The same officer came back to get them, looking very smug. He seemed to know exactly who Tiffany was, and what had just happened. Then again, he would’ve had to. The Tournament would never have been able to function properly for so long without the full cooperation of law enforcement. 

“You both have some individual visitors, too,” he said, and approached Caleb, uncuffing him from the table and forcing him to stand up.

“Hey! Where do you think you’re taking him, asshole?” Mason yelled. He tried to stand as well but his own handcuffs stopped him, preventing him from getting too far from the table.

The officer laughed at him. “Watch who you talk to that way, Blair.”

Mason made an angry noise and seemed to want to try again, but before he could Caleb approached him and grabbed his arm with his cuffed hands.

“Mason,” Caleb warned. His voice was barely audible. “Please, behave. For once.”

There were a few tense seconds, but finally Mason relented and sat back down.

The officer scowled at them and yanked Caleb away from him, attempting to regain control of the situation. “Come on, Suwanrat.”

Caleb finally looked away from Mason and nodded at the officer, who led him out of the room.

Mason was left alone. It was probably only for a handful of minutes, but with no way to tell time in the little interrogation room, he couldn’t know for sure. He couldn’t even slouch comfortably in his seat, the cuffs kept his arms in front of him on the table where they were visible. He wished they’d at least given him a magazine. 

Finally, the door opened, and Mason straightened up. A nervous Melanie poked her head in, looked around and quickly spotted Mason.

“Oh, thank god!” She shouted and rushed over. She obviously wanted to give him a hug, but thanks to the cuffs could really only wrap her arms around his neck awkwardly. They made do. 

She let go of him when he started frantically tapping the table, indicating he couldn’t breathe, and went to her side of the table and sat down. Reaching over the cold metal surface, she takes both of Mason’s hands.

“I was so worried.” She was visibly exhausted, her eyes drooping like she could fall asleep at any moment, and her short hair was hidden under a hat instead of styled like it normally was. She was even wearing one of Mason’s hoodies, so big on her it went all the way to her mid-thigh.

“Mel…” Mason felt sick to his stomach.

“What is it? You’re freaking me out.” Melanie scrunched her eyebrows up, searched his face with laser focus like she always did. He tried his best to avoid eye contact.

“Mel, we’re facing twenty to life.”

Her grip on his hands suddenly became painful as she squeezed them and closed her eyes. She took a shaky breath. Mason could tell she was thinking.

When Melanie opened her eyes again, she looked determined. “Okay, well, we have Caleb, right? Maybe he can pull some strings with his family and get us out of this.”

Mason frowned. “He’s not on good terms with them. And you know how much he hates the idea of people using their wealth to avoid consequences. You’d be asking him to betray his values.”

“Fuck his values, this is life or death.” Melanie rolled her eyes. “He would really rather be in prison for the rest of his life than have a bruised ego because he had to ask for help?”

Mason sighed. “It’s more complicated than that and you know it. And that entire plan is based on the assumption that his family would even help us. All I’m trying to say is I wouldn’t count on them pulling through for us. At best, they’ll bail him out and ignore me. He’d hate it and fight it every step of the way, but what can he do? He can’t make them do anything.”

Melanie nodded, the determination drained from her face. 

“So what do we do?” She asked, quietly.

Mason looked down, thinking. He was pale and restless, swiping his thumbs over Melanie’s knuckles idly. He was glad she was here. She always kept him grounded.

“Mel… there is something else,” he said, hesitant.

Melanie sat up, looking alarmed. “What, what is it?”

“Earlier, before you got here, a woman named Tiffany came and visited me and Caleb. She gave us… an opportunity.”

“What sort of opportunity?” Melanie asked. Her brown eyes were intense, alarmed and suspicious.

Mason remained quiet for a second, staring at the table.

“Mason, come on. You’re freaking me out, what is it?”

Mason took a deep breath and finally spoke. “Mel… Caleb and I have been scouted. For the Tournament.”

Melanie’s eyes went wide and her breathing became shaky. Mason felt terrible.

“No, fuck no, don’t you dare,” she choked out.

Mason shook his head. “We should at least think about it… If I go in and win I get my freedom. We need to consider it as a real option.”

Melanie looked terrified. “But you won’t win, Mason. The chances are so, so slim. You know this.”

She squeezed his hands, staring at him and trying to make eye contact. He avoided her eyes, stubbornly focusing his gaze on a scratch on the table in front of him.

“Please, please don’t do this. I need you alive,” she whispered.

Mason nodded, but kept his eyes down.

“Mason. I need you to promise.” She was squeezing his hand so hard it was hurting him. She could be very strong when she wanted to be, in more ways than one. And that strength was why Mason knew she would be okay, even without him. That he was making the right decision. He hoped she would forgive him someday, even if he wasn’t around to see it.

He put on his most comforting smile and lied through his teeth. “Okay Mel, I promise.”

-

In the next room over, it was dead silent. It was a similar room, if somewhat smaller. One of the fluorescent lights on the ceiling was flickering. Caleb was sitting up straight, staring coldly at the man across the table from him. The man stared back. They’d been like this for a while now, neither one of them wanting to be the one who gave in and broke the stalemate. Caleb knew it wouldn’t be him. The man seemed to realize this as well, and finally cleared his throat and broke eye contact, looking down at his hands as he folded them on top of the table between them. 

The man was trying not to look it, but Caleb knew he was intimidated. He managed not to smile, but the satisfaction made it hard to resist.

“So they sent you?” Now that the standoff was over and he’d shown the man who was in charge, Caleb felt comfortable speaking first, voice low and monotone.

It wasn’t a question.

The man squirmed, but didn’t speak immediately. The two of them knew each other, of course. His name was Mr. Benson, and he had been an employee of the Suwanrat family for a very long time, and had literally watched Caleb grow up. 

This was a situation they’d found themselves in many times before. This exact conversation had become almost like a dance they did, both of them hitting all the beats perfectly after years of practice.

“Yes, sir. Both your parents and brother are quite busy at the moment–,” Mr. Benson started to say, but Caleb cut him off before he could finish. He’d rather just get to the point this time.

“I don’t care.”

Mr. Benson opened and closed his mouth, looking like a goldfish.

“It’s quite obvious why they sent you. Just say it and go,” Caleb said, leaning back in his chair, as far as the handcuffs linking him to the table would allow.

Mr. Benson cleared his throat, nervous. Caleb’s interruption was unprecedented in their previous conversations and this break in their routine had thrown him off. His eyebrow twitched. “Yes, well. Your family is quite disappointed in your actions and–”

Caleb interrupted him again, sounding bored. “I thought I made it clear that I didn’t care.”

The man stopped, took a deep breath. He composed himself and started again. “They believe you should face the consequences of your actions. They will not be coming to your aid this time–”

“‘This time.’ As if they’ve ever made a habit of helping me with anything.” Caleb rolled his eyes.

Mr. Benson frowned. “Now that’s a little unfair–”

“Did I ask you?” Caleb asked sharply.

The man’s mouth snapped shut. Caleb had never spoken to him like this before, and he honestly didn’t know what to do.

“No, sir,” he answered meekly.

“That will be all?” Caleb said.

Again, it wasn’t a question. Caleb knew he had won, and was ending things.

“Yes, sir.” Mr. Benson nodded, and stood up, lingering for a moment to straighten out his tie. He still looked surprised but now there was also a tinge of sadness in his eyes.

In truth, they’d both known this was how it would end from the very beginning, from the very first time the Suwanrats had sent him to attend one of Caleb’s piano recitals in their stead. They both knew that someday, Caleb would leave and never come back. And they both knew it wasn’t Mr. Benson that Caleb was trying to hurt.

He made his way over to the door and opened it, but paused and looked back at Caleb before he exited. He looked regretful.

Their eyes met, and finally Caleb’s icy demeanor cracked. He gave the man a small reassuring smile and mouthed two words at him. It’s okay.

For a moment, Mr. Benson could see the Caleb of thirteen years ago, looking so small as he stood in the hallway after his recital, looking for his parents. He’d hardly known the kid and had been put in the awkward position of explaining to him that Mr. and Mrs. Suwanrat had been too busy to make it to the show. But to his surprise, little Caleb had just smiled sadly at him, and said those same two words. It’s okay.

He’d just nodded at him, the same as he was doing now. He didn’t know what else he could do. 

Mr. Benson left, and the door softly clicked closed. The room returned to silence, but it was a different, even colder one than before.