Tim had brought Finn home.
The kid had been bursting with energy the whole way back, jumping from topic to topic—193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWXMGz3cbKV
from kindergarten lunch, to his future wedding, to a dinosaur-shaped cake he once dreamed about.
Tim didn’t interrupt.193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0QEHjuph0r
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."193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIQ4dF0gxzj
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,193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxblezlSOmI
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,193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpbRUHqZT0v
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.193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzhwfhcJYJ3
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,”193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡshBrtkwzyo
but ended up eating all three before remembering that promise.
Tim kept an eye on him.
Leaning against the doorframe, arms loosely crossed,193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb1XMy9wmeE
he watched the little whirlwind spin through the air—193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBbYNTY1gbs
but his thoughts began to drift.
Suddenly, in his mind—those emerald eyes appeared.
Clear green.193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKebj03fdcd
Not shy, not exactly warm either,193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6U2npUeia9
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—193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqCC22UFlOz
one that just refused to go away.
Back there, after she’d stood up—193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm7zInxHPub
she had scanned him.193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeGVL7h4XDc
Not just looked at him—193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXDnRrUgCBn
scanned him.
Not the casual up-and-down kind of glance,193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXA2EFJOARn
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,193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlBbpJlPDSa
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—193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5H1n9usTuK
just… never in a kindergarten.
It made him feel like he wasn’t wearing armor.
Not in a sexual sense, not naked like that—193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZn44v3vKDp
but stripped down.193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjP4mhmXeVt
Exposed.
As if someone had effortlessly peeled back his layers of defense and smiled,193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4EKcPgwfDS
“Ah. So that’s where you’re hiding.”
And that teacher—193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWoxMWYjzX0
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.”193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKHubGfVXl9
“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.193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ycwGPO1Vg
But for a brief moment, something in his spine had tensed.
It wasn’t unfamiliarity.193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ97Fy4bp3tL
It was the scent of danger—something deeply familiar.
The kind of danger you sensed in a battlefield, in an alley before a fight,193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3dDSCUMhaU
in the air seconds before an explosion—193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlr0vFpzqSu
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.193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8zIdlwmry
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—193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMzdIr2LCc
more than he trusted most things people said out loud.
This woman…193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2dqXU5Wtke
needs to be investigated.
193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxcdQSSaKCB
193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHNteBGorWt
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.193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiN3KeMDOnw
The screen lit up.193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlzGsrZdzlH
His fingers began quietly tapping the keyboard.
This wasn’t anything major.193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ18f7oG2MNe
For him, it was just a simple cross-check.
He scanned her computer.
Not hacking—just a remote sweep.193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaqYCxR5NmE
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,193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDrKe7HDcOh
her materials were meticulously categorized—with visuals included.
Some files were labeled things like “Emotion Coaching Drills,” “Whisper Strategy,” and “Behavioral Intervention Protocols”—193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSLTKooiNsB
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:193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvAdHoAqcsC
“Nonverbal Response Analysis in Highly Sensitive Children.”
She’d highlighted notes, underlined passages, and written in red:193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl2qEmRYhJF
“Emotional connection > Behavior correction.”
She was genuinely serious about teaching.
Not the kind of serious for performance reviews or appearances—193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoM1gjLvwoY
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—193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZ7NztKqV0
they all had legitimate reputations.193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBDMZXb4sar
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.193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5tk7WrvL2H
The article didn’t boast about her own work—193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm18ThsNV7t
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—193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡteTn8RxXzs
but tired, honest smiles filled with warmth.
Some were clearly taken after long activities.193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFFax4ZrsZF
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,193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJa4wSq3F6y
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:193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVB9UMmDoRc
“If she’s here, then everything’s okay.”
Children are mirrors. They can always tell who truly loves them.
Tim remembered that.193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYal99QvlB5
It was something Bruce once told him when he was twelve,193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6rrlzkKiFX
standing just outside a group home during a charity event.
Maybe I’m just being paranoid, Tim thought.
His fingers left the mouse.193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhvSWVUpixI
He leaned back in his chair, staring at the smile in the photo.
Maybe it was just professional reflex.193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHcJW2Y5blT
Maybe the atmosphere that day had been too weird.193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAnQhiJ0ERK
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—193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTloK5ydbih
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.193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0VJlg221B8
Encrypted.
The title read: “Nightnest.”
Tim’s brow twitched.193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYEBssUM4i0
He moved the mouse over and clicked.
A name that didn’t belong.193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUfH9Wc2y98
Encrypted too.
It wasn’t part of any category.193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3wnVwssBfo
Not a subfolder of her teaching files.193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoSwQtwkMXa
It looked like a deliberately hidden private space.
Tim tapped a key.
It opened immediately.
He didn’t even need effort.193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEoIY9mgqka
The encryption was outdated—practically ceremonial, like a lock that wasn’t meant to keep anything out.
“Let’s see what you’re hiding.”193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3YIx6UtaWv
Tim clicked to open it.
His voice was flat.193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUGiknzdoBl
But his eyes clearly froze for a few seconds.
The screen flickered.193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUdi5V0TbFm
And slowly, the contents unfolded.
193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVPfOVQ9eph
and then Add to home screen.