Isolation (Book #1 of the Taylor Series)

Thirty

For my birthday, my parent's thought that it'd be a fun idea to go to California for a few days. Since I'm turning eighteen, and that's a really special age to my family, Grandpa Walsh practically made Mom bring us all down here so that he could give me a special gift. After all, you only turn eighteen once. 

Don't get me wrong, I was fully behind leaving town to go to someplace like California. Some place warm, green, full of only semi-moronic people. Unlike Orem. But traveling in a car with my mom was bound to be a nightmare. And it was. Thankfully though, as soon as we arrived at Grandpa Walsh's house, I managed to forget all about it.

"Evie, darling," Grandma Walsh runs through the front door with a huge smile on her face, "Oh, you've grown so much!" She pulls me tight to her chest.

Leaning us from side to side as she hugs me ends up popping my back, which I'm somewhat happy for after riding in the car for nine hours. Of course finally being able to get away from all of my siblings was a plus too.

Lauren and Julie talked the entire car ride, even in their sleep, which is an extremely annoying habit. Amelia, Adam, and Violet played "I Spy" and "Would you rather" up until they got bored and ended up telling each other fairy tales and stories from the Bible they had memorized to impress Grandpa when they saw him. Elijah and Nathan mainly slept and complained about how they needed to pee every five seconds and surprisingly, Gavin only cried three times.

"I know, I've grown three inches since you saw me last." I smile, hugging her back tightly. I inhale deeply, smelling the perfume she's worn since the very first day that I met her.

She pulls back, and I admire the familiar features she possesses. The pure gray hair, the crows feet around her eyes, smile lines, and the chipped front tooth from going diving in Hawaii and hitting a rock. I'm surprised that I can see the freckles littering her under eyes from her Indigenous skin tone.

"Three inches? What does that make you now?" She grips me by my elbows as we smile at each other. "5'9?" She asks and I shake my head with a sleepy giggle.

"5'7." I smile proudly at the fact that I inherited my tallness from Dad instead of the shortness from Mom.

Her mouth gapes open in faux shock, and I laugh at the expression on her face. Coming out of nowhere, someone grabs me from behind and lifts me up from the ground. It only takes me a few seconds to realize that it's Grandpa Walsh, and he sets me down on the ground lightly. I turn to face him, immediately noticing the gray hairs overcoming the blonde hair coming out of his head.

"Look at you, my grandbaby has grown up so much!" He laughs, enveloping me in a tight hug full of affection that only proud grandparents can supply. 

I wrap my arms around his back tightly, suddenly wide awake. The smell of sand and ocean spray saturates the air when inhale. The ocean, I already know, is only a few miles away from here. Maybe six or seven. Something like that.

"I've grown up? Look at you! You actually look like a Grandpa now!" I smile, and he throws his head back in deep laughter. 

I ignore the sad truth in my statement, I refuse to. Grandpa is only 53, only ten years older than Dad. They could be brothers. They literally have a smaller age gap than Gavin and me. I'm surprised that Grandpa Walsh even has the will and ability to stay in the same room as Dad. That man has some superhuman powers.

"The gray hairs? All fake, I had Bly dye my hair before you guys got here. I wanted to make you feel guilty for staying away from your old grandpa for so long." He jokes, and I smile, looking at Grandma Walsh who shakes her head.

I hear a loud noise coming from the backseat of the car, and immediately realize that Gavin's crying again. Make that four times, I suppose. Grandpa makes an 'aw' sound before walking in the direction of the car. Mom and Dad are too busy pulling our bags out of the trunk, while my siblings are all tiredly walking into the air conditioned house. I follow their lead, and Grandma follows beside me.