The loud beep beep beep of a moving truck cut through Shay's concentration. She sat curled up on her bed, reading. By the time her concentration had been restored, it was shattered again by the sound of her bedroom door slamming open. Bridget strode in, her slender frame looking even more so in her tight cheerleading uniform, her blonde curls pulled into a long pony tail.

"We have new neighbors, sister of mine!" Bridget said.

Shay didn't respond as Bridget moved to her window and stared out. She glanced over at her sister. Where Bridget's hair was honey blonde, Shay's was muddy blonde. Bridget's blue eyes seemed to always be alight with excitement, contrasting Shay's own pale blue.

Bridget straightened and turned towards Shay, setting her hands on her narrow hips. The soft, attractive features met that of her younger sister's quiet, open ones.

"Well," she said.

Shay looked back at her book.

"Is there an end to that sentence?" Shay asked, the question lacking any hint of mockery.

"Aren't you going to come say hi with me?"

Shay looked up.

"You want go say hi to the new neighbors?"

"Of course, I noticed three very hot guys and I might as well get to know them now before the rest of the squad tries to snatch them up."

"Okay, have fun."

Shay bent her head over her book. It was snatched away before she had the chance to continue reading.

"You are coming with me," Bridget said, tossing the book aside.

"Any reason?"

"You should be more social and as I am your sister, I'm dragging you along."

Shay made no response.

"Come on, Shay. It will be good for you. You must come!"

Shay didn't move.

"Shay, I'm serious, do this for me. I worry about what will happen to you when I graduate and you are left a sad, lonely little senior."

"Do you really?"

"Yes."

Without a word, Shay swung her legs off the bed and stood. Bridget jumped, clapping her hands.

"Perfect!" she said.

They left the comfort of Shay's blue and yellow room and went down stairs. Their mother stood in the kitchen, her flawless blonde bob swinging as she turned towards them.

"We're off to say hi to the neighbors!" Bridget said.

"Darling, that's so thoughtful," their mother said.

Bridget smiled and moved about the kitchen stealing some of the brownies, meant for the cheerleading bake sale, and put them on a plate.

"Away we go!" Bridget said.

Shay tagged along behind her sister, stuffing her hands onto the pockets of her jean shorts. She knew her faded red t-shirt clashed with Bridget's neat uniform, but found she didn't care. They stepped out of the house, a salty breeze brushing past them. The concrete was warm beneath Shay's bare feet, the intense heat having already left with the afternoon sun. Bridget skipped across the road, her pony tail swishing behind her.

A large moving van was parked by the curb, its back open, revealing arm chairs, dressers, bed frames, mattresses and more. Half the contents seemed to have been deposited on the lawn. Burly workmen flowed in and out of the house. Bridget bounced on the balls of her feet in the sloped driveway, looking around. From around the house a tall, muscular guy in his late teens appeared. Bridget's smile widened and the guy returned the gesture, the smile accenting his dimples.

"Hi there!" Bridget said.

The guy gave Bridget a quick up and down look, taking in her thin figure and uniform.

"Hi," he said, his voice deep and warm as a summer day.

"I'm Bridget and this is my sister Shay. We live just across from you! We thought we would come over and say hi."

"I'm Cody," the guy said.

Bridget took a step closer and held out the plate of brownies.

"These are for you. Fresh!" she said.

Cody took the plate.

"Thanks."

"So is it just you and your parents?" Bridget asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

Cody seemed to be trapped in her gaze and took a few seconds to respond.

"Umm...no. I have a twin, and three younger brothers. Come with me and I'll introduce you," he said.

"Great!"

Cody turned and walked back around the house, Bridget by his side and Shay trailing after them, her expression relaxed. In the back, a wide patio stretched out and connected with a rectangular pool. Two more guys, in their teens, stood shirtless at the side of the pool, their shirts hanging from their back pockets as they cleared away trash. They both looked over as Cody appeared, their expression shifting to surprise at the sight of Bridget with him.

"Aaron, Hunter," Cody said, gesturing to the two guys.

They quickly dropped their tasks and made their way over. Shay took the spot beside Bridget, looking over the two new additions to the neighborhood. The traits that seemed to define the family were curly brown hair, brown eyes, strong attractive features and toned bodies. Cody took a step forward.

"This is my twin, Aaron," Cody said.

Aaron looked exactly like his twin except he didn't have the dimples or the teasing look Cody's brown eyes held.

"And this is Hunter."

Hunter was a inch or two shorter than his brothers, but his smile was the most inviting.

"I'm Bridget and this is my sister, Shay," Bridget said.

Shay waved, but all three brothers seemed to only have eyes for her sister.

"Are you all in college?" Bridget asked.

They laughed.

"Not yet," Cody said. "Aaron and I are seniors and Hunter here, is a junior. We'll start school this Monday. Richmond High."

Bridget's smile brightened.

"We go there! Go Eagles," she said, laughing, the sound a practiced mix of flirty and carefree.

All three guys were smiled, finding the prospect of Monday morning much more inviting than they had minutes before.

"Any of you play sports?" Bridget asked.

"I play basketball," Aaron said.

"Football," Cody said.

"Track and field," Hunter said.

Bridget bounced, the action holding all the delight of an eager little kid.

"Great," she said. "It looks like I'll have more people to cheer for."

The glass door to the house opened and a woman in her early forties stepped out.

"Boys!" she called.

"Over here mom!" Cody called.

Their mother walked over, a friendly smile lighting up her narrow face.

"Who is this?" she asked, her voice welcoming.

"Mom, this is Bridget and her sister-"

"Shay," Shay said, waving.

"Right, Shay," Cody said, "They live across the street from us. They brought us brownies."

"Well, it's so nice to meet you. I hope we see more of you," their mother said.

Both girls agreed and said their goodbyes, knowing a goodbye when they heard it. Bridget turned back.

"Oh, tomorrow night there is a bonfire down on the beach. Most of the school will be there. You should join," Bridget said.

"Thanks," Cody said.

"We'll definitely come," Hunter said, that same inviting smile spreading across his face.

The girls waved and headed back to the house.

"I love new neighbors," Bridget said, bouncing.

Shay said nothing, her thoughts already returning to her book and her bed.

***********

Shay rolled over in the dark, her thoughts marching through her mind and looked towards the clock. It told her most of the world had gone to sleep. With a resigned sigh, she tossed aside her blankets and got up. The house was silent. Taking a pair of jeans off the end of her bed, she slid them on and pulled on a hoodie. Noiselessly, she opened the window. The smell of freshly cut grass and salt drifted into her room on the breeze.

She climbed out onto the roof, the rough surface familiar to her toughened feet. Sinking low, she moved across the roof and climbed down using the lattice that hugged the side of the house. She landed softly on their lawn. Across the road she could see the light of a screen still on, as the rest of the house's windows remained dark.

Breathing in the cool night air, she moved to the sidewalk and headed away from her house. She pulled up her hood and slid her hands into her pockets, not for warmth but for the mere comfort in the feel of the soft fabric. She turned down an alleyway and before her the pier stretched out into the ocean. Hard concrete gave way to worn, smooth wooden planks.

Shay stepped lightly on the first plank then jumped two and shuffled sideways. Her zigzagged movements kept the silence intact as none of the boards gave away her presence. Half way down the pier she climbed on to the railing, straddling it. She tilted her head back, closed her eyes and let the crashing of waves lull her parading thoughts.

After a moment she started singing, her voice quiet, the notes barely making a sound as they escaped her lips. With each song she released the pain of a feeling, or the weight of someone else's emotion that had latched on to her during the day.

A creak of wood cut short her song and brought a tension to her muscles. She waited, ears stretching to hear something more. Another creak echoed in the stillness, ringing like a gun shot to Shay. Frantically, she pulled her leg over the railing and jumped. The sand collapsed behind her and water splashed about her. She took off running down the beach.

"Wait!" a voice cried out.

The voice chased after her. Spurring her on.

**************

Hey!

Shay is an empathic insomniac who struggles with talking to people, but that doesn't mean people struggle talking to her. With a quiet manner, people find themselves unloading their burdens and life stories on to her. Shay takes their pain, leaving them free to move on but no one seems to be able to help her get rid of her own pain. It only get worse as times goes on and the struggles mount up in her own home. Lost and feeling as if she drowning in other's emotions it might just take one voice to help her out. 

This idea came to be while I was struggling with insomnia one night. Yes, I see the irony. My own story about an insomniac was keeping me awake. Being myself an empathy I thought it interesting to write about a girl who can take on other's pain but doesn't know who to unburden herself. Then it just went from there!

So do you have any thoughts? I usually don't until it's 11 o'clock at night and I'm trying to go to bed!

Vote, comment, follow. Do you ever struggle with insomnia? It sucks, but stories ideas come from it so...I'm not too mad!