Claire watched as the rocket faded into the sky—32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡloyl503oTH
until it cut through the barrier,32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeiUAbG1sSg
and vanished.
It was a streak of light, sharp enough to tear the air, moving with a purpose that didn't waver.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZGh0YeGGdP
No hesitation.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ57bAmLq00y
No turning back.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBcmmiL5GWo
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.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ56RIkQZ2sZ
That final flash—gone like the last second of a dream before waking.
And suddenly—
She was tired.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlrRUEpCMcF
Bone-tired.
Not the kind of tired that starts in your legs,32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmtdw9wmTxA
but the kind that begins deep in the marrow.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3f6gS9Ds8
The kind that whispers: It’s over.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHpvsrHgaDe
Like a string that had held too tight for too long and finally—finally—let go.
She didn’t cry.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhtQVFhZWHZ
There was no water left in her eyes.
Claire just stood there.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbXWv3wHWUl
Letting the weight come back.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw9oP6lKWOX
Letting gravity settle into her body again.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuEjtx72p1B
Letting reality find her.
She walked down the stairs slowly.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡia5P3aelfa
Didn’t look at the slime.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsfon9uL73j
Didn’t need to.
They wouldn’t stop her.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QAXCS5VpU
They couldn’t.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5eodk43kjx
Because she was part of them now—32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWoZVjYieG3
the one who had allowed them to stay.
Her footsteps echoed in the stairwell like someone else was listening.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTzPnTsa9Vt
The purple slime curled in corners, clung to windowsills,32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrMLTOFy1ms
not moving, just watching—32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLkLB5qBQs0
quiet, like plants that forgot how to bloom.
Claire walked through the empty streets.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIf0eQctOq5
The city was still.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsvZVARNjgE
Silent.
Dawn hadn’t touched the buildings yet.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO236ZHBtql
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.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPy3dr2FpK
Even the wind seemed to hesitate, following behind her in soft delay.
She passed the same coffee shop sign she saw every day.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhZSMyUL7km
Exactly the same.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfWx2QNdtOD
Still there.
Claire reached her tiny apartment above the shop.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Fr2ZiPhrk
She opened the door.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpkO5PcQAn8
Climbed the stairs to the third floor.
Key in the lock.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGBca12fKwD
Hinge creaking.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNmagSJljE6
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.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2TnVh9w4Je
The blanket pulled over her like a sigh.
Her heartbeat slowed.
No more calculations.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8qGpdsjbqc
No more checks.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKvfZUmXpt
No more messages.
The world began to breathe with her.
And when her eyes finally closed—32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm0JF1ZHpmh
darkness didn’t come to consume her.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡejuj4c2kgT
It came to hold her.
Like a warm pair of arms,32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4lVT5ofRGC
quiet and complete.
Goodnight, Blüdhaven.
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM9UlvOeMbm
<<End of Part One>>
"If you liked my story, don’t forget to hit the like button!"32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwnErsEogTh
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFWoLJD25OV
Bonus Chapter - The Day He Came Back
https://www.penana.com/story/185522
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbNV7xDwjo5
Bonus Chapter - Three at the Table
There are five side stories (bonus chapters) available!32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKmjcgxayOV
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.”32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcfXc1HY2U7
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyiHjK51OrN
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.
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTaB0pD5A2I
✦ Ending Note ✦
Thank you for walking through this story with me.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYof2K2sxkX
Claire’s journey pauses here—for now.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFkd6cXWno
Her path will continue in the future,32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi7JT5xdDJk
but due to the timeline of events,32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJVvthFx3H
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.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzsfQcXrIg8
We'll meet again, somewhere between time and memory.
— CocoNotMilk
