The Guardian of the Secret Word

Asena “So… Which one of you is going to give me everything I want and need, tonight?” I ask as I walk slowly and run my finger on the dusty bookshelves of our library. I am in the Ancient Civilization section, famous for its old and rare books. The collection is rich and huge and most of these books have not been digitized yet. These books are rare and fragile, and therefore they are in a closed room, with a special air treatment system. The perks of this room, is that it is on the second floor and completely isolated from the masses… Privacy! “Umm… You seem … Interesting! I think you will do for tonight!” I run my fingertips on the leather, grinning. I slide the book from the shelf and pick it up. “The heresy of supernatural beings…” I read the title out loud, scrunching my nose in disgust. I will never get used to this… Since the dawn of time we, humans, have marginalized, discriminated, and even murdered anyone who is different from us. I know what I am talking about… I study that extensively given my Major in Ancient Civilizations. I flip through the book, and my eyes land on an illustration of a giant and hideous wolf standing on two paws. I roll my eyes at this ridiculous representation. Yep, different and monstrous go in pairs in folk stories. My mind drifts to Bella. It is her fault that I am so invested in researching every mention about anything supernatural in ancient history! I smile thinking of my new friend. Bella reached out to me around January-February asking for my help in translating ancient Celtic documents. We immediately clicked and I have been helping her since then... Because her needs go beyond just translating a few documents. She wants access to the most ancient books where werewolves were mentioned. And lucky for her, my university has the largest and most exhaustive ancient civilization section. My friend, an engineer might I add, has a weird fascination in the supernatural world. She does not only want to know about werewolves, but she wants to know specifically whether interspecies marriages existed at that time In the folk stories, they call that “mating”, and this mating ceremony is…well… how do I put it… borderline! But those are not even the weirdest things that have happened since Bella and I started this peculiar quest! Turns out, I can read things that others cannot. I still cannot believe it… At first, I thought Bella was pranking me! She told me that her professor translated the page differently than I did. She even questioned my Ancient Languages expertise! I won’t lie, I was offended! I am top of my class! A scholarship student! My skills are not to be questioned! We investigated further and came to the crazy conclusion that certain books appear differently to me… Only werewolf books… Since that day, my focus shifted…I was no longer going to only research about werewolf-human mating but I will also try to find an explanation to my situation… to my … new skill! I am brought back to the present by my phone’s ringing. I decline the call and send her a message instead. Asena: Hey Jenny. I am at the library. Anything urgent? Jenny: LOL sorry I forgot you live there! I’m coming. I roll my eyes. Jenny has been my best friend since the day I set foot in the university Campus. But my Jenny has a short attention span. You would think she knows by now that I am not allowed to use my phone at work … Or that I work every day here as part of my financial aid program. My scholarship covers my tuition, and the financial aid covers my cost of living. So I need this job to cover rent and my day to day needs. I lock the door to the Ancient and rare book section and head back to my office desk. I put the book on the desk, right next to two other books on werewolves. I sigh and slump on my chair. How am I going to handle all this? Reading those books, studying for my quiz, and most importantly… “Who’s ready to partayyyy!” Whisper-yells Jenny as she storms in my office. “Shhhhh! Do you want to get me fired!” I scold her. “Oups. Sorry.” She blushed, embarrassed by her frenzy. I shake my head, smiling. I have to remind her every single time that she cannot scream or squeal or jump in excitement because the captain of the basketball team talked to her. My friend can be such an airhead sometimes! “What are you waiting! The library will close in a couple of minutes. Start packing.” “I have to stay behind and help packing the books.” “You are going to come late to the party…Once again!! Aren’t you?” “I have work here, then I have to study to keep my GPA high, and finally I will join you to drink, dance and forget!” I wink. “You need to slow down, Asena. You are going to burnout!” “Don’t worry, Jenny. I got used to it.” “But…” “Really, Jenny. I am good. We finish the year in less than two months. I can still do it.” “Why don’t you let me lend you the money? You know it is nothing for me! Peatnuts!! And you can pay me back at your own pace.” We have been having this conversation twice per month, for the past three years. “Jenny, the answer will never change. It is still a thank you but no.” “Consider it a favor for me. I am lonely and I need my friend by my side, not just on the weekends and part of the evenings.” “You? Lonely?” I laugh. Jenny is one of the most popular girls in the university. She is smart and has a heart of gold. Add to that, she is a looker and filthy rich! Her olive complexion, her long wavy black hair and her big brown eyes are the perfect mix to put her on top of the popular students’ hierarchy. “Yeh, well, if I am not with you or Leo, it doesn’t count”. She pouts. The office’s door flies open and both, Jenny and I jump on our feet, startled. “Really, girls! A mere door startles you?” huffs Aubrey, our Chief Librarian. “Sorry, Chief. I was telling Asena about Professor Conrad.” Oh Jenny! I know what you are doing! And that is a very low blow! “Conrad Watson?” Aubrey asks, her eyebrow raised. “Yes.” “What about him?” Aubrey asks, sucking in a breath. Aubrey has always had a thing for Professor Conrad. She does hide it relatively well, but Jenny and I see her almost every day. We know by now all her ticks and facial expressions… And she is smitten by the broody professor. Not sure though why she never tries to talk to him. Aubrey must be in her late twenties at most. She has a brown blob haircut, a slender frame and piercing blue eyes. Professor Conrad is an i***t for not noticing her! “Rumor has it that he was flirting with a student this morning.” What the f**k, Jenny! This is not a joke! He can get expelled! “What!” Aubrey hand fists on the doorknob with such force that I am afraid she will break it. Damn, this thing she has for him is even more than an infatuation! “Those are just rumors. And if they were true, he would be fired by now.” I try to calm her down. “Yes… Yes, that’s true… you are right.” She mumbles as she finally relaxes. “Aubrey, why did you come here?” I ask her, trying to change the subject. I do not wish to be responsible for the spilled blood of Professor Conrad. All because Jenny wanted to have fun! “Oh yes! Asena…Wait…” she stops midsentence, her eyes focused on my desk. She frowns. “Is that a book from the Ancient civilization section?” Aubrey asks as she steps in and grabs the book from my deck. “Yes, I… am doing research for a class.” “Asena, you know that those books are not authorized to leave the room. I will need you to put the book right back.” “But Aubrey, I will not take it out of the library. I will just read it in the office.” “Sorry, Asena. There is a code here and we need to comply with it. Can you please take the book back to the dedicated room? You can, of course, read it up there. We have installed a desk and a chair in the room on purpose.” I groan. Knowing Aubrey there is no chance to change her mind. “Ok, I will do it right now.” I sigh in defeat. “What are you still doing here?” Samantha, our second trainee comes rushing in. “Oh, s**t! I forgot!” Aubrey apologizes to Sam. “Asena, we need you! They won't leave and we need a solution! ASAP!!!” She adds. ~*~*~ Author’s note~*~*~ Finally the third and final book id the Destiny series has finally ☺️ started ? I will be updating this book Wednesday and Sunday as a starting rythme