Time: 20 minutes later
—
Gentle rays of the sun sliced through the forest canopy as a cool breeze drifted through the trees, rustling the leaves. Birds and insects filled the air with chips and buzzes as the forest slowly came to life with the rising sun.
The four boys strolled through the forest, deep in conversation while also staying vigilant for any opportunity to catch prey.
"So you're telling me that your version of Isaac Newton was a Formula 1 driver?!" Omari asked, his expression full of disbelief.
"Yeah. He was the best to ever grace the circuit," Savien replied.
"Then who discovered the laws of motion in your world?."
"Joseph Stalin."
Omari burst out laughing at Savien's answer.
Savien could only give a confused expression at Omari as he laughed.
Jackson tapped Damian on the shoulder to get his attention. "What about you?"
Damian looked at him with an expressionless face, placing a finger on his chin as he thought for a moment.
"Well… in my world, Isaac Newton was one of the three best chess players in my world. The other two were John Smith and Albert Einstein."
He paused briefly.
"I was hired to kill Newton's father… by John Smith—so he'd be off his game for their upcoming match."
"Oh yeah," Jackson huffed. "I always forget that you were once an assassin."
"Woah, woah, woah!" Omari moved his hands in a gesture as if telling someone to calm down. "We are focusing on the wrong thing here! WHAT DO YOU MEAN SOMEONE ORDERED A HIT ON ANOTHER PERSON OVER A CHESS Match?!"
He shook his head. "Chess cannot be that deep 😭"
Savien and Omari laughed at the absurdity of that action.
While they were distracted, Jackson stepped closer to Damian.
"Are you sure they can't hear what we're saying?"
Damian nodded. "They're too far away to hear anything we're saying."
Jackson let out a sigh of relief.
The conversation continued between the four as they continued their search.
...
Vander squinted his eyes as he observed the boys walking through the forest.
"Damn, I still don't know what they're saying."
Sam placed a finger on his chin. "Can't Bryan's wife read lips?"
Bryan shot him an annoyed look. "Yes, she can, but we're not about to disturb my wife for something like this. Maybe we should just leave them alone."
"I agree," Nicolas said.
"We should give them their privacy. No need to listen in on all their conversations," he added.
They all jumped down from the tree they were perched in and continued following their sons.
Sam rubbed his head in irritation. "It's rather infuriating having to stay so far back just so that Damian can't detect us."
"I still don't understand why he's so good at detecting movement from long distances," he added.
Bryan wore a small prideful smirk as he walked. "That's my son for you! Though, he probably inherited it from his mother."
"Did any of your genes even try putting up a fight!" Nicolas joked.
"I mean, Damian did inherit his father's personality. That probably counts as a win for him." Sam said, poking fun at Bryan.
Bryan frowned. "Hey! I have way more emotion than him!"
Sam raised an eyebrow. "And you think that's a good thing? He's a kid, yet he acts more like an adult than Nicolas!"
"HEY!!" Nicolas protested.
Sam continued, pointing at Vander. "In fact, Savien is more responsible than his lazy father over there."
Vander wasn't even focused on the conversation. He was deep in thought.
Sam snapped his fingers to get his attention. "Hello?!"
Vander jolted as he frantically looked around.
"Wh-what?"
Sam jabbed him on his shoulder. "Whats got you thinking so hard."
"Well… " He scratched his head. "I was just thinking about our sons and their behavior. Savien and Damian are way to mature for their age. Jackson and Omari act their age… more or less."
He paused.
"Maybe they are reincarnated souls? At least that's my theory."
Sam and Nicolas just stared at each other in utter confusion.
Then they burst out laughing. Tears trailed down their faces as they laughed hysterically.
Nicolas used a tree as support so he wouldn't fall down as he continued laughing.
Sam was already rolling on the floor in gut-busting laughter.
Bryan just shook his head.
"I'm starting to think that instead of inheriting your intelligence, Savien ended up taking it all."
"Hey now, it's just a theory." Vander retorted.
"A really stupid one."
Vander folded his arms and spun around in protest. "Whatever!"
Suddenly, they heard the celebratory screams of the boys in the distance.
Sam smirked as he got up after dusting himself off and began walking toward them. "Looks like they caught something. I wonder what it could be?"
Nicolas composed himself as he cleared his throat and followed after Sam. "Let's go find out what it is."
Bryan was the next to begin walking. He turned around and looked at Vander. "Stop pouting and let's get going."
"I'M NOT POUTING!!" Vander snapped.