Claire watched as the rocket faded into the sky—40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0T4wE9OwE9
until it cut through the barrier,40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm4AjNObEBc
and vanished.
It was a streak of light, sharp enough to tear the air, moving with a purpose that didn't waver.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzMbKK0dFuN
No hesitation.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsfEs8c5cB4
No turning back.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfdry2Uq7sy
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.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE9re1xxqc0
That final flash—gone like the last second of a dream before waking.
And suddenly—
She was tired.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaaVdN8eFio
Bone-tired.
Not the kind of tired that starts in your legs,40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpj3LuNLpF1
but the kind that begins deep in the marrow.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQOwiavPXy
The kind that whispers: It’s over.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPJgeBgqPLY
Like a string that had held too tight for too long and finally—finally—let go.
She didn’t cry.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJZKOn7NlR
There was no water left in her eyes.
Claire just stood there.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOfE9aPAGAS
Letting the weight come back.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNIpdEfWd6B
Letting gravity settle into her body again.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP8MRBN5I02
Letting reality find her.
She walked down the stairs slowly.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ7qBWIi3o0
Didn’t look at the slime.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh8HB86MTeP
Didn’t need to.
They wouldn’t stop her.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLt11RmMGMr
They couldn’t.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6wnSVIQIUe
Because she was part of them now—40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpIMpjkXLZG
the one who had allowed them to stay.
Her footsteps echoed in the stairwell like someone else was listening.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM5ZELk0L1b
The purple slime curled in corners, clung to windowsills,40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTFGosjmVIc
not moving, just watching—40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUI4HAGvIu7
quiet, like plants that forgot how to bloom.
Claire walked through the empty streets.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGPWNOrngaa
The city was still.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvG1f3vkDrv
Silent.
Dawn hadn’t touched the buildings yet.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Va7h7Rbyo
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.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkiHmxzh2GM
Even the wind seemed to hesitate, following behind her in soft delay.
She passed the same coffee shop sign she saw every day.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwi1wztmZuD
Exactly the same.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡItwIUhFwkM
Still there.
Claire reached her tiny apartment above the shop.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoaAwbAs1wh
She opened the door.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5RfylW9luq
Climbed the stairs to the third floor.
Key in the lock.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCO0eSihbXZ
Hinge creaking.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmM9wasR1q
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.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQy2nUhhb8Q
The blanket pulled over her like a sigh.
Her heartbeat slowed.
No more calculations.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkz2UJsWvRF
No more checks.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2St1qWujMp
No more messages.
The world began to breathe with her.
And when her eyes finally closed—40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmJdDTtjM0h
darkness didn’t come to consume her.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOB2sTc60Vr
It came to hold her.
Like a warm pair of arms,40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfsuC70bjSW
quiet and complete.
Goodnight, Blüdhaven.
40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4iDJPZh8Zr
<<End of Part One>>
"If you liked my story, don’t forget to hit the like button!"40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy1RxTZWk9N
40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdrdtAk6831
Bonus Chapter - The Day He Came Back
https://www.penana.com/story/185522
40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwm7BmMHN0e
Bonus Chapter - Three at the Table
There are five side stories (bonus chapters) available!40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡijKV7FwLS4
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.”40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfAXA8z1cWc
40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZk8xkBQXIf
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.
40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNmO58Vemiw
✦ Ending Note ✦
Thank you for walking through this story with me.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwO4Rbg2e46
Claire’s journey pauses here—for now.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ91vYvIHfV
Her path will continue in the future,40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPtphmN4Gvb
but due to the timeline of events,40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkbDcCQyksn
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.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4DESx2uHqI
We'll meet again, somewhere between time and memory.
— CocoNotMilk
