Day 1 Morning

Around mid-morning, there is a knock on the front door. Cherie comes hurrying out of her bedroom, which is starting to actually look like a bedroom, the boxes dwindling as their items find their permanent home. Opening the door, you see a friendly-looking couple, about your own age, holding a plate of chocolate-chip cookies.

With a smile on her face, the woman extends the plate of cookies to you. "Welcome to the neighborhood!"

Cherie smiles in return and takes the offered plate. "Thank you so much! Please, come in." She steps aside and continues, "I'm Cherie."

The woman extends her hand to shake Cherie's, causing her to have to juggle the plate to return the handshake, and they both chuckle. "I'm Lisa, and this is my husband, Mike."

Mike is a good-looking man, about 6'2" with a strong, muscular build. As his wife enters the house, he takes Cheri's hand in his own, smiling. "It's a real pleasure to meet you," he says, looking her in the eyes. You notice he put a subtle emphasis on the word "real," and you can sense his appreciation of Cheri's beauty. For herself, Cherie is too distracted to notice the admiration in his voice as she ushers them past her and into the living room, where Chad and the girls are.

"Everyone, these are our new neighbors, Mike and Lisa. This is my husband Chad and my daughters Chloe and Kenzie. My son Tyler is around here somewhere." As if summoned, Tyler walks in from the hallway. Everyone makes themselves comfortable and they spend some time getting to know each other. Mike is a former athlete, and indeed still keeps in shape, usually in outdoor activities like hiking, swimming, and rock climbing. Lisa, it turns out, is a professional photographer, which captures the attention of all three of the kids.

Chloe is excited to learn more about photography and shares her desire to be a model. Trying to be humble, she suggests it would be a great way to explore her "self-expression." You recognize it as a desire to be the center of attention. Kenzie is shy at first but is drawn to Lisa's kindness and enthusiasm. She sees it as the ability to explore her own self-expression, but behind the camera instead of in front of it. Her thoughts are filled with beautiful sunsets and forest glades. She asks Lisa all kinds of questions about lighting, camera angles, and how to capture the "perfect shot." Tyler, unsurprisingly, is fascinated by the equipment and tech aspects. He asks his own questions about cameras, lenses, flashes, and photo editing/post-processing.

While Lisa is being bombarded with questions, which is clearly a passion for her, since she seems to thoroughly enjoy their enthusiasm, Cherie, Chad, and Mike enjoy their own conversation. You find out they have two kids of their own, Sean and Ashlyn. Sean is a Film & Media Studies major, and Ashlyn is a troublemaker they're trying to convince to go to community college. Chad is immediately put at ease by Mike and Lisa's friendly demeanor. He appreciates their thoughtfulness and is happy to have such nice neighbors. He engages Mike in a conversation about the neighborhood and its history, finding common ground in their shared interest in sports and outdoor activities. Cherie participates in the conversation, being no stranger to sports and fitness herself, but much of her thoughts are focused on the setting. Meeting the neighbors (and liking them!), her children actively engaged with Lisa (even Tyler!), and the overall sense of friendship and family.

You happen to notice Mike taking covert glances at all 3 women when nobody (especially Lisa) is looking.