A Difficult Awakening

Vera and Stefan noticed that Emma hadn't gotten up yet, even though it was time to do so if she didn't want to be late for the folkhögskola. Vera woke Emma up just as she used to when she was a little girl: with a "good morning" kiss. However, Emma hadn't simply forgotten to set her alarm clock on her phone. After falling out with her best friends the day before, she had no desire whatsoever to get up and participate in this meaningless, painful life. Vera and Stefan had only spoken briefly with Emma the previous day, and they hadn't viewed the audition as a tragedy at all—quite the opposite. They considered it an honor that the music academy professor thought Emma was talented and even wanted to organize a band for her. Vera and Stefan imagined that this would give Emma a band—effectively her "job"—without ruling out the possibility of her continuing to play music with her friends just for the joy of it. For Emma, ​​however, her world had collapsed.