Tim had brought Finn home.
The kid had been bursting with energy the whole way back, jumping from topic to topic—279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4cgelyNqGx
from kindergarten lunch, to his future wedding, to a dinosaur-shaped cake he once dreamed about.
Tim didn’t interrupt.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbzydWoug2n
He just let him talk, silently unbuckling the seatbelt and walking him inside by the hand.
Now, he stood inside the massive playroom, watching the boy swing back and forth.
This room was originally designed by Bruce as a training space to "drain Robin’s energy."279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJXY8dCyFGL
Later, they added soft mats and removed a few folding knives, making it just a bit more child-safe.
And Finn really was swinging—back and forth.
That wild little-animal energy had exploded out of him,279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwhFbMqaDqY
and now he was bouncing like a rubber ball strapped to a rope.
There was a wall lined with climbing holds, ropes knotted from the ceiling, and a row of steel monkey bars.
He was basically a monkey.
Tim watched as Finn hung one-handed from a bar, legs kicking wildly mid-air,279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoAZDdMSBw6
mentally calculating, "Is he about to slam his nose into something?"
Thankfully, when they got home, the kid had immediately sprinted to the kitchen to demand snacks from Alfred.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ8jHmzRytZ
At least he wasn’t hungry.
Alfred had prepped sliced fruit, two boiled eggs, a cup of room-temp milk, and three freshly baked cookies.
Finn said, “I’ll save one for Miss Nora,”279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKrOHBJaTgU
but ended up eating all three before remembering that promise.
Tim kept an eye on him.
Leaning against the doorframe, arms loosely crossed,279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡitrKbSWsWz
he watched the little whirlwind spin through the air—279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJNNVL53lgk
but his thoughts began to drift.
Suddenly, in his mind—those emerald eyes appeared.
Clear green.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7B2pWJQleo
Not shy, not exactly warm either,279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ51xAxWkzeN
just fixed straight on him, like they had already read him inside out.
He wasn’t sure if he was overthinking it.
Rationally, he knew—she was just a regular teacher. Just an ordinary person.
But the image stuck in his mind, like a clue from the wrong crime scene—279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwCJgMNGHmv
one that just refused to go away.
Back there, after she’d stood up—279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡld60G4UOqR
she had scanned him.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS1V9jYxGgz
Not just looked at him—279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4iMHgxsc60
scanned him.
Not the casual up-and-down kind of glance,279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcOkDomw4u5
but the kind enemies used: a full-body tactical read.
Weight distribution, possible concealed weapons, weak points.
It really was a scan.
Tim had frozen for a split second,279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLslRnBzAvY
and instinctively thought, “If an attack happens now, I should step left twice and counter.”
It wasn’t like he’d never been looked at that way before—279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfM7yHCUFzs
just… never in a kindergarten.
It made him feel like he wasn’t wearing armor.
Not in a sexual sense, not naked like that—279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkMJNuPrkhA
but stripped down.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuH8i021EMU
Exposed.
As if someone had effortlessly peeled back his layers of defense and smiled,279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9SNJF99Dft
“Ah. So that’s where you’re hiding.”
And that teacher—279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Ym7hJUjIs
though she smiled gently and replied to Finn in the softest voice:
“Okay, I’ll wait till you finish drawing, then we’ll clean up together.”279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkMTvq5j4zv
“Don’t forget to draw ears on the robot. Otherwise, he won’t hear the wedding music!”
—there was something… strange.
Tim couldn’t quite explain it.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiun64h7Vgp
But for a brief moment, something in his spine had tensed.
It wasn’t unfamiliarity.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiE0tbizEd1
It was the scent of danger—something deeply familiar.
The kind of danger you sensed in a battlefield, in an alley before a fight,279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡesVGmEw0Yp
in the air seconds before an explosion—279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡukuZkvJYhw
only this time, it was wrapped in the scent of milk and laundry detergent.
This is not good, Tim thought.
It wasn’t just professional instinct.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdK5TwvL64H
It wasn’t paranoia.
It was that specific kind of feeling that always came before a moment he'd regret not investigating.
That feeling had saved his life more times than he could count.
And he trusted it—279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8fa8Nlz2s
more than he trusted most things people said out loud.
This woman…279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6yO1FBLg0
needs to be investigated.
279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ25NIU0Kk39
279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn1xOnO7Aim
That night, Tim got to work.
After patrol, he showered, brewed a cup of black coffee, and sat at his desk in the study.
The lights were dimmed to the lowest setting.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrOkciIFd4D
The screen lit up.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ27gS8swLPN
His fingers began quietly tapping the keyboard.
This wasn’t anything major.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrloUmbD9Qn
For him, it was just a simple cross-check.
He scanned her computer.
Not hacking—just a remote sweep.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrqlEgR5hCQ
Her system’s defenses were low, almost no blocks in place. Just a regular user.
Huh… there’s a lot in here, Tim thought.
He furrowed his brows slightly, eyes flicking across several folders.
Everything was neatly organized—lesson plans, teaching materials, classroom activity logs.
Tons of educational content.
From early childhood cognitive development to group guidance techniques,279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqcHmHhXFo
her materials were meticulously categorized—with visuals included.
Some files were labeled things like “Emotion Coaching Drills,” “Whisper Strategy,” and “Behavioral Intervention Protocols”—279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrcmO14YOGG
not textbook theory, but clearly drawn from real experience.
There were even training files related to special education.
One PDF was from a self-funded course she’d taken last year titled:279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrrHM2Q5Ocd
“Nonverbal Response Analysis in Highly Sensitive Children.”
She’d highlighted notes, underlined passages, and written in red:279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyCPU6Z1LZl
“Emotional connection > Behavior correction.”
She was genuinely serious about teaching.
Not the kind of serious for performance reviews or appearances—279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNnsIiIOrY0
but the kind rooted in a real desire to help children live better lives.
Before graduation, she’d completed many internships too.
Tim looked up a few of the institutions she listed—279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqZ0RWNrLD2
they all had legitimate reputations.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ83rS2Ukpxs
One even advertised “Over 300 hours of hands-on parent-child companion time.”
Her records were detailed and solid—not the kind you could fake.
There were even case reflections.
She had written an article about a developmentally delayed child who gradually learned to say “thank you” over the course of six months.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhTgrl4IeuW
The article didn’t boast about her own work—279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ96dkerT1kN
she just kept repeating, “That child really worked hard.”
Tim opened the photos.
Many were of Nora crouching down beside children, smiling—not the forced, professional kind—279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN8qS4w69yZ
but tired, honest smiles filled with warmth.
Some were clearly taken after long activities.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDNFxyVdDx9
In one, her forehead touched a child’s as they held up a puzzle award together.
It was obvious the kids really liked her.
Not surface-level affection,279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgRUKvj2lnl
but that kind of deep attachment where the child leaned into her, tilted their face up toward hers—
held onto her shirt, eyes shining like:279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDMvKe6BqET
“If she’s here, then everything’s okay.”
Children are mirrors. They can always tell who truly loves them.
Tim remembered that.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpXwARLPaVb
It was something Bruce once told him when he was twelve,279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmRI5M9xRkz
standing just outside a group home during a charity event.
Maybe I’m just being paranoid, Tim thought.
His fingers left the mouse.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGyqv0Pihfx
He leaned back in his chair, staring at the smile in the photo.
Maybe it was just professional reflex.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJqr2GcWf2n
Maybe the atmosphere that day had been too weird.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR1EXI60H97
Maybe she really was just someone trying hard to be a good teacher.
Still, Tim kept going.
His rule was: Don’t let it go until it’s cleared.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust people—279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR8WMLyFfIT
he just trusted verification more.
He decided to lower his guard. For now.
He moved the mouse aside, about to close the window.
Then, in the corner of the screen, a file name flashed past—something he didn’t recognize.
A file popped up.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnv2rrEXXSM
Encrypted.
The title read: “Nightnest.”
Tim’s brow twitched.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBTUxrqPUCH
He moved the mouse over and clicked.
A name that didn’t belong.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlOUSzcFPwG
Encrypted too.
It wasn’t part of any category.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbkYKG7rRgh
Not a subfolder of her teaching files.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcvyL6kSaCc
It looked like a deliberately hidden private space.
Tim tapped a key.
It opened immediately.
He didn’t even need effort.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOUe56SjdG3
The encryption was outdated—practically ceremonial, like a lock that wasn’t meant to keep anything out.
“Let’s see what you’re hiding.”279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcgfSmBkbzI
Tim clicked to open it.
His voice was flat.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3R3Tc9hREJ
But his eyes clearly froze for a few seconds.
The screen flickered.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiZlkUS0c7m
And slowly, the contents unfolded.
279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjTuPhwDKpz
and then Add to home screen.