The writers of eternity

If Delaram's life was a book, she would bury the first page deep within the ground, somewhere no one else could find. Although even then there was a chance for an author to destroy her plan.

One thing was for sure. No one was allowed to read her story.

That was the first thing that came to her mind when she stepped into the old-style office of professor Hekmat.

The assistant gave her a once-over from behind her round glasses before asking her name.

“Did you have an appointment? ” She asked while typing something on the keyboard.

“The professor asked me to visit him at nine o'clock today.” She smiled with her head high. “I'm his student.”

This whole sentence still had its effect on her after two weeks. Every time this subject was mentioned, her face would lit up.

After all, it wasn't something minor. She was chosen as one of the only people who got to work with him in the society.

“He'll be here soon.” She didn't look at her. “Take a seat, please.”

Delaram was almost dancing on cloud nine, so she didn't care about the assistant's coldness.

Sitting on the wooden chair next to the wall covered with beige wallpaper, her eyes scanned the room.

The wooden table, plants in each corner and the morning light highlighting the space through the window, all screamed a new start for her.

There was a little hallway which led to the elevator, and she knew for a fact that the professor's room was on the third floor.

The clicking sound of the assistant's fingers touching the keys was the only sound in the room.

Delaram straightened her dark brown skirt, which was tastefully styled with her cream wool turtleneck.

Closing her eyes, she inhaled her favorite cologne which she had poured on herself early that morning. Soft vanilla mixed with a woody smell. Her favorite!

“Roham Manesh.”

Delaram tried connecting the new voice with the familiar name she just heard.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Her brows got closer to each other, her lips formed a straight line, and suddenly her stomach clenched.

Her eyes opened immediately.

Searching the room, she finally saw the tall figure standing in front of the assistant's desk, showing his back to Delaram.

She could recognize this halo of dark calmness anywhere. After all, she used to fight with him over the professors’ attention all the time in the academy.

Delaram's wide eyes were glued to his dark wavy hair. Her brain was out of reach and she couldn't find any reason for him to be here at this specific time.

She only came to her senses when Roham turned around, clueless of her presence as he took steps toward the row of chairs in the opposite direction from hers.

He didn't even get to sit as his gray eyes landed on her.

It was so nice to see how his eyebrows raised and he completely froze midway through sitting.

Delaram's heart skipped a beat, but she used the chance to get the upper hand. Hiding her shock behind a sweet smile she knew was worse than curses, she waved her hand.

He stayed like that for a few seconds before frowning and finally settling into the seat .

Oh, God. He really hated the idea of being the only one surprised between the two.

The thought just made Delaram's smile wider. “Not happy to see me?”

Then she brought out her compact mirror out of her leather bag and started checking her rosy brown lipstick, as if saying she didn't give a shit about his answer.

“Are you happy?” He said with crossed arms.

Delaram closed her mirror in a swift move, narrowing her eyes. “I asked first.”

“And I decided not to answer.” Roham tilted his head.

If she wasn't in a good mood because of her acceptance, she would probably punch him in the face.

Calm down, Delaram! He's not worth it.

Listening to the voice in her head, she opened her fists and took a deep breath.

Suddenly, something came to her mind that made the heat in her body go away.

She was chosen! Not him. Maybe he was there to talk with the professor himself and ask for a chance.

She gave him a once-over, observing his chestnut sweater vest, pleated wool trouser and dark brown oxford shoes.

He was dressed in freshly pressed clothes like always, so she couldn't tell if he was trying to leave a good impression on the professor or not.

She didn't know him as someone who would beg for this place. But desperation could get people to an unpredictable point, while laughing in their face and forcing them to do exactly things they had sworn they would never do.

“What are you doing here, by the way?” he asked, his head against the wall.

Ha! So, he was just too sure that if he wasn't chosen then Delaram could not also be the one.

She crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair, running a hand through her brown hair and finally playing with a pink highlight. “It's just so hard for you to even consider the possibility of me being…”

“Oh, hey. Sorry I'm late.”

The warm, aged voice stopped Delaram from continuing her sentence. Roham gave her one last narrowed look before looking away. So did she.

It didn't take much time for both of their attention to move to the new presence and forget about their unpleasant conversation.

There he was. Professor Hekmat.

He was wearing a gray suit and black tie. The next thing that got Delaram's attention, just like in past encounters, was his full head of salt-and-pepper hair. She was jealous of his thick hair.

“It's not a problem at all,” She blurted out at the same time as Roham and they both stood up.

Okay, these coincidences were hitting a nerve.

The professor nodded slowly while stealing his wrinkled eyes from one to the other several times, as if he was ticking boxes in his head.

Delaram noticed something.

The professor was not surprised by Roham's presence, and that just made her sick .

“I see you both have met your new partner.” He put one hand on each of their shoulders. “Now, follow me.” Then he brought his palms together in a single, sharp clap before almost running toward the elevator.

The sound of his clap echoed in Delaram's head several times like a ticking clock, warning her of the immediate death of her happy time.

Her ears were warm and deaf to new sounds. There were just a few repeating words in her mind.

New partner. New partner. New partner…

She suddenly came back to the moment, shaking her head hysterically at Roham. “No. No. No. It can't be..”

Roham's eyes widened, and after sharing a moment of pure horror, she jumped in her place and ran after the professor. “Professor, I believe there is a mistake here. I'm your new student.”

The professor put his hand in his pockets and watched the changing floor numbers on the elevator display. “Oh, that's right. I forgot to mention that this year I'm accepting two students. You and Mr. Manesh.”

“Me and Mr. Manesh…” Delaram whispered and nodded slowly.

Looking back at the reason for her misery, she saw Roham was already staring at her in stunned silence. He laced his fingers behind his head in disbelief and stared intensely at the ceiling.

She didn't know when the doors opened and they all stepped inside, but during the ride she couldn't force her eyes away from him.

Roham was also, looking at her with pressed lips and clenched jaw. Probably thinking of ways to get rid of her.

“Since it's your first day, I'd like to start it with a mini quiz to evaluate your teamwork and abilities,” the professor said, facing the doors while showing his back to them. “You have to write a new version of the first page of the haunted alley book as it's locked itself in my library. I need an immediate trip to that world for some investigations.”

The doors opened, and they all stepped into the narrow hallway covered with a carpet and photographs of academic faces hanging on the walls.

Delaram tried to focus on her first task, although it wasn't easy while her mind was also busy with processing the new surroundings and news about her partner.

Roham was already writing the instructions in his notebook.

Delaram rolled her eyes. When had he even brought that out?

Not important! Focus!

Right. She needed to write the first page. First pages were important as they were the doors to the world's behind the words. Without them, there was no other way to enter the world of those books.

When a book locked itself, it meant there was stuff that someone didn’t want others to know about. Information worthy of investigation for society.

That was when writers of eternity saved the day. They followed the patterns and writing style of the original author to rewrite the first page and open the door. However, it wasn't that easy.

The writers of eternity.

A dream label to earn after working and studying here with the professor probably for years if she's lucky enough.

“You can use my room and library for the whole day.” He opened the wooden door with his name attached to it. “I'll be back from my seminar at six, and I expect a paper on my desk by then.”

They all entered the room.

The room was big enough for a mahogany desk, two olive office sofas beside it, and shelves in the opposite wall, just next to another door which Delaram guessed would lead to the mentioned library.

The professor hurried toward his desk and stuffed some of the papers into his bag. “If you need anything, just call the assistant. Her number is here on my desk.” He put on his dark green coat and headed for the door. “Coffee machine is in the hallway. Don't forget to use it. It's a necessity! ” he laughed before closing the door.

Delaram glared at the closed door. Hearing her heartbeat in her head, she took several deep breaths and closed her eyes.

She had imagined her first day here several times, and none of them were this…wild.

Those dreams were filled with her working for hours in this office without any distracting voice or attitude. Then, when she got tired, she would pour a glass of coffee and drink it while taking in the view of the park outside the window. Maybe she could even get some of the professor's stories about his travels into the books.

Was that so much to wish for?

“Are you going to stay there like a statue, or do you actually want to do something?” Delaram's eye twitched at Roham's judgmental voice.

Was there a way for her to magically forget about him?

She turned with a flushed face. “How can you be so calm as if your day is not destroyed by my presence? ” she asked out of pure curiosity.

Roham was busy eyeing the haunted alley on the desk. He grabbed the book and didn't even look at her. “Believe me when I say I'm far from being calm.” he kept turning the almost yellow pages. “Working together is an issue we don't have any power over, but…” Raising his head, his gaze swept me up and down. “The amount of time we spend together is a flexible subject. ”

Delaram swallowed hard as she understood his point. “If we work harder, we might be able to finish sooner.” He nodded once, shaking the book lightly in the air. “Shall we begin?”

She looked at the vintage clock on the wall behind his head. It showed nine-thirty.

She made her decision.

She didn't want to miss a single opportunity to learn from this task, but there was also a chance they could finish before six.

“What do we have here?” she asked, walking toward him and eyeing the book.

“Good news. It's not the whole page which is blocked. It's just the first paragraph.” he touched the blurred section.

Delaram slipped the hair tie off her wrist and pulled her pink-brown into a messy ponytail. “It's a murder mystery set in the Victorian era.” She recalled her knowledge about this book from her first year at the academy. “The author had a bold writing style.”

Her fingers lingered on the paragraph. The words had blurred into black smudges of ink.

“It was also lyrical and passionate at some parts.” Roham's mint-flavoured breath brushed her neck, and that was when she realized how close they were standing to each other.

Her cheeks grew warm, and she immediately took a step back.

He did the same.

“Um…we can use the library.” He combed a hand through his hair while avoiding eye contact.

That was awkward.

They reached the door, and before she could open it, Roham's previous words echoed in her mind.

Lyrical and passionate.

Her eyes widened as she stared at him. “You think it was a coincidence? ” she murmured.

He took a deep breath and cracked his neck. “Not sure.”

During their years of studying, she studied Roham's writing style as her rival. It was blunt, snarky.

Unlike hers which was much gentler and melancholic.

The exact combination for this specific book.

Did the professor choose this book on purpose? To teach them teamwork?

Entering the library with dozens of questions, she reached for the light switch only to stop midway. There was a floor-to-ceiling window on the right side which flooded the room with morning light.

Rows of books were covering the remaining walls, forming a giant U around the room. A massive ladder rested against the shelves, giving access to the upper rows.

They stopped next to a long desk facing a blackboard with several chairs around it, looking around in silent awe, not believing that they were standing there.

“We should start.” She clapped her hands suddenly and grimaced at the sharp sound.

Roham gave her a what-the-hell-was-that face with wide eyes.

Delaram laughed nervously. “Sorry!” then cleared her throat and sat on one of the chairs as if she hadn't nearly given him a heart attack.

Two and a half hours into the work, and they had reached their sixth attempt. A new paper with their words on it winked at them.

“ I'm gonna read it out loud, so look for anything we might need to change.” Roham's hesitant voice filled her ears.

She waved him to read with tired eyes.

‘The alley was darker than ever. Or at least that was the case for Elizabeth. Maybe it was because she was hiding something. The body of a loved one!....’

He looked at Delaram hopefully, but she knew he felt it too. Something wasn't right, and after rewriting the paragraph several times, they still couldn't figure out what.

“You can feel it, right?” she asked miserably.

He fell into his chair and sighed, massaging his forehead. “Yeah. It's not working.”

Delaram breathed in the scent of old books and an idea came to her.

“Maybe we're being too strict. What if it actually opens the door?” Her eyes lit up with hope as she looked at his poker face.

He raised an eyebrow. “And you know that if we open the wrong door, we could end up in a serious problem, right? ”

She rolled her eyes at his tone. Slowly and clearly as if he was talking to an oblivious kid. “We can't be sure of that. What if it works?”

Roham stared out the window, considering the possibility. Whatever went through his mind made him sigh. “Okay. Let's try it.”

Minutes later, both were in their positions. After flipping a coin, Delaram smiled victoriously and caught the book, leaving a bitter Roham in his place.

The plan was simple.

She was supposed to open the door and Roham looked for any sign that something was wrong.

Yeah. He was the guinea pig.

“Ready?” Delaram opened the book.

“If I die, I'll hunt you!” he muttered. She heard him anyway and stuck out her tongue.

With trembling hands, she placed the paper over the locked paragraph and turned the pages toward Roham.

Her heart pounded so hard she felt sick.

She couldn't see the writing but she imagined the black ink turning gold.

A wave of magic pushed against her. She gritted her teeth, planting her feet more firmly on the ground.

When she opened her eyes, a portal had emerged from the book. From where she stood, she could only make out a dark alley lit by a gas lamp.

“Can you see anything weird? ” she asked with dilated pupils.

“I'm checking,” Roham answered carefully.

“Then do it faster…I can't hold it anymore.” she almost screamed as the pain spread in her back.

He leaned until he was only millimeters away from the portal. “It's just that…I think I can hear something.” he frowned. “It's like…”

He didn't get to finish his sentence as another wave slammed into Delaram and crashed her back into the shelves. Her head spun as the closed book landed beside her on the ground.

“What the…ouch!”

Roham's shout forced her eyes open. The blurry image of a running Roham appeared and it took a moment for her to see the problem.

Something was clinging to his shoulders, pulling his hair and roaring.

Was it a…?

Delaram's jaw dropped.

“Get off me, you little fucker!” he yelled at the tiny dragon. Then, his terrified eyes found hers. “Why are you sitting?..help…ahhh!”

She was frozen in her place as she watched a struggling Roham trying to shake the green creature off.

Yup. It was definitely the wrong door. She thought that before pushing herself to her feet and stumbling toward her soon-to-be-bald partner.