Claire watched as the rocket faded into the sky—26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5SVpTYsQpd
until it cut through the barrier,26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSKOJlKG91Y
and vanished.
It was a streak of light, sharp enough to tear the air, moving with a purpose that didn't waver.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzGC3J7AIzz
No hesitation.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1rkw53odRO
No turning back.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡytIQXdRoMC
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.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8LQsvq3t5g
That final flash—gone like the last second of a dream before waking.
And suddenly—
She was tired.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYG1DuPZpnq
Bone-tired.
Not the kind of tired that starts in your legs,26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP9xzeB3WBO
but the kind that begins deep in the marrow.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfGH11CwEVW
The kind that whispers: It’s over.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRzSa5suOBK
Like a string that had held too tight for too long and finally—finally—let go.
She didn’t cry.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNDbOX8ZCja
There was no water left in her eyes.
Claire just stood there.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtsPdYfaoqo
Letting the weight come back.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrqjZ2LdMqN
Letting gravity settle into her body again.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmydvNLGRCH
Letting reality find her.
She walked down the stairs slowly.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0sNTrgE0Ku
Didn’t look at the slime.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjiGmxvoz8q
Didn’t need to.
They wouldn’t stop her.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiwAZ1WX4t6
They couldn’t.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5huLqdIlUD
Because she was part of them now—26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSkt9VBUOEQ
the one who had allowed them to stay.
Her footsteps echoed in the stairwell like someone else was listening.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLM3cnhCdyz
The purple slime curled in corners, clung to windowsills,26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5e6wLwSpPF
not moving, just watching—26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ2wXfthJYl
quiet, like plants that forgot how to bloom.
Claire walked through the empty streets.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkLWcdAhr0Y
The city was still.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1dLNKXAs8N
Silent.
Dawn hadn’t touched the buildings yet.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL6e90u1hpJ
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.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMDiaz2tmgm
Even the wind seemed to hesitate, following behind her in soft delay.
She passed the same coffee shop sign she saw every day.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4J4ujh5nXJ
Exactly the same.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzQXYrK3Y6w
Still there.
Claire reached her tiny apartment above the shop.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSd6fOmApYy
She opened the door.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvt5EXHXprp
Climbed the stairs to the third floor.
Key in the lock.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMf6idHUEa
Hinge creaking.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVHlvD9EzYv
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.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QkW9omWDU
The blanket pulled over her like a sigh.
Her heartbeat slowed.
No more calculations.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFgajBXkwJk
No more checks.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfZnbRgp4Jy
No more messages.
The world began to breathe with her.
And when her eyes finally closed—26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8NDj8dbqD1
darkness didn’t come to consume her.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYz8AidPnis
It came to hold her.
Like a warm pair of arms,26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJXsF5HBdPt
quiet and complete.
Goodnight, Blüdhaven.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS1afBlYp8K
<<End of Part One>>
"If you liked my story, don’t forget to hit the like button!"26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfko2muT23
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6BHO47W0ww
Bonus Chapter - The Day He Came Back
https://www.penana.com/story/185522
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTb5z9CzvV5
Bonus Chapter - Three at the Table
There are five side stories (bonus chapters) available!26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIEtmvIj0Ct
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.”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXCLmWcamID
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4qotA4pGhh
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.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7NjuC2D2p2
✦ Ending Note ✦
Thank you for walking through this story with me.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5csOKnjcNF
Claire’s journey pauses here—for now.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJGDRjFkA6J
Her path will continue in the future,26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2aNN9WpZJO
but due to the timeline of events,26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcj7rf8r03l
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.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEiSRBoLm5f
We'll meet again, somewhere between time and memory.
— CocoNotMilk
