Claire didn’t want to open the window.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvIoYnxbaV
Because outside—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6KztS3fcCn
was Batman.
Batman.
The guy who made street dealers piss themselves on sight.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUs84ay4RZ3
The guy crime lords called their lawyers over.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRT6yDzc12e
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.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlf7spCYsCL
His cape poured across the floor like spilled ink.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPWTdwSZyD
The air grew heavier just by him being there.
And he didn’t come alone.
Of course not.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxEYR2DM8rf
Behind him—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS1FG7BKDUH
Nightwing.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeUPnFUsTAY
And the little gremlin, Robin.
You two bastards.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ87UDlOfkkr
Claire’s eyes went wide. Her mind screamed:31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ2Reecs9V7
You told on me?! You snitched to the Final Boss?!
But then she looked again.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1z2aDiWoQY
Their faces were... weird.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNqvIhTAdJH
No smugness. No jokes.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiu6KwuwDlc
Robin looked sheepish. Guilty, even.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb1S69OYCXh
Nightwing was avoiding her gaze altogether.
Batman’s stare was sharp enough to slice through her spine.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCofWN27evj
When he finally spoke, the words hit like a church bell inside her skull.
“Claire. I need an explanation.”
Panic bloomed instantly.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5oJzGxkm9F
Gone was her usual snark.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA0MRxF1BaW
All she could manage was a shaky:31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeGgM2mvf4J
“Explanation for... what?”
He didn’t move.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzzaj7a6LLo
Didn’t raise his voice.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJT8jYc6Yh
But it was like gravity turned up a notch.
“Why did you know I was in the city.”
Her brain kicked into high gear.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡykOrxajWhC
Search the files. Find a lie.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH5mjlhy7sK
Any lie.
Her mouth acted faster than her logic:
“I… I saw you. On the way back from church.”
Instant regret.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8E4zloW85H
Instant exposure.
Batman responded like he already had that line printed on a card.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN5pIPYLHrS
“That’s a lie. I didn’t pass that area. I need the truth.”
Still no yelling. Still no threats.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZBT5I4LLX0
But somehow she couldn’t breathe.
Goddamn Nightwing. Goddamn brat.
She briefly considered:31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJbr0pvp48h
If I lie down right now and fall asleep—can I just reset?31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd3FYzJAZYj
Will the loop save me?31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpVPvpvhKgO
Is that a thing?
Batman spoke again.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGBDN6BKGX2
Same words.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMiohhtfy2I
Same calm tone.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr0IabgRk1P
But this time, the weight behind them was unbearable.
“Miss. I need an explanation.”
Claire believed him.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0TPcHpn8y
He could wait until sunrise if he had to.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3KZIICKSme
He'd ask until she broke.
She looked down.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvfPhNZkota
Her fingers curled around the edge of the note she’d written earlier.
And a thought snapped through her mind:31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZmcgSYk7zt
It doesn’t matter. Tomorrow resets.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYar8Li8Gdr
They won’t remember anyway.
Her lips parted, slow and unsteady—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiE175rvlUZ
She was going to tell him.
The secret.
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQT9aBk3jUQ
Claire kept her head down.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoyJ8cmo3FD
Her fingers dug into the seams of her jeans, knuckles white.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk7gf7edVJA
She knew—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpqYoh4b55H
the moment she said it out loud, nothing would be the same.
But she was done.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDINHauTXfj
So. Goddamn. Done.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyxEFlAGYup
Every morning at five, waking to the same sky.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGYtYYIx19
Same damn headlines on the radio.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKmw5hTOUzn
Same dough.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4aRWsDd4wg
Same customers.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYu9Byk9waX
Same stolen future—again and again and again.
“I’m stuck,” she said.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnCTImSLfkw
“I’m stuck in today.”
Her heart punched her ribs like it wanted out.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQjRycSbS3Z
She couldn’t bring herself to look at Batman.
He frowned.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyxaUbEu1QK
Those famously unreadable eyes locked onto her like lasers.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiqZUsHtcFV
“What does that mean?”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhtf6verEZm
His voice was low. Steady. Too steady.
Claire took a breath—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8chB7yvh2L
No turning back.
“Every morning I wake up, and it’s today. This exact today.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbqRVjDVVEv
Her words rushed out, all in one breath.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyYFnTmaoBL
“Five a.m., same morning show, same customers, same bagels, same goddamn newspaper—”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw1WbOhrLq9
She jabbed a finger at Robin.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA374wCEZdB
“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—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdrir1mJ4BH
I’m the only one who remembers anything!”
The room went dead quiet.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhL8gtfGRjq
Her confession hit the air like a grenade.
Claire’s pulse slammed in her ears, drowning everything else.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6nayyZ3TjN
She wasn’t crying—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7L4QJ2T7ev
but the burn behind her eyes told a different story.
And Batman—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtHt8Fg3bNQ
He looked at her.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMLtwCo8hLw
Really looked.
Not with suspicion.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2r64vPZtjY
Not interrogation.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ZvF5pgNdK
Not intimidation.
But with that expression people only get when they’re trying to figure out if the world is insane…31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHmll47ZVh3
or you are.
And then—he just stood there.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ82xflvY0cF
Silent.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVtyg3HkYMP
Thinking.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ18qpej6tqI
For a full minute. Maybe two.
Nightwing and Robin stared like they’d just seen a ghost fart rainbows.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWoas5voWZS
Robin’s face was twisted—skeptical, but rattled.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpdqKW5gCyv
Nightwing looked like he wanted to say something, but shock had his tongue hostage.
Claire braced herself.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn9QUVZ8okT
She expected Batman to dismiss her.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7u9PmIuIXB
Turn. Leave.
But then he said it:
“Claire,”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ80jpP8qjDu
“I believe you. For now.”
What?
“You need help. So do I.”
Robin’s jaw actually dropped.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsSB28nyBbM
Nightwing blinked like the laws of physics had just rewritten themselves.
Batman—needing help?31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡujlgPN7U3q
And from her?
Just some woman who looked like she’d barely made it off a bakery shift.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAnV4B62GZd
A woman claiming the day was on an infinite loop.
Claire’s mind went white.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ79LSKxSmiZ
She stared at the cowl like it was a portal to a dimension where none of this was supposed to happen.
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZaHSERF3nR
and then Add to home screen.