Road Trip

Inspired by this prompt, here is my Snapshot submission. Don't forget to link yours by Wednesday!

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Road Trip

"How much longer?" Taylor asked, staring out the van window.

"Taylor, you're twelve. Enough of the 'are we there, yet' stuff," her mom insisted firmly from the front passenger seat.

They were heading out on vacation. Taylor had wanted to fly, but her parents had wanted the adventure of driving, or something stupid like that. It was time wasted when they could already be checked in to a hotel and getting tickets for the theme park.

"Look, Taylor," her dad directed. "The sign says we're only 260 miles away. We're going 65 miles an hour. How long until we reach park?"

"Too long," she muttered under her breath. She opened her mouth to remind him she was in 6th grade and not 4th when Tristan woke up with a start, crying when he didn't realize where he was.

"Take care of him, will you Taylor?" With a disgruntled sigh, Taylor turned to her little brother and shushed him, trying to calm him with her voice like she'd seen her mom do. It only worked a little bit, fat tears still rolling down his face. Reaching into his car seat, Taylor dug out his plastic dinosaur. It always worked as the perfect decoy and within no time, Tristan was back asleep, the toy slowly slipping from his arm back into his resting place.

Taylor grabbed her pillow from the space between her and Tristan's chairs. She focused her eyes on the quickly moving landscape close to the car.

Her mind settled into an old manor. The smell of wet masonry hung in the air. The place had been left empty long enough for insects and smaller rodents to have moved in. Though she heard the skittering of tiny feet, she never saw one of the home's occupants.

On the third floor, a window caught her eye. Two latched panes crowned by three arched panes. A pink flowered tree sparkled through the glass. Taylor climbed up onto the deep sill. A pin from her hair released the lock, allowing her to push the rusted hinges open.

This was what she had been looking for. Her lips curled into a smile as she saw the butterfly wings fluttering around the tree, carrying the tiny human bodies around the inner courtyard.

"Taylor." The voice was sharp and demanding, having clearly called a few times without an answer. Taylor refocused her eyes where her mother was twisting around the front seat to face her. "We've stopped to eat. I need your help with Tristan."

Why? Taylor wondered. Her mom had just as many hands as she did. Taylor knew better than to argue, though, putting her pillow down so she could wake up her little brother.

"How much longer?" Taylor asked. Her mom pursed her lips and got out of the van without answering.