Claire watched as the rocket faded into the sky—42Please respect copyright.PENANA1nXiE1NBis
until it cut through the barrier,42Please respect copyright.PENANAh2lkIG6Ray
and vanished.
It was a streak of light, sharp enough to tear the air, moving with a purpose that didn't waver.42Please respect copyright.PENANASMmYGM9ley
No hesitation.42Please respect copyright.PENANA9wAjXvi5Sf
No turning back.42Please respect copyright.PENANAkAEOK4jI7C
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.42Please respect copyright.PENANATPJRVWvPOf
That final flash—gone like the last second of a dream before waking.
And suddenly—
She was tired.42Please respect copyright.PENANA9uAiWMM6SB
Bone-tired.
Not the kind of tired that starts in your legs,42Please respect copyright.PENANAIpVmdj0yVP
but the kind that begins deep in the marrow.42Please respect copyright.PENANA4vaA9Ol1wD
The kind that whispers: It’s over.42Please respect copyright.PENANAV5fcvPjtNu
Like a string that had held too tight for too long and finally—finally—let go.
She didn’t cry.42Please respect copyright.PENANAcjseCQmAAq
There was no water left in her eyes.
Claire just stood there.42Please respect copyright.PENANAvroMTclvYs
Letting the weight come back.42Please respect copyright.PENANA9cTRs7QFXE
Letting gravity settle into her body again.42Please respect copyright.PENANAVpq6vlhG5i
Letting reality find her.
She walked down the stairs slowly.42Please respect copyright.PENANA0ARqs6qxu2
Didn’t look at the slime.42Please respect copyright.PENANAjyNx2WjMXy
Didn’t need to.
They wouldn’t stop her.42Please respect copyright.PENANAcb26B3zdLH
They couldn’t.42Please respect copyright.PENANAhT0dXRblUJ
Because she was part of them now—42Please respect copyright.PENANAmXzpPYNNst
the one who had allowed them to stay.
Her footsteps echoed in the stairwell like someone else was listening.42Please respect copyright.PENANAi4J2rfeLxR
The purple slime curled in corners, clung to windowsills,42Please respect copyright.PENANAsxbiRndU1h
not moving, just watching—42Please respect copyright.PENANAAXHGJqhazb
quiet, like plants that forgot how to bloom.
Claire walked through the empty streets.42Please respect copyright.PENANALPp3jiFRad
The city was still.42Please respect copyright.PENANAG1oE4Fdhac
Silent.
Dawn hadn’t touched the buildings yet.42Please respect copyright.PENANA5Ujqewyx6o
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.42Please respect copyright.PENANAaugiLMEYLz
Even the wind seemed to hesitate, following behind her in soft delay.
She passed the same coffee shop sign she saw every day.42Please respect copyright.PENANAMJSbFN3JJ7
Exactly the same.42Please respect copyright.PENANAtWdHRMEzZB
Still there.
Claire reached her tiny apartment above the shop.42Please respect copyright.PENANA6RLGnQ1Au6
She opened the door.42Please respect copyright.PENANAwdKbIHUUcW
Climbed the stairs to the third floor.
Key in the lock.42Please respect copyright.PENANAJtnOwlpz7D
Hinge creaking.42Please respect copyright.PENANAOT2EpeUPiB
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.42Please respect copyright.PENANAqMXDALKTAX
The blanket pulled over her like a sigh.
Her heartbeat slowed.
No more calculations.42Please respect copyright.PENANA6wSSclhM77
No more checks.42Please respect copyright.PENANAU2Z5cFW5yT
No more messages.
The world began to breathe with her.
And when her eyes finally closed—42Please respect copyright.PENANAaPAkoKEQQm
darkness didn’t come to consume her.42Please respect copyright.PENANA0Q63a02sYM
It came to hold her.
Like a warm pair of arms,42Please respect copyright.PENANAOjjbwL3Fge
quiet and complete.
Goodnight, Blüdhaven.
42Please respect copyright.PENANA9hS1PCMXoa
<<End of Part One>>
"If you liked my story, don’t forget to hit the like button!"42Please respect copyright.PENANA7rjOwWjc5N
42Please respect copyright.PENANAAXG3hZRSuZ
Bonus Chapter - The Day He Came Back
https://www.penana.com/story/185522
42Please respect copyright.PENANAsu3hhLY5By
Bonus Chapter - Three at the Table
There are five side stories (bonus chapters) available!42Please respect copyright.PENANAP4LwfIW6fP
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.”42Please respect copyright.PENANAUcP0oHM6R6
42Please respect copyright.PENANAVa10GxBWDW
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.
42Please respect copyright.PENANAqlqzZjnZCV
✦ Ending Note ✦
Thank you for walking through this story with me.42Please respect copyright.PENANA85o3g6L2Ir
Claire’s journey pauses here—for now.42Please respect copyright.PENANAL7GILt2yRo
Her path will continue in the future,42Please respect copyright.PENANAPC3oA39WlM
but due to the timeline of events,42Please respect copyright.PENANAsCDfcgkmhi
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.42Please respect copyright.PENANAd16PG8L4Sg
We'll meet again, somewhere between time and memory.
— CocoNotMilk