With the sun at its highest point in the sky, the capital city was buzzing with life. While the married women accompanied by their children walked around in the market to buy the fresh products to concoct a delicious meal for their family, the men worked in their workshop to produce handmade items for their customers. On the outside, this city looked like any other with the exception that most of the beings living here had thick horns, similar to those of a ram, of different lengths and colours. Their eyes also had an unusual colour. Each person had red eyes, but with a different hue.

Among the horned human-looking creatures, a minority possessed animal features. For example, a party of five was resting at an inn not too far away from the market. They, too, had human characteristics, except for some part of their body. But no matter how unusual they look in this sea of horned people, it wasn’t as rare as a normal human being. Unlike all the other species, the human race avoided travelling in cities or even entering a country inhabited by demi-humans.

Suddenly, a fancy carriage bearing the crest of the royal family appeared near the busy market, creating a crowd to surround the area. It was not every day the commoners could observe such an occurrence without being surrounded by a sea of guards.

One of them opened the door of the carriage and a beautiful man that looks in his thirties stepped out of it.  His long and thick horns were a dark chocolate colour, and his eyes resembled the most precious rubies. It would put anyone who stood next to him to shame. The women that could glimpse their King could only sigh in awe while hoping that their husband could somehow equal his beauty.

Soon, another person emerged from the carriage. Taking the extended hand offered to him, he elegantly stepped out of the vehicle. He wasn’t as tall or as intimidating, but the gentle yet shy smile would win anyone’s heart. His facial features were delicate, almost like an angel. His lighter brown horns matched the colour of his hair, as his eyes were a pinky red. 

Oblivious to the world that was observing them, they walked into a fancy jewellery store followed by their servants as the guards ensured a secure perimeter around them. Once inside, the royal couple met the shop owner and his employees, politely bowing at them.

“Welcome Your Highnesses to The Graceful Malachite,” the shop owner, an elder man, welcomed them.

From a flick of his fingers, the maids helped the couple out of their coats. “Did you prepare what I asked?” the King asked as he led Malak further inside.

“Yes, of course,” the owner smiled. “If you would follow me.”

Following the older man, they headed toward the back of the boutique, where all the most expensive and precious items were securely stored.

“All these jewels were collected and reunited here for you, Your Highness,” the owner smiled at Malak. “They are all the rarest and exquisite ones that you can find in our country!” he added proudly before showing them one by one.

“Is there anything that suits your taste?” the man with ruby red eyes asked his husband.

“They are all magnificent, but…” Malak eyed the shop owner before whispering in his lover’s ear. “Aren’t they all too extravagant and… Expensive for horn ornaments?”

The King smiled briefly before tucking a strand of golden-brown hair behind his ear. “For you, nothing is out of price. Also, we can be a little fancy. It is our wedding, after all.”

The tip of Malak’s ear became pink before giving in. “You’re right. I’ll choose the one I like the most.”

“Anything you like.”

(｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

“This will be all for today. Remember to hand in your essay next week,” the teacher reminded the students while closing the notebook that was resting on the table in front of her.

Before she even left the classroom, the students start to talk to each other, simultaneously breaking the silence of the once peaceful room. Among the noises, a boy with dirty blond hair silently put away his notebook and pencil case into his backpack before leaving the room.

Right before he can even reach his locker, someone placed his hand on his shoulder. “You’re always so fast to leave. We had to run to catch up!”

He turned around and looked up through his lashes to meet his friend’s gaze. “If I don’t hurry, I’ll be late for work.”

“It’s today?” Enrico asked in surprise. “But it’s your birthday soon, and we thought that we could talk about it after school.”

“It’s in a few days. It can wait,” the blond teenager answered dismissively as he unlocked his locker and took what he needed from it. He had other things to think about right now.

“Malak, listen to me. You only turn eighteen once in your life! Don’t you think it is the perfect opportunity to celebrate?” Enrico scolded while closing the locker door to get his attention. “Everyone is waiting in the cafeteria,” he smiled. 

Malak sighed before placing his backpack on the floor. If he agreed, he was sure he would get dragged into something crazy. However, he was already obligated to replace someone who called in sick at his job.

“Surprise me,” Malak finally answered with a smile while swinging his backpack on his shoulder. “I need to go now.” 

Enrico was not pleased with what Malak said, but he nodded in defeat and said nothing else. However, his smile didn't disappear while his eyes twinkled in mischief.

“It’s going to be so fun.” 

“I have to leave now. I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” Malak said in a rush after checking the time on his phone.

Enrico only waved at his friends and watched him walk away at a fast pace. He never understood why Malak was so focused on his part-time job. With a shrug, he smiled to himself before hurrying back to join his friends.

Forty-five minutes later, Malak arrived at his workplace. Being late, he quickly changed into his work uniform before putting everything in his locker. He locked it and promptly headed to check in with the manager.

“Hello, Isabel,” Malak greeted with a smile as she replicates before looking at the time on her watch. “I’m late. I’m sorry about that.”

“Don’t worry. I was the one calling you at the last minute,” she answered warmly before writing the time down. “You’ll be at the cash today.”

The boy nodded before going to the cash to replace his colleague that was at the end of his shift. He patiently waited for him to log out before inserting his username into the system. Quickly adapting to the pace, Malak was comfortably greeting and serving customers one after the other before giving the orders to the barista. Because of the weather warming up quickly, most of the clients were requesting cold drinks. When the shop was about to close for the day, another wave of customers came in. Malak swallowed his frustration. With a forced smile, he greeted them politely before asking what they would like.

“Welcome to StarCups. How may I help you?”

“Well, you don’t recognize your best friends anymore?” she asked teasingly, leaning on the counter next to the cash register.

“Kayla!” Malak exclaimed in surprise at her arrival. “Sorry, I just want the day to end,” he whispered in fear that his manager would hear their conversation.

“Hello, it’s not only Kayla who’s here,” Enrico huffed while rolling his eyes before breaking into a smile.

“Don’t blame him. You’re standing next to me. Of course, he won’t notice. You don’t see a girl like me every day,” Kayla flicked a strand of her hair back.

“Actually, I do. But even in my dreams, you have burned my brain with your holy presence. The thought of leaving you breaks my fragile heart. To end my suffering, will you go out with me?” Enrico asked dramatically before going to his knee with a hand on his chest, and the other extended toward her.

Even with his jockey appearance, Enrico had a passion for theatre and cheesy movies, never missing a chance to show off his acting abilities. Even the few remaining customers stopped to witness the overly dramatic confession of love. While watching his friends acting out stupidities, Malak tried his hardest not to burst out in laughter. He was trying so hard to maintain his composure that he had to cover his mouth with his hand while tears start to gather in his eyes.

As Kayla watched her friend kneel in front of her, accustomed to his theatrics, she stared at him. The atmosphere in the coffee shop was filled with anticipation. Despite the cringe-worthy confession they witnessed, the customers were still curious if it was going to be a success. 

“I’m writing my women’s studies thesis on the patriarchal system behind courtship rituals, so dating isn’t something I ethically support right now,” she answered without an ounce of hesitation.

“But we are still in high school?” the black-haired teenager retorted while tilting his head to the side, feigning confusion.

Kayla sighed in defeat. “Buy me a drink first, and I’ll think about it.”

“Alright,” Enrico smiled warmly before getting off his knee. “One cotton candy coffee, the biggest size you have, and a regular iced coffee with milk and honey.”

Without wasting time, Malak expertly entered the order into the register before sticking the two printed-out tickets on the plastic cup. He then gives them to the bored barista, who had been silently waiting for the orders.

“We are paying separately,” he added mischievously, just a few seconds before Malak had the chance to announce the total price.

“It’ll be $9.78 for the cotton candy coffee and $2.65 for the iced coffee.”

Kayla looked displeased when Enrico handed Malak a five-dollar bill. She swallowed the need to take immediate revenge on her friend and pulled out her debit card before tapping it. She’ll have to drink that sickly sweet coffee today, but who knows what may happen tomorrow. After all, revenge is a dish best served cold.

“We will be waiting for you outside. Don’t take too long,” Enrico mentioned with his cold drink in his hand.

He exited the shop while taking a sip of his beverage, followed by Kayla, who was examining her drink with a frown. It almost looks like she feared that a hazardous substance named sugar poisoned it.

At the end of his shift, he quickly changed out of his uniform. Once he walked out of his workplace, he was disappointed to see the darkness taking over the bright-coloured sky. Even the bright white moon was already visible. 

“Why did you come today?” Malak asked curiously as the three of them walk toward the subway entrance.

“We wanted to make sure that you’ll come,” the redhead girl answered with a conspiratorial smile.

Malak was at first confused, but he quickly caught on to the subject. To be honest, he was more than happy to celebrate it with his family and close friends. He didn’t need anything extravagant, but his friends insisted.

“Where are we going?” 

“It’s a surprise, but we will come to fetch you on your birthday day. So, dress elegantly while being a little sexy. You want to impress and awe.”

“I hope you’re not setting me up with a blind date,” Malak grimaced as he boarded the train that had stopped at their station.

“Haha, we want to celebrate your birthday, not to ruin it. Don’t worry. We have Lesley’s approval. She’ll be coming too,” Enrico assured his friend while mentioning the name of his semi identical twin sister.

It was extremely rare, but sometimes it could happen. Being semi identical twins meant they were somewhat between identical and fraternal twins. Because identical twins share all the genes, they couldn’t be from opposite sexes like fraternal twins can. Therefore, both Malak and Lesley shared one hundred percent of their mother’s genes while roughly eighty percent of their father’s. The reason is that two spermatozoids must have fertilized an egg at the same time because once fertilized, it becomes impenetrable to other sperms. While two sperms fertilizing two eggs with the exact same genetic makeup was biologically impossible.

Hence, Malak and Lesley shared a bond that only twins possess. If his sister gave her approval, then it would surely be something that he will enjoy. No one knew him better than his twin.

“If she agrees, then, I’ll look forward to it,” Malak grinned before he heard his station being called out by the speaker.

The dark blond teenager waved his hand at his friend before disembarking from the train. He didn’t wait for the doors to close to walk toward the stairs that lead to the exit. While walking with the flow of the crowd, Malak fished out his earphones before choosing a tune from one of his playlists. Moving with the beat of the music, he got home quickly. With his keys already in hand, he unlocked the front door before stepping into the house. After taking off his shoes, he tossed his set of keys into the bowl. Walking into the kitchen, he set his backpack on a chair.

“I’m back,” he exclaimed as his mother, Lilly, was still cooking dinner for the family.

“Welcome home. Why did you take so long to come back?” she asked while pan-frying four pieces of chicken quarter legs.

“I was at work. They needed help to replace a colleague that was sick,” he explained while taking a look around the kitchen to see what they were going to eat for dinner. “Is everyone back?”

“Yes, go take a shower. Food is ready in half an hour,” the boy’s mother informed while placing the chicken into a baking dish with vegetables. “Don’t take too long.”

He obeyed and grabbed his backpack before walking up the stairs to get to his room. On his way, he noticed his twin lying on the bed while reading one of her books. Her taste varied constantly. One day, she was reading a cheesy novel with the main character that never knew what she wanted and the next day, she had a hard-core gay BDSM book in front of her face. Of course, she also read works written by classic authors and sometimes a philosophy book or two, but nothing compared to the romance-themed stories.

Once he reached his bedroom, he let go of his backpack as it fell heavily on the ground. Then, he grabbed a clean set of comfortable clothes and underwear before going to take a shower. All cleaned and dressed, he went back to the kitchen when he heard his mother call the entire family for dinner. With his help, they quickly set up the table as a delicious aroma filled the whole household. Soon, footsteps could be heard as Frank, Lilly’s husband and the twin’s father and Kayla walked down the stairs. With the entire family reunited around the same table, they could finally start eating.

With a full belly and a clean kitchen and dining room, the adults sit on the couch to watch TV while the teenagers go to their respective bedrooms to do their homework. A while later, the twin’s mother usually brought up some cut-up fruits as a dessert before returning to the living room to watch TV with her husband. And once the clock reaches eleven o’clock, the entire household went to bed.

This is a typical day for the Elsan family. They follow a routine where nothing irregular happens in their everyday life.