Tim had brought Finn home.
The kid had been bursting with energy the whole way back, jumping from topic to topic—275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjI6U6Zbitl
from kindergarten lunch, to his future wedding, to a dinosaur-shaped cake he once dreamed about.
Tim didn’t interrupt.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpU5M1ft5WE
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."275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCuX5yX7b59
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,275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZlLdjTpAV
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,275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNcQAkiU2mL
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.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBoZPQaxykh
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,”275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrcmHRKGGpJ
but ended up eating all three before remembering that promise.
Tim kept an eye on him.
Leaning against the doorframe, arms loosely crossed,275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8bfYBeDNYo
he watched the little whirlwind spin through the air—275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCczyCkL7OQ
but his thoughts began to drift.
Suddenly, in his mind—those emerald eyes appeared.
Clear green.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkr8YAiIsiB
Not shy, not exactly warm either,275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4vgNduYHPO
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—275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡshsMXFPbRu
one that just refused to go away.
Back there, after she’d stood up—275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡivFPMcX8uP
she had scanned him.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSH4uRGBLgO
Not just looked at him—275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWJ5plod1Pm
scanned him.
Not the casual up-and-down kind of glance,275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAn8VQ6DJVZ
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,275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvbUteozwYP
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—275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIciE08PO6Z
just… never in a kindergarten.
It made him feel like he wasn’t wearing armor.
Not in a sexual sense, not naked like that—275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ64oHCtp2pQ
but stripped down.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlKK5YtAPwR
Exposed.
As if someone had effortlessly peeled back his layers of defense and smiled,275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDwjYmjWPLf
“Ah. So that’s where you’re hiding.”
And that teacher—275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUUE6huZOhl
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.”275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtWpRA8Jp6q
“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.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVJAgNzRby9
But for a brief moment, something in his spine had tensed.
It wasn’t unfamiliarity.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7OveTb2qFU
It was the scent of danger—something deeply familiar.
The kind of danger you sensed in a battlefield, in an alley before a fight,275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpte2puJwAR
in the air seconds before an explosion—275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX3zWaPB4rm
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.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbqy5JY59Zp
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—275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4lMBrE5gQx
more than he trusted most things people said out loud.
This woman…275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8YGjP2SGu
needs to be investigated.
275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhRTyMODEO4
275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJKLLmmk6e1
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.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnXCuPjXdo0
The screen lit up.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVDlmiNXy4h
His fingers began quietly tapping the keyboard.
This wasn’t anything major.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfd9Pf6DWbd
For him, it was just a simple cross-check.
He scanned her computer.
Not hacking—just a remote sweep.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡClJ0m7VJCH
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,275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsHL5cCXD0p
her materials were meticulously categorized—with visuals included.
Some files were labeled things like “Emotion Coaching Drills,” “Whisper Strategy,” and “Behavioral Intervention Protocols”—275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmT2sDlGa2W
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:275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr8asYr1tO0
“Nonverbal Response Analysis in Highly Sensitive Children.”
She’d highlighted notes, underlined passages, and written in red:275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtAhEiNP5cx
“Emotional connection > Behavior correction.”
She was genuinely serious about teaching.
Not the kind of serious for performance reviews or appearances—275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQhhhaGSlaO
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—275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7NuqBl7JZj
they all had legitimate reputations.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3aeMOpCRMJ
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.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4FjQGCWDK8
The article didn’t boast about her own work—275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpVNe6gUz9Z
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—275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDaPPV9wTpZ
but tired, honest smiles filled with warmth.
Some were clearly taken after long activities.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs9JAzrB60h
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,275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxftfUaacSA
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:275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPiG4un56S7
“If she’s here, then everything’s okay.”
Children are mirrors. They can always tell who truly loves them.
Tim remembered that.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi2R8kiJqTL
It was something Bruce once told him when he was twelve,275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwXU4pa8ur1
standing just outside a group home during a charity event.
Maybe I’m just being paranoid, Tim thought.
His fingers left the mouse.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCaeC5EcYdu
He leaned back in his chair, staring at the smile in the photo.
Maybe it was just professional reflex.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIkrfcSElt5
Maybe the atmosphere that day had been too weird.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi1vW2P01En
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—275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlcwgWEETlb
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.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡecpIsIwJKF
Encrypted.
The title read: “Nightnest.”
Tim’s brow twitched.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3yWxiL9hPi
He moved the mouse over and clicked.
A name that didn’t belong.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpmDHoBtqZx
Encrypted too.
It wasn’t part of any category.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIwspcoZQQo
Not a subfolder of her teaching files.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLvpMxH1Lof
It looked like a deliberately hidden private space.
Tim tapped a key.
It opened immediately.
He didn’t even need effort.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAIxM02EYyU
The encryption was outdated—practically ceremonial, like a lock that wasn’t meant to keep anything out.
“Let’s see what you’re hiding.”275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT3WKqa8Ymo
Tim clicked to open it.
His voice was flat.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNy6Kbae0rD
But his eyes clearly froze for a few seconds.
The screen flickered.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3TkLMTz8cW
And slowly, the contents unfolded.
275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaZnzF0FIVi
and then Add to home screen.