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.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJVk3c5TGH1
She muttered to herself and scrubbed harder.
But if it was just her, then why only her?63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVDLCTsG8l
Was no one else noticing this?63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXI0YKgRJf8
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAzcmp4dNUL
“Wait. Tonight’s the Easter Vigil.”
If anyone knew what to do about “a tomorrow that doesn’t exist,”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIBzLajnfmL
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAMCl6Vrtiy
Maybe He could help.
“If I’m extra reverent tonight, maybe tomorrow’ll finally move on.”
Claire nodded to herself, decision made.
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSA8ONSKxUd
That evening, she closed up early.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNTE64UTE7Q
She pan-fried two slices of ham, stuffed them into warm bagels.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡURrLU4T8oW
Brewed one cup of coffee, one of milk.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbNNYEirqVG
Set them at the edge of her apartment’s balcony, just out of the wind.
The note was short:
For Nightwing and Robin.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwbC3XDIr6X
Hot food. The milk’s hotter.
P.S. Nightwing—Robin’s looking for you on Queen Street tonight.
And with that, she headed out.
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbTj1VIJcGj
The vigil crowd was bigger than she expected.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUojZXA5vO8
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.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡttMmOyLeXz
“I don’t need much. Just let tomorrow… actually happen.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNaWClo5L2a
“Or at least… tell me what I’m supposed to do.”
Around her, people prayed, sang slow hymns.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbbh55pYQBh
The candlelight felt like a soft sedative.
But Claire’s mind stayed razor sharp.
She didn’t believe in God.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9V1HI8E356
But tonight, she was willing to pretend—63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrTW2BZMqRs
because facing an endless today alone was getting unbearable.
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFKP4ANG5fF
Midnight struck.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZNdQw6qyNS
The vigil ended.
Claire walked home feeling... untethered.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlZpqWKqONk
Not sure if it was exhaustion or just that hollow, post-hope ache.
She climbed to the third floor, switched on the lights.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡplSMYKOzeP
Jacket off, not even halfway to the bedroom—63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs5BwPtcKOz
She looked up—
Two silhouettes on the balcony.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ezSa3XnVg
One tall. One small.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzQ1OjAAHJn
Both watching her.
Nightwing. Robin.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQLXcRLeHq
Outlined by the indoor light,63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiymXo9zKM5
like guardian spirits who actually kept their appointments.
Claire froze.
"...Jesus," she muttered. "I asked for help, not a pickup."
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1WEuxb7mrX
Her brain stalled.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8kKzJf0afv
For a few seconds, everything just...buffered.
Then she snapped out of it, walked over, opened the window.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3gJYwMBtXX
Seriously, what else was she supposed to do?63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLM4p884vT0
Leave them standing there like weird bat-themed lawn ornaments?
The two shadows hopped in with practiced ease—63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVn2Sce79IR
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFHOpN19wXM
“Claire. Thanks for the food, by the way.”
Robin, meanwhile, had gone full wolf cub.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS9z5B9Rfpj
Eyes sharp, body tense, scanning her like she was a suspect.
“You’re the sorceress?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWV9bvnDAey
His voice was high-pitched, suspicious.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzYwhjiEVEY
“The one who talks to spirits?”
Claire frowned. “What sorceress? What spirits?”
Robin stepped closer, voice tight:63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtje3RkXnAL
“Then how’d you know I was on Queen Street?”
Claire blinked. Then smiled—slow, smug, maybe just a little evil.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ybgi5HV8n
“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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8tO1kHQvxB
“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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcNQP687Cmf
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLFehW19sc6
A familiar itch.
She called out, loud and clear:63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV10q8LT1Vl
“Hey!”
Both turned.
Claire tilted her head, voice calm, cryptic.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw0wctuHTt7
“Batman’s looking for Robin. Somewhere in the city. Tonight.”
They froze.
Nightwing immediately touched his comms.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxsqtHnTtaB
Robin snapped his head sideways, like picking up a signal.
And then—
Their eyes widened. In unison.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8nnyk6kzvz
They turned to her.
Claire grinned. That kind of grin.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb82CakgSvU
The “gotcha” kind.
Then she stepped forward.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8uk5EWyTD5
Clunk —window locked.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6hB85mue3o
Shhk —curtains drawn.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa4Rnli3K2W
Clean. Final.
She stood there for a moment…63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwm0mc8ZLMz
And then started laughing.
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTFdpuHt78V
Claire sat down and let out a long, tired breath.
She twirled her pen between her fingers, then started drafting.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbcYNUAyRu0
There was no guarantee she’d have time tomorrow morning—63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAEStLCO7Ah
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPvJNwp7c28
Was there anyone else out there,63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡveKg047OQa
living the same day, again and again?
At first, the letter got way too long—63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWVh5y2PkQi
Like something you'd submit to a conspiracy blog with a flashing GIF header.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo6VM6BoAGe
Halfway through, she couldn’t even read her own nonsense.
Nope. Start over.
It had to hit fast.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNb3nDA5wQH
One glance, and the right person would know.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrUcb59kc8M
This wasn’t a prank.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxm7GqmY51
Wasn’t a dream.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCom4gUSrs6
This was real.
She cut ruthlessly.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDNF3Yxdgr
Trimmed the fluff.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwTTvapTdeo
Boiled it down to just the facts:63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSpvyXqhgDD
Time’s stuck.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBx3136SXFw
You always wake up at the same moment.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDS6kopUJlL
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9UAox2Bho6
It wouldn’t survive the reset. But she still wanted to remember it.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8LPNlAghT4
She wanted to remember that she’d tried.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyxOkbzlaX9
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0C8HINLRKz
Like a nerve snapped.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCyXaO3Qst9
Froze in place.
...Again?63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeuRI4HMta2
What now?63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuPaOlujvo
Was it Nightwing? The kid?
She didn’t go right away.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLcfUDwiHHe
Her eyes flicked to the note.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgPq3KZQ3kx
Then to the clock.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQcPfQ1dg5F
It was late. Way too late for casual drop-ins.
Slowly, carefully, she moved to the window.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDzUbKiw206
Lifted one corner of the curtain.
And saw—him.
Tall.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡllWJonEm88
Cloaked.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTpjFxfMLKO
Cut from shadows.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGoaapYELYT
Standing on her balcony like a statue carved from myth.
Batman.
Claire’s brain went silent.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIAvn4KW1sO
Two full seconds of white noise.
She couldn’t hear her own heartbeat.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAS4IFFSfFe
Or maybe she could—so loud it drowned out everything else.
He was here.
Why?
She didn’t open the window. Not yet.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGNVAvYH3s8
Just stared.
At the living legend.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡibbcJcQfVb
At the ghost of Gotham.
and then Add to home screen.