Four Horsemen Read online

  Four Horsemen

  Katie Dunn

  Copyright © 2020 Katie Dunn

  Cover design by Jervy Bonifacio of Phoenix Design Studio

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For information, address the publisher.

  ISBN-13: 9798624171459

  Any references to historical events or real people are used fictitiously. Other names and characters are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Facebook.com/AuthorKatieDunn

  Kdunnauthor.com

  Titles by Katie Dunn

  Ancient Elements

  Pirates from Under

  Myth Blessed

  Four Horsemen

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  A Nittany lion wearing a striped scarf danced around the quad in the center of the University. Booths were set up across the lawn and the lion encouraged people to approach the tables. Tons of Freshmen walked around with folders, lanyards, and suitcases causing the quad to be crowded. Some of them posed in front of the mascot and took selfies, which blocked the walkway. Others crowded around tables or shuffled about exploring their new home. The mascot costume weirded me out, so I made sure to avoid it and blended into the crowd as I searched for a check-in booth.

  Penn State University was my first choice in colleges, and I had been super excited last year to open the envelope and see my acceptance letter. However, now that I was there, nerves twisted my stomach. I finally found the check-in booth and rushed over before the line got longer. Thankfully, it wasn’t a long wait.

  “Hello, welcome to Penn State. What’s your name?” A young woman asked as she beamed at me from the other side of the table.

  I wondered if she was paid to be there or volunteered. “Ophelia Bronson.” I cringed at the use of my first name. Ophelia sounded like an old lady name or a delicate flower, both of which I was not.

  The woman looked down at her checklist of Freshmen names. “Ah, Engineering, how fun,” she said, studying my information. “You are going to be in the West Residence Halls, which fortunately for you are near here.” The woman handed over a map, a key, and a Nittany lion sticker. “Go Nittany Lions!” She cheered enthusiastically.

  I pumped a fist half-heartedly in the air and gave a pathetic cheer in return. Well, it looked like cheerleading was off the table.

  I grabbed the stuff she held and left the table so the person behind me could check in. I glanced down at the map and found the West Residence Halls. Once I got my bearings on where I was, I followed the map to my new home. I didn’t have any luggage other than a backpack with me, my parents promising to send my stuff soon, so I was able to get around campus free of heavy burdens.

  The woman was right when she said it was near the quad. I barely had to walk that far to reach the West Residence Halls. Feeling a sense of excitement about new beginnings, I reached out and yanked on the door. Then I yanked again. The door rattled but refused to open. I peered inside but the windows were dark preventing me from seeing much. I sighed in frustration and looked for a way in. A small button and speaker near the door caught my attention so I stalked over to it and jabbed the button with a bit of annoyance.

  The speaker crackled then a male voice sounded, “West Residence Halls, how can I help you?”

  I looked around for a phone or something to speak into, but the speaker was the only thing in sight. I leaned toward it and raised my voice a little in case they couldn’t hear outside voices very well. “My dorm is inside but I don’t have a way in.”

  “Where is your student ID?” the voice asked.

  I frowned and patted myself down even though I knew I didn’t have one. “I don’t have one yet, I am a Freshman.”

  “You need an ID to enter.” The speaker crackling cut off making me assume the person stopped listening.

  I pressed the button again and the crackling of the speaker sounded again. “West Residence Halls, how can I help you?”

  “Hi, uh, my room is 102 but I don’t have an ID to get in.” I held up my room key that the enthusiastic check in lady gave me as if the speaker guy could see it.

  “You need an ID to enter.” The cackling shut off again and I kicked the wall in frustration.

  He could have at least told me how to go about getting one.

  I fumed in annoyance and yanked at the doors again, hoping they would open for me despite not having an ID. When they continued to stay closed, I stomped my foot, feeling childish but I didn’t care. I leaned against the brick wall and crossed my arms. The next time someone came in or out, I would sneak in.

  It didn’t take long until the doors opened, and a couple of people walked out deep in conversation. I sidled passed them and slipped inside, feeling triumphant and wanting to rub it in speaker boy’s face. Instead, I glanced down at the number on my key, even though I already knew it, and went to search for room 102.

  Thankfully, it was on the first floor, so it didn’t take me long to find my room. I used the key in my hand to open the door to my new life. Light shown in through a window opposite the door, highlighting two sets of bunk beds situated against opposite walls. The bottom part of the bunk beds hid desks instead of a bed, efficiently opening the space of the room a little more.

  A female voice startled me from the right side of the room. “You can move the desk and lower the bed if you want.”

  I hadn’t noticed someone sitting under one of the beds at the desk. The woman stood up and reached out a hand to me. She had dark skin and ultra-curly brown hair. Her brownish gold eyes shown with kindness and intelligence.

  “I’m Shawna, Engineering major” she introduced.

  I didn’t want to continue standing there like an idiot who didn’t realize she would have a roommate, even though that’s exactly who I was. I reached forward and shook her hand, “You can call me Phi. I’m also an Engineering major.”

  Shawna smiled at me and nodded. We fell into an awkward silence, neither of us knowing what to say next. I hadn’t always been socially awkward. I used to be outgoing and friendly and always knew just the thing to say. However, life happened, I became withdrawn and now my friends were mainly machines and oil grease. This year, though, I was determined to make at least one real friend.

  “Do you need any help unpacking?” Shawna asked, looking around for my luggage.

  I shook my head and waved her offer away. “I don’t have anything right now except for my backpack. I was going to go shopping later to pick up some stuff.”

  Shawna’s eyes lit up. “I will come with you. I need a few things as well.”

  I gave her a small smile, happy that she would want to tag along even though it was something that would probably be boring for anyone involved. We fell into silence again. I was sure I would get better at talking to people at some point, but maybe not today. I placed my map and backpack on my desk and fiddled with my red beaded Hawaiian bracelet nervously. It wa
s a weird tic I picked up over the last year.

  Shawna somehow knew what to do though. She grabbed her keys and waved at me to follow her. “Let’s go to the orientation assembly.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief. Going outside and doing something sounded better than hanging around an empty room. I followed her out and let her lead us to wherever the orientation was being held. I had forgotten to grab my map, so I hoped she knew where we were going.

  We ended up back over at the main quad area where Freshmen continued walking around trying to check-in and see all the new sights. The same Nittany lion danced around the people still and I cringed at its behavior. I would never want to have that job. Orientation was apparently in the Schwab Auditorium which was across the lawn from the student Union. Noise and people invaded my senses inside the auditorium. I was surprised to see the place was nearly packed despite all the people still outside. We grabbed seats near the back and waited for the orientation to start.

  “So where are you from?” Shawna asked, breaking the ice once again.

  I hesitated, not really wanting to say but there was no reason for me to be secretive. “Philadelphia. You?”

  “Chicago,” Shawna beamed. “I’ve always wanted to live in Pennsylvania and figured this University was a good way for that to happen.” She looked around as she held out her hands to encompass the auditorium and Penn State. Then she turned to me. “Is your name Phi due to you living in Philadelphia?”

  I cringed. Many people believed that was the reason for my name Phi. That or sorority reasons. “No, it’s because Ophelia doesn’t really suit me. Pennsylvania is a neat place to live, good choice.” I started fidgeting with the Hawaiian bracelet on my wrist again, feeling nervous about talking to someone about my life.

  “So, what made you add a white streak to your hair?” Shawna asked side blinding me with the topic change.

  My hand jerked up to my hair and grabbed the white streak that ran through the dark locks. The stupid streak that had appeared a year ago after my brother’s…after he left. I had tried dyeing it and cutting it off, but it always reappeared, so now I just lived with it. People thought I added it on purpose especially since natural white streaks at a young age were rare. It was easier to let them think that.

  “Phi?” Shawna asked, touching my shoulder to get my attention.

  I dropped my hair and stared at her questioningly. I forgot what she asked.

  “Why did you add a white streak?” She repeated. Her brows drew down into a small frown.

  Oh no. I was being weird. I’ve known her for less than an hour now and I was already ruining what could be my first friendship since last year.

  I shook my head and dropped my gaze. “It looks cool,” I finally answered. I didn’t like telling people it was natural because that would raise more questions and those led to tears and…I just didn’t like talking about it.

  “Oh my God,” Shawna grabbed my arm, jolting me out of my thoughts, and leaned closer to me. “Look at the guys that just walked in. They’re gorgeous,” she shouted in a whisper.

  Shawna didn’t seem fazed by my weird behavior or vague answers. I sighed in relief and chuckled at my new roommates’ energy and frequent topic changes. If that was how everyday would be, I would get exhausted. I looked over to the door to see who she was talking about and froze.

  How the hell did they find me? Of course, they could have been there because it was an amazing University, but I had a niggling feeling it was because I attended. I slid down in my seat to avoid their notice and watched as they continued further into the room to sit a few rows in front of us. This was just great. I had been avoiding them for a year now and thought I had driven them off for good when I destroyed their motorcycles. I remembered their stricken looks when their babies went up in flames. I had not been surprised when they stopped coming around after that.

  “You know them?” Shawna whispered excitedly.

  When she saw my scowl, she glanced at the guys with her head tilted in curiosity. “Who are they?”

  I had to swallow a knot in my throat and push back the tears that stung my eyes before I could answer. “That’s Kaden,” I told her, pointing to the one with russet brown hair and orange highlights. If he were facing us, I knew we would be able to see his forest green eyes and dimples as he smiled. I pointed to the one with obsidian black hair and brown jacket sitting next to him. “That one is Trevor.”

  I moved my finger to point to the last one. He had the softest looking brown hair and I knew if he turned around his eyes would be a piercing hazel-brown and he would have a beard recently shaven, but its shadow would still show. “That’s Liam, the leader of the group.” I turned to my roommate with concern. “Watch out around them, they are not good guys.”

  I don’t know why, but that seemed to intrigue her even more. I sighed and shook my head hoping she would heed my warning. She didn’t get to ask any more questions, because a tall, dark, bald man in a suit walked up to the podium and welcomed the new Freshman class of Penn State University.

  He went over the history of the school, important tips for us to know and how vital signing up for clubs was when we were still Freshmen. Most of it went in one ear and out the other because I couldn’t stop staring at the back of the heads of the three guys I wanted to see the least in the world. I didn’t even realize the orientation ended until Shawna tapped my arm and ushered me out of my seat so we wouldn’t hold up the row. As soon as I was up, I moved quickly to the door and out of the auditorium, then I kept walking not waiting to see if Shawna was behind me. All I wanted to do was get far away. Shawna caught up to me in the quad, and I relaxed a bit knowing the crowd would help me blend in.

  “I know it’s none of my business, but you seem to have real issues with them. You have been on edge ever since they got here.” Shawna hesitated and leaned closer. “Did they hurt you?”

  I shook my head vehemently and waved her statement away. “No, nothing like that. They’re just guys from back home.”

  I know that cleared nothing up, but I had only known Shawna for an hour. I wasn’t quite ready to spill my guts about my life. Thankfully she let it drop and instead looped her arm through mine, pulling me away from the quad to the outskirts of campus.

  “C’mon, let’s go shopping,” Shawna suggested, changing the subject.

  I cringed at the idea of shopping, but it was that or sleep on a plain mattress and wear the same three sets of clothes for the rest of my life. The closest store to our dorm was Wal-Mart, and while I preferred to support local businesses, it was convenient. Shawna had a great time helping me pick out bedding and clothes. I couldn’t care less what color my bedsheets were but since she continued asking, I went with some pale green sheets and a dark green comforter. On our way out we passed by the bikes and I couldn’t help but stop and stare. Having a bike to get around campus would be nice, plus it would remind me of my bike back home. I browsed the various types and went with a pale colored bike with a basket.

  Shawna smirked at my choice but said nothing. I understood her smirk. Most people looked at me and thought punk or street rat since I worked with machines and avoided people. They thought I was someone who liked ripped jeans, black t-shirts, rock music, and motorcycles. The black t-shirts may be true but the rest of it was not really my style. I mean who thought ripped jeans were stylish? It just didn’t make sense. I wheeled the bike and the rest of my belongings to check out and purchased them.

  Once we got all my stuff back to the dorm, Shawna guided me to the bookstore and administration building to get my books and ID. Thank goodness I had her to help me get around because I would have gotten lost at least five times. Our last stop was the on-campus dining area and my stomach grumbled in anticipation. The atmosphere inside almost felt like a buffet where we had to go to the various sections to get our food and could eat as much as we wanted while we were there.

  “I heard they have a variety of food like pasta, sandwiches, pizza, and grilled items.”
As Shawna continued listing food types her voice got higher in excitement. Then she rushed off to fill her plate.

  I chuckled at her enthusiasm for food and figured it would be a good friendship after all. I ended up getting a club sandwich, some veggies, and root beer. Shawna was already seated with her hamburger and pasta near the back of the dining area, so I walked back there and joined her. We received nineteen meals per week and I already knew we would be spending most of the here. Why not when it was all you could eat.

  I was only halfway through my food when a hulking figure stood at the head of the table casting his shadow over us. I knew I hadn’t seen the last of them, but I never expected for one of them to stop by while I was eating. I looked up and saw dimples flash at us.

  “Hey, Phi, long time no see,” Kaden waved and without an invitation he sat down next to Shawna forcing her to move over.

  Shawna stared at him with wide eyes and looked him up and down with intrigue. Kaden noticed and turned to her with an open hand. “Hi, I’m Kaden Hallahan, and you are?”

  Shawna put her hand in his, holding it a second longer than necessary for a greeting. “Shawna Matthews.”

  He gave her a hypnotizing smile that I knew could melt any girl’s heart. He had used it many times on the girls in high school, but he would not flirt with my new friend. I kicked him under the table causing him to frown and look back at me. I glared at him, trying to tell him he was not welcome, but he only chuckled and leaned his elbows on the table, resting his chin on his hands. His green eyes pierced my own pale ones and a flash of danger sparked in their depths, but it was gone as quick as it came.

  Kaden stood up and smiled at both of us. “See you around Phi.” He knocked on the table in goodbye and left us sitting there with the rest of our food. Suddenly I was no longer hungry.

  “I like him, he seems nice,” Shawna commented as she stared at his retreating behind.