Claire didn’t want to open the window.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpm5U0sCr98
Because outside—58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJIomTVHior
was Batman.
Batman.
The guy who made street dealers piss themselves on sight.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvfwyq6xatR
The guy crime lords called their lawyers over.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvrxFl1Z74M
The walking trauma of every Gotham kid’s childhood.
And now, that shadow was standing on her balcony.
Claire swallowed hard. Her hand trembled slightly, but she still reached for the latch and pulled the window open.
Batman stepped inside like he brought the night with him.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9P6OTRkxtA
His cape poured across the floor like spilled ink.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEs3o3Ud6mu
The air grew heavier just by him being there.
And he didn’t come alone.
Of course not.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqpqnOk9vQH
Behind him—58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlg3veoLtGs
Nightwing.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ764aMTXUoK
And the little gremlin, Robin.
You two bastards.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqvACJIH7gL
Claire’s eyes went wide. Her mind screamed:58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQCxuQegQCd
You told on me?! You snitched to the Final Boss?!
But then she looked again.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDvQ7l3pGTf
Their faces were... weird.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXa9segAyLb
No smugness. No jokes.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKB9rOYNDG4
Robin looked sheepish. Guilty, even.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8EvDuc74Vq
Nightwing was avoiding her gaze altogether.
Batman’s stare was sharp enough to slice through her spine.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKYeSmf0urh
When he finally spoke, the words hit like a church bell inside her skull.
“Claire. I need an explanation.”
Panic bloomed instantly.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ES2D5roQI
Gone was her usual snark.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡja4kK6t4aV
All she could manage was a shaky:58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ95pJ1QpCSy
“Explanation for... what?”
He didn’t move.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTly2uFt9j
Didn’t raise his voice.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT9UREdaYL7
But it was like gravity turned up a notch.
“Why did you know I was in the city.”
Her brain kicked into high gear.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfNwFW2Ekzf
Search the files. Find a lie.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4RacCauE71
Any lie.
Her mouth acted faster than her logic:
“I… I saw you. On the way back from church.”
Instant regret.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJFL1gfwxfh
Instant exposure.
Batman responded like he already had that line printed on a card.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcWFEIY8jC1
“That’s a lie. I didn’t pass that area. I need the truth.”
Still no yelling. Still no threats.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ1FaDxb4DR
But somehow she couldn’t breathe.
Goddamn Nightwing. Goddamn brat.
She briefly considered:58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn8qybfWtZ2
If I lie down right now and fall asleep—can I just reset?58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAdzCQJejqN
Will the loop save me?58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcl5QTFuMI
Is that a thing?
Batman spoke again.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe40jXxeH8V
Same words.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHrO8PYfFrA
Same calm tone.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡznhLWfTB0R
But this time, the weight behind them was unbearable.
“Miss. I need an explanation.”
Claire believed him.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Kn38J8DdN
He could wait until sunrise if he had to.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGPutXT1vQh
He'd ask until she broke.
She looked down.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlZj95QGBXY
Her fingers curled around the edge of the note she’d written earlier.
And a thought snapped through her mind:58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtLbumqRnQ3
It doesn’t matter. Tomorrow resets.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAGGwqbuA0W
They won’t remember anyway.
Her lips parted, slow and unsteady—58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdRfOMQ6lst
She was going to tell him.
The secret.
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIbQoprxgxG
Claire kept her head down.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkwtz1GsecG
Her fingers dug into the seams of her jeans, knuckles white.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDfRqVc7bk5
She knew—58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVngaagbRE0
the moment she said it out loud, nothing would be the same.
But she was done.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSBxWzmhAQM
So. Goddamn. Done.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMaeeAkEvhQ
Every morning at five, waking to the same sky.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0cTQxZTiKp
Same damn headlines on the radio.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmP40LhHriI
Same dough.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXTXGixBp70
Same customers.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15ILrbZQRj
Same stolen future—again and again and again.
“I’m stuck,” she said.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF1kbxlVtJ1
“I’m stuck in today.”
Her heart punched her ribs like it wanted out.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRaXQsJsnj4
She couldn’t bring herself to look at Batman.
He frowned.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtyeSXgx0Hh
Those famously unreadable eyes locked onto her like lasers.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjPuzUyyPV7
“What does that mean?”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYtfXOOHJDZ
His voice was low. Steady. Too steady.
Claire took a breath—58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIhciIlo2jw
No turning back.
“Every morning I wake up, and it’s today. This exact today.”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFFshJr1FRE
Her words rushed out, all in one breath.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP33NWe2XSm
“Five a.m., same morning show, same customers, same bagels, same goddamn newspaper—”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡme95duqjcg
She jabbed a finger at Robin.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHsxFpCGZ6x
“And him. He ate my sushi. Yesterday. Which is still today. They went to meet you right after.”
Her voice was rising, cracking.
“I’m the only one who remembers this day—fuck—58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF96CplCFcG
I’m the only one who remembers anything!”
The room went dead quiet.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNAoG1c1jxY
Her confession hit the air like a grenade.
Claire’s pulse slammed in her ears, drowning everything else.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6z1damRyD
She wasn’t crying—58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuDjWH6RgSm
but the burn behind her eyes told a different story.
And Batman—58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKmZ0soqklj
He looked at her.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvQxEz4oNdj
Really looked.
Not with suspicion.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡveOwz0Wk2j
Not interrogation.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUIhJS2zzo7
Not intimidation.
But with that expression people only get when they’re trying to figure out if the world is insane…58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkqHC4bk6jp
or you are.
And then—he just stood there.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlVxxlTrnBP
Silent.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5d4wf6RPEd
Thinking.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD0K24JiLV8
For a full minute. Maybe two.
Nightwing and Robin stared like they’d just seen a ghost fart rainbows.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxjXSEKzz5a
Robin’s face was twisted—skeptical, but rattled.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzR1ri9ED6i
Nightwing looked like he wanted to say something, but shock had his tongue hostage.
Claire braced herself.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt5wqdiJM3F
She expected Batman to dismiss her.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvEPDPMRyzQ
Turn. Leave.
But then he said it:
“Claire,”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiEJBLudrvX
“I believe you. For now.”
What?
“You need help. So do I.”
Robin’s jaw actually dropped.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQa0DCrG2wY
Nightwing blinked like the laws of physics had just rewritten themselves.
Batman—needing help?58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVmYW8egdZy
And from her?
Just some woman who looked like she’d barely made it off a bakery shift.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡviLE97WADz
A woman claiming the day was on an infinite loop.
Claire’s mind went white.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBM88Of8UVF
She stared at the cowl like it was a portal to a dimension where none of this was supposed to happen.
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNekzVsf144
