Claire didn’t want to open the window.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnh5SQ5zrBN
Because outside—52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzMXlTRuRT0
was Batman.
Batman.
The guy who made street dealers piss themselves on sight.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb8wdplLhpA
The guy crime lords called their lawyers over.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM3yf5lLUlV
The walking trauma of every Gotham kid’s childhood.
And now, that shadow was standing on her balcony.
Claire swallowed hard. Her hand trembled slightly, but she still reached for the latch and pulled the window open.
Batman stepped inside like he brought the night with him.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJIzRh6JGdB
His cape poured across the floor like spilled ink.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMv97Zwua1b
The air grew heavier just by him being there.
And he didn’t come alone.
Of course not.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhAKAXD3Wa4
Behind him—52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡddakMm7I4x
Nightwing.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQqAi53IJd
And the little gremlin, Robin.
You two bastards.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUeWtDnFrxX
Claire’s eyes went wide. Her mind screamed:52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJBwhDUD76h
You told on me?! You snitched to the Final Boss?!
But then she looked again.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ4fcVTzK0U
Their faces were... weird.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6tmL2sITAg
No smugness. No jokes.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7xdisMlUd2
Robin looked sheepish. Guilty, even.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY2VyXSv2t1
Nightwing was avoiding her gaze altogether.
Batman’s stare was sharp enough to slice through her spine.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLqYNu69OU0
When he finally spoke, the words hit like a church bell inside her skull.
“Claire. I need an explanation.”
Panic bloomed instantly.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdKbTPPJ0ty
Gone was her usual snark.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZvOkfqrXw
All she could manage was a shaky:52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpmj0aNX6jb
“Explanation for... what?”
He didn’t move.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1D8Ljc2hnC
Didn’t raise his voice.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOAtdLLDNad
But it was like gravity turned up a notch.
“Why did you know I was in the city.”
Her brain kicked into high gear.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4mmX39yfD0
Search the files. Find a lie.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZsFOVWoQy
Any lie.
Her mouth acted faster than her logic:
“I… I saw you. On the way back from church.”
Instant regret.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMCmVVJhQ9
Instant exposure.
Batman responded like he already had that line printed on a card.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYbWhYqW6Yg
“That’s a lie. I didn’t pass that area. I need the truth.”
Still no yelling. Still no threats.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvzoVhVkU3d
But somehow she couldn’t breathe.
Goddamn Nightwing. Goddamn brat.
She briefly considered:52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7NFSiUw8If
If I lie down right now and fall asleep—can I just reset?52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJdDCfuiwh8
Will the loop save me?52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbcCFTNQsLz
Is that a thing?
Batman spoke again.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl0vrh2BFHy
Same words.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkq3GatbuVt
Same calm tone.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡujgMPUj2qq
But this time, the weight behind them was unbearable.
“Miss. I need an explanation.”
Claire believed him.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSYxYl9VApm
He could wait until sunrise if he had to.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgoqHTzHzgZ
He'd ask until she broke.
She looked down.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU9GN0iYMNd
Her fingers curled around the edge of the note she’d written earlier.
And a thought snapped through her mind:52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡojmXrAofFk
It doesn’t matter. Tomorrow resets.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡal0EWGOdD7
They won’t remember anyway.
Her lips parted, slow and unsteady—52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSSIXlgdhbR
She was going to tell him.
The secret.
52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY6vrpR1EHV
Claire kept her head down.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC8AMc773ot
Her fingers dug into the seams of her jeans, knuckles white.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVxvwtJcJrn
She knew—52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNjBff2xzQn
the moment she said it out loud, nothing would be the same.
But she was done.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7PvfYPTMRC
So. Goddamn. Done.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3V6YGa5HBm
Every morning at five, waking to the same sky.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBMKGMIdD6b
Same damn headlines on the radio.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMf6gsiLuZw
Same dough.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZ8VgprZyy
Same customers.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2q07a6sQWj
Same stolen future—again and again and again.
“I’m stuck,” she said.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZAwAqHoDE5
“I’m stuck in today.”
Her heart punched her ribs like it wanted out.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiLdjlQAUIc
She couldn’t bring herself to look at Batman.
He frowned.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVZ4O3yvSKD
Those famously unreadable eyes locked onto her like lasers.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjmCzocSY2s
“What does that mean?”52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhEgOaXtxd
His voice was low. Steady. Too steady.
Claire took a breath—52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRKVNe9iuO3
No turning back.
“Every morning I wake up, and it’s today. This exact today.”52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLyLphbgxp9
Her words rushed out, all in one breath.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsPFySab8Eb
“Five a.m., same morning show, same customers, same bagels, same goddamn newspaper—”52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC8cU07Uzf0
She jabbed a finger at Robin.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbbnaSfncHP
“And him. He ate my sushi. Yesterday. Which is still today. They went to meet you right after.”
Her voice was rising, cracking.
“I’m the only one who remembers this day—fuck—52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8AMYKes6Wu
I’m the only one who remembers anything!”
The room went dead quiet.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7lSgvGlie
Her confession hit the air like a grenade.
Claire’s pulse slammed in her ears, drowning everything else.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmTAaM3xf2f
She wasn’t crying—52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDzJea3lLbW
but the burn behind her eyes told a different story.
And Batman—52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv1Gw5173pn
He looked at her.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEgw0GiAbMm
Really looked.
Not with suspicion.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCPI92vZT6A
Not interrogation.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlPMol8gPQw
Not intimidation.
But with that expression people only get when they’re trying to figure out if the world is insane…52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmWFxUGhQ2t
or you are.
And then—he just stood there.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhKd4Z8Wkp
Silent.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVu3n3WQUUE
Thinking.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyqB0xO4BmJ
For a full minute. Maybe two.
Nightwing and Robin stared like they’d just seen a ghost fart rainbows.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡog3CdP8PNL
Robin’s face was twisted—skeptical, but rattled.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLxMhlYcZyb
Nightwing looked like he wanted to say something, but shock had his tongue hostage.
Claire braced herself.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2FwVYJQM3
She expected Batman to dismiss her.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRf3tn6gGu0
Turn. Leave.
But then he said it:
“Claire,”52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHQchJR29fh
“I believe you. For now.”
What?
“You need help. So do I.”
Robin’s jaw actually dropped.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQLyDWWkxqG
Nightwing blinked like the laws of physics had just rewritten themselves.
Batman—needing help?52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfBVVo0WFHo
And from her?
Just some woman who looked like she’d barely made it off a bakery shift.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Zj3OpqiQQ
A woman claiming the day was on an infinite loop.
Claire’s mind went white.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj8ZC05OtnM
She stared at the cowl like it was a portal to a dimension where none of this was supposed to happen.
52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJLju02E7en
and then Add to home screen.