The Lost Continent

Prologue

Ten years ago, on this day, my father disappeared.

I remember the day very clearly, and although I tried, there was nothing I could do to cast away the painful memory.

It was May 17th, and it was a stormy day; the cold rain threw itself angrily upon the classroom windows. I looked out the window and saw that the once blue sky was now completely covered with a thick blanket of gray clouds. As thunder shook the ground, I swore I could see the tall, emerald trees quiver, and as each new clap of thunder exploded from the sky, I felt as if they were going to tumble effortlessly to the ground. I was suddenly snapped out of my reverie when I heard the final bell ring, dismissing us from class. I remember coming out of the school that day, walking along side my two twin older brothers. We were all wearing raincoats with our hoods pulled over our heads to shield ourselves from the onslaught of rain.

We stood out in front of the elementary school building for over an hour, and the rain never ceased. I suppose it looked like a scene from a tragic movie, three kids waiting in a torrential downpour for their father who was never going to show up.

Mrs. Presso, my old Second Grade Teacher, walked out of the building, her pink umbrella in hand. "The three Acerra musketeers!" she said in her unusual and obnoxious high-pitched voice, "What are you three still doing here?"

"Waiting for our father," Talos, one of my brothers stated. His voice was laced with no emotion and his face expressionless. She looked down through her black rimmed glasses at the gold-plated watch on her wrist.

"It's almost 4:15!” she exclaimed, “you three come inside and we'll give him a call."

Three times she tried calling him, each one ending with more disparity. We tried our mother and she answered the phone. Mrs. Presso and she had a conversation and within minutes she was at the door.

"Talos, Troy, Artemis I'm so sorry about this, thank you Mrs. Presso," our mother said, her Italian accent flowed through her voice when she spoke.

Mrs. Presso smiled and nodded her head and my mother took us by the hands and led us to her car. She looked at Talos and Troy, "no word from your dad?"

"No, we tried calling him three times." You could see the look of worry that crossed her face.

The ride home was a long one, the tension in the car never ceased. All four of us were hoping that the inevitable would not be true, that one of my father’s experiments had gone horribly wrong and he was either injured…or worse. 

 By the time we got home, my mother was already barking orders at us. "Artemis check the office, Troy check the basement, Talos check the attic and I'll check the other two floors."

I ran to the "office" (a.k.a. the garage), my rain boots splashing through the puddles as the dense rain made it hard to see. When I got to the door it was locked. "Dad!" I screamed loudly trying to wiggle the door handle. It wouldn't budge. I walked back about three yards and ran full speed at the door. To my amazement the brown mahogany door came crashing to the ground…to my demise…I went with it. I did two summersaults before I stopped rolling because I tumbled into a metal bench. I felt something scratch at my hand and I looked down and saw a nice bloody gash that completely encircled my thin wrist.

Swallowing my tears, I took off my raincoat and hung it up on a hook. I grabbed a paper towel and put it over my wrist, as I surveyed the office. A calm mist circled the room, every one of my dad's experiments laying either on the cement floor or hanging upon the ash covered walls. There was only one thing that was missing…my father.

My eyes caught something white that contrasted will all the dark and gloomy things that the office beheld. I ran over to it and grabbed it and saw that it was my father's lab coat. The white coat was disrupted with large gashes singed with black around the edges. I laid it out on the ground, searching for a clue, a sign or anything. When I smoothed it out with my hand, my cold fingers felt something as they ran over the pocket. I pulled out what appeared to be three keys. They were something of the past. They were made of metal with a highly vintage look about them. I flipped them over and saw that they were engraved. One said TALOS, the other TROY, and the other ARTEMIS.

I heard footsteps splashing through puddles outside the desolate garage and quickly placed the cold keys into the pocket of my jeans. As I put them in there, I felt as if a strange power was being emitted from them and I knew that they were no ordinary keys.

Troy burst open the door and I handed him the destroyed coat with one hand while I cradled the other. Troy took a look at the lab coat and then his eyes ventured around the office. I'll never forget that look on his face. His bright green eyes filled with so much sorrow yet his face did not show any pain. He extended his arm out and I took his hand with the one that wasn't bloody.

We walked into the house and my mother was on the phone with the police filing a missing persons report. She sounded incredibly frustrated. “I do not care if it has not been 48 hours!” she shouted, “My husband is missing!” She noticed we were standing there and with a quick dash she vanished into the study and shut the door. Troy took me up to the bathroom and he removed the paper towel to reveal a gash that was so deep you could almost see the white bone. I saw Talos walk in and that was the last thing I remember before I blacked out.

The next thing I remember I was lying upon a bed. I glanced around the room to be greeted with a man's face. The next thing I caught sight of was Talos and Troy; their faces were both downcast and I could see my mother in the corner staring off into an endless space, her eyes fixed on nothing. I looked up at the man and he was putting a bandage around my wrist. It was then that I realized that I was in the hospital. The man looked at me.

"Ah well look who's awake," the man said, "we got this all cleaned up for you." He went over and began talking to my mother and he handed her multiple papers. Troy came up to me and put his arm over my shoulders. Talos loomed behind him.

"How are you feeling kid?" he asked me.

"My wrist hurts," I muttered quietly. Talos understood that I didn't want to talk so he just sort of held me there until it was time to leave.

When we got home, all three of us went up to my room. Talos wearily glanced around the room. "Where do you think he is?"

I smiled sadly, "it's our father and he could be anywhere. For all we know we are sitting here curious of his disappearance and he's out there having lunch with the Dinosaurs."

Troy smiled at my statement. "We will find him guys, I promise, but remember whatever happens we're a family and I love you guys."

Three years ago, on this day, my brothers disappeared. It was extremely sunny, very hot. All the windows were rolled down as my friends and I sat in the humid bus. We joked and laughed as we waved to random strangers that were passing by. After all we were freshman in high school, what better did we have to do?

I felt the bus begin to slow down and I noticed the driver, Stan, looking back at me. “You’re stop sweetheart!” he said as he smiled.

I waved bye to my friends and thanked Stan as I hopped off the bus and walked toward my house. When I made my way up the driveway and through the gate, I was surprised to find my house empty. I felt uneasy as I quickly walked through the entry way and into the kitchen. I saw our butler finishing up some tea for my mother. “Dave! Have you seen Talos or Troy?” I asked him rather hastily.

He seemed taken by surprise. “Well Miss Artemis, they were here after school, but I have not seen them for quite some time now that you mention it. They were talking about keys earlier, however, if that is any help.”

“Thank you very much,” I said as I rushed away and up the stairs to my bedroom.

As I entered my room I made a sharp right and ripped open a drawer that was attached to my nightstand. I flipped through it and was shocked when I pulled out a key…only one key. I had never given the keys to my brothers, the power that seemed to be held in them was incredible, and they always seemed to be leading me somewhere. To be honest, I was frightened, for good reason I presume.

Frantic, I threw the key on my bed and sprinted out the back door towards the garage. We did not call it the office too much anymore. I knew as soon as I stepped in the door what had happened. I felt my eyes begin to water as I fell to my knees and began to look for any trace of my brothers.

Scrambling across the frigid floor I saw two bracelets on the ground. Both of them were a little singed around the edges and they both belonged to my brothers. I slipped them over my wrist and tightened them. I slowly walked out the garage, and I could feel the weight of the world on my shoulders. I collapsed to the ground and I laid there in agony for almost two hours until my mother got home from work. She found my on the ground and she knew at once what was going on. Maternal instinct I suppose.

I had never been so upset in my life. My mother's reaction, however, was much worse. After that day, she has gone into denial. She mutters to herself quietly all the time. Her once beautiful golden-blonde hair is now cut short and mangled all the time. I have tried to talk to her but she dismisses me as though I'm not there. As much as I hate to admit it, I have given up on her. She still supplies for me, when it comes to money, mainly off of an inheritance that we received from her grandfather, besides that, food and everything else is up to me. She hasn't left this stony crypt in three years. But it is what it is.

After the news of my brothers’ disappearance hit the town, police and government agents began showing up at our house. They tried to take us into protective services, concerned for our safety due to the disappearance of three of our family members. They tried to convince my mom and I that it was the best route for us to go, but we politely refused on multiple occasions, we knew that it was not a human that took them away from us.

I haven't given up on the search for my family. I long to see any of their faces, my father had the happiest smile, the most perfect smile, which he passed on to Talos and Troy, their green eyes came from my mother's side of the family. My mother had always said I was just like my father, dark brown hair, with piercing blue eyes. When I looked in the mirror it was almost like I was looking at him.

So today is the day I hate to think about, in fact, I dread this day with every bone in my body. This is the day that changed my life in the worst possible way. The day that took my father and my brothers away from me. The day my mother lost her mind and her wellbeing. The day that brings me sorrow every year, along with a little optimism that they might return. Well today is May 17th…today is that day…and today is my birthday.