Chapter 1 - Introduction

Robbie's alarm as always rings early. Far too early for any sensible human. Unfortunately, her family are farmers, not sensible humans, so the young teenager grumpily rolls out of bed. She opens the blinds at her bedroom window, revealing the nice view she has of her family's farm. The chickens are still asleep as the sun hasn't risen yet and only the first of the sheep have started trudging around lazily yet.
Robbie quickly changes from her pajamas into the dirty clothes laid aside for her morning round. She ties her messy hair up on top of her head, then shambles down the stairs and slips into her rubber boots.
"Morning, sweetie," her mother, Anika, greets her, sounding far too cheerful for the early morning.

"Hot chocolate," Robbie mumbles back as she opens the door of the farmhouse to head outside.

"Will be ready when you get back in," her mother confirms.

Yawning, Robbie makes her way to the small shed where their animal feed is stored. She's jealous of all her classmates who are probably still fast asleep at this hour and don't have to get up so early every morning, whether it's a schoolday or not. As she begins preparing buckets of food for the different animals, she imagines what life could have been like if her parents had any other, normal job. Like maybe one of them could be a scientist at the Loop. And the other would maybe steer the ferry to Munsö. Nothing too fancy, but then she could just be normal. No getting up early to feed the animals, no heavy, hearty meals every day so she has the energy to work alongside her dad. She sighs as she reaches the chickens, the first stop of her little round. Maybe then she could even be pretty, like Emilia.

Robbie looks up and finds her dad, also doing his morning route right now. Suddenly, she feels a bit guilty about her thoughts. She does have a pretty good life generally and her parents are both pretty cool. So what right does she have to complain?

"Hey pappa," she greets him. "Good morning." She quickly checks for eggs, taking out the two she finds before walking over to him.

He gives her a brief, one-armed hug, then makes a face. "You smell."

"You smell," Robbie shoots back with a big grin. "And I haven't showered yet."

"Then you better be quick on your round if you want to have time to shower and not go to school smelling like a farm animal," he teases.

Robbie just sticks out her tongue at him, then continues on her regular morning round.

We find Tanya, predictably, in her home away from home: Kungsberga Public Library.
Tanya is sitting in her favourite nook, by the window. She raises her gaze from the pages of her book to look at a dog running after a stick his master threw.

She has left outside the clamor of the kids playing in the sunshine and making the most of the few summer weekends left before the long winter. She can hear her father's voice in her head, you should be out there too, running around and making friends.
She doesn't share that frantic euphoria. She remembers seasons by what books she reads. Reading of far away places her imagination is always elsewhere, anyway. Definitely not in dead-end, boring Kungsberga...

The librarian on shift - today it is Lotta, the one who smells like firewood - starts locking doors and pulling down venetian blinds, casting glances and smiles in her direction. Although this near closing time it is only the two of them , Lotta is mouthing in silence 'time to go home' as if the small library was full of scholars and academics from Uppsala deep in the study of philosophical works.

She sighs and closes the book. Smiling back she waves goodbye at the librarian, picking up the three books she has previously checked out for loan.
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
We by Yevgeny Zamyatin
The Red Room by August Strindberg, one that Professor Hedstrom asked her to get.
She smiles at the thought of her mentor, wishing that more people in this boring old town had half his wit and knowledge. The man's eyesight is getting worse, and he often asks her to read for him. She is very glad to have him in her life, and dreads the thought of what she will do once he's gone. The old man is not getting any younger...

As she walks home, she thinks that after the chores her Mum left her to do she might have time for a quick visit to Hedstrom.
But first, the list of chores awaits her - inevitably pinned by magnets on the fridge door in the kitchen.

Could be worse. Think of the ungodly hours and heavy tasks Robbie's got to do. Robbie once told her, a shocking account that felt ominously close to child labour to her.
She shivers at the thought, and turns into her driveway.

Tanya feels the emptiness of the house. She normally does not mind being alone, but she was secretly hoping her mum would be free this weekend. What are they constantly researching in that place, anyway? She shrugs, folding the clean laundry.

She is startled by her dad's arrival, but tries to disguise it. She however casts a glance at her satchel on the floor, glad that she left the loaned books in there, out of sight.

"Hello Dad, how was your day -- any good stories from the bus crowd, today?" she asks him. Sometimes her dad meets weird passengers, and Tanya is eager for the stories.

'Sorry I can't come out tonight, we're going out for a family meal. A really fancy place'

That had been the most recent lie told. It runs through Emilia's head as she tries to focus on the food in front of her. For an adult it may seem simple, pasta and a meat sauce, but it was a recipe she had slowly been building on, experimenting with. The mix of seasonings came from a collection slowly being built up when she could afford from the budget her Mum gave her for sorting food when she was unable to make it home. Her mother had of course expected it to more go on cheap easy to make ready meals rather than self cooked thing.

She'd been surprised when she'd come back to the collection of stuff on the counter, including the seasoning normally hidden away in a back of a cupboard, and a nervous request from Emilia to cook. Especially since Emilia tends to be out with her friends more often than not nowadays. Maybe that was why she hadn't put up too much resistance, the shock, or maybe happiness that Emilia actually wanted to interact and do something together.

[b'I can do it' [/b] The girls response comes out a bit sharp as she's trying to focus on what in front of her as well. To the side is a recipe, about the 4th of 5th iteration. 'Sorry.. you.. you should rest. I'm nearly done.'

Sure the parsley was good, but was it too much garlic? Not enough salt? Even as her mother seems appreciative of a home cooked meal and polishes off Emilia can't help but find the small little faults still there, that still need improving.

Even so she doesn't voice it out loud, just trying to enjoy being in her mothers company for once.