DISHWASHING DILEMMA

Ashley and Myra entered the dish storage room, expecting to find a manageable amount of dishes to wash and store. To their astonishment, they were greeted by towering stacks of dirty dishes that seemed to fill every available space in the room, leaving only a small path to the sink.

Myra questioned their predicament, hoping for a way out. "Are you sure this is the right place?"

Ashley looked around at the overwhelming pile of dirty dishes and confirmed, "Yep."

The room's capacity for dirty dishes seemed almost limitless, and Ashley tried to assess their situation. "So, do you have any water-related abilities?" she asked.

Myra shook her head. "I'm a healer. You?"

Ashley sighed and admitted, "Telekinesis."

They both realized that neither of their abilities would be of much help in cleaning the dishes. With sleeves rolled up, Ashley suggested, "Let's get started, then."

The two girls began washing and arranging the dishes, trying to make some headway into the seemingly endless task. An hour into their labor, the door suddenly swung open, revealing a group of workers who came in to drop off even more dirty dishes. Ashley and Myra watched in disbelief as the workers deposited the additional load and promptly left.

After a minute of stunned silence, Myra finally suggested, "Shall we take a break?"

Exhausted and disheartened by the never-ending pile of dishes, Ashley eagerly agreed. "Yes, please."

The two girls sat down, taking a well-deserved break.

Sitting on the floor amidst the towering piles of dirty dishes, Ashley and Myra tried to engage in conversation. Ashley started with, "You took a while to get here."

Myra nodded, twirling a dirty plate in her hand. "Yeah. I actually don't live in this country."

Curious, Ashley asked, "Really? Where are you from?"

Myra answered, "Africa, Ghana."

Ashley was slightly confused and didn't know how to respond. Myra decided to explain further, "I was transferred here because of my abilities."

Ashley simply replied, "Oh."

The conversation died down, leaving an awkward silence between them. Myra continued to twirl the plate absentmindedly. As she did, she activated her healing abilities, causing her hand to glow. The sight was somewhat beautiful.

While twirling the plate, her finger accidentally brushed against the filthy surface. In a flash of light, the entire plate miraculously became clean.

Both Ashley and Myra stared at the clean plate in shock, hardly believing their eyes. After a minute of silence, Ashley broke it, speaking in an eerily calm tone, sending a shiver down Myra's spine. "I thought you said you didn't have any cleaning abilities."

Myra stammered, "I... I didn't know I could do that."

 ---

Cleaning the dishes with Myra's newfound ability turned out to be a breeze. Myra effortlessly touched each dish, making them spotlessly clean, while Ashley's role was to arrange them. After completing their task, they made a hasty exit to their room before the staff could bring more dirty dishes, changing into their nightwear and falling into an exhausted slumber.

The following morning, Ashley awoke to find Myra in the room, dressed in a towel as she dried the ends of her braids. Ashley, still adjusting to having a roommate, greeted Myra with a groggy "You're up already."

In a more alert tone, Myra responded, "Good morning to you too."

Yawning, Ashley got out of bed, grabbed her bath essentials, and left the room to take a shower. While she was away, Myra stood by the door. Just before leaving, she waved her hand and bathed the entire room in a soft, warm light. When the light faded, the room was immaculately arranged and spotlessly clean. Myra smiled at the satisfying transformation before exiting the room.

Myra headed to the cafeteria and noticed that the tables were still empty, with cafeteria workers yet to start distributing the food. She went to the table where she had sat with Ashley and Dylan the previous night. To her surprise, Dylan was already there, sitting alone.

Dylan greeted Myra as she sat down, extending a more formal introduction. "Hi, I didn't get to introduce myself better yesterday," he began, "I'm Dylan Morgan, and my abilities are shadows and darkness."

Myra wasn't particularly keen on meeting new people, but she responded politely, "I'm Myra Asare, a healer."

Dylan proceeded to express his sentiments about Ashley, stating, "About yesterday, I'm not usually like that. I just can't stand Ashes."

Observing the animosity between Dylan and her roommate, Myra commented, "You and my roommate really hate each other."

Dylan didn't hold back his feelings, scoffing as he replied, "She's been annoying from the moment we first met."

He then began to recount the first meeting between Ashley and himself.

**Flashback Starts**

Dylan and Thomas were lost on the university campus, trying to locate the administration office. Thomas suggested asking for directions, but Dylan was determined to find it on his own. As they walked, they spotted a beautiful redhead, and Dylan decided to approach her.

"Let's ask her," Dylan suggested. He tapped the redhead on the shoulder to get her attention, as she was wearing headphones that blared music into her ears. "Hello, I'm looking for the administration's office. Could you direct me there?" Dylan inquired.

However, the lady, who turned out to be Ashley, responded rudely, "I have a boyfriend."

Dylan was taken aback by her reaction and tried to clarify, "I just need directions."

"I have a boyfriend," Ashley snapped angrily. "Why can't you understand that I'm not interested?"

The public display of her reaction drew the judgmental gazes of onlookers.

**Flashback Ends**