(At the beginning of the story Rouxls is described with she/her pronouns because he's AFAB and I needed to emphasize that they were young. Rouxls hasn't figured out yet at the time the she/her pronouns are used to describe him? If that makes sense-)
It was a bright morning, bright, but still sleepy.
Sleepy until Jakk, a young Kaard, went trampling inside the hotel he, his sister, and their parents were staying at for their vacation in the Cyber Kingdom. Today was the day of their tour around the Queen's castle, and just the simple thought of it made Jakk want to jump off the walls. He had been waiting for this vacation for months. He didn't want to be late. He wanted to be there early, he wanted to get up, he wanted everyone to jump into action.
He stomped into the room he and his sister were sharing. His twin sister in question, named Rouxls, was still (surprisingly) sleeping. "Wake up!" Jakk shouted. "Momma and Papa want you dressed!"
Rouxls groggily sat up, frowning at Jakk but still getting out of bed. "You better not be telling falsehoods, like you didst last time, Jakk."
Jakk raised a brow. The two were only 5, yet Rouxls seemed to know bigger words than him. The baffling thing to Jakk as well as that was the fact that Rouxls was also the younger twin. Wasn't Jakk supposed to be smarter from the extra 35 minutes of living? He guessed he'd never know. "Huh?"
Rouxls groaned, having to translate to normal English, she said: "I said, you better not be lying."
Jakk shook his head. "I'm not, I swear! I promise, todays' the day! Get up!" He ran off, laughing, to alert his parents. They surely weren't aware because if they were, they'd be awake already too.
The two swiftly got dressed in simple t-shirts and a pair of pants. Jeans for Rouxls and basketball shorts for Jakk. (Jakk really really wanted to run around.) The shirts weren't anything too flashy. Jakk's was a tee that used to have a picture on it, but the shirt was so old that the graphics were nearly faded and worn out. Rouxls's was a graphic tee as well, but much newer looking and shinier. After the two got dressed, they pushed each other around as they made their way to the kitchen, already bickering about anything either one didn't like.
"You never cease to surprise me with thou's lack of taste!" Rouxls sneered.
"Well, at least I know 'Thoust' or whatever isn't a word!" Jakk stuck out his tongue, not yet grasping the concept of Shakespearean English, unfortunately.
Rouxls rolled her eyes. "It is-t too a real word, worm! You're just
Their mother quickly interrupted. "I will make you two wear a get along shirt during the whole tour, if you do not stop."
Rouxls shook her head, worried she'd actually have to share something. "Oh, please no! Jakk is just as repulsive and parasitic as a tongue-eating louse!"
"I don't think those are bugs, Rouxls." Her mother replied.
Rouxls cringed. Entomology was her life, she put way too much time and investment and knowledge to be embarrassed like that. She was not going to be corrected by an amateur, she angrily concluded. She acted like it was nothing, intended even. "Insecte or not, it is-t an accurate comparison."
Her mother rolled her eyes, and everyone returned to getting ready again. Afterwards, everyone was out the door, ready for adventure. Now, in the car, Jakk bounced, while Rouxls sulked. "Do we have to attend this foolish tour?"
"Yes." The mother replied. "Rouxls I paid way too much, and woke up too early for you to complain. The Queen is generous enough to offer tours during the summer, and you're going to like it."
Rouxls huffed, offended, and then suddenly, they were there.
Everyone climbed out, all of them but Rouxls quickly and with a smile.
"It'll be fun, you'll see!" The father reassured his daughter, grinning as he came out from the driver's seat. He went to give the guards the tickets, as the other three went ahead to the start of the tour.
Jakk looked around, and poked Rouxls. "Hey, guess what? Huh? Huh?"
Rouxls flinched, sneering and moving inches away from Jakk. "What do you want, repulsive roach?" She rubbed the place being touched, huffing in anger for only a second.
"I was told the Queen has a moat made of acid! Race ya there!" He then tapped Rouxls like it was a game of tag, and dashed off, laughing.
Rouxls, now infuriated that the uncomfy feeling of her brother's greasy, cold fingers had been put on her twice. She ran after him with full intentions to make him pay. Those intentions were forgotten by the time she had finally caught up with him, however.
"Here it is!" Jakk announced. "The Queen's Acid Pool. The kids back home told me all about it. It's much different than the Dark Kingdom castle back home."
"Jakk, mother and father will be at the utmost cross with us."
"Rouxls, you're no fun! I'm 'cross' with you! So hah! You have to stay with me now!" Jakk mocked his sister when using 'cross'. "Hey, let's play a game!"
"Like what?"
Jakk giggled, taking his sister's hands and swinging her around, faster and faster, until the two were pulled into a force that only made them spin faster. The world outside blurred with them, it was just them. They were happy, there was nothing else. The adrenaline shot through both of them in the embodiment of laughter as they continued spinning around. They, by this time, had forgotten about anyone being cross with them, the warnings from the adults were muffled.
Then, Jakk let go, and everything was clear again. Rouxls was sent tumbling into the burning liquid contents of the moat, and the scenery was shortly accompanied by cries in agony, and pain. Jakk screeched in fear, not knowing what to do. Everyone rushed towards the scene, with cameras, with phones dialing the emergency number, with questions like, "who just fell in?", "who's child is that?", "Is she coming out?"
...
