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
