Claire watched as the rocket faded into the sky—41Please respect copyright.PENANA6W8a2cm6YN
until it cut through the barrier,41Please respect copyright.PENANAJfU3KoamY0
and vanished.
It was a streak of light, sharp enough to tear the air, moving with a purpose that didn't waver.41Please respect copyright.PENANAxSyGKJmyP5
No hesitation.41Please respect copyright.PENANAHJG1R29cjb
No turning back.41Please respect copyright.PENANAwcarS69WH8
She stood at the edge of the rooftop, wind pulling at her hair, as if the momentum of that launch had taken a part of her with it.41Please respect copyright.PENANAxqS21XqOLC
That final flash—gone like the last second of a dream before waking.
And suddenly—
She was tired.41Please respect copyright.PENANA8LPdKzQ3o9
Bone-tired.
Not the kind of tired that starts in your legs,41Please respect copyright.PENANAEPvHReXHEr
but the kind that begins deep in the marrow.41Please respect copyright.PENANA1YdI2ROEMA
The kind that whispers: It’s over.41Please respect copyright.PENANA71lrbiXm9y
Like a string that had held too tight for too long and finally—finally—let go.
She didn’t cry.41Please respect copyright.PENANAPOPaA27tQL
There was no water left in her eyes.
Claire just stood there.41Please respect copyright.PENANALkP4gyUwZr
Letting the weight come back.41Please respect copyright.PENANAMbGXSsOdsw
Letting gravity settle into her body again.41Please respect copyright.PENANA282yosr4Fp
Letting reality find her.
She walked down the stairs slowly.41Please respect copyright.PENANAUV5zSUnUVM
Didn’t look at the slime.41Please respect copyright.PENANARzR6my1lrz
Didn’t need to.
They wouldn’t stop her.41Please respect copyright.PENANAQQDX5AOMxm
They couldn’t.41Please respect copyright.PENANAPKE5U8Riak
Because she was part of them now—41Please respect copyright.PENANAR7elb2GRnh
the one who had allowed them to stay.
Her footsteps echoed in the stairwell like someone else was listening.41Please respect copyright.PENANAIsknURLvHc
The purple slime curled in corners, clung to windowsills,41Please respect copyright.PENANAmiHqmO8nhr
not moving, just watching—41Please respect copyright.PENANAvr5RxyeVCA
quiet, like plants that forgot how to bloom.
Claire walked through the empty streets.41Please respect copyright.PENANAD8OYhoHulQ
The city was still.41Please respect copyright.PENANA8E5VdfS3jC
Silent.
Dawn hadn’t touched the buildings yet.41Please respect copyright.PENANApxgUhDJVEe
The whole place felt like it had just finished dreaming and hadn’t quite decided to wake up.
Her shadow stretched long under the streetlights.41Please respect copyright.PENANADYyMPdediC
Even the wind seemed to hesitate, following behind her in soft delay.
She passed the same coffee shop sign she saw every day.41Please respect copyright.PENANAMXqDy0six3
Exactly the same.41Please respect copyright.PENANAYkr2XZYvAk
Still there.
Claire reached her tiny apartment above the shop.41Please respect copyright.PENANATYF4Wf8iyO
She opened the door.41Please respect copyright.PENANASBjTtEAn7l
Climbed the stairs to the third floor.
Key in the lock.41Please respect copyright.PENANAlydNQPvV3p
Hinge creaking.41Please respect copyright.PENANAgUMN0Jkp9u
Wooden steps under her feet.
Her legs shook, but she walked steadily—like she was finishing a ritual.
She reached her bed and lay down.
The mattress still held the memory of her body.41Please respect copyright.PENANAayLhyvN5lL
The blanket pulled over her like a sigh.
Her heartbeat slowed.
No more calculations.41Please respect copyright.PENANA2ZJWrWgD2r
No more checks.41Please respect copyright.PENANAL6U4efyRkD
No more messages.
The world began to breathe with her.
And when her eyes finally closed—41Please respect copyright.PENANAJX3mKtSYhf
darkness didn’t come to consume her.41Please respect copyright.PENANA727coWlpeq
It came to hold her.
Like a warm pair of arms,41Please respect copyright.PENANAk3efWKhTI5
quiet and complete.
Goodnight, Blüdhaven.
41Please respect copyright.PENANAjTgFd9V1A1
<<End of Part One>>
"If you liked my story, don’t forget to hit the like button!"41Please respect copyright.PENANAabCirNZazC
41Please respect copyright.PENANAJJ5F039MWM
Bonus Chapter - The Day He Came Back
https://www.penana.com/story/185522
41Please respect copyright.PENANA1LKAGktbHf
Bonus Chapter - Three at the Table
There are five side stories (bonus chapters) available!41Please respect copyright.PENANAg38vzqgUeG
If you enjoyed the dynamic between Officer Dick Grayson and Claire, stay tuned—there’s more to come. Their interactions will continue in the bonus chapter: “Three at the Table.”41Please respect copyright.PENANAF5Jd5Tn8jB
41Please respect copyright.PENANAqjbtwuQZ63
Claire’s story, for now, has come to a quiet close.
She’s safe. The city breathes. The sky remembers her.
Don’t worry—she will be found in the next part, after Leila and Nana’s story—but tonight, she sleeps.
Thank you for walking with her this far. She was never truly alone.
41Please respect copyright.PENANABMnyCHdbBZ
✦ Ending Note ✦
Thank you for walking through this story with me.41Please respect copyright.PENANAZvuSJDhZZs
Claire’s journey pauses here—for now.41Please respect copyright.PENANANLFYV1E0fh
Her path will continue in the future,41Please respect copyright.PENANAsrLYKF86V3
but due to the timeline of events,41Please respect copyright.PENANAIzbWd2ivee
we’ll first follow Nana and Leila’s stories before returning to Claire’s.
If you're curious, you're warmly invited to read ahead.41Please respect copyright.PENANAAonN44Mlcl
We'll meet again, somewhere between time and memory.
— CocoNotMilk