Veronica: "Do you mean there's no shower?"
Ashley: "Of course, there's no shower..." She chuckled.
Amara: "Veronica, don't worry. Of course, it will be provided for us."
Ashley "Just kidding, it's in the next room."
The girls freshened up and went to sleep as it was already late and they were exhausted.
The Next Morning
The sun was just rising, birds chirping in the morning light. Ashley woke up early.
Ashley: "What time is it?" she murmured to herself, noticing Amara and Veronica still asleep. "Oh, these kids are still sleeping. They must be tired."
She freshened up and went for a jog while Amara and Veronica remained asleep.
A while later, around 7 in the morning, Amara and Veronica woke up and got ready to visit the director's office. They noticed Ashley was not in the room.
Amara: "Good morning, sir!"
Veronica: "Very good morning, sir."
Director: "Good morning, girls! I hope you are comfortable with your room and roommates."
Veronica raised an eyebrow.
Amara: "Yeah... such a good room." She gave a fake smile, clearly being sarcastic.
Veronica: "Hehe..."
Amara: "So, could you take us to the research base? By the way, where is it? Does it have a good view? And how far is it from here?"
Director: "Oh my... so many questions." He chuckled. "Yes, please follow me."
Amara: "Sir, do you know where Ashley is?"
Veronica: "Who cares about that arrogant girl?" she scoffed.
Director: "Veronica, mind your language. She might seem rude, but she's a good child and cares about you."
Amara: "Sir, we have no idea where she went. She didn't even inform us."
Veronica: "Exactly."
Amara: "But we shouldn't leave her like this, right?"
Director: "Girls, don't worry. She came in the morning to get a permission letter earlier than the time allotted with you guys. She said you were resting, so I gave her the letter in advance. Shall we go?"
Amara: "Yeah!"
They followed the director to the research base. When they arrived, the director left them to their work. Amara and Veronica saw Ashley working diligently on the project.
Amara: "Good morning, Ashley!"
Ashley: "Good morning... good morning to you too, kiddo."
Veronica: "Tch... you never change."
Amara: "So, what are you doing, Ashley?"
Ashley: "Just translating the scripts for you guys to understand."
Amara: "Wow, that's impressive."
Veronica: "Oh, well, that's a great change in you, helping us. Wah!"
Ashley: "Oh, well, I'm always like this... kiddo. The change is in the people who see it."
Veronica: "Oh, okay." She whispered to Amara, "I think she's kind-hearted but acts cold outside."
Amara: "Yeah, it takes time to adjust. Not everyone can be easily attached. Be patient!"
Veronica: "Okay, if you say so." She winked at Amara, who giggled.
Veronica: "May I help you if you're okay with it?" She smiled sweetly at Ashley.
Ashley: "Nah, that's fine. And you wouldn't understand this language. If you want, you can read the translated papers. There's a yellow file on the table; that's part one."
Veronica laughed. "You think I can't understand?" She flipped her hair dramatically. "I am an expert in it."
But soon Veronica realized she had overestimated herself.
Amara: "Veronica, it's okay. Come, let's check the scripts."
Veronica: "Hmm, okay..."
Ashley: "Kiddo, it might seem easy but it isn't. This is mid-dynasty slang and font. You won't be able to learn it anywhere unless you teach yourself."
Veronica: "But still, I am a fast learner," she said proudly.
Ashley: "Oh, then why don't you translate it yourself?"
Amara: "It's her job. Let her do it." She said to Veronica in a low voice.
Veronica: "Nah, I don't care."
Ashley: "You don't care or you don't understand?"
Veronica: "Trust me, I can do it. Maybe it is old, but I can learn it, right?"
Ashley: "Oh, then please help yourself."
Veronica: "Uff, can't you talk properly at least once in your lifetime?"
Ashley: "Oh, kiddo, you don't understand. This is a language known to very few people in the world. Including myself, there are only seven people who can understand it."
Veronica: "Oh... never mind, I was not in a good mood."
Amara: "Can we check out the translated ones? 230 pages? How much time did it take?"
Ashley: "It took about two hours, I guess."
Veronica: "What! You completed it in just two hours?"
Amara and Veronica were shocked, realizing Ashley was really talented and super intelligent. They started researching.
---
After Five and a Half Hours
Veronica: "Hey, shall we take a break? What do you say, Amara?" She stretched out.
Amara: "Okay, we will. After all, we did a lot of work, right?"
Veronica: ''Ashley, are you not coming?"
Ashley was deeply focused on the research papers.
Veronica: "Hey, Miss Arrogant, can't you hear? I've been calling you for the past few minutes," she said, irritated.
Ashley: "What?" She snapped back to reality.
Amara: "Do you wanna come with us to take a break and go for a walk?" She asked politely.
Ashley: "I'm a bit busy. You guys can take a break. Oh, by the way, have you completed reading? If you did, I have completed the second part. You could read it. And please write notes or reports. It's very important for any research."
A deadly silence followed as Amara and Veronica misunderstood her, thinking she was scolding them for not writing reports. They were startled by her action and decided not to provoke her further.
Veronica: "We just asked her for a break, right?" She pouted sadly.
Amara: "We know her, right? It's okay, don't feel upset." She patted Veronica's back.
The girls were beginning to understand each other, and despite the rough start, they were slowly finding common ground. Their journey at SK University was just beginning, and many challenges and adventures awaited them.