Taylor pulled down the blind and peered out the slit he had made. A moving van pulled up at the Ponasky�s old house. Taylor raised a brow. He had no idea the Ponasky�s had sold their house yet. He let the blinds flip back into place and bounced off the couch in search of Diana. He found her in the laundry room trying to make sense of the giant pile of dirty laundry on the floor.

�Hey, Mom?� he asked as he leaned against the door frame. Diana looked up at him with half-interest.

�Yes?� she asked, almost rudely.

�When did the Ponasky�s sell their house?�

�I didn�t know they did, babe.�

�Well, they did because a moving van just pulled up in their driveway.�

�Why don�t you go introduce yourself?� she asked, trying to get him to leave her to her work. You�d think with six siblings the boy could find someone but her to bother about a moving van.

�I�ll do that. Be back later.� he gave a little wave as he left. He walked outside, taking a moment to breathe in the smell of freshly cut grass. He recovered from the wonderful smells of spring and made his way across the street to the Ponasky�s old house. He heard noises coming from the back of the moving van and peered into it to see who was in there. �Hi. I�m your new neighbor, Taylor, and I just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood.� he said, straining to see who was in the van. A tall man with blue eyes and dark hair emerged from deep inside with a box in his arms. He smiled at Taylor and set the box down. Then, he reached down to shake Taylor�s hand.

�I�m Ryan Krontle. Pleasure to meet you, Taylor. May I ask what your last name is?�

�Sure. It�s Hanson.� he waited for the name to ring a bell.

�Taylor Hanson. That name sounds familiar. Where have I heard that name before?� the man scratched his forehead in thought.

�Well, my brother�s and I have a band and we�ve been fairly successful. You might have seen it on a magazine cover or on TV or something.� he raised his hand to his eyes to block the sun that was beaming down at him.

�Fairly successful? You�re that �Mmmbop� kid, right?� Taylor nodded at the lady who walked out from behind the van and smiled at him. she had dark hair and dark eyes and was of average height. �Well, then, you�re either blind or extremely modest. Our daughter used to be obsessed with you and your brothers. Isaac and Zac if memory serves.�

�That�s correct. Where�s your daughter. If she�s a fan, I�d like to meet her.� he smiled at the lady and put his hand down, not needing it anymore.

�One moment.� The woman went back to the front of the van.

�That�s my wife, Bev. Our daughter�s name is Nell. You might like her. She�s about your age. Maybe a year or two younger.� Ryan stated as he jumped down from the van and stood next to Taylor in await for his wife and daughter. Bev came back with a girl that looked about Zac�s age who was shyly looking down. She had an air of sadness about her. Her dark hair fell in mildly tangled locks around her face. He couldn�t see her eyes, she wasn�t looking at him, her eyes on the ground.

�This is our daughter, Nell. Nell, this is Taylor. Say hi, Hunny.�Bev prodded as she pushed her daughter in front of her. The girl lifted her hand in a small wave but didn�t look up or say anything. Bev�s face fell. �Hunny, say hello to Taylor.� she prodded further. Taylor thought it was odd that the girl was silent. He thought maybe she was nervous about meeting him. It wasn�t like she would be the first. He decided to say something.

�Hi, Nell. Your mom said you liked our music. That�s cool.� Nell said nothing. �You want to do something? I could introduce you to the neighbors or something...� Still no response. He frowned. This was just odd.

�I�m sorry. Nell doesn�t really talk. Not since that day...� Bev got a far away look in her eye and Taylor could tell that she was thinking of something depressing.

�That�s okay. Mind telling me what happened? If it�s not too painful.� he bit his lip and waited for a response.

�No, I don�t mind. Do you remember that train accident in Illinois a while ago?� she looked at Taylor.

�Yeah. That was horrible. Was Nell in that?�

�Yes. She was one of the survivors. But... her sister wasn�t so lucky...� a tear slid down her cheek. Shock came over Taylor. A sudden erg to pull Nell and Bev in a huge hug filled him. He decided against it and smiled reassuringly.

�That�s horrible! Where on the train was she?Were you there?�

�She was in the sleeping car. We weren�t with her. She was on her way to visit her grandmother in New Orleans...� Nell let out a small cry and ran to the backyard. Taylor instinctively ran after her. he caught up with her just as she was nearing the thin line of trees that separated her property from the people behind her. He pulled her into his arms and tried to comfort her. She struggled against him. He just pulled her closer and whispered in her ear.

�It�s okay. I�m not going to hurt you. You need a hug. Just calm down a little. It�s okay, your going to be fine.� he whispered softly. She relaxed a little and let him hug her.

Zac added the last Lego to the castle and glanced it over. "Perfection!" he said. He grinned, getting up from his seat on the floor and making his way into the living room. There he found Diana still sorting through the pile of laundry before her. "Hey, Mom."

"Hi honey, hey I really need some help with this laundry. Would you mind?" she asked.

"Well, actually I was gonna ask you where Tay was."

"Oh, he went over to meet the new neighbors."

"New neighbors?"

"Yes, the Ponaskys must have moved and Taylor went over to introduce himself.'

"Cool! Be right back!"

"Zac!" she called after him, "I really need some help with the laundry!" but he was out the door before he heard her.

Zac sprinted across the street to the Ponasky's old driveway. There he found a middle aged man jumping off the moving truck in the driveway with a large box.

Taylor looked up at the sound of twigs breaking under someone�s feet to see Bev walking towards them, a thoughtful look in her eyes. He smiled at her. �She needed a hug. I�m always glad to give one out to someone in need.� he explained softly as he felt Nell pull away from him. He looked down to see her moving towards her mother. He let her go. She wandered into Bev�s arms and began to cry again.

�Taylor, you didn�t have to do that. That was very sweet of you. Thank you.� Bev said as she hugged her daughter.

�You're welcome. Nell seems nice. I�m always nice to nice people.� his smile widened as he heard noises from the yard. He looked to see Zac looking around, a little perplexed.

�Tay, you out here? The guy in front said you were.� Zac called out, looking all around to try and find him. Taylor emerged from the woods and walked up to Zac who was facing the other direction.

�I�m right here, Zac. What are you doing here?� he said. Zac spun around and smiled.

�I was bored. I couldn�t find you in the house and Mom said you came over here to introduce yourself to the new neighbors. Sounded like fun so here I am.� he stopped in his tracks at the sight of Nell and Bev coming out of the woods. He noticed her tears and instantly became concerned. �Who�s this?� he asked, his voice almost a whisper.

�Zac, this is Nell and Mrs. Krontle. Nell, Mrs. Krontle, this is my brother, Zac.� Taylor introduced them. Zac stopped listening at the sound of Nell�s name. He walked over to her and took her arm, leading her out of the backyard without a glance towards the other two.

�Hi, I�m Zac. Welcome to the neighborhood. Would you like a tour?� he asked happily. Nell just looked at the ground. Taylor ran up behind them and placed a hand on Zac�s shoulder.

�Zac, she doesn�t talk.� he whispered into Zac�s ear.

�Well, then she can�t object. Come on. We�ll start at the end o the block at the Newpert�s house. They�re really old. They have like a million cats, no hearing, and really bad breath. I don�t like them. Mr. Newpert is always telling me to get off his property when I rollerblading on the street past his house. Mrs. Newpert always used to yell at us when one of the neighbor dogs ate her flowers because we used to have a dog named Wicket. But, Wicket never did it. She was a perfect little angel. I swear! They�re mean people. Anyway, let�s get off of them. Meanies.� Zac�s eyes narrowed at the house the Newperts lived in and quickly directed Nell away. Nell remained quiet. Every now and then, she let out a little noise at what Zac said that Zac took as laughing.

�That�s the Longview�s house. They have this vicious little dog named Pinelepe. She used to try to attack Wicket. Poor thing. It was that stupid dog�s fault she ran into the street. I�ll never look at a Dodge the same again, I swear. Okay, that�s depressing...

�That is where the Vul Teague�s live. They�re from like Transulvania or something. They never come out except at night. I think they�re vampires or something. I don�t know, I try to stay away from them. They have a kid named Rofkan. He�s really mean. He�s the only one that ever really leaves the house during the day. He�s always yelling at Jessie when her and her friends play hop scotch on the sidewalk. I hate living next door to them. You�ll hate it too, just you wait. Let�s get off them, they�re weird.

�The house next to yours is the Masterson�s house. They have four kids, Daniel, Michelle, Racheal, and Michael. I know, their names all rhyme. That family�s like that. Strange people. The only noteable thing about them is that they�re good soccer players.

�Then, we have the Pleantykeecker�s. They have more kids than my family does, nine, yes nine. I�m not going to name them because I can�t name them. I can barely name the kids in my family (joking, I can name them). They suck at soccer but they can form their own team so I don�t care.

�And then, we have my house. Isn�t it pretty?! I think it is. come on in. You can meet my family. We�ll finish the tour of the neighborhood later.� he smiled and pulled her up his walkway and into the house. Isaac was in the front hall, searching through the coat closet.

�Hey, Zac. I�m going to the mall. Want to come? Your friend can come to if she wants.�

�Sure! Ike, this is Nell. Nell, my brother, Ike.� he smiled proudly and watched as Isaac tried to shake Nell�s hand. Nell didn�t respond. Isaac frowned and went searching in the coat closet again. �What are you doing?�

�Looking for my other shoe. Did you borrow it?�

�What shoes?�

�My black Doc�s with the buckles?�

�Nope. I think Tay has them on. We�re going to go, tell Nell�s parents where she�s going.� he took Nell�s hand again and led her over to her house, stopping in the middle of the street and looking at her. �You do want to go, right?� he asked. She squeezed his hand as if to say yes. He grinned and led her over to the moving van where her father was jumping off and grabbing a box to bring into the house. �Mr. Krontle, can Nell come with my brother and I to the mall? We should be back by five at the latest.� he asked, letting go of Nell�s hand. She grabbed it and held on tight. He looked at her curiously. She was staring at the ground.

�Who�s driving?�

�Ike. He�s nineteen. And he�s a very responsible driver. Don�t worry. I promise nothing will happen to Nell.� he said, crossing his fingers behind his back for good luck.

�Yes, she may go, if she wants to.� he looked at Nell. Nell kept her eyes on the ground and squeezed Zac�s hand harder. Zac cringed at her tight grip. He mumbled an �owe,� and felt her grip loosen. �I take it she does.� Ryan smiled at Zac and went on with his work.

�Cool. Could you possibly tell me if my brother is still here?�

�Taylor? He�s talking with Bev inside. I think she�s feeding him cookies.�

�He needs them, so darn skinny... Well, we better go. Ike�s looking impatient. Oh look, he changed his shoes!� Zac grinned and led Nell back across the street and over to Isaac�s Vaulk�s Wagon Beetle. Isaac was already in the car, searching for his sun glasses in the glove compartment. He didn�t look up when Nell slid in next to him and Zac squeezed into the back seat. He found his glasses, put them on and drove out of the driveway. They reached the mall in fifteen minutes and found a parking place. They made their way into the mall.

�Okay, Zac, I�m gonna go do what I came here to do. You guys go do whatever. Meet you at the Bug at four. You have your watch, right?� Isaac said, looking at Zac.

�Yeah. We�ll meet you at the Bug at four. Bye.� he waved as Isaac made his way to NRM Music, chuckling a little to himself. He looked over at Nell and noticed she looked a little confused. �Ike has a crush on a girl that works at NRM. He�s too chicken to ask her out so he just stakes out in one of the sound booths and stares at her. It�s pretty funny actually. You want to go to the Cineplex? I heard the new Drew Berrymore movie is playing. It�s supposed to be really good.� he smiled at her. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. His smile progressed to a grin and he led her to the Cineplex. He bought their tickets and they got situated in the theater to watch the movie.

It was 3:50 by the time the movie ended. They hurried out to the parking lot and found Isaac�s car. He was seated on the hood, quietly munching on a Hershey�s bar. He smiled when he saw them walking up to the car. �Your forty-five seconds late. Tsk, tsk.� he laughed and jumped off the car, climbing inside and turning it on. Zac and Nell got in and they drove home.

�So, how was NRM girl?� Zac teased with a little smirk.

�She has a name. Sarah and she�s looking fine. I must say, she�s simply gorgeous.� Isaac stated as he concentrated on the driver in front of his car.

�Oh, well, did you talk to Sarah?� Zac asked, stressing the girl�s name.

�No, I couldn�t tear myself away from the Bush CD I was listening to.�

�Sure, Ike. Chicken.�

�I am not! At least the girl I like...� he was going to say �talks� but stopped himself before he finished. He glanced over at Nell nervously and checked the van behind him in his rear-view mirror.

�What? The girl you like what? Are you making fun of Nell? I�ll pound you if you are!� he stated as he gave Isaac an evil look and leaned his head on Nell�s seat.

�No! I wasn�t going to say anything about Nell! I was going to say something about that stupid De-de girl you used to go out with.� Isaac said quickly, keeping from looking at Zac or Nell.

�Sure. I dumped her like a year ago. Can you say ditzy? Hello! That girl couldn�t remember anything but the fact that Carson�s was having a sale.� Zac rolled his eyes and looked out the front window. Isaac laughed.

�You dated her, not me.�

�I know. That was a mistake I will never make again. Oh look! We�re home. Come on, Nell. I�ll walk you home.� Zac said as he and Nell got out of the car. He took her hand and walked her across the street. Her father had gone inside so no one was around the front of the house. �You want to do something tomorrow? Play a video game or something? I could introduce you to my friends...� Nell�s face scrunched up in a scowl, indicating that she didn�t want to meet his friends. �Or we could just do something together. We�ll figure something out. So, you want to?� she squeezed his hand. �Okay. I�ll be over at like ten. Is that okay?� he received another squeeze in response. �Okay, then. I have to go. See you tomorrow.� he kissed her cheek and ran back home. Taylor was sitting on his bed, reading a book when Zac burst through their bedroom door.

�Hey, Zac. Have fun with Nell?� he asked absently, keeping his eyes on the book.

�Yes! I think I�m falling for her!You wouldn�t happen to know why she won�t talk, would you?� Zac asked as he reached under the bunk beds Taylor and Isaac shared and pulled out his trundle bed. He pulled it up and pushed down the bar to secure it before hopping on and kicking off his shoes.

�Yes, I would. Why?� Taylor set the book down, marking his place, and smirked at Zac.

�I want to know why she won�t talk so I can get her to talk again.�

�Well, I doubt you�ll get her to talk since she hasn�t said a word for almost a year now. But, I guess I�ll tell you the story. Do you remember that Amtrak collision in Illinois last year?�

�Yeah. Don�t tell me she was in that.� Zac�s eyes widened.

�Yep. Her and her twin sister. Nell survived. She and her sister were in the sleeping car (you remember, that�s the one that blew up) and she got out right before the explosion but her sister died in the fire. She didn�t find out until a doctor told her in the hospital a few days later because they couldn�t identify her sister�s body. She hasn�t said a word since that doctor told her. Good luck trying to get her to. Her parents have tried everything.�

�How old is she?�

�Don�t worry. She�s fourteen.� Zac gave him a look, �She�s a couple months younger than you.�

�Thanks. I will get her to talk. I don�t care if it takes me a year or two to do it. I will hear her voice.� Zac stated, determined.

�It could, you know.�

�I don�t care. I�ll do it.�

�Whatever, Dude. Why do you care so much? You just met her today. I mean, I like her and all, but I�m not going to devote part of my life to getting her to talk to me.�

�Well, you don�t like her as much as I do. I already got her to communicate with me. She squeezes my hand when she wants to do something. And when she doesn�t, she makes a face.�

�Bev told me about that. She said that�s the only way Nell communicates her feelings. But, she said she doesn�t do that to many people. It usually takes months for her to warm up to people enough to do that. You just might get her to talk, Zac.�

�Told you.� Zac stuck his tongue out at his brother and fell back onto his pillow.

�Okay, what is the deal with that chic? Why won�t she say anything to me?� Isaac exclaimed as he burst into the room and stood over Zac�s bed, crossing his arms in frustration.

�She doesn�t talk to anyone, Ike. She hasn�t said a word in like a year. Tragedy. I just told the whole story to Zac. Don�t make me repeat it. Zac can tell you if he wants to. I�m gonna read.�

�Whatever. She doesn�t talk to anyone? Is that why she didn�t even talk to you, Zac?�

�Yeah. But, that�s okay. I can talk for her. I like to talk.� he grinned and stood up. He walked over to their Lego table and sat down to build something. Isaac rolled his eyes and went over to the computer.

Zac stood on Nell�s porch and rocked back and forth on his heels, waiting for someone to open the door. He waited a few more seconds before ringing the bell again. The door opened and Nell�s form appeared in front of him. He grinned and stopped rocking. �Hi! We were going to do something today?� he asked as Nell opened the screen door and came out onto the porch with him. She smiled at him and grabbed his hand, giving it a little squeeze. �Okay, you want to go to the park and walk around for a while? We could feed the ducks at the pond, there is some awesome wildlife there and it�s nice and peaceful. What do you say? Squeeze or no squeeze?� he grinned when he received a squeeze. She smiled at him and let him lead her to the park.

They spent the day there. Zac talked about everything that popped into his head. Nell still didn�t respond with words but from her facial expressions and her manner he could tell that she was enjoying herself. They only got stopped for an autograph once by a fan. They fed the ducks, went to the petting zoo, and laid out on the grass by the lake and Zac talked. It was seven by the time they reached their block again. They walked to Nell�s house and Zac stayed for dinner. After dinner, Diana called to say that Zac had to go home. He said good bye and left, half-heartedly.

Taylor was waiting for him when he got home at around nine. He sat down next to Taylor on the couch and smiled. �How was it? Have fun?� Taylor asked.

�I had a blast! We went to the park and we fed the ducks and we went to the petting zoo and we sat by the lake and I talked. I was in heaven all day! I loved it! She�s so... different. I mean, I�ve never met anyone like her. I don�t know...�

�Well, Zac, most people talk. Nell, doesn�t.�

�She smiled all day! And she loved the petting zoo and the ducks! I could tell because she was grinning the whole time. I know I�m falling for her, Tay. I have to get her to talk! I mean, I don�t mind talking but, I want to hear her voice. I want to know her opinion on everything I say. You have no idea how much fun I had today but I would have had more fun if she had said something. Now I�m more determined than ever. I will get her to talk before the end of this year!� he stated as he bounced up and went into the kitchen.

�Sounds like you had fun.� Taylor smiled as he followed Zac and sat at the kitchen table.

�I did. I had more fun than I�ve ever had in my entire life. I�m glad she moved here.� he grinned and popped the top on his can of Dr. Pepper.