"Welcome home, Evelyn!" they exclaimed in unison.

"Well, look at you two! Looks like your first day at school went well," Evelyn said, smiling.

The twins nodded eagerly. Evelyn glanced over at the gifts on the table, noticing that each had a name labeled on it.

"What are all these? Who brought them?" 

She asked, puzzled. Serena, with a soft smile, answered.

"They were here when I got home. I called Marcus, but he said he didn’t leave them. I’m pretty sure they’re from Shin. He always gets each of us special gifts; only he would do something like this."

Marcus then walked in from the kitchen with a grin. "Think of it as a small apology for not being here on your first day of school" he said.

The twins eagerly picked up their gifts, looking at the labels, and chimed, "Apology accepted!"

As Marcus laughed, Serena looked over at him with a mischievous smile. "And what did you get us for our first day of school?"

Marcus blinked, momentarily caught off guard, but quickly recovered. 

"Uh... I left work early today to welcome everyone home and picked up some amazing chocolates for the kids... you know, just for today."

"Yay!" the twins cheered in unison.

"Oh? Just for today, huh?" Serena teased.

"Ahem... of course, what else would it be? Anyway, no chocolate for you, Serena. You’re too old for a first-day gift," he said, trying to sound casual.

Serena smirked as she picked up the gift with her name on it. "Apparently, Shin doesn’t think so."

Evelyn watched them with a warm smile, feeling a sense of belonging here. Then she noticed Lucian sitting off to the side, looking a bit down. She picked up the gift with his name and brought it over to him.

"Hey... aren’t you curious to see what Shin got you?" she asked gently, handing him the gift.

Lucian, who had joined the family two years ago, took a moment before reaching for the gift. He had come from a troubled past with his previous family, and everyone understood he was still adjusting to a new life. They gave him all the time he needed, knowing he’d eventually feel comfortable.

He carefully opened the gift. Inside was a black gemstone.

"Wow, this looks like a real gem," he said softly.

"It is. Shin never buys anything fake. Last year, he got me a real gemstone necklace too," Serena replied with a smile.

Marcus looked at Serena, astonished. "I wonder where he finds these things? We don’t even know where he works. He just stops by now and then before disappearing again."

Serena teased him, "What’s the matter, feeling left out?"

Marcus rolled his eyes. "Not even close. I just think he should come home more often. He doesn’t need to work so hard..."

Serena looked at him in surprise, but before she could reply, the twins’ voices, full of excitement, drew everyone’s attention.

"Wow, this is so cool!" Noah admired his green gemstone bracelet, and Nora nodded in agreement.

"It’s beautiful! And it goes perfectly with my outfit!" she added, grinning.

Evelyn, now curious, opened her gift and found a necklace with a yellow, sun-shaped gemstone inside.

"This is incredible," she murmured.

Serena opened her own gift to find a brand-new laptop. Since there was no local university in town and she didn’t want to leave, she had been studying online. Shin had helped her find a university that offered remote learning, and every day, after dropping the kids off at school, she’d come back home to attend her online classes.

"...my old computer wasn’t that bad," she muttered.

"Sure, if you don’t mind waiting half an hour for it to start up," Marcus joked.

"Hmph. Anyway, you’ve got a gift too, so open it up," Serena shot back.

Acting like it wasn’t a big deal, Marcus opened his gift. Inside was a book and a pink gemstone necklace. When he read the book’s title, his face turned beet red.

"'How to Know if You Have Romantic Feelings?'... what is this?!" he exclaimed.

Serena burst out laughing. "It’s pretty obvious who Shin’s talking about! Isn’t there a girl you’ve been working with? Even Shin’s noticed your feelings."

Marcus’s face was completely flushed. "What are you talking about? There’s nothing like that! And what’s with this necklace? It’s a woman’s necklace!"

"Isn’t it obvious? It’s for you to give to her," Serena replied with a grin.

Serena and the others laughed until their eyes watered. And so, their first day of school came to an end. For some, it had been easy; for others, challenging. But by the end of the day, they were all together, sharing their laughter and their burdens as a family.