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.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6KYhfTOtM3
She muttered to herself and scrubbed harder.
But if it was just her, then why only her?37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCf1BnfL7ek
Was no one else noticing this?37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsQngcPC0ff
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzopHkO4A92
“Wait. Tonight’s the Easter Vigil.”
If anyone knew what to do about “a tomorrow that doesn’t exist,”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQuU8YfymBY
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnW9BqxMylo
Maybe He could help.
“If I’m extra reverent tonight, maybe tomorrow’ll finally move on.”
Claire nodded to herself, decision made.
37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcgcWaEYqSp
That evening, she closed up early.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIbvA7RooeP
She pan-fried two slices of ham, stuffed them into warm bagels.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMgdT161hSf
Brewed one cup of coffee, one of milk.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJUomXBrnW
Set them at the edge of her apartment’s balcony, just out of the wind.
The note was short:
For Nightwing and Robin.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuyIYzYv0A4
Hot food. The milk’s hotter.
P.S. Nightwing—Robin’s looking for you on Queen Street tonight.
And with that, she headed out.
37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnylVqn8Ibz
The vigil crowd was bigger than she expected.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyEizcDbH3v
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.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxprzPw0zuU
“I don’t need much. Just let tomorrow… actually happen.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ554MTTwMue
“Or at least… tell me what I’m supposed to do.”
Around her, people prayed, sang slow hymns.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ27E5Sjqn2l
The candlelight felt like a soft sedative.
But Claire’s mind stayed razor sharp.
She didn’t believe in God.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK8NlUKKnEy
But tonight, she was willing to pretend—37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM2feeTf7xx
because facing an endless today alone was getting unbearable.
37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCRo09y7UnW
Midnight struck.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEQcen2V0LJ
The vigil ended.
Claire walked home feeling... untethered.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgQmrRRY51q
Not sure if it was exhaustion or just that hollow, post-hope ache.
She climbed to the third floor, switched on the lights.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb1azbziAZS
Jacket off, not even halfway to the bedroom—37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCZ2VxTQOgJ
She looked up—
Two silhouettes on the balcony.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9uYpwhxBa4
One tall. One small.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlChhuAbcRr
Both watching her.
Nightwing. Robin.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1XqrdEOyF4
Outlined by the indoor light,37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVWeEky7Vjx
like guardian spirits who actually kept their appointments.
Claire froze.
"...Jesus," she muttered. "I asked for help, not a pickup."
37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPEbUyMGR9I
Her brain stalled.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJMUJACqV8p
For a few seconds, everything just...buffered.
Then she snapped out of it, walked over, opened the window.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlEwW9tM0rR
Seriously, what else was she supposed to do?37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZOWpoc7nDp
Leave them standing there like weird bat-themed lawn ornaments?
The two shadows hopped in with practiced ease—37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQmtjS1FCZk
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhW21ZFgvn5
“Claire. Thanks for the food, by the way.”
Robin, meanwhile, had gone full wolf cub.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGtHWgjCiVN
Eyes sharp, body tense, scanning her like she was a suspect.
“You’re the sorceress?”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuUt6rnYk9J
His voice was high-pitched, suspicious.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVeCRifFo6p
“The one who talks to spirits?”
Claire frowned. “What sorceress? What spirits?”
Robin stepped closer, voice tight:37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaDraxfij9y
“Then how’d you know I was on Queen Street?”
Claire blinked. Then smiled—slow, smug, maybe just a little evil.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaDnw2r3Sv9
“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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpSRJBzTCC4
“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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMT3TDrKVwk
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ4cHKOG9Dw
A familiar itch.
She called out, loud and clear:37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyaEVI3FSIE
“Hey!”
Both turned.
Claire tilted her head, voice calm, cryptic.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPipESdkpJ8
“Batman’s looking for Robin. Somewhere in the city. Tonight.”
They froze.
Nightwing immediately touched his comms.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡitHc9BbPOs
Robin snapped his head sideways, like picking up a signal.
And then—
Their eyes widened. In unison.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmEte628pVd
They turned to her.
Claire grinned. That kind of grin.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCAuIl1yMJ7
The “gotcha” kind.
Then she stepped forward.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrqFLyBgDH7
Clunk —window locked.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP99xtrHGsg
Shhk —curtains drawn.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWbqxSuEyPK
Clean. Final.
She stood there for a moment…37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQbyD8TE5Wm
And then started laughing.
37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh6rXdRfRd6
Claire sat down and let out a long, tired breath.
She twirled her pen between her fingers, then started drafting.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡouZMUVNeQu
There was no guarantee she’d have time tomorrow morning—37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvOcuw3fnWJ
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvN0GqwEuKo
Was there anyone else out there,37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIOAYhsvL1j
living the same day, again and again?
At first, the letter got way too long—37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgzvLl8nmO4
Like something you'd submit to a conspiracy blog with a flashing GIF header.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy1OfhwBStu
Halfway through, she couldn’t even read her own nonsense.
Nope. Start over.
It had to hit fast.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsW9G6p3ZrE
One glance, and the right person would know.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpufVmlMHhs
This wasn’t a prank.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYxeeTKHVEt
Wasn’t a dream.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR9QOcF2jhd
This was real.
She cut ruthlessly.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOK6MIrD2fo
Trimmed the fluff.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡppIg186Its
Boiled it down to just the facts:37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzDi0BmNH7s
Time’s stuck.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHtaMC70NSE
You always wake up at the same moment.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFgzMqIdQTw
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDasHsJhUlO
It wouldn’t survive the reset. But she still wanted to remember it.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5a4wk24Eu
She wanted to remember that she’d tried.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHmqpRaCQuK
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWtjtMZSaj
Like a nerve snapped.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwAPA6rCA0p
Froze in place.
...Again?37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qRSdFu05Y
What now?37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvk69TThLP4
Was it Nightwing? The kid?
She didn’t go right away.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6xjpAZeDQh
Her eyes flicked to the note.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcBINU7SjDt
Then to the clock.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJNe1OfPiUE
It was late. Way too late for casual drop-ins.
Slowly, carefully, she moved to the window.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCIeerFYpec
Lifted one corner of the curtain.
And saw—him.
Tall.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKKgrAcuiWW
Cloaked.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ27qlfYAaSF
Cut from shadows.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuyLJcizi5C
Standing on her balcony like a statue carved from myth.
Batman.
Claire’s brain went silent.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6plgX8BWLl
Two full seconds of white noise.
She couldn’t hear her own heartbeat.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsq4UNLgpml
Or maybe she could—so loud it drowned out everything else.
He was here.
Why?
She didn’t open the window. Not yet.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRSui0Qx5xj
Just stared.
At the living legend.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8NlF5ab4iU
At the ghost of Gotham.
