Felicia, the top student from Khogend, was intimately familiar with the campus. She easily located her assigned dormitory—a standalone room, a perk afforded to her academic excellence—and found it pleasantly appointed. After unpacking a few belongings, she went to the cafeteria. Coincidentally, Kayla was also there, though Dexter and Myra were absent, having likely returned to work after ensuring her safe arrival.

The cafeteria was relatively empty at that early hour. Kayla spotted Felicia and waved, calling out her name. Felicia, however, pretended not to notice. After obtaining her food, she found a secluded table and ate slowly, deliberately ignoring the surrounding activity. Kayla awkwardly lowered her hand, looking embarrassed.

Selena Potter and Tasha Guzman, seated nearby, immediately intervened. They grabbed Kayla's arm, glaring at Felicia with indignation. "Kayla," Selena declared, "you're too nice. You treat her like a sister, and she completely ignores you." Tasha added, "Exactly! You're too easy to bully, and that outsider is taking advantage of you. If you don't stand up for yourself, your fiancé might leave you."

Kayla bit her lip, appearing so pitiful that onlookers might have believed she was being mistreated. "Just wait," Tasha vowed, "we'll get back at her."

Selena and Tasha exchanged a look, then rose and approached Felicia. They casually picked up a half-eaten tray of leftover noodles and soup, their intentions unmistakable.

Students around them whistled and cheered, encouraging a confrontation. Some even filmed the scene with their phones. Kayla, anxious and rooted to the spot, cried out, "Hey, don't! Come back!" But her pleas were ignored.

Selena and Tasha stood before Felicia, malicious smiles plastered on their faces as they raised the tray. As the soup threatened to drench Felicia, she calmly continued eating.

Suddenly, a pair of delicate hands swiftly intercepted the tray, sending it crashing onto Selena and Tasha's faces. "Ah!" they screamed, their faces and clothes splattered with greasy soup.

Felicia glanced up. The intervener was a young woman in a low-slung baseball cap, concealing most of her features. Despite the disguise, she was quickly recognized as Carmen O'Brien.

Whispers rippled through the crowd. "Isn't that Carmen O'Brien from sophomore year? I heard she's been… involved in some things outside school…" Comments about her online videos followed.

Selena and Tasha, furious and covered in soup, confronted Carmen. "Carmen, who asked you to meddle? Have you forgotten the ugly things you've done? Instead of hiding like a rat, you dare to lay hands on us?" Tasha sneered, directing a glare at both Felicia and Carmen. "Like attracts like. You're all the same kind of trash."

Felicia wiped her mouth, stood, and surveyed the crowd. Her chilling gaze swept over them as she asked, "Have you said enough?" Selena and Tasha, deflated, abruptly left.

As the commotion subsided, Carmen prepared to depart. Felicia handed her a napkin, saying, "Here, wipe your face."