At the mention of her name, I watched as Noah's whole stature shifted, the typing coming to a halt and silence filling the room. He looked nervous, frightened to turn around. There were a few moments where I could feel myself struggling to breathe, not expecting for him to just jump into it like that.

Scott, however, stood with such confidence it scared me. His eyes were burning with that hunger, that curiosity, and my heart was beating faster with every passing second. Anticipation and fear for what was to surely follow. 

"What..." Noah turned around, his body shaking and eyes darting around the room. Scott smiled, one of those smiles only the devil could wear. He so effortlessly moved around the table to the center of the room. Noah shook his head, fear swallowing him, "I don't know what..."

"Let's skip the small talk, I've never been a big fan of it," Scott said, almost as if he was having a casual conversation. I found myself standing, although I didn't hold myself with the same collection that he did. Noah's eyes darted between us before Scott continued, "I suppose you may call this a form of blackmail, in a sense. Your help in exchange for Alice's secret to remain just that. We want to alter the system, a switch of partners. It seems you already have experience in that regard,"

"What the fuck do you think you two are doing?" his voice was strained, terrified, and pulled in every direction from a mixture of horror, grief, and panic. He was in shock, unable to process what was happening. But Scott just stood there, a slight smirk on his face as Noah stammered, "Do you realize what you're doing?"

"I know exactly what I'm doing," the way he spoke was cold, collected, those eyes piercing through Noah as he sat there shaking. Scott took another step closer, deliberate and commanding, "We don't want another dead man on our hands, do we?"

I was starting to wonder if Scott was taking this too far.

"You're a fucking idiot!" Noah cried, his bony frame struggling to hold his weight, and when he stood, his knees threatened to buckle beneath him. He threw a chair between Scott and him, a loud clattering echoing around the room. But Scott didn't react, not even flinching. Noah stepped backward, "I'll get you both killed. You're crazy!"

"On the contrary," Scott spoke with such calmness it was unnerving. When he took another step forward, I found myself slightly scared of what was going to happen. His voice was low and calculated, and although I wasn't involved, I couldn't help but take a shaky step back, "Tell anyone and you'll be the one digging your own grave. To them, to anyone, you will be a rambling madman, prostrated with grief. Devastated by his own daughter becoming a Lower, traumatized from the death of your own co-worker. You're so unstable you even managed to land me, your own co-worker in hospital,"

Scott took another step forward, his voice almost mocking in tone. Noah was being backed against the wall, his hands desperately trying to hold himself against the plaster as he shook violating. Scott's steps echoed around the room, a sense of radiating power from him. It was eerie, unnatural, and the room had become so much smaller.

"Your recent files already show you're distressed," Scott said carefully, another step forward. At this point, he was unrecognizable, having taken control of the entire room, "They'll see you targeting two children, an insane man without reason with unbacked accusations. Evan won't take your side, not after you threatened his daughter, you'll find that his forgiveness will not come quickly. Alice is no help as admitting her true identity will be the death of you both. Checkmate Noah Williams, the game is over, and I am afraid there are no more available moves you can make..."

Scott was spinning a story like a spider with its web, intertwining and weaving the threads of the narrative until it fit what he desired. He was playing the game as if he were not a king in chess, but a queen, able to make any moved he wished.

And to him, everyone was simply a pawn.

"What the..." Noah was crying, crumbling against the back wall as his body clung to the smooth plaster, "What the fuck..."

"Apologies, did I stutter?" Scott smirked, his eyes burning deeper, "You're not entirely necessary of course, however given the consequences of such an objective, I would rather stay as safe as possible... do you understand?"

I took a step closer, wondering what was happening, fearful of the worst and terrified of where it was going. Scott didn't even seem to notice, as if his only focus was locked onto his target. Each step I took felt as though I was crossing an invisible line sealing my fate.

"I asked if you understand?" Scott said it again, but this time, each letter was articulated to precision. I stayed back, wondering if this was already getting out of hand. Scott scowled, adjusting his glasses, "Defend yourself, say something!"

"Rebecca..." Noah's voice caught me off guard, his gaze darting to me. Scott seemed to be taken from his fixation, glancing at me for annoyance as if I had interrupted him. Seeing this sudden shift in power Scott held, I took another step back, fearful of what he might say to me. Noah continued, "See reason Rebecca... please... you-you're making a mistake..."

"I'm sorry..." It felt like a whisper when I heard myself say it, and when I spoke, I feared that I might break down into tears. This was too risky, too forward, too much for just this. And what scared me, even more, was the fact that I could no longer turn back, as simply the act of planning would be punishable by death. I shook my head, pushing back tears, "I... I'm with him..."

"Please..." Noah had collapsed to the ground now, his eyes red and cheeks tear-stained. His hands were shaking, and I couldn't help but sympathize, couldn't help but feel empathetic.

What were we doing?

Scott said that Noah was unnecessary, then why were we here? Noah was still young, young enough to have a life. And after the torment, he surely was on the verge of collapse. Yet here we were, interrogating him, blackmailing him using something which he likely already knew was risky.

I couldn't help but imagine what it was like to be Noah for a moment.

The shy and quiet boy thrown into the world of computer technology just like I was. Not knowing anything, your whole life is flipped on its head and having to adapt whilst staying out of trouble. You have a mentor who you look up to, a friend who you can confide in.

A friend who brought you out of your comfort zone, made you feel safe, allowed you to see the world as not just something against you. A friend who could make you smile and feel safe even when it seemed nothing else could.

And I knew what it was like to have a friend like that disappear.

Jordan wasn't entirely gone though, but from my interactions with her, she was far behind. She probably hadn't seen them in years. Noah had had a child, and given his age, he would have probably had her fairly young. And just knowing what he risked to save her, he loved her. He risked everything to give her a second chance.

Then, his mentor died. Someone he loved, and although I wasn't certain, at least Noah seemed to be placing the blame onto Evan. Noah had been a mess, a ruin, and the past few days he had been rapidly deteriorating into a husk of a man. He was crumbling.

And here we were, threatening Alice. He had put everything on the line for her, and here we were, threatening to ruin it.

It was clear Noah wanted to fight, wanted to lunge at Scott as he had once done at Evan. But he couldn't, he could hardly even help himself to stand. Scott could see that and was clearly using that to his advantage. He took another step closer, stepping over the fallen chair, looking down at Noah as he sobbed on the floor.

"I..." Noah tried to speak, tried to say something, but it was clear he was beyond defending himself. As he stammered, I saw Scott smile, a sickening smile. Was he enjoying this?

"This is a coward's way of losing," Scott's words were harsh, too harsh, and unneeded despotic tone given how broken Noah already was. Scott shook his head as if he were a disapproving parent, a demeaning tone, "I suppose that means conformation of your submission, correct? You're not even going to try and stop me? After all the effort you put into keeping Alice a secret..."

"Just leave her out of it!" Noah wailed, looking up to Scott, pleading, desperation clinging to every syllable. Guilt swarmed me more, a sense of evil. As if I were not the hero, but the villain itself. An illusion now fading to show myself as the antagonist of Noah's tragic story.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Scott said, the devils smile dancing on his expression, his eyes ignited with power. I took an uncertain step forward, causing Scott to glance back at me sharply. My breath caught in my throat as he said, "We're done here,"

Scott calmly walked over to the folders on the table, taking a page from one of them and delicately folding it in half before placing it in his pocket. There was a pause, his movements slow and deliberate. His eyes drifted to the rest of the paper work, looking at each word carefully.

For a moment, I thought he was going to pick them up. But then, he grabbed onto the edge of the folder, before violently throwing it into the air. It unfolded, pages swarming the empty space, before he grabbed another after another. 

I jumped as pages flew into the sky, mirroring the ones from earlier. But there were so many more, hundreds on hundreds of files needed to be filled. And without precision, without cause, without reasoning behind it, Scott had caused a chaos of papers. 

But these papers weren't dancing.

They were colliding into one another, as if they themselves were torn on where to fall, what place to land. The tiniest words lost in the sea of white, the devil sending an unsolvable puzzle, a sea of papers.

"Pick these up," Scott's cold words were directed to Noah. He slowly turned around, the last of the papers settling. Noah looked to me as if pleading for help, but I just stood there, already far deeper than I should have been. Scott scowled, "I said to pick them up, Noah Williams!"

"This is unnecessary..." I stammered, taking a step closer. But the moment I did, and Scott looked at me, I felt like shattering into tiny pieces. Those burning eyes scared me more than anything. I wanted to run, wanted to hide.

I had made a mistake. And I had no more moves left to make.