Felicia woke up groggy, sleep still clinging to her eyes as the bells rang. How she wished she could climb the bell tower and throw them out the window. Day two of school, and she was already feeling this miserable?

With tired, droopy eyes, she got dressed and headed to the dining hall for breakfast. She wasn't feeling all that hungry, which was odd for an ogre. Once she entered the hall, she made a beeline for the coffee, recreated it the way Maris had shown her, and sat at an unoccupied table.

She began chugging the scalding coffee. She didn't mind; she had eaten hotter things before. At Dragon's house, lava cake is literally made of lava.

She felt the familiar thud as Fergus and Farkle sat on either side of her, both carrying trays piled high with food, as usual.

"No food again? Fergus, I think our sister's dying." Farkle observed.

"Dibs on her bedroom back home."

"What? That's not fair!"

"Yeah, it is. I'm older than you."

"By like two minutes! I'll arm wrestle you for it," Farkle rebutted, slamming his elbow onto the table.

"That's not how dibs work," Fergus replied, rolling his eyes. "And as if you could beat me at arm wrestling."

Felicia sank into the bench as her brothers continued their fake argument.

"Why are you both so loud right now?" Maris asked as she sat across from Felicia. "Hey girl, are you okay?"

Felicia, slightly dissociated, looked up at Maris. "Hm? Oh, yeah. Super-duper."

Maris glanced around the cafeteria. "Where's T?"

"She won't be coming," Felicia said flatly.

Everyone at the table looked at her.

"Is she sick?" Farkle asked.

"Playing hooky?" Fergus added.

"We kind of got into a big argument last night, and I don't think she wants to see me anymore."

Maris, Farkle, and Fergus exchanged worried glances.

Felicia, remembering her promise, spoke up. "She told me where she's from. Sunflower Fell, outside of Duloc. I've already taken care of it."

The table exchanged looks once again.

"Sooo, she's good?" Maris asked with a tone of skepticism.

"She'll be fine," Felicia groaned.

"I—I'm sorry you argued," Farkle said.

"Me too. It sucks losing a friend," Fergus agreed.

"And only on day two. We need a vacation already!" Maris added, trying to lighten the mood.

The table fell silent as Felicia stared into her coffee cup, watching the steam rise and vanish into the air. The others ate quietly until Fergus spoke again.

"Maybe in the future, once things blow over, you two can be friends again. And now you can really focus on your studies!"

"Yeah, and who needs cheer anyway," Fergus added, trying to be comforting—though instead, it made Felicia wince.

Cheerleading. Something she had tried so hard for. How could she be on the team and see T every day, constantly holding back this massive secret?

But deep down, Felicia knew they were right. School was school, and she was smart. She could let this drama fall off her shoulders and focus on her studies.

At that thought, she sat up a little straighter and took a final swig of her coffee. She was Princess Felicia, and she would do her duty to Far Far Away and its citizens. She would find a way to straighten things out for T and her father, somehow.

The bells chimed, signaling their departure from the dining hall. On the way out, Felicia snagged the remaining muffin from Fergus's plate and ate it despite his protests.

As the group headed toward Geography class, Felicia subconsciously scanned the halls for a head of curly blonde hair. It wasn't until they were inside the classroom that she spotted T, seated at the very front. Felicia chose a seat in the back row. Maybe they couldn't avoid each other entirely, but they could respect each other's space.

And so, it went for the rest of the day. As they moved from class to class, both girls kept their distance and pretended everything was fine.

This continued throughout the week. Felicia decided against joining the cheer team, much to her dismay, but found comfort in her magic class. Her windowsill soon filled with glimmering bottles of basic potions.

Her bedroom wall became decorated with perfect test scores.

Another week passed. Then another. By then, Felicia was feeling much more like herself again. Every weekend, she and Farkle attended Fergus's jousting meets, cheering him on, hurting their throats with joy.

She and Fergus also went to Farkle's chess tournaments, where they supported him with silent claps and thumbs-up's.

One day in Basics of Magic, a deep purple slip of parchment fluttered onto Felicia's desk.

Magic Enrichment — Wednesday evenings in the Magic Room. Invite only.

Felicia beamed up at Professor Fowlfeather, who nodded in approval. Still smiling, she read on.

Congratulations! You have been selected to join the secret class of Magic Enrichment, where excelling magical students will dive deeper into the realm of magic and develop their powers at an advanced rate.

Students need not bring supplies. Welcome to the club!

Everything seemed to be looking up. And today was Wednesday, which meant the first meeting was tonight!

After the bells rang, the group headed to History 101. Felicia had grown accustomed to sitting across from T, and it seemed T felt the same. T had become close with her desk partner, for which Felicia was grateful.

"Gooood morning, class!" Father Goose sang.

"Good morning, Father Goose," the class replied.

Father Goose began passing back graded exams. "Congratulations on completing your first month of school! Overall, you all did fairly well. We've finished studying the distant past, so today we move into the not-so-distant past."

"Today's lecture—despite my best efforts to stifle bias—is one of my favorites: the liberation of magical creatures!"

Cheers erupted from the classroom.

"However, to reach happily ever after, we must begin with a darker chapter: the reign of Farquaad."

Boos and hisses followed.

Father Goose raised his hands. "Yes, yes. His rise to power was indeed a grim time for magical creatures."

He recounted Farquaad's rise to power, his laws, the exile of magical beings, Shrek's deal, the rescue of Fiona, the defeat of Farquaad, and the eventual liberation of all magical creatures. He continued through Shrek and Fiona's marriage, the fall of the Fairy Godmother, King Arthur's rise, and finally, the birth of the triplets.

At the mention of that, several students glanced toward the siblings. Some smiled. Others stared with curiosity. Felicia felt her face heat with embarrassment. Farkle seemed confused, while Fergus leaned back, hands behind his head, basking in the attention.

"Alright, students," Father Goose said. "I'm aware we have some celebrities among us. We'll likely cover all of your family histories at some point. Best to grow accustomed to it—and remember to treat others as you wish to be treated."

Felicia gazed at the stained-glass window depicting the red-haired bride kissing an ogre. She smiled. Her parents' past was full of adventure and love. How she hoped to find something just as powerful one day.

When the bells rang, Fergus slipped between his siblings and whispered, "Easy A for us, huh?" before giving Farkle a wet-willie.

Maris walked beside Felicia. "How does it feel to be a proper celebrity?"

Felicia flipped her hair dramatically, mimicking her grandmother's accent. "Oh yes! I quite enjoy the life of fame. I shall grant you an interview!"

They laughed until they met T's gaze. She stood at the door, eyes filled with loathing.

Both girls straightened, embarrassed.

T turned sharply and left, with a few other cheerleaders by her side.

"Yikes," Maris muttered. "It's been a month and she's still mad? I thought you fixed everything."

Felicia panicked. She hadn't reached out to anyone at all. She had been focused on her studies instead and forgot. How was she supposed to tell Arthur or her parents that the Kingdom of Far Far Away wasn't as perfect as they had thought?

"Well—I mean—it wasn't that long ago, right? And it's probably hard to get over something like that," she stammered.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Maris agreed.

Felicia exhaled in relief.

As they left the classroom, Felicia shifted the mood by telling Maris about her secret Magic Enrichment class that evening.