And Then There Were Four Novels & Stories

“Do you hear me? Not. Close.” “Matthew, you’re not helping,” Liam snapped, nudging him aside. He turned back to Mia, his voice softening. “It’s okay to be scared, Mia, but you don’t have to carry this alone. We’ve got you.” Aiden stepped in, his arm sliding around her waist as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “You’ve got four of us,” he said with a smirk. “We’re not exactly easy to mess with.” Mia let out a shaky laugh, though it was more from disbelief than amusement. “Four of you? That’s supposed to make me feel better? You’re all a handful on your own.”

“Worth a shot “, Venus said shrugging her shoulders. “Spring’s flowers•Summer’s heat •Autumn’s fall• Winter’s Ice AUTUMN PACK Draco had just eaten lunch and was very satisfied. He stretched his long legs on the recliner in his office while staring into oblivion. The thinking was something he did often and getting lost in his thoughts was his favorite pastime. Clad in tattoos from neck down, he played with his dangling ear piercing. A knock on the door. The most irritating sound he’d ever heard. Second to slurping. “What?”, he said, his deep smooth voice echoing in his naked room.

And judging by the way four bodies moved closer at once rest was no longer part of the evening. Oh Goddess, I missed them. Now I'm gonna enjoy every second of it.

Fuck, this is bad. “What did it say? The video?” Sabastian presses as Jaden growls at his computer. “Just showed a bright light and how the time for a new power is dawning. I can’t remember the rest. Fuck, I’ve got to go. The video unleashed a virus.” The line goes dead as I struggle to breathe.

The safe-room, moments after the broadcast, was a vacuum. The intense, artificial light was extinguished, leaving only the grey, rainy daylight filtering through the high, grimy windows. The silence felt thick, the echo of their own voices and the producer’s directions still ringing in Sabatine’s ears. The Channel Four team, a sudden whirlwind of packed equipment and hushed, urgent whispers, vanished as quickly as they’d appeared, leaving behind the charged static of a bomb that had just detonated globally.

My family believed in democracy. Every decision was settled by a family vote. Dad, Mom, my brother Dylan Conley, and my sister Tessa Conley each got one vote. So did I. The problem was, four against one meant I never won. During my junior year of high school, my brother wanted a new computer. The vote was four to one. The money I'd saved for three years of tutoring was gone. In senior year, when it was time to submit college applications, I earned early admission to Northbridge University, but Tessa cried and said she couldn't stand the thought of me moving so far away. So the family held another vote. Dad pinned my application form beneath his hand. "Majority rules. You're going to

the fourth one said. Igor's eyes scanned the room. Though, Erik and Klara aren't saying anything, the speech from the four was enough to give him hope. Maybe Micheal killing Stravinsky wasn't bad after all. He got the pity of the four, and it seems like he won them to his side without trying. A small smile crept to his lips, but it disappeared when Madden spoke. "No rush, there's still enough time for y'all to take back your words." His hoarse voice was infused with gravity, and the four went silent.

"What do you mean by that? You pretend you don't know us? Oh, or did you have amnesia after the accident?" "Remember this carefully!" another said. "We are masters of dorm two and loyal supporters of B4. Who was it that you swore at? Immediately correct your words, loser!" "Well, he's right. It doesn't matter if you are the brightest student in this school; if you insult Hunter Abraham and the other members of B4, then you will have to face us!" "B4!" Jonea grinned. "True to their name—BEASTS Four, the four of them are monsters!"

The audio on the tablet kept playing. It clearly captured Susan ordering Ms. Thompson to feed Lucas “poisoned milk powder”. “Don’t let him live too long. After some time has passed, when no one’s asking, just say he got an infection and died. The manager stood on the side, fumbling to end the livestream. But she was stopped by Sam. “Ms. Thompson, don't rush to turn off the livestream. Let everyone see it. Let others see how you and Susan swap out Lucas and plan to kill him.”

And for the first time in my life, I realized that I was… Whole. “Our mates are here,” a feminine voice, both young and ageless all at once, whispered in my mind. It reverberated through my skull like a bell, and yet it soothed me unlike anything before. “There are four total, but three are here tonight…” Before I could react, three familiar voices rang out all at once. “Mate!”