Claire watched as the rocket faded into the sky—42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1nXiE1NBis
until it cut through the barrier,42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh2lkIG6Ray
and vanished.
It was a streak of light, sharp enough to tear the air, moving with a purpose that didn't waver.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMmYGM9ley
No hesitation.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9wAjXvi5Sf
No turning back.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkAEOK4jI7C
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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTPJRVWvPOf
That final flash—gone like the last second of a dream before waking.
And suddenly—
She was tired.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9uAiWMM6SB
Bone-tired.
Not the kind of tired that starts in your legs,42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIpVmdj0yVP
but the kind that begins deep in the marrow.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4vaA9Ol1wD
The kind that whispers: It’s over.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV5fcvPjtNu
Like a string that had held too tight for too long and finally—finally—let go.
She didn’t cry.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcjseCQmAAq
There was no water left in her eyes.
Claire just stood there.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvroMTclvYs
Letting the weight come back.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9cTRs7QFXE
Letting gravity settle into her body again.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVpq6vlhG5i
Letting reality find her.
She walked down the stairs slowly.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ARqs6qxu2
Didn’t look at the slime.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjyNx2WjMXy
Didn’t need to.
They wouldn’t stop her.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcb26B3zdLH
They couldn’t.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhT0dXRblUJ
Because she was part of them now—42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmXzpPYNNst
the one who had allowed them to stay.
Her footsteps echoed in the stairwell like someone else was listening.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi4J2rfeLxR
The purple slime curled in corners, clung to windowsills,42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsxbiRndU1h
not moving, just watching—42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAXHGJqhazb
quiet, like plants that forgot how to bloom.
Claire walked through the empty streets.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLPp3jiFRad
The city was still.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG1oE4Fdhac
Silent.
Dawn hadn’t touched the buildings yet.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Ujqewyx6o
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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaugiLMEYLz
Even the wind seemed to hesitate, following behind her in soft delay.
She passed the same coffee shop sign she saw every day.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMJSbFN3JJ7
Exactly the same.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtWdHRMEzZB
Still there.
Claire reached her tiny apartment above the shop.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6RLGnQ1Au6
She opened the door.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwdKbIHUUcW
Climbed the stairs to the third floor.
Key in the lock.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJtnOwlpz7D
Hinge creaking.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOT2EpeUPiB
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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqMXDALKTAX
The blanket pulled over her like a sigh.
Her heartbeat slowed.
No more calculations.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6wSSclhM77
No more checks.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU2Z5cFW5yT
No more messages.
The world began to breathe with her.
And when her eyes finally closed—42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaPAkoKEQQm
darkness didn’t come to consume her.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Q63a02sYM
It came to hold her.
Like a warm pair of arms,42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOjjbwL3Fge
quiet and complete.
Goodnight, Blüdhaven.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9hS1PCMXoa
<<End of Part One>>
"If you liked my story, don’t forget to hit the like button!"42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7rjOwWjc5N
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAXG3hZRSuZ
Bonus Chapter - The Day He Came Back
https://www.penana.com/story/185522
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsu3hhLY5By
Bonus Chapter - Three at the Table
There are five side stories (bonus chapters) available!42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP4LwfIW6fP
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.”42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUcP0oHM6R6
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVa10GxBWDW
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.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqlqzZjnZCV
✦ Ending Note ✦
Thank you for walking through this story with me.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ85o3g6L2Ir
Claire’s journey pauses here—for now.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL7GILt2yRo
Her path will continue in the future,42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPC3oA39WlM
but due to the timeline of events,42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsCDfcgkmhi
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.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd16PG8L4Sg
We'll meet again, somewhere between time and memory.
— CocoNotMilk
