Claire watched as the rocket faded into the sky—20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYoHmgSi8Sk
until it cut through the barrier,20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv0jiHA5GMe
and vanished.
It was a streak of light, sharp enough to tear the air, moving with a purpose that didn't waver.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqMdRig4LNf
No hesitation.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSV2tU7zqWd
No turning back.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMFRsASZOO4
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.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPiSwYmnfwh
That final flash—gone like the last second of a dream before waking.
And suddenly—
She was tired.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8rbOWq3Pd
Bone-tired.
Not the kind of tired that starts in your legs,20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡppQvNYy7qd
but the kind that begins deep in the marrow.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQnMP0qyWI
The kind that whispers: It’s over.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqa9ppwbun8
Like a string that had held too tight for too long and finally—finally—let go.
She didn’t cry.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ476Zy36gJa
There was no water left in her eyes.
Claire just stood there.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxfLpLhImy
Letting the weight come back.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2AQokmP1Xn
Letting gravity settle into her body again.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkLHWFaKHnR
Letting reality find her.
She walked down the stairs slowly.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8lygX884Ft
Didn’t look at the slime.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH7SgfTKJWA
Didn’t need to.
They wouldn’t stop her.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIZKEs8E8Eq
They couldn’t.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt0T0KazXIR
Because she was part of them now—20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwcet08v4cA
the one who had allowed them to stay.
Her footsteps echoed in the stairwell like someone else was listening.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK8ZuhZr4ba
The purple slime curled in corners, clung to windowsills,20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXr1KT29kHq
not moving, just watching—20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1NSskCHi5
quiet, like plants that forgot how to bloom.
Claire walked through the empty streets.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyevXAYCWZH
The city was still.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lS5Hf7Pnv
Silent.
Dawn hadn’t touched the buildings yet.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9X0NTHHBbG
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.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAlSdbTcBHO
Even the wind seemed to hesitate, following behind her in soft delay.
She passed the same coffee shop sign she saw every day.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq43haYdnUK
Exactly the same.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjm8ZD7ZeFI
Still there.
Claire reached her tiny apartment above the shop.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCzoKoVroq9
She opened the door.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW3Kq18STTj
Climbed the stairs to the third floor.
Key in the lock.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC9FjA4xfOm
Hinge creaking.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ3b4HxeLRz
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.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfdoeDtg73A
The blanket pulled over her like a sigh.
Her heartbeat slowed.
No more calculations.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAmpr0YH69X
No more checks.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQSme5aFq53
No more messages.
The world began to breathe with her.
And when her eyes finally closed—20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIPX6wln63x
darkness didn’t come to consume her.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHfed2G7uj
It came to hold her.
Like a warm pair of arms,20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlGTRn7pAnX
quiet and complete.
Goodnight, Blüdhaven.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHZ8t6DiOSv
<<End of Part One>>
"If you liked my story, don’t forget to hit the like button!"20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSxT5jKjOxD
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZwDm03JvA4
Bonus Chapter - The Day He Came Back
https://www.penana.com/story/185522
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxF2YDa199F
Bonus Chapter - Three at the Table
There are five side stories (bonus chapters) available!20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV3xLaRWkx7
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.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlH1EKaTCCw
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCKtZzOkHpd
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.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn40HDBeHUE
✦ Ending Note ✦
Thank you for walking through this story with me.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGlm7hHMl3H
Claire’s journey pauses here—for now.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTgQGSiWUgY
Her path will continue in the future,20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmKCopTAYeq
but due to the timeline of events,20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGOqOuVsG0K
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.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ27e3R4HcEu
We'll meet again, somewhere between time and memory.
— CocoNotMilk
and then Add to home screen.