“Paper nahi.” Rohan ne apni glasses adjust ki. “Chemical. Jaise cleaning solvent ya koi teekha disinfectant. Archive mein itna strong nahi hona chahiye.”
Imran ne side mein khade hote hue chupchaap ek torn slip apni palm mein palti. Usne use turant pocket mein daal liya, jaise kisi ne dekh liya to kaagaz bhi witness ban jayega. Slip par bas itna dikha: “...transfer...” aur ek partial number, last digits adhoore.
Kabir ki nazar uski pocket line par gayi, lekin usne kuch nahi poocha. “Kya mila?”
Imran ne halki si aankh uthayi. “Incomplete note. Kuch transfer ka mention hai. Aur number ka hissa.”
Arjun ne record register ko aur tez palta. “Kunal ka naam kahin to hoga. Hostel se nikla, phir campus se gayab. Itna bada banda hawa mein kaise vanish kar sakta hai?”
Kabir ne thandi hansi di, bilkul bina mazaaq ke. “Yahan hawa bhi files se zyada secure hai.”
Rohan shelf ke paas jhuk kar dekh raha tha. “Yeh smell archive shelf ke piche se aa rahi hai. Koi recently yahan clean-up karke gaya hai. Ya evidence hataya gaya hai.”
Arjun ne lock wale door ki taraf dekha. “Aur yeh locked kyu hai?”
“Because someone doesn’t want us to open it,” Kabir ne seedha jawab diya.
Usi waqt corridor ke end par footstep sunaai diya. Tez, confident, aur bilkul galat timing par. Chaaron ek pal ke liye chup ho gaye.
Campus attendant ek file folder haath mein liye aise andar aaya jaise woh pehle se hi jaanta ho ki yahan kaun kya kar raha hai..
Hostel terrace ka afternoon kisi warning ki tarah garam tha. Cement se uthti hui heat haze hawa ko hilaa rahi thi, aur sar se upar laundry lines par latke bedsheets dheere-dheere phadphada rahe the, jaise kisi ne terrace ko bhi restless kar diya ho. Neeche campus ka shor bahut door lag raha tha, par yahan, is konae mein, sab kuch thoda suspended tha.
Arjun railing ke paas khada tha, phone haath mein liye bina usse dekhe. Uska charger uske bag ke side pocket se aadha bahar nikla hua tha, jaise kisi ne jaldi mein wahan phenk diya ho. Usne Sanya ko aate dekha to pehle ek second ke liye uska expression unreadable raha, phir woh usual charm ka aadha sa version le aaya.
“Tu yahan?” Arjun ne poocha. “Mujhe laga tu sirf tab dikhti hai jab koi kaam ho.”
Sanya ne uski taraf charger badhate hue aankh uthayi. “Aur mujhe laga tu sirf tab dramatic hota hai jab koi problem ho.”
“Fair,” Arjun ne charger lete hue kaha. “Ye tera hai?”
“Obviously. Main itni modern hoon ki apna charger pehchaan bhi leti hoon.” Usne idhar-udhar nazar daali, phir halka sa shrug kiya. “Aur waise bhi, main sun rahi thi tu subah se off hai.”
Arjun ne kuch der ke liye jawab nahi diya. Terrace par ek laundry clip hawa mein tick ki awaaz ke saath hil rahi thi. Neeche se canteen ki chillaahat aur ek distant whistle uthi. “Bas thoda,” usne finally kaha. “Kuch cheezein fit nahi baith rahi.”
Sanya ne usse judge nahi kiya. Yehi uski sabse annoying aur useful quality thi. Woh seedha saamne aakar baith gayi, railing ke paas nahi, balki private corner ki bench par, jahan se terrace ka crowd bhi dikh raha tha aur phir bhi lag raha tha jaise dono kisi alag frame mein hain.
“Room 69 mein sab kuch hi fit nahi baithta,” usne dry tone mein kaha. “Beds, egos, aur Rohan ka timetable.”
Arjun ke hothon par ek almost-smile aaya. “Rohan ka timetable toh crime hai.”
“Crime se yaad aaya,” Sanya ne apni dupatta ko shoulder par adjust karte hue kaha, “agar tu phir se kisi mystery mein ghus raha hai, toh pehle mujhe warning de dena. Main surprise tolerate karti hoon, panic nahi.”
Arjun ne uski taraf dekha. Uske andar jo tension subah se jam ke baithi thi, woh jaise uski awaaz sunte hi thodi der ke liye pighal gayi. “Tu kaise itni calm rehti hai?”
“Practice,” Sanya boli. “Aur logon ko dekh kar pata chal jata hai kab unhe bas ek normal insaan ki zarurat hoti hai, na ki advice ki.”
Woh pal do pal ke liye chup rahe. Terrace ki garmi ke beech ek thin, oddly private silence ban gaya. Sanya ne pehle nazar hatayi aur phir bina dramatics ke seedha bola, “Arjun, agar tu kisi wajah se uljha hua hai, toh pretend mat kar. Teri acting usually kaam kar jaati hai, but not on me.”
Arjun ne dheere se saans chhodi, jaise kisi tight knot ko release kar raha ho..
Engineering block ke stairwell mein shaam ka light alag hi mood bana raha tha—upar wali tube ek baar jhilmilayi, phir steady hui, phir dobara ek warning jaisi flicker dekar chup ho gayi. Neeche corridor se kisi metal shutter ke band hone ki awaaz aayi, aur uske baad sirf echo reh gaya. Phones ka signal yahan waise bhi dead zone tha. Screen par ek do bar bars dikha, phir sab gayab.
Arjun ne railing par haath rakhkar sabko ek line mein gather kiya. “Theek hai, bol do. Jo bhi mila hai, abhi. Kyunki mujhe lag raha hai hum sirf Room 69 ke peeche nahi bhaag rahe, koi humko bhi route kar raha hai.”
Kabir ne seedha deewar ki taraf dekhte hue kaha, “Route nahi, bhatka raha hai. Faculty ka favourite game hai. Jab bhi Room 69 ka naam lo, koi na koi dusra topic chipka dete hain. Timetable, maintenance, old lab records—sab kuch, bas woh room nahi.”
Rohan ne apni notebook kholi, pages ko thumb se press karke. “Aur records hi issue hain. Attendance archive mein gaps hain. Kuch entries recent lag rahi thi, but ink aur font mismatch tha. Matlab kisi ne baad mein daala. Clumsy edit nahi tha, deliberate tha.”
Imran, jo ab tak chup tha, ek step aage aaya. Uski awaaz low thi, jaise stairwell bhi sun raha ho. “Mujhe ek aur cheez mili. Yaad hai tum logon ne poocha tha ki Kunal last time kahan gaya tha? Main back gate ke paas tha us raat. Ek sedan khadi thi—dark colour, old model. Plate ka aadha hissa cover tha. Driver ka posture campus security jaisa tha.”
Kabir ki eyebrows upar gayin. “Security? Yahan?”
Imran ne haan mein sir hila diya. “Uniform clear nahi tha. Par walk aur helmet carry karne ka style… familiar tha. Aur gaadi baar-baar ek hi jagah se turn le rahi thi, jaise kisi ne campus ka blind spot pehle se mark kar rakha ho.”
Arjun ne ek pal ke liye kuch nahi bola. Phir dhire se, “Kunal ka vanish hona random nahi tha. Aur ab jo woh wapas dikha—ya jo bhi tha—woh bhi random nahi.”
Rohan ne page palta. “Faculty bhi humein sideline kar rahi hai. Dr. Meera ne bhi kal seminar ke bahane Room 69 ka topic cut kar diya tha. Itna neat deflection sirf tab hota hai jab kisi ko pata ho andar kya hai.”
“Ya phir jab andar kuch aisa ho jo kisi ko nahi dekhna,” Kabir muttered.