Linda Wijk

Quote

Linda met Sofi’s eyes, and what she read in them coloured her cheeks even redder. She wet her lips, before saying softly. “Maybe we should’ve gone to the graduation ball together.”

Questions

What's your name

Linda Wijk

How old are you

25

What do you look like

Brown shoulder-length hair, dark blue eyes, the kind of skin that goes from pale to burned, but never over to tanned. Tall, I guess

Where were you at the start of the story

Preparing to head home for the summer, I study mathematics at Uppsala University

What did you want, when the story started

Finish my masters so I can go into researching. My dream is to win the Fields Medal

Who are your parents

Mom's Margareta, she's worked long shifts as a nurse at the hospital for as long as I remember. I don't know who my father is, it was a one-night-stand, from what I understand. Until I was seven, it was just me and my aunt Helen, but Helen died in the accident that cost me my leg, so then it was just me and mom

What was your education like

Basic school years in Tanumshede and Uddevalla, then Bachelor's degree in mathematics at Uppsala University, and now a Master's degree at Uppsala

Do you make friends easily

No, I prefer a few really close friends to several shallow ones

Do you have a best friend

I used to, but Sofi and I drifted apart and lost touch when I moved to Uppsala

Can you get people to do what you want them to? If so, how

Not really, I'm not very social

Do you have scars? Where did they come from

Several, mainly from the car accident when I was seven. I was trapped in the car for four hours, and they had to cut my leg off

Can you navigate without getting lost? To what degree

Decently, I can at least read a map

Can you bake a cake

Some, though I prefer cookies

Do you know how to perform basic maintenance on a car

Very, very basic, yes

Is there something you do that most other people don’t

I know how to count the way the Egyptians did, if that counts

What is the most formative moment in your past

We had a substitute teacher when I was sixteen, who really loved mathematics. She spent the three weeks we had her teaching us interesting facts, rather than just going by the book

Do you have any phobias

Snakes. I just can't stand them

What are some of your bad habits

I smoke. Yeah, I know, but it's, well, a bad habit

Do you have a moral code? To what extent are your actions dictated by this code

I guess so. I follow the laws, and I try to be a good person

Excerpt

1st draft

Linda yawned, hopping out of the shower with a towel wrapped around herself and her cane firmly under her armpit for balance. She froze, staring through the open door into her bedroom, where a large snake lay coiled on the suitcase on her bed. Screaming, she stumbled backwards, to the laughter of her two roommates.

“Calm, Linda, it’s just a toy.” Henrik grinned and grabbed it. “See?”

She backed away, even though she saw that the eyes weren’t real, and the scales were plastic. “Assholes. You know how much I hate them.”

“Sorry, it seemed funny.” Susanne’s eyes glittered with amusement. “We won’t do it again, I promise.”

“Sorry.” Henrik tossed the snake into a basket with a sure arm. “We didn’t mean any harm, you know that.”

“I know.” Linda shook her head. “Doesn’t mean you’re less of assholes. I swear that if I find any toy snakes in my luggage, I will cut you.” She hopped back to her room, rubbing her arm where the cane had jammed into her. “Now shoo, I have a train to catch.” Linda closed the door and sat down on the bed to towel her brown hair dry. “I’m going to kill them one of these days,” she muttered, but a smile played on her lips. “Goofs.” With a final glance around the room, she established that she’d packed everything she needed for the summer. “My entire life in two suitcases and a backpack. Harsh.” She locked her prosthetic leg in place, flexing it a bit before slipping into a pair of worn jeans and a frilly blouse. She twirled her hair into a bun and carefully stood up on two legs.

“Henrik, can you help me carry the suitcases to the hall?” She opened the door. “You owe me that after nearly giving me a heart-attack.”

“Sure.” He grabbed the bags. “It’s going to be empty without you here, but I bet you’ll have it nice and comfortable at your mum’s.”

“Yeah, right.” She shook her head and hoisted her backpack up. “I flunked Algebraic Topology, so need to spend some extra time with that, rather than leisurely enjoy the summer. And, you know, working.”

“Better you than me. No, I’ll stick to my summer courses.” He placed the bags by the door. “Need any more help?”

“No, I got it from here.” She pulled on her oxblood trench-coat, balanced to get the backpack on and grabbed the suitcases to head out.