My dearest Diana,

There are many things I wish I could've told you. And when I finally gathered the courage, it was far too late.

-Jack Helper Knots

OoOoOo

You should not be reading this.

You can, of course. I nor no one else will be able to stop you if that's what you choose to do. But be warned, dear reader, that this is not a happy book. It starts off unhappy and does not get better throughout. Things do not begin to brighten up in the middle of this sad tale. I fear I would be doing an injustice as an author if I did not give you this word of caution. It would probably be best to stop reading right now.

What, you may ask, could this story contain that makes it so dreadful? Well, dear reader, this is the story of the three Wayne children. These three children, in particular, were pleasant children. They were kind, intelligent, and charming. They were witty and resourceful and thought by many as gorgeous.

I regret to inform you, however, that Zee, Wally, and Helena Wayne were not lucky children.

Many would think they were. They lived in a large mansion on the outskirts of the city, they received the very best educations, and their family was in the possession of a large fortune that most could never imagine. In reference to the Wayne children, one would say that they were born with silver spoons in their mouths, a phrase which here means that they were born very fortunate.

For a long time, that was how it was. The three children lived with their parents in their enormous mansion and never had to want for anything. That is until one fateful day changed their entire lives forever.

The children were on their way to Hummingbird Cove, the city's local beach. Normally, one would visit a beach on a bright and sunny day. However, the Wayne children liked to go when it was gray and cloudy. It was more secluded that way and it was never hard to find a good place to set up.

The eldest Wayne was a fourteen-year-old girl who went by Zee. Zee, of course, wasn't her real name, but that was what everyone called her (even her parents). She was what most would call a brilliant inventor. At the young age of nine, she had found a way to engineer the grandfather clock to toast bread whenever it struck eight o'clock in the morning. Whenever she needed to think, she was sure to tie-up her long, dark hair so that it was out of her face.

The middle child was a twelve-year-old boy named Wallace, or Wally for short. He was a quiet boy who often preferred the company of pages to people. He was at the top of his class in every subject at school and wore thick glasses on his face, so no one ever really doubted that fact. Unfortunately, he was also quite short and scrawny, which led to a mild degree of "roughhousing" from other boys his age. Luckily, his big sister was always nearby to defend him.

Last but not least was Helena. She was only one year old, but her age never mattered to her siblings. They could understand her perfectly well and she, in turn, could comprehend what they were saying as well. What was most interesting about the baby was that she had four very large and very pointy teeth. She often used said teeth to bite through even the hardest of objects, much to the dismay of her parents.

That morning, the children had been given permission by their mother and father to take the subway down to the beach. "Why do you think that Mother and Father didn't want to come with us?" asked Wally as they stepped out of the subway.

Zee shrugged, balancing little Helena on her hip. "You know how Mother feels about the subway," she reminded him. "Besides, they've been particularly busy lately."

He grimaced at that. "Indeed," he agreed. "I wonder what that's all about."

"I've no idea," responded his sister.

The siblings found a nice, wide space in the middle of the beach. As predicted, the area was desolate, a word which here means empty. Wally spread the blanket on the sand and Zee set Helena down on it. The two then proceeded to sit down themselves. Zee's eyes were trained on the horizon and Wally had taken out a book to read.

Zee glanced at him. "Frankenstein again?" she asked, her eyebrow quirked in amusement.

The corners of Wally's mouth twitched slightly. "Try as I might, I just can't seem to understand why everyone thinks that Victor is the monster," he told her.

"He was ambitious, that's for sure," Zee commented. She raised her hand slightly as if trying to take a picture at the horizon with her mind. "I don't think I would call him a monster though. Maybe misguided?"

"And the creature did murder three innocent people out of spite and revenge," added Wally. "I think he more than deserved the title of monster."

As I said before, the Wayne children are quite intelligent. Most discussions between the older two went like this. Even Helena, who was only a baby, would add in her two cents once in a while.

She nodded. "He should have just attacked Victor directly. It would have saved a lot of time and trouble had he done that." She turned back to her brother. "He didn't even have to kill him. There are things far worse than death."

"He picked the worst victims," he continued. "Elizabeth and Henry were the nicest people in the entire book and William was just a child. They didn't deserve to die."

"Don't forget Justine," Zee reminded him. "She was killed for a crime she didn't even commit."

Someone cleared their throat behind them. "This is an interesting topic, children," a voice commented. "Though, I would argue that the monster likely wanted to drag out Victor's agony by attacking his loved ones."

The children turned to the source of the mysterious voice. "Mr. Fox," realized Zee with a polite smile.

Mr. Lucius Fox was a close friend to their parents, their father especially. He helped run their father's enormous and wealthy company, maintaining it as one of the biggest corporations in the country.

"Hello, Mr. Fox," said Wally politely.

"Jitoo," said Helena, which more than likely meant, "Hello."

"Hello, Zee, Wallace, Helena," greeted Mr. Fox. There was something off about the man that day. He looked very sad, which was strange for the usually jovial man.

As it turned out, he had a very good reason to look like that.

Zee's eyes shifted from the man in front of her, to the large sea, and then back to him. Something was wrong. She could feel the dread clench her stomach. "It's a nice day," she said. This was an attempt to make small talk, a phrase that means that she wanted to say something to break the awkward tension that surrounded them.

"It is a nice day," agreed Mr. Fox. He sighed raggedly and for the first time since the Wayne's had known him, he looked well beyond his age. "I don't quite know how to tell you this, children, but I do have some very terrible news for you all."

I did warn you, dear reader. This story is not a happy one. In fact, it is at this very moment that the Wayne children receive news that will forever change their young lives. I advise you to leave while you still can.

"There was a fire at your home," Mr. Fox began slowly. "The fire department still hasn't determined what could have started it. But one thing is clear; there were no survivors. The entire manor is gone as well." He lowered his head a bit. "I'm so sorry."

Silence. The children did not respond to what the man told them.

To Zee and Wally, the situation felt surreal. What was coming out of Mr. Fox's mouth didn't make any sense to them. Their parents couldn't have been gone. Their father had just helped Zee fix the lamp in the parlor. And their mother had spent the entire morning reading with Wally. There had to be some mistake.

Their parents weren't gone. They couldn't have been. It was simply impossible.

Helena didn't quite understand what Mr. Fox had just told them, but even she had gone completely quiet at the revelation.

Mr. Fox cleared his throat. "If you all will come with me," he said. "there are some matters that need to be addressed."

The death of their parents and the destruction of their home sounded much more urgent than just matters that needed to be addressed, but the Wayne's followed the man without complaint. On the way to Mr. Fox's car, Wally and Zee shared a look. The siblings, at that moment, shared a feeling of foreboding that told them both that this was only the beginning of unfortunate things to come for them.

OoOoOo

This was not right.

Even little Helena could pick up on that as Mr. Fox's car pulled up in front of Wayne Manor. Or, what was left of it, at least.

The entire building was burned to the ground. The large manor was now unrecognizable to the children who had lived their entire lives in it. All the remained was the skeletal structure in which the house was built off of. What once seemed so indestructible was now completely destroyed.

I cannot tell you, dear reader, how Zee, Wally, and Helena felt at that moment. I can't tell you how Zee nearly wept upon seeing her entire inventing space- something that once contained her greatest creations- destroyed. I can't tell you how Wally visibly shuddered at seeing the entire library- hundreds of books filled with an inordinate amount of knowledge- reduced to ashes. I can't tell you how the Wayne's felt upon plainly seeing that their parents were never coming back.

Because it would do no good.

You may or may not know this, but grief and pain are some of the hardest emotions to describe. For me to even attempt such a feat would not only disservice you as readers, but it would be nothing short of disrespectful to our protagonists.

"It's gone," whimpered Wally, looking around what used to be a grand manor. "It's all gone."

"Everything is destroyed," added Zee solemnly. Her hand ghosted over what remained of their mother's favorite porcelain statue, only to have it crumble to ashes as well. "Everything."

"Gone," muttered Helena, nestling into her sister's chest.

"I am terribly sorry," stressed Mr. Fox for what seemed like the fifth time to the children. No matter how many times he said it, however, it didn't quell the anguish they all felt.

Zee took a deep breath. Now, if you are the oldest sibling, you know how hard it can be; you have to make sure your younger siblings are doing the right thing, you have to deal with them touching and/or breaking your stuff, and you almost always get blamed when they act up.

You also know that you have an obligation and a burning need to take care of them.

Zee had never felt that more than at this moment. So, she wiped away the tears welling in her eyes and schooled her features into a blank slate. She had to be strong for the sake of her siblings. "Where will we go?" she asked carefully.

"For now, you will stay with my family and me," Mr. Fox answered her. "Just until we can find a suitable guardian. I want you children to know that you have absolutely nothing-"

Wally, who still seemed to be in a daze, very plainly stated, "We have absolutely nothing." He wasn't like his sister; he couldn't just hide his emotions. When he was upset, he made sure everyone near him knew it.

Mr. Fox grimaced slightly. "-to worry about," he finished. He sighed once more. "I'll give the three of you some time alone. You can meet me out in the car when you're done." He briskly left what was left of the large manor.

As soon as Mr. Fox was gone, Zee brought her brother in for a one-armed hug (since the other one was holding her sister). "Everything will be okay," she assured him. "I promise you that, okay?"

Wally wiped his face. "Okay," he muttered. He was going to pull away from the hug when something caught his eye. "Wait, what's that?"

Zee let him go. "What's what?" she asked curiously.

The boy knelt down onto the ground and moved a bit of debris out of the way. "This," he responded holding the object up. It was a small spyglass, made of mahogany wood and looked completely brand new, save for a few scorch marks. It seemed to be the only thing untouched by the fire. "It's a sort of spyglass."

"I've never seen that in my life," Zee told him, gazing at the spyglass. "Do you think it's Mother's or Father's?"

Wally adjusted his glasses curiously. "Unless it's Helena's, it has to be," he replied. "I wonder what on Earth it could be for."

"Perhaps they used it whenever they went to the theater?" guessed his sister with a shrug. "You know, to get a closer look?"

Wally examined the object, holding it up to the sunlight for a better look. "We've been to the theater with Mother and Father plenty of times," he pointed out. "and we've never seen them with this."

"Well, maybe they lost it," Zee replied. "Whatever it is, you should hang onto it." Her mask fell for a bit as she gazed at the spyglass. "I think it's the only thing we have left of them." Before her brother could say any words of comfort, it was back in its place. "We should go now. I'm sure Mr. Fox is waiting for us."

Without another word, she turned on her heel and towards Mr. Fox's car and Wally reluctantly trailed behind her. Both children were painfully aware of one thing:

Everything was different now.

OoOoOo

You should know, dear reader, that Jack Helper Knots is not my real name. I can not tell you my real name in case my enemies ever come across this story. Just know that it is my sworn duty to share the plight of the Wayne orphans for as long as I can. Thank you and I sincerely hope that you do not read the second chapter of this story.