What if the world didn’t run on money—but on energy? Zayla wakes up in a version of Chicago that feels… different. The bus is free. The buildings look like they’re breathing. Brad from the office is suddenly meditating at sunrise. And everyone talks about “resonance” like it’s more real than a paycheck. She’s not dreaming. But she’s not home, either. With her memories intact but her surroundings transformed, Zayla starts to unravel—until she realizes maybe that’s the point. In this new reality, value isn’t tied to productivity. There are no deadlines, no currencies—just energy, and what you do with it. As she searches for answers in a city that feels too soft to trust, one truth begins to echo through her She didn’t stumble into this world. She was pulled. This is Part One of a surreal, emotionally driven story about burnout, memory, capitalism, and the slow unraveling that sometimes has to happen before we wake up. A novella for anyone who’s ever stared at the ceiling and thought, There has to be another way. This is Part One of an ongoing work-in-progress. It’s a standalone novella, but also a teaser for something much bigger I’m building.