Characters
Eve | Sylvie | Matt | Adam | Vivienne | Tim | Alannah | Ned | Caleb | Charlotte
Eve (15 years old)
 Eve can't help it – she's a born anthropologist. Eve never played in the sandpit. She just sat on the side watching the other kids, trying to figure out what was going on in their tiny minds. Not that Eve doesn't have friends – it's just she spends a lot of time in her own head, trying to find answers to all the big questions.
She's an observer, having long since figured out that it's much safer not to get too involved. On the other hand, her burning curiosity means that sometimes she just can't help interfering, usually with amusing consequences.
Eve's blessed with good looks but isn't all that interested in appearances – or in the boys that take an interest in her. Until Adam arrives at school, that is. He's the first guy she's ever had a real crush on – and her first instinct is to run.
Eve's parents are divorced but it's all worked out fine. Eve lives part of the time with her mum, Vivienne, and her 9-year-old brother Caleb. And then she packs her bag and heads off to her dad's place – just across the road. Tim's living with his new girlfriend, Alannah, which is okay by Eve – or it would be, if Alannah didn't try quite so hard to play the good stepmother. But deep down, Eve's not convinced this relationship's going to last. For one, Alannah's a complete gym bunny and her Dad's a chronic couch potato. And two, she knows her Mum still holds a candle for him. Eve's older brother lives with Tim and Alannah, he's another reason to wonder if things will last – he's continually playing on Alannah's anxieties about being a step-mother.
Eve is played by Fleur Saville.
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Sylvie (best girl friend, 15 years old)
 Sylvie's one of Eve's best friends – but they're complete opposites. Bold and outspoken, Sylvie throws herself into life, boots and all. And she can't understand why Eve spends so much time analysing everything. Sylvie's into boys, the latest clothes, whatever's happening right now. She wants to be the first to do everything. Which means she often finds herself in the middle of some drama or another – perfect material for Eve's studies of teen life.
Sylvie's parents are a source of deep embarrassment to her – they're like well-off hippies who travel the world seeking enlightenment of one form or another. And Sylvie hates being left behind with her very straight 18-year-old sister, Lara.
Sylvie is played by Joanna Morrison.
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Matt (best boy friend, 15 years old)
 While the other guys are on the rugby field, Matt's usually hanging out on the sideline with the girls. Its not that he's gay, it's just that it's more fun with the girls. The truth is Matt never has a problem getting a date and it riles the other guys at school. They hassle him – refer to all the girls he hangs out with as his harem.
But as Matt would say he's been blessed – he's young, brown, handsome, and very charming. And why not use these gifts he's been blessed with?
And use them he does. Although he's only 15 Matt already knows how to work the system. Matt plans to be a dancer and an artist (think graffiti and rap music), and he's already worked out that his chances of getting an Arts Council grant are much higher than most people he knows.
As close friend and occasional member of Matt's harem, Eve fluctuates in her opinions of her friend's behaviour. But the bottom line is no female on the planet could ever think badly of Matt for long – he's just too gorgeous.
Matt is played by Lionel Wickliffe.
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Adam (love interest, 15 years old)
 Adam could almost be Eve's fantasy. We often see him in slow motion, as he runs past, his eyes sparkling, his body glistening with sweat. Adam regularly gets stuck on "pause" in Eve's world.
Adam seems like the archetypal cool guy and that's the way he likes it – it stops anyone from getting too close. Jack Nicholson and Christian Slater were his role models and he's got the act down to a T. He's long since figured out there's not much point making close friends anyway. Every time he did, his parents used to up and move and he had to start all over again. But then his dad died suddenly and his mum decided to return to the city to be closer to her family. Maybe this time they'll stay put.
The way Adam is suits Eve just fine. She's quite happy just to observe him,
and not to get involved. And when Adam does attempt to talk to Eve (this chick
who's continually checking him out), she quite refuses to let him – speak
that is. Eve is quite happy for Adam to remain in her imagination, she of all
people knows not to fall victim to her passions and desires.
Adam is played by David de Lautour.
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Vivienne (mum)
 As Eve's father used to say, Vivienne only has two speeds – stop and go. Having put her career on hold to have her children, she's now back in the work force with a vengeance – she's got her own catering company. Consequently, there's always a strange assortment of leftovers for dinner.
But Eve does adore her mother. She's loving and funny and full of life. If she just learned to slow down a little, she might find herself enjoying herself more. And she wouldn't have driven her dad off. Because Vivienne might try and deny it, but Eve's convinced she still loves him and wants him back.
Vivienne is played by Alison Bruce.
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Tim (dad)
 Tim's a tradesman. A plumber. He's a laid-back kind of guy. A man of few words but with a heart of gold. He's self-employed but only tends to work when he feels like it – which, according to Vivienne, isn't often enough. She decided that he wasn't driven – and that's one of the reasons they ended up going their separate ways.
But it wasn't long before his laid-back charm attracted the attentions of one of his clients, a younger, attractive real estate agent, Alannah. When she decided she was renting her inner-city apartment out and moving in with him, Tim just couldn't say no. But the truth is, he misses Vivienne – even though she drives him nuts.
Tim has unblocked many a sewer. His philosophy is that you can tell a person by their sewage. These days Tim is working with advanced technology that Alannah got him into it. He's got one of those new fandangle video cameras that travels through drains and records what's down there. It's been really successful too, more successful than Tim would care for, not that he'd ever tell Alannah this.
Eve occasionally likes to go out to work with her dad. It means they have a bit of time together, away from Alannah. Eve doesn't actually do any work, just watches and sometimes they talk – about sewage, people, and the meaning of life.
Tim is played by Stephen Lovatt.
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Alannah (stepmother)
 In Alannah's world, everything is black and white. If you're nice, people are nice back. If you work hard, you'll reap the benefits. And if you really want something, you'll get it – including the acceptance of your boyfriend's children.
But this proves harder than she thought. Caleb's easy enough – Alannah's bought her way into his affections with toys and treats. But Eve is much trickier. She's a strange girl – Alannah just can't get a handle on her.
Alannah's a successful real estate agent but she's aware that her biological clock is ticking louder – and Tim seems like the perfect candidate for fatherhood.
Alannah is played by Tandi Wright.
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Ned (older brother, 19 years old)
 Ned lives with his dad and Allanah and is forever playing on Allanah's anxiety of being a stepmother. Ned has proved to be another excellent human specimen for Eve's studies.
Ned's a drifter. He's supposed to be at university but doesn't seem to do a lot of study. He can't really see the point – he doesn't want a career, and there aren't enough jobs around anyway. (Eve secretly suspects he isn't all that bright.) His main interests in life are playing guitar in his grungy band – and sex. Good looking in an off-beat kind of way, Sylvie thinks he's her kind of guy but her efforts to attract his attention haven't worked – not yet anyway.
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Caleb (little brother, 9 years old)
 Caleb's main preoccupations in life are his skateboard, his computer – and what his big sister Eve is going to do to him next. Ever since he was little, she's been experimenting on him to see how he'll react, or conning him into doing something he gets in trouble for. He's always been her human guinea pig, and he's starting to get pretty sick of it.
Other than being a guinea pig and the on-going dilemma of his identity, life's pretty sweet for Caleb. He's a bright kid but isn't that interested in school. Art's his thing. He's drawn an entire comic book world of his own he secretly believes really exists – and sometimes, it does.
He didn't like it much when his parents split up a couple of years ago but at least it stopped the fighting. And its kind of cool having two houses, especially since dad got a new girlfriend. Alannah earns heaps of money and Caleb's discovered that if he plays it right, she's not adverse to spending some of it on him. His mum doesn't like it much but why would she? She makes him earn his own pocket money. How mean is that?
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Charlotte (Enemy, 15 years old)
Pretty, smart and oh-so-scheming, Charlotte is Eve's nemesis. She is everything Eve's not – the party player, the class organiser, the fashion police, the red queen.
What Charlotte does, Eve watches and unfortunately, one of the things she seems intent on "doing" – is Adam.
If Eve was to be entirely honest (and she usually is) when she thinks deeply about it she wonders if she'd be happier if she was a shallower Charlotte.
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