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
