblem on it. I just... — he exhaled sharply. — I didn’t know you’d react like THAT.

— In the parking lot... you're lying again, — she said slowly, deliberately, then turned to him and added, — You're not going anywhere, Tom. I’m not letting you.

— What the fuck is this? — Tom raised his eyebrows sharply, like he couldn’t believe those words just came out of his own wife’s mouth. — You’re saying this to me? You? — He stepped forward, looking down at her. — Since when do you get to decide where I can or can’t go?

— Because I... — she began, but the words got stuck in her throat like a lump. She swallowed hard, blinked, trying to stop the trembling in her body. Tom froze, staring at her with a mix of worry and suspicion.

— Because I... already lost one man to this fucked-up Game, — she finally exhaled, and her voice had something broken in it, something no one could fake.

Tom frowned, cautiously stepping back half a step:

— What are you talking about?.. What man?

Alice shook her head:

— Doesn’t matter. Just believe me... I know how this ends. I know more than you could ever imagine.

— Alice, — he stepped toward her again, softer this time. — I’ve known you for 10 years. We've been together for almost 8. And those first two years, I remember, you weren’t seeing anyone. You barely talked to people. What other damn man are you talking about?

She stayed silent. Her chest tightened like her heart was trying to break through her ribs. That same thought came again and again: ‘Tell him the truth.’ But every time, it crashed into a wall. If she told him—he’d either leave or… or what? What else? She could lose the only person who stayed with her after all the shit, the one who gave her hope again. God, it was a choice without a choice.

— I’m talking about me, Tom! — she snapped, and her eyes flew open wide like shutters caught in a gust, her hand covering her mouth. The word that slipped out against her will hung in the air like a scream in complete silence.

Tom froze. His face went pale, eyes locking onto hers with pure confusion.

— What… did you just say?

Alice turned away. Her lips trembled. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders like she was trying to hold herself together.

— Forget it. That’s not what I meant. Just... — her voice cracked, and she fell silent, feeling her throat tighten.

— No, no, wait! — Tom stepped closer. — “About you”? What… What the hell does that mean? Alice, you’re scaring me.

She didn’t answer. Just stared out the window. Then, clenching her fists, she breathed out:

— I went through it. I was there, in the Game.

Tom lowered his hands. His eyes turned slow and sharp, like someone who just realized they’d been standing at the edge of a cliff—and took a step forward.

— Are you saying... you were in that club?.. In those Games?

She nodded. Slowly. Like a sentence being passed.

— Back then... ten years ago. I was... I was someone else. My name was Travis. Travis Milton.

Tom dropped to the floor like someone had punched him in the chest.

— That... that’s insane. Alice, stop. This isn’t funny. It’s not even a joke, it’s...

— Look at me, — she said, sitting down across from him. — Remember how I never talked about my past? Remember how I avoided old photos, how I’d start shaking from certain movies? Remember how I freaked out even when someone just mentioned the word “game”?

Tom stared at her, unblinking.

— But... you’re a woman. You’ve always been...

— No, — she cut him off, almost breaking. — I became a woman. There. After one of the Games. It was the third stage. And you know what? That wasn’t even the worst one.

Silence dragged on. Tom stared into her eyes, like he was searching for even a drop of a lie. But all he found was the truth—terrifying, ugly, and... far too real.

— No... no-no-no. That’s not possible. You have periods, you even had an abortion—Jesus, Alice, stop talking this bullshit! — Tom jumped up from the floor like the room had suddenly become unbearably tight. His voice was trembling, thick with fear, almost panic. — You’re just... you’ve lost your mind. Or... is this a nervous breakdown? Yeah, it’s the debts. That’s all this is. You just need to rest.

Alice smirked, looking off to the side like she was seeing her own shadow through the glass—a tall, confident figure with a cigarette in hand, convinced the whole world was on its knees for him. That shadow had died ten years ago.

— Are you fucking laughing? — Tom stood with clenched fists, like he couldn’t decide whether to punch her or the air. — This is insane, Alice. I don’t even know why the hell you made all this up.

— I didn’t make it up, — she said quietly, but clearly. — I’m telling you the truth, even if you run from it like it’s fire.

— The truth?! — he laughed harshly, almost cracking — You’re telling me you used to be a guy? You? With boobs, with periods, with... fuck, you’re... you’re a real woman! This is biology, for fuck’s sake, not a damn Halloween costume!

— Biology’s not an obstacle when you’re in the hands of people with unlimited money, — her voice didn’t even flinch. — A capsule. Internal DNA rewriting. Full body replacement. They needed it all to look and work perfectly. They were the ones watching. They were the ones paying.

— Shut up! — he yelled, then instantly recoiled, as if his own voice scared him. — You... You’ve gone fucking crazy. It’s the debt. The stress. Alice, you’re not in your right mind.

— I know exactly how you feel about all this, — she said softly, like she didn’t even notice his rage. — And that’s exactly why I kept silent. Because if I had told you—you would’ve left.

— Because it’s impossible! — he stepped right up to her, staring her dead in the eyes. — You remember how many hormonal tests you’ve done? How the doctor said your estradiol levels were normal—for any woman? You don’t just look like a woman, you ARE a woman. A fucking woman!

— Now imagine how it felt for me to live in this body. When you kissed my shoulder in the morning. When I had to buy a bra. When I had to use a tampon for the first time. Imagine what it’s like... not being born this way—but waking up this way. That’s why I was so closed off. That’s why I couldn’t bring myself to be with you for so long.

Tom was silent. Like the ground beneath him had turned to liquid. He started pacing the room like a caged animal, grabbed a bottle of water off the table—but didn’t open it. Just squeezed it so hard it nearly burst.

— That’s it. Enough! I’m done with this. Tomorrow I’m— — he stopped when he saw the look on her face — no, I’m leaving right now for that gam... for the business trip, Alice, the business trip, and then we’ll talk again about this! I can’t talk to you right now! Take a fucking sedative!

— Tom... — she started, but he had already grabbed his jacket.

— Enough! — he snapped without looking back, slamming the door so hard the window panes rattled.

His footsteps hit the hallway floor, and then everything went silent. A minute later, the sound of a car engine came from outside.

Alice stood in the middle of the room, clutching her hands to her breasts like that could somehow stop the burning emptiness inside. She slowly walked to the window and saw the headlights of his car disappearing around the corner.

— God, Tom, you’re such an idiot... — she whispered, feeling her eyes welling up, a single tear already tracing its way down her cheek. Tom reminded her too much of Travis—maybe that’s why she fell for him in the first place.