“You’ve been lying around for three days now, shouldn’t you be more proactive in finding a job?” Emmas voice travel across the room.

“She is hard at work Emma, can’t you tell? She’s on high alert should a job slap her in the face.” That amusing and oh so witty voice belongs to Milly, a classmate of Emma.

“I’m sure she is trying in her own way.” Emma said with an all too hesitant voice. Not quite the ringing endorsement one might desire but I guess I take it.

“Yes, in fact I am trying. As I’ve already said I’m waiting for a reply on the many applications I have sent.” I sit up from my prone position on the couch. I find a good berating to be more successful if done sitting.

“The problem in question is I apply for the position of coach or manager of most division 3 teams in the state of Sweden and these positions are already full. I need to wait for someone to be fired and then swoop in like a hero.” I make sure to cross my arms and direct my glare against Milly, surely, she’ll wilt and shy away. Anytime now.

Milly raise an eyebrow in a question. “Seriously Alicia, you are just going to wait around until someone gets sacked?” That judgmental tone and superior attitude, I’m not a fan.

“I don’t tell you how to design or plan building, do I? I know what I’m doing so any day now I will get requested for a job interview and when that time comes-“ I didn’t have time to finish my sentence before Milly broke in.

“Okay, okay I get it. Do your best little lady, I’ll cheer for you.” Milly hold up her hands in a placating motion, no doubt less than eager to get into a long discussion about it.

Milly and Emma occupy the kitchen table with their computers, tapping away in rhythmic patterns. They met often as of late and spend their time in study for the many different tests they have to endure. I was mediocre in school in most subjects so even if I was interested in something like architecture there is no way I would be accepted. No skin off my back as they say, I have less than zero interested in it. My goal has been evident to me for the past five years, ever since a classmate brought me along for a FIF game. The loud cheer from the audience the players moving in synchronized patterns, carrying out the idea of their coach to the best of their ability. Soon, that will be me.

Days come and go with little to show for it. My greatest accomplishment is the me shaped indentation in the coach, maybe I should move around more. At least Emma and Milly don’t bug me, they spend most of their time at school or hanging out with other students. Miss popular has her hands filled with the numerous social obligations inherent in being her.

*Ring, Ring* *BAM* That was the noise of my fall from the couch, a beautiful faceplant if I may say so. I accept the call in a hurry but no hologram appears, only a voice.

“Hello, my name is Luciana Perez from Uppsala FC, we have received your application for the position of manager.”

Silence. My thoughts are jumbled, I try my best to remember the club she mentioned and a vague memory surface. What was the name of the director now again? Wait this doesn’t matter I should respond.

“Are you there?” Lucianas voice ask.

“Yes, thank you for calling me I’m Alicia.” That’s good, I sound professional.

“I would prefer our conversation to take place in person, do you have time to come over Alicia?” Her English have a slight accent but as with most citizen of the European Union it is quite good. Ever since EU became a federation, they mandated conformity in language and selected English as the primary language for all states.

“Certainly, I can be there at once if you provide me with the domain key,”

*Pling* A message appear on my ID. Damn, this lady works fast.

“I will be waiting for you.” *click* The call ended. Why did no hologram appear? If no hologram appeared on my side then most likely this Perez lady could not se me either. Feels weird, to talk to someone without a hologram. What kind of face did she make while we communicated, what does she look like? I’ll just ask her in person soon enough.

I take a seat in the white armchair and attach the helmet to my head. I use the controller attached to the right arm of the chair to begin the process.

“You are about to enter virtual reality please insert your ID to confirm your identity”

I slide in my ID in the designated place in the armchair.

“Welcome back Alicia Berg.” A warm feminine voice speaks in my head. I choose that voice a couple month back, she’s a famous voice actress, soothing and nice.

“Enter Full Immersion Football, use the key.” My command yields an immediate reaction from the VR gear. My eyes close, a heavy drowsiness caress me to sleep. I suddenly emerge in my avatar form right Infront of a mundane building made of wood.

As is standard within this game my body is an exact copy of my real one. This is not the case for all domains but here in Full Immersion Football one does not get to customize appearance unless you have special reason to do so. My body moves with the same fluid motions of real life, the soft breeze could fool me I’m still in the land of the living. This is the world I have chosen; this is a place I intend to conquer.

I knock on the door. It takes barely a moment before the door open of its own device. I peak my head inside but there is no one standing there.

“Over here” To the left of me is a voice I recognize, the Perez lady from the call. I walk towards the voice and enter what seems to be her office. She sits behind a normal wooden desk and stares at me.

“Please have a seat.” She gestures to the stool across her desk.

“You must be Luciana Perez I presume.” I subconsciously put my arms behind my back. This entire thing feels eerily similar to when I was sent to the principal’s office.

“I am.” She is silent while I take my seat across from her. She looks short but with an intimidating aura of authority. Her dark eyes pierce through me, it makes me nervous. Just say something already.

“You applied for the position of manager.” She pulls up a hologram of my application.

“oh, so you do know how to use a hologram.” Damn it why! I hate it when I speak before I think. Now she looks at me like I’m a fool, good going there me you done fucked it up.

“Yes.. I know how to use a hologram.” Luciana struggle to maintain a neutral expression but fails, a smile fights for freedom and wins the battle. Safe, probably? She can’t be mad if she smiles, that’s a rule for sure.

“Yes miss Perez i-“

“Just call me Luciana.”

“Luciana, I just got my coaching badge so I would like the position of manager.”

“I am the manager of Uppsala FC.”

“Ohh, ehm.” Awkward. Ohh god, why! What the hell am I suppose to do now? I applied for HER job. I thought I would meet with the director not with the lady whose job I’m after. Is she pissed? Don’t think so, why is she just looking at me? Maybe I could convince her to call me when she gets sacked so I can take over but that seems in poor taste. They wouldn’t give a manager they are going to fire the job of finding her replacement, would they? Nah, seems unreasonable but why am I sitting across from the manager and not the director?

Luciana coughs to get my attention. “I have bothered the director since I got here to hire an assistant manager. The director sent me your application so I decided to give you a call to see if you would be interested.”

Assistant manager? It’s almost perfect! Just remove the assistant part and I’m game. Well, this is the only response I’ve gotten to my attempts so I should consider it.

“Of course, I haven’t offered you the job yet, I would like to understand more about your ideal football first.”

Bitch! Oh no you don’t. You want me to beg for an assistant role? I got 92 on the bloody test, I should be in charge!

“are you interested?”

“Yes.” My voice is barely audible. My options are limited to assistant or a prolonged campaign against the couch. The idea to create an imprint of myself on the soft surface of the couch does appeal to my sensibilities, the less appealing side of that coin would be Emma. Her pity cuts deep. She’ll come home and make me some coffee and tell me to hang in there. She will spout some platitudes about giving it your best and all that.

“I’m very interested.”