Claire watched as the rocket faded into the sky—57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIfo4pj1Cxa
until it cut through the barrier,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO03y1kKjcN
and vanished.
It was a streak of light, sharp enough to tear the air, moving with a purpose that didn't waver.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfHtWUoYUrG
No hesitation.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3wCloc8K5K
No turning back.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpfOHMQqLen
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.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmtS4n8qt53
That final flash—gone like the last second of a dream before waking.
And suddenly—
She was tired.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoZvQQRd1l8
Bone-tired.
Not the kind of tired that starts in your legs,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpYd564hSJg
but the kind that begins deep in the marrow.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaQGxgRyjhS
The kind that whispers: It’s over.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMgbJdl9p9S
Like a string that had held too tight for too long and finally—finally—let go.
She didn’t cry.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUeigCwcouo
There was no water left in her eyes.
Claire just stood there.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1fOi0JoAJI
Letting the weight come back.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaisuN94Spr
Letting gravity settle into her body again.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4TIizO26NM
Letting reality find her.
She walked down the stairs slowly.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTUL6vynB0Q
Didn’t look at the slime.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH2pgDYh7wl
Didn’t need to.
They wouldn’t stop her.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3XbGhp6DD
They couldn’t.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2mmye1ZrWp
Because she was part of them now—57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcAWfb2hWnN
the one who had allowed them to stay.
Her footsteps echoed in the stairwell like someone else was listening.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj10UtV4CLr
The purple slime curled in corners, clung to windowsills,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCyumlivSoF
not moving, just watching—57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡik0yvDL9Ay
quiet, like plants that forgot how to bloom.
Claire walked through the empty streets.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡauZ7H4VKZf
The city was still.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZTu50iSr9k
Silent.
Dawn hadn’t touched the buildings yet.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQGITikssnW
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.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhN6xq8zAJz
Even the wind seemed to hesitate, following behind her in soft delay.
She passed the same coffee shop sign she saw every day.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdo94WukExE
Exactly the same.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcARKanzKEp
Still there.
Claire reached her tiny apartment above the shop.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEcwhVpRXjD
She opened the door.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbwXanCgeh
Climbed the stairs to the third floor.
Key in the lock.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlZtY6HC9Ji
Hinge creaking.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxuTEcVh1ls
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.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3otTF5u8XN
The blanket pulled over her like a sigh.
Her heartbeat slowed.
No more calculations.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyQJ15DcMcI
No more checks.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcZIqk71kN7
No more messages.
The world began to breathe with her.
And when her eyes finally closed—57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGqX9euhad
darkness didn’t come to consume her.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoB26UI3OAe
It came to hold her.
Like a warm pair of arms,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHwLgSTyhr
quiet and complete.
Goodnight, Blüdhaven.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNu2PyncoWK
<<End of Part One>>
"If you liked my story, don’t forget to hit the like button!"57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5LWIiBM3NJ
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsT4kowFXpg
Bonus Chapter - The Day He Came Back
https://www.penana.com/story/185522
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUYN1rNODdv
Bonus Chapter - Three at the Table
There are five side stories (bonus chapters) available!57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmyPTaLHyM7
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.”57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3gxKZrmcV6
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡioDua49NeV
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.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1mRvI0HNqz
✦ Ending Note ✦
Thank you for walking through this story with me.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqRkIxgTpQF
Claire’s journey pauses here—for now.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZrGdrCXT2c
Her path will continue in the future,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr1proPNstC
but due to the timeline of events,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm7X5bR0Dmu
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.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcOp8NSazmA
We'll meet again, somewhere between time and memory.
— CocoNotMilk
