The sun shone in all its glory. An endless blue sky stretched overhead, interrupted only by clouds drifting lazily like tufts of cotton. Warm wind rolled across the hill, rippling through the tall grass in shimmering waves until the hillside became a sea of emerald, each blade rising and falling as though the earth itself breathed. At the very top of the hill stood an ancient tree. Its weathered branches reached toward the heavens like old hands refusing to surrender to time. Children gathered beneath its shade. Their laughter danced upon the summer breeze. "Look how high he is!" "He's almost at the top!" "That's amazing!" One of the boys was already halfway up the tree. He wore only a simple white vest and loose kurta trousers. Branch after branch, he climbed with effortless confidence until he reached a place where none of the others dared follow. The children gazed up at him in admiration. "He's so cool!" "I wish I could climb like that!" "No one can climb higher!" I watched quietly. I felt envy stirring in my chest. I wanted that praise directed at me. Just once... I wanted them to look at me the way they were looking at him. "I can climb higher." The words escaped before I even realized I had spoken. Every face turned toward me. The boy looked down through the leaves, sunlight framing the smug little smile spreading across his face. "No, you can't." Heat blossomed in my chest. "Yes, I can." "No, you can't." "I said I can!" His smile faded. Confusion replaced it. "...No." His voice softened. "You can't even walk." The world became strangely quiet. The wind still rolled across the hill. The emerald sea still swayed beneath the summer sun. But everything else... Stopped. I looked down. My hands rested against worn rubber wheels. Metal bars. Footrests. A wheelchair. ... Right. I'd forgotten. The laughter returned. Some tried to hide it. Others didn't. For a brief moment... I pitied myself. Then something far stronger swallowed that pity whole. Determination. No. I wasn't going to stay here. If I reached the top... He would have to acknowledge me. They all would. I rolled beneath the lowest branch. Locked the wheels. Reached. Too far. I leaned farther. Still too far. So I threw myself forward. My fingers caught rough bark. Yes. I had it. I pulled. My body rose. My legs hung uselessly beneath me. I didn't care. My arms were enough. Another branch. Then another. Higher. It wasn't difficult. It felt... Natural. Like climbing had always belonged to me. The voices below grew quieter. The wind grew louder. The sky seemed closer. The boy's smug grin disappeared. Good. Just a little farther. Soon I'd pass him. Soon they'd have to look up at me. Just one more branch. Crack. The sound echoed across the hill. The branch vanished beneath my hands. For one impossible moment, I hung suspended beneath the endless blue sky. The world rushed upward. The wind roared in my ears. Ah. Not again. I'd had dreams like this before. Dreams where I could walk. Dreams where I could run. Dreams where I could climb. Dreams where my body wasn't a prison. They always ended the same way. With me stumbling. With me falling. There was a name for dreams like these... Hypnic... ... My body jerked and I tore a violent breath into my lungs as if I were trying to inhale my soul back into my body. "Hey..." A gentle voice drifted toward me. "Are you okay?" I blinked. Sunlight flooded my vision. For a moment there was only warmth. Only light. Slowly, the brilliance softened. The first thing I saw was a pair of eyes. Blue. Not simply blue. They were the color of the sea beneath a clear summer sky, where the horizon forgot where heaven ended and the ocean began. An oversized straw hat framed her face. Sunlight poured through its woven pattern, scattering little circles of gold across her cheeks. Dark auburn hair spilled beneath its brim, dancing in the breeze like waves returning to the shore. I blinked again, trying to clear the haze from my eyes. She looked down at me with quiet concern, patiently waiting for an answer

Chapter 1