The Will To

T W E N T Y - T H R E E (zaatar's)

Thanksgiving Break was quickly approaching. I was scheduled to leave for home tomorrow afternoon, and though I was excited to see my family, I wasn't excited to spend an entire day with my dad's new wife and the stepbrothers I'd barely met. He'd called me a few weeks ago to extend the invitation, declaring that I'd spent last Thanksgiving with my mom's family the previous year. I wanted to argue that I was above the age of switching for holidays but held my tongue; it'd been a long time since I'd seen my dad.

My mom had been understanding. Her only request was that I figure out a way to steal an entire pie (my dad's new wife, Essie, was a baker)and bring it back with me for the two of us to devour the next day. I'd sneak out two pies, because I was that good (and because my mom's version of sharing was quite comical.)

The point was, I was in no rush. So, despite having completed my last class before break, I slowly packed up my items before departing Criminal Psychology. Rey hadn't been present when I entered, but I scanned the vibrating lecture hall as if I'd overlooked him. I hadn't and I wondered if he was already home. After stowing all my belongings, I grabbed my backpack and trudged down the aisle stairs.

"Hey, Thoms. Got a sec?" Higgins grinned while seated at his desk, pen hovering over a stack of papers.

I closed the gap to his desk and flicked my hair over my shoulders when I reached him. "You rang?"

Higgins' grin expanded. He lowered his pen and leaned back in his expensive looking roller chair. "So, fill me in."

"On what?" I asked.

"What else could you possibly have to fill me in on?"

When I was a freshman—hell, even before I was a freshman—I'd been aware of Higgins' reputation. More accurately, I'd been aware of his link to the FBI. He was a stepping stone on the pathway towards getting what I wanted: working for the Bureau as a criminal investigator. I didn't much care what he was like as a person, so long as his connection paid off. However, this semester had surprised me. While he was business, he wasn't all business. That deviation provided me with a few liberties with reining in my own personality.

"Oh, you mean the project," I deadpanned.

Higgins crossed his arms. "You had me worried. You of all people should be living and breathing this project. Nothing else should be occupying your mind," he finished, his mouth flickering.

I inhaled and spread my arms wide. "Living and breathing. Check."

"So," he started. "Cyberstalking, right?"

"Check."

"Is it all you hoped and dreamed it'd be?"

"You mean, am I learning the vast amounts of ways people are able to stalk their victims via the internet and have I put a strip of tape across my laptop camera? Then yes. Hopes and dreams met. Check."

"Is that what you've learned? That people are watching you from your laptop camera?" Higgins asked, furrowing his brow.

"No," I admitted. "I mean, not really. It's mainly about how it's used for identity theft, bullying, threats and coercion—things like that. But, there's also a huge piece of it that's a bit, I don't know, more personal. Harassing people. Getting information about them to use against them." I tilted my head, thinking of Rey's sister, Bini. "Or getting information from the internet about a person which may lead to actual stalking."

"Cyberstalking is an odd beast. Its victims typically never know who's doing the stalking, as it's primarily geared at capital gain. However, it can be more personal and become more like traditional stalking. The two blur lines sometimes, especially in this day and age. You can thank technology for that."