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