Claire wiped the tables a little more aggressively than usual.
If it’s not the house... then what is it?
Could it be—the world itself?
“No. It’s probably me.”55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3YcjpLNHPC
She muttered to herself and scrubbed harder.
But if it was just her, then why only her?55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPoOSIHE57p
Was no one else noticing this?55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXf9VOW0cgx
Or were there others like her, who just... gave up looking?
“If there is someone like me, how would I even find them?”
She stood by the espresso machine, steaming milk, her brow furrowed.
Then suddenly—smack—she hit the counter.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIfhTe391vu
“Wait. Tonight’s the Easter Vigil.”
If anyone knew what to do about “a tomorrow that doesn’t exist,”55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNcYBbP8F3u
it had to be that guy who came back to life after three days.
Jesus.
The Bible made Him sound like a full-blown sorcerer. Infinite power.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh0yJyITkAK
Maybe He could help.
“If I’m extra reverent tonight, maybe tomorrow’ll finally move on.”
Claire nodded to herself, decision made.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuivylKnViT
That evening, she closed up early.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ77ca3PDTQH
She pan-fried two slices of ham, stuffed them into warm bagels.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPXjsLTA6Pm
Brewed one cup of coffee, one of milk.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzOV8IUzOa1
Set them at the edge of her apartment’s balcony, just out of the wind.
The note was short:
For Nightwing and Robin.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlBrK0Sgt9i
Hot food. The milk’s hotter.
P.S. Nightwing—Robin’s looking for you on Queen Street tonight.
And with that, she headed out.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTxqhZO0Il
The vigil crowd was bigger than she expected.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaIDxtG1lDj
Candles everywhere, flickering like they were breathing.
Claire sat among them, eyes closed, repeating quietly in her head:
“Please, Jesus. Help me figure out what’s wrong.”55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPziQEBV2ZZ
“I don’t need much. Just let tomorrow… actually happen.”55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Ou7ss1A1E
“Or at least… tell me what I’m supposed to do.”
Around her, people prayed, sang slow hymns.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBSRZyvbU2F
The candlelight felt like a soft sedative.
But Claire’s mind stayed razor sharp.
She didn’t believe in God.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2jSPCj0kA
But tonight, she was willing to pretend—55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEGmO3azaKU
because facing an endless today alone was getting unbearable.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7wcApkPn8o
Midnight struck.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ55N39twV0W
The vigil ended.
Claire walked home feeling... untethered.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX8oVjQPoD7
Not sure if it was exhaustion or just that hollow, post-hope ache.
She climbed to the third floor, switched on the lights.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3jgEoKrN1W
Jacket off, not even halfway to the bedroom—55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyvbXBGS6FH
She looked up—
Two silhouettes on the balcony.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKQBba0s6dP
One tall. One small.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5R1vqBUItG
Both watching her.
Nightwing. Robin.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvC4DzzNfzs
Outlined by the indoor light,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVcNSpAAFZU
like guardian spirits who actually kept their appointments.
Claire froze.
"...Jesus," she muttered. "I asked for help, not a pickup."
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjTz45JjD9Z
Her brain stalled.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtX5gAhoEbv
For a few seconds, everything just...buffered.
Then she snapped out of it, walked over, opened the window.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiuPhZkAWtP
Seriously, what else was she supposed to do?55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Inh14mou4
Leave them standing there like weird bat-themed lawn ornaments?
The two shadows hopped in with practiced ease—55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvGddy7lSBd
Same moves as last night. Copy-paste.
Nightwing opened his mouth, looked like he was struggling for an opener.
"Uh… um…"
Claire cut him off: “I’m Claire.”
He blinked, then offered a polite half-smile.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEY7uoW1HIv
“Claire. Thanks for the food, by the way.”
Robin, meanwhile, had gone full wolf cub.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ17DhLsSL7H
Eyes sharp, body tense, scanning her like she was a suspect.
“You’re the sorceress?”55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZOIayyzbm
His voice was high-pitched, suspicious.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh84urbpIJU
“The one who talks to spirits?”
Claire frowned. “What sorceress? What spirits?”
Robin stepped closer, voice tight:55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9hDAJCGM9t
“Then how’d you know I was on Queen Street?”
Claire blinked. Then smiled—slow, smug, maybe just a little evil.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5lpmqot6gp
“I also knew you skipped dinner. Still hungry, right?”
Robin’s whole face crumpled, like a police dog catching a bad scent.
Nightwing quickly ruffled his hair, like calming a pet.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg6nJYQr0wv
“Sorry,” he said. “We really just came to say thank you.”
Claire nodded. Didn't say a word.
Nightwing started nudging Robin toward the window.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMA1Li9MxJi
Robin protested: “Don’t push me! I’m serious—we need to know if she’s psychic!”
Claire paused.
Something mischievous slithered up from her boots to her spine.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiO1DwLBS6a
A familiar itch.
She called out, loud and clear:55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxreNq7EHV4
“Hey!”
Both turned.
Claire tilted her head, voice calm, cryptic.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqv4KtUTPke
“Batman’s looking for Robin. Somewhere in the city. Tonight.”
They froze.
Nightwing immediately touched his comms.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qIYqhFZxW
Robin snapped his head sideways, like picking up a signal.
And then—
Their eyes widened. In unison.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGxkVTtioJ
They turned to her.
Claire grinned. That kind of grin.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjlzt0Znzi5
The “gotcha” kind.
Then she stepped forward.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUxhC3s84Yc
Clunk —window locked.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSrAI0wF3pR
Shhk —curtains drawn.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9UckoMjWRt
Clean. Final.
She stood there for a moment…55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOEwK4QJ1cT
And then started laughing.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0kGVOC1u7G
Claire sat down and let out a long, tired breath.
She twirled her pen between her fingers, then started drafting.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡskhwlLAdvC
There was no guarantee she’d have time tomorrow morning—55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGcUPX5H0KS
or that her freaky “remember last night after a reset” skill wouldn’t just crap out again.
Better to write now. While her head was still clear.
She needed to know.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFKdmi38IcB
Was there anyone else out there,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtM24eYMmBs
living the same day, again and again?
At first, the letter got way too long—55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuvY3Oqkxxe
Like something you'd submit to a conspiracy blog with a flashing GIF header.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEDfv41ARK3
Halfway through, she couldn’t even read her own nonsense.
Nope. Start over.
It had to hit fast.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR66cUfm630
One glance, and the right person would know.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf04SuxllSt
This wasn’t a prank.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY402EKDxab
Wasn’t a dream.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ86vn3tJ1xC
This was real.
She cut ruthlessly.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1RNhiXkgkB
Trimmed the fluff.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9XWVHRS3DX
Boiled it down to just the facts:55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4HZIqNO5Kg
Time’s stuck.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs8uFlgdHuP
You always wake up at the same moment.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9plnTxFF6G
No one remembers yesterday.
Then, as a final touch, she added something that read like a coded whisper:
“Have you ever felt the sun today won’t reach tomorrow?”
Yeah. That felt right.
She read the note out loud. Again. And again.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3v52WKSS2j
It wouldn’t survive the reset. But she still wanted to remember it.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsR3hygaXWM
She wanted to remember that she’d tried.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmuya3zXgzT
Even if no one else ever saw it—she wanted to know she hadn’t given up.
Then—
A knock on the window.
She flinched.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxnU3ZMQpT8
Like a nerve snapped.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvhzxAgwPTM
Froze in place.
...Again?55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ91yJcTNonm
What now?55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6NkeFTnXFu
Was it Nightwing? The kid?
She didn’t go right away.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5kPPccbSEj
Her eyes flicked to the note.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡadkWd7Q4Mh
Then to the clock.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOEfA9sRtpd
It was late. Way too late for casual drop-ins.
Slowly, carefully, she moved to the window.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrpS6graKzX
Lifted one corner of the curtain.
And saw—him.
Tall.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBX9MNhEIPH
Cloaked.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ22LZXFby0x
Cut from shadows.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyxQyuj7VjQ
Standing on her balcony like a statue carved from myth.
Batman.
Claire’s brain went silent.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA8EGadkLQh
Two full seconds of white noise.
She couldn’t hear her own heartbeat.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnl9W3UVqMJ
Or maybe she could—so loud it drowned out everything else.
He was here.
Why?
She didn’t open the window. Not yet.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZu8tHwFN3v
Just stared.
At the living legend.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4rPS6mqRDk
At the ghost of Gotham.
