Claire watched as the rocket faded into the sky—35Please respect copyright.PENANAjQoXseHqs4
until it cut through the barrier,35Please respect copyright.PENANAJBrgnGvORt
and vanished.
It was a streak of light, sharp enough to tear the air, moving with a purpose that didn't waver.35Please respect copyright.PENANAxesQuBVkpS
No hesitation.35Please respect copyright.PENANANuq3epL5Y3
No turning back.35Please respect copyright.PENANAu0JYtkLQB3
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.35Please respect copyright.PENANABHns9ep89D
That final flash—gone like the last second of a dream before waking.
And suddenly—
She was tired.35Please respect copyright.PENANAndudwA7EdR
Bone-tired.
Not the kind of tired that starts in your legs,35Please respect copyright.PENANAFnPrK83NGh
but the kind that begins deep in the marrow.35Please respect copyright.PENANAXuF1T5Nv7t
The kind that whispers: It’s over.35Please respect copyright.PENANADa6VOQhJt2
Like a string that had held too tight for too long and finally—finally—let go.
She didn’t cry.35Please respect copyright.PENANAQToE6GZVW0
There was no water left in her eyes.
Claire just stood there.35Please respect copyright.PENANAWADjRz5udL
Letting the weight come back.35Please respect copyright.PENANAYNrJvjyulR
Letting gravity settle into her body again.35Please respect copyright.PENANAiEZTuPl8JL
Letting reality find her.
She walked down the stairs slowly.35Please respect copyright.PENANAaQUuNug7XC
Didn’t look at the slime.35Please respect copyright.PENANA0aZXE8IJ5E
Didn’t need to.
They wouldn’t stop her.35Please respect copyright.PENANAUeTWcXsf9I
They couldn’t.35Please respect copyright.PENANAebzzJZh63X
Because she was part of them now—35Please respect copyright.PENANAI2yMIRRWZY
the one who had allowed them to stay.
Her footsteps echoed in the stairwell like someone else was listening.35Please respect copyright.PENANAjDVIUjkSJU
The purple slime curled in corners, clung to windowsills,35Please respect copyright.PENANAnuikVkt4wx
not moving, just watching—35Please respect copyright.PENANAEgLhUGOFMm
quiet, like plants that forgot how to bloom.
Claire walked through the empty streets.35Please respect copyright.PENANArzzu35BW50
The city was still.35Please respect copyright.PENANASCq6tqh5pS
Silent.
Dawn hadn’t touched the buildings yet.35Please respect copyright.PENANApyga5XParH
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.35Please respect copyright.PENANA5Hy0RYyN5p
Even the wind seemed to hesitate, following behind her in soft delay.
She passed the same coffee shop sign she saw every day.35Please respect copyright.PENANAQkVFoJQcT3
Exactly the same.35Please respect copyright.PENANAqRCJ6wNswb
Still there.
Claire reached her tiny apartment above the shop.35Please respect copyright.PENANAVfiUkEDdyY
She opened the door.35Please respect copyright.PENANAKoRRbJGZi9
Climbed the stairs to the third floor.
Key in the lock.35Please respect copyright.PENANA5JJcS0202w
Hinge creaking.35Please respect copyright.PENANA6QUyP3wl8r
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.35Please respect copyright.PENANAgFHCvsREkC
The blanket pulled over her like a sigh.
Her heartbeat slowed.
No more calculations.35Please respect copyright.PENANA7XgBvnByKS
No more checks.35Please respect copyright.PENANAuMxd8RZZs2
No more messages.
The world began to breathe with her.
And when her eyes finally closed—35Please respect copyright.PENANA0L9vLxRQbx
darkness didn’t come to consume her.35Please respect copyright.PENANAw4dOsoppC1
It came to hold her.
Like a warm pair of arms,35Please respect copyright.PENANAMqKrVsDngM
quiet and complete.
Goodnight, Blüdhaven.
35Please respect copyright.PENANAp2yzjuLTWV
<<End of Part One>>
"If you liked my story, don’t forget to hit the like button!"35Please respect copyright.PENANA37GBdgmq5d
35Please respect copyright.PENANALcW1goiVQr
Bonus Chapter - The Day He Came Back
https://www.penana.com/story/185522
35Please respect copyright.PENANAzYXhHpzTA5
Bonus Chapter - Three at the Table
There are five side stories (bonus chapters) available!35Please respect copyright.PENANA6TYQ1W0qBV
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.”35Please respect copyright.PENANAKtecJe2AWN
35Please respect copyright.PENANAZUuhbzyaAk
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.
35Please respect copyright.PENANAYwZA8gexyM
✦ Ending Note ✦
Thank you for walking through this story with me.35Please respect copyright.PENANAyjOw56BObq
Claire’s journey pauses here—for now.35Please respect copyright.PENANAS5RpGBjH62
Her path will continue in the future,35Please respect copyright.PENANA4Hi5EviXUu
but due to the timeline of events,35Please respect copyright.PENANAcGcq6bG5dJ
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.35Please respect copyright.PENANAJ43Lse3WN8
We'll meet again, somewhere between time and memory.
— CocoNotMilk