Hacker

Chapter 2 - Privacy?

It was around a week after my first encounter with that hacker. I was walking back from the last class of the day around 4 in the evening, when my phone buzzed signing there's a text. From an unknown number.

"Ready for an appointment at 5."

How I wished it was a question. Because I wasn't ready. At all.

"Can you have a bit of humanity? I'm currently exhausted. What if I mess up?" I sent.

He replied not long after, "You won't. Unless if you wanna have the uni knows about you."

I let out a long sigh.

"So mean." I muttered.

After 20 minutes, I entered my room. My roommate wasn't there. She had classes until 6. I expected Zack to send me the location but he didn't text me until then. Had a quick shower, I opened my closet to choose the clothes.

Buzz. My phone lighted up. I reached it from the desk beside and opened the text.

"Cancelled. You can get some rest."

I blinked. Didn't know what to feel. It's a mix of grateful and... weird? Something just felt different.

I put the phone back and took a simple shirt then wearing it. Checking my note for some assignments, I later turned on the laptop to do them.

And that's when it welcomed me without password and the screen popped up a webcam window. Zack's face, half-smiling, viewed. I slammed it shut.

"What the fudge! That's not cool!" I shouted. I knew he could still hear it by the lappy's microphone.

I didn't have my hijab on and felt so violated as he saw... my hair. Damn this guy.

My phone rang from a private number. I groaned and picked it up.

"Listen up, Mr. I don't know what kind of girls you'd been dealing with before but there's obviously A LOT you need to learn if you wanna work this stuff with me and for the record, I may not that pure of an angel but I do take care of some things like my aurat and stuff and you need, to stay outside that line. Okay?" I ranted.

Then there's silence. Quite a long, silence.

He laughed. "Isn't it funny how you act like it's you who threatened me instead of otherwise?"

I held the phone stronger, holding my anger. "Yeah. Indeed it's funny how you think this is only one sided too." I shut him up. "You're taking risk by involving me instead of settling him yourself, Zack. I'm not stupid." He needed me - someone who may or may not be his traitor. And that's the weakness.

He asked, "Is one of us on the upper hand, or are we just the same? What do you think, Rae?"

I don't know. I didn't know the full story so I couldn't really say.

We both went quiet for what seemed like forever before he finally broke it with a low tone. "Sorry." I noticed he shook his head slightly, then the line was cut.

A part of me terrified if I was wrong and he decided to disregard me and let my secret out, but another part of me; for some reasons, was certain that he wouldn't.

I put my hijab on and opened back my laptop. The window wasn't there anymore and the camera wasn't on. I connected to my hotspot (because wifi would be faster to hack and I wasn't taking the risk) and checked everything - emails, social media, whatsapp, but everything was normal. Nothing spread out of ordinary, or specifically about me. I let out a breath of relief.

Then there's a request for skype. I reached for my earphone and wore it, before clicking accept.

A window popped up. Zack looked down at his keyboard. When he finally looked into my eyes, I somehow felt exposed. It's like he could read everything in my mind when in reality I wasn't a gadget so of course he couldn't.

"That sorry was for my unawareness of your identity of a... practicing, muslim," he stated like it was strange coming out of his mouth. "Not for me, giving up on you/"

I scoffed, "You make it sound so sweet. Giving up on you." I mocked.

He rolled his eyes. "Be grateful that I canceled the plan only for you to rest after this long day, would you?"

My brows rose. Oh, he did?

Zack continued to talk after I didn't answer. "But, bear with me, you have a task this weekend."

"Oh great." I muttered.

"Yeah. Do you have other plan?"

I automatically furrowed my brows, "Why do you care?"

He raised his brows and opened his mouth to answer, but there's nothing come out. He took time before answering, "Because timing is important to me. I don't want you to be late because of whatever you've planned."

Somehow I wasn't convinced with his answer, "Right..."

He sighed and leaned back to his chair. "Just please be ready." then the camera's off. There's a hint of desperation in his voice. It made me curious. But I held myself from asking him directly.

Maybe the less I knew, the easier for me to get this over with.