Tim had brought Finn home.
The kid had been bursting with energy the whole way back, jumping from topic to topic—279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgzwWgXjlif
from kindergarten lunch, to his future wedding, to a dinosaur-shaped cake he once dreamed about.
Tim didn’t interrupt.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡekqo4wkLIx
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC2khs2qT9e
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTwd7iPlXNg
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb7iyML5wc7
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡODzrAg0J6e
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2aUw7rmZTe
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsSPbL6J3w5
he watched the little whirlwind spin through the air—279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqbqLSc2Au4
but his thoughts began to drift.
Suddenly, in his mind—those emerald eyes appeared.
Clear green.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaf5vTERBR5
Not shy, not exactly warm either,279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡupFljaLAWQ
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVnM0F5hnzF
one that just refused to go away.
Back there, after she’d stood up—279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXHxgbgkDNp
she had scanned him.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmzZci3nlvI
Not just looked at him—279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnIu0iYCNt3
scanned him.
Not the casual up-and-down kind of glance,279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrbkPMywJSn
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZXRdrzJxuv
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1NMknmCpGB
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡssXcpPsTQS
but stripped down.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2TgzXpA1HK
Exposed.
As if someone had effortlessly peeled back his layers of defense and smiled,279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaYqwa5JMYj
“Ah. So that’s where you’re hiding.”
And that teacher—279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD7eiWJ8TTd
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3d2PjXgkx3
“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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNIZPAVaU7e
But for a brief moment, something in his spine had tensed.
It wasn’t unfamiliarity.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEmxVLMGTF1
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiI2LSAzoCT
in the air seconds before an explosion—279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4e4FsG8yqy
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZArlkOjFBQ
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF3aH3O6pqp
more than he trusted most things people said out loud.
This woman…279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpEevfYM2jJ
needs to be investigated.
279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpKxZg0Vhju
279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZGRzo5KGrI
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNC5Pc19tT4
The screen lit up.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ufiZZgbql
His fingers began quietly tapping the keyboard.
This wasn’t anything major.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkoA7FQEGOC
For him, it was just a simple cross-check.
He scanned her computer.
Not hacking—just a remote sweep.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPOvtDih4Kz
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWu0mby0Cxm
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUcbIBNmEz3
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfM1ko9HfED
“Nonverbal Response Analysis in Highly Sensitive Children.”
She’d highlighted notes, underlined passages, and written in red:279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHdtdwziSqW
“Emotional connection > Behavior correction.”
She was genuinely serious about teaching.
Not the kind of serious for performance reviews or appearances—279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpBLijiniY7
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcFG2NioD0m
they all had legitimate reputations.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡakcZjHM03n
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJAdgTHq1Fg
The article didn’t boast about her own work—279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFsrlicumFT
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡajiKH1K9de
but tired, honest smiles filled with warmth.
Some were clearly taken after long activities.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEj0qE7VxXg
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2o1ITprbDJ
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcF3X1k6iYb
“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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKAF559bGm6
It was something Bruce once told him when he was twelve,279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3cz1o5Wp0m
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkOVsTiSaYy
He leaned back in his chair, staring at the smile in the photo.
Maybe it was just professional reflex.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7tBWOr3xsj
Maybe the atmosphere that day had been too weird.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIvpZ2GuiKs
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIl0ONujAll
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJuxBE4BG7g
Encrypted.
The title read: “Nightnest.”
Tim’s brow twitched.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiy3WOepmN5
He moved the mouse over and clicked.
A name that didn’t belong.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Kf9sZydQO
Encrypted too.
It wasn’t part of any category.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj1CdreJEuM
Not a subfolder of her teaching files.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2qdIyccHN1
It looked like a deliberately hidden private space.
Tim tapped a key.
It opened immediately.
He didn’t even need effort.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Wtw82k9Mb
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU45eFttmnA
Tim clicked to open it.
His voice was flat.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFhZGJQ0lER
But his eyes clearly froze for a few seconds.
The screen flickered.279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsUuCJtXJPB
And slowly, the contents unfolded.
279Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNEuhDcfSm
and then Add to home screen.