Welcome to Cherry Wood Avenue just on the outskirts of Pleasant Dale, your typical American suburb, big tidy homes either side a grey tarmac road, white picket fences surrounding beautiful and colourful front lawns. Children happily playing in the street on long hot summer days riding there bikes and playing baseball, a quiet little road but full of character.
Emily Glider who lived at number 22 noticed a there was a new arrive in Pleasant Dale, as a large removal van pulled up out side number 25 the old Crocker place. Poor Mrs Crocker had gone to live with there niece in Swanton after her 5th hip operation. Emily visited her neighbour Linda Thomson at number 20, who when to see there friend across the street, Cilia Hardy at number 23 who in turn called on there fourth friend Haley Garcia at number 29. These four girls always greeted the new families to the street to make them feel welcome, the other girls hid behind Cilia as she rang the door bell she was the leader of the girls as she had lived here the longest. A young boy aged 6 or maybe 7 with fair blond hair answered.
"Hi sweet heart, is you mum and dad there"
He nodded timidly and ran inside to seek his parents, soon later a woman with the same coloured hair as her son came to the door,
"Hello?"
"Hi there, my names Cilia, this is Linda, Emily and Haley, were your new neighbours and would like to welcome you to the neighbourhood" she smiled politely
"Oh well thank you, my name is Gloria," the little boy hid behind his mothers legs staring at the visitors "and this is Luke" she said ruffling his hair "please come on in, sorry the place is a bit of a mess" she lead them into the kitchen, the counters were littered with un opened cardboard boxes all labelled Kitchen supplies, she sat them down around the kitchen table ad made them al tea and opened up a packet of plain cookies,
"Sorry I don't have much to offer, haven't been to the store yet" she said as she sat down,
They began to talk as they drank tea and ate. Before they even knew it, it was starting to get late, the four girls said there good byes after inviting the new family to a party tomorrow night, to introduce there family's, as the girls went there separate ways home little did they know that at number 27 the curtains that hung in the living room twitched as a woman stared out at the four women. Emily opened the door to see her two daughters and Linda's eldest daughter Chloe were watching the TV
"What are the new neighbours like?" her eldest Tina asked
"They seem really nice people Gloria, Frank and Luke. Frank's a doctor who was transferred to the new practise up the road, Luke there son is 7 and is starting at Sarah's schools and Gloria is an interior designer and expecting her second in 4 months." She told them, "Did your father call?"
"He said he couldn't pick us up this weekend but will make it up to us" Tina said sorrowful
"typical, gets one chance a week and still work comes first" Emily and her husband Simon had been divorced for 4 years, and only once a week does he get to see his daughters, and still he blows them off for work.
"Can we have Pizza for dinner?" Sarah her youngest asked
"Sure I don't feel like cooking, you want to stay for dinner Chloe?" she asked
"I shouldn't Mrs G, I better be heading home. I'll see you tomorrow Tina" Chloe said as she gave her best friend a hug waved good bye to Emily and Sarah and headed out the door, as she walked down the path she could hear her brothers Dan and Max fighting, she opened the door, to see her brothers watching the wrestling and practising the move on each other,
"Where mom!" she called over the fighting twins
"On the phone, to Haley" her father David called from the kitchen who was feeding little baby Sophie, she walked passed him into the den where her mom had her feet up on the coffee table with her phone to her ear talking about Toni, Haley's rich newly wed husband's promotion at work today, she kissed her mom on the cheek and headed up stairs to her pc. She started to talk to her friends on the internet, Amy came on line Cilia's only daughter, they talked for a while until Amy had to go down for dinner, she switched off her computer and raced down the stairs before Mathew her older brother pushed her down, they sat at the dinner table, her brother and mother both sat at separate ends of the dinner table, they had just finished off another row. Mathew sat with his arms folded at the table staring at his plate while Cilia calmly ate her food. There was a sad atmosphere in the room as one year ago next week, there father was killed. Since then Mathew blames his mother for everything.
On the out side looking in it seems a quiet neighbourhood, nice family's, cosy homes, well kept gardens but deep down under the surface lies deadly secrets. Secrets that will break family's, secrets that will tear them apart with betrayal and heart ache, secrets that will create revenge on new rivals, secrets that will dig up the bones of the past. It all looks innocent enough but how far will people go to get what they are looking for?