As Kyle joined them, one could hear the frenzied whisperings around them.
How could there not be any?
After all, you had three strikingly handsome young men gathered around cute, adorable children.
All three men were in their mid-twenties, as the three of them had children when they were but 18 years old. Sam married his childhood sweetheart right out of school, while Ali tied the knot upon reaching adulthood - something that was a tradition in his family.
Though that was completely unheard of, when one considered the backgrounds of the men, it felt natural and ordinary.
Sam is Kyle's personal assistant, and had been working as his PA since he was 13 years old. Kyle had been training as the Heir and thus, 'collected' his men from a very young age. Those that would be loyal to him and no one fitted that bill better than Sam.
Kyle paid Sam generously and by the time Sam graduated, he felt there was no plausible reason *not* to get married. He knew his girlfriend was the only one for him and he was rich enough to support the both of them - and their families.
Ali is the CEO of the largest oil-based company in Country Tz, and had an arranged marriage from birth. This was because he was the only son and heir, and the marriage contract was to further strengthen the business. In the end, however, he ended up marrying the love of his life - someone he met in school.
All three were strikingly handsome in their own way.
Ali was the Dessert Prince with his olive skin and exotic features, Sam was the Nerd Prince with his gold rimmed square glasses and formal outfit (long sleeve shirt and pants) - though for the latter, the title that he got when he was schooling didn't seem to fit so well anymore.
He wasn't as stiff as before, nor was he dressed as 'nerdy' as before. Gone were the pens in the pockets, for example and his hairstyle was quite chic.
Of course, Kyle was the one with the most striking figure among the lot and the most popular. Just him standing there, doing nothing but standing there, was enough to cause hearts to palpitate and thoughts go down the wrong way (one can dream, right?).
Added to the fact that he was carrying his daughter so lovingly, the entire image just hit them all in the right places.
"Sure brings back memories, huh?" Ali mused, looking at the entrance of the school.
"At least Ziad's experience wouldn't be as bad as yours in the beginning, right?" Kyle said with a smile, nudging his shoulder.
Ali, with his features and being a Muslim, was a novelty for the kids at school. During his time, he was considered something 'new' or rather, something that was unknown.
For some kids, such novelty was not particularly positive - more so since Ali hardly mixed with people. He was initially a shy boy, and he could not eat the food that was served in the canteen.
"I hardly remember those bad times, really," Ali said with a smile, "For meeting you guys and bonding here made everything worth it. It was God's Will. Fate."
"Just like the three of us having kids attending school together," Kyle agreed.
Fleur was busy hanging onto Ziad's arm, gripping it hard while looking all around in nervousness. Ziad didn't object, nor showed any reluctance as he allowed her to do so.
Fleur was a mini-celebrity as she had a cooking channel with her mother. Though normally an open and bright girl, she was actually shy and having all sorts of people staring at her as they passed by made her a bit uncomfortable.
It didn't help that everyone seemed to be staring at them.
She was always behind the camera and thus, had never really been exposed to the public like this. Clinging onto Ziad, her best friend and brother, calmed her down.
Ziad was actually her milk sibling, as her mother had actually breastfed him. His mother had not been able to produce the milk that was needed and had been devastated by that.
Ziad was the only child of his parents, and a miracle as his mother had trouble conceiving. She had suffered numerous miscarriages so when Ziad was born, he was the jewel for his parents.
Naturally, she only wanted the best for him.
Ziad's mother did not want to raise him on formula milk, despite the advancement that is made in such products. She firmly believed that the best nutrition for her son would be a mother's milk.
It is considered as the most compatible and suitable food for newborns and there are a lot of medical benefits of breastfeeding. So even if there was a suitable substitute, Sofiya never felt those substitutes were good enough and thus, she looked for someone who was willing to provide the milk for her son.
It just so happened that Fleur's mother, Betty, had ample supply and was willing.
Under Islamic teachings, milk siblings are equivalent to biological siblings and cannot be married. Thus, the siblings' relationship between Ziad and Fleur was as pure as Alex's sibling relationship with Aurora.
In short, there were two pairs of siblings that formed the childhood friends group. This matter was not really of any interest to them however. As just like their parents, they regarded each other as blood siblings.
"Remember that you are here not just to learn," Kyle reminded them, "You are to make friends outside your 'Fantastic Four' circle, okay?"
'Fantastic Four' was what they called themselves, following the comic book heroes. The name wasn't based on their similarities to the characters themselves but rather, to the fact that they just like the sound of it.
It was that simple.
"Yes," Sam agreed, "This is the best time to form memories. Be careful of fake friends. Be wary of people who would want to take advantage of you. Always remember to protect each other as well."
"You have each other to back you up, but don't close yourself to knowing other people," Ali told them.
"You make it sound like we're going into a warzone," Alex complained.
All three men gave each other a look and smiled.
"You are," Kyle agreed.
Kids at that age were the most open and innocent - but at the same time, could be cruel as well. They would generally act as according to their feelings and thoughts, and some of them aren't even mature enough to think things through.
Looking at his good looking son, Kyle felt that he would most likely go through the same thing he had throughout his school life. However, Kyle also knew that while he had enjoyed it (most of the time), Alex would not.
Kyle was also well aware of the fact that Alex detested being compared to him and that was exactly the reason why he chose Retsu Primary School.
Alex would be compared to him throughout his life and Kyle was not going to wrap him up in cotton. Just like how some (insane) people would teach another to swim by throwing them into the deep end, Kyle felt that dumping …. Er, sending … him to the same school he had would cause the comparison to be more.
Alex would have to learn to deal with it.
Kyle knew that it would be extremely hard, but it was something he had to go through. Learning it from this young age would make the lesson much more powerful and Alex would be stronger for it.
After all, the comparison would just get worse and worse as he grew older.
In a way, Kyle felt this was 'easing him into it'.
"Most importantly," Kyle said as he looked at Ziad, Fleur and Aurora, "Please keep an eye on Alex. Make sure he doesn't blow his top."
Hearing this, Alex's face immediately darkened.
"Ziad, you have my permission to use whatever means you can to subdue him, if need be," Kyle said.
"Hey!" Ali protested, "If Alex is anything like you, what makes you think Ziad can hold him down?"
Ali knew full well that like Ziad, Alex had been taught martial arts from young. However, he was also well aware of the fact that the skills Kyle had far surpassed him. It wasn't just because Kyle was gifted in that way, but rather, due to the fact that the art itself seemed mysterious and deadly.
He would know, for he often sparred with Kyle.
No matter how he trained and learned, he never could get a handle of the moves that Kyle made. Ali wasn't putting down his own son but he was one that saw facts.
"Of course Ziad can," Kyle said confidently, "Alex may get angry but he can still distinguish between friends and foe. He wouldn't hurt Ziad in any way and Ziad is skilled enough to hold Alex down."
"I can do it too, Father," Aurora piped up.
"Yes, I know you can, my princess," Kyle replied, "So you are Ziad's back-up should he not be around."
Fleur listened to all of this and pouted.
She was the only one that didn't know any self-defence and she looked at her father aggrievedly.
Sam looked at her accusing eyes helplessly, "Fleur, you were the one that didn't want to learn!"
Fleur didn't answer and kept on pouting.