Tim had brought Finn home.
The kid had been bursting with energy the whole way back, jumping from topic to topic—65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAVthVzQz9Q
from kindergarten lunch, to his future wedding, to a dinosaur-shaped cake he once dreamed about.
Tim didn’t interrupt.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvmrZLDK7HA
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."65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHsE03HYnqG
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,65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNwfBxk3vEG
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,65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoXbP87L9ZB
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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDHxs8sKTMc
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,”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsinzJeQBqQ
but ended up eating all three before remembering that promise.
Tim kept an eye on him.
Leaning against the doorframe, arms loosely crossed,65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK3Lbga4inE
he watched the little whirlwind spin through the air—65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQzKGgCllW
but his thoughts began to drift.
Suddenly, in his mind—those emerald eyes appeared.
Clear green.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡekURGQPrhh
Not shy, not exactly warm either,65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiEjiA8MQN5
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—65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXvwkXCuDTW
one that just refused to go away.
Back there, after she’d stood up—65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XkS4J1A59
she had scanned him.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkrlE7A1gcD
Not just looked at him—65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRztiTwIIcW
scanned him.
Not the casual up-and-down kind of glance,65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4dLMrzyFJX
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,65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1SvGfQWgBq
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—65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGxdBiLlKYd
just… never in a kindergarten.
It made him feel like he wasn’t wearing armor.
Not in a sexual sense, not naked like that—65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAWbPJ0HNXZ
but stripped down.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡabShrqTLCw
Exposed.
As if someone had effortlessly peeled back his layers of defense and smiled,65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTChCnWRy1
“Ah. So that’s where you’re hiding.”
And that teacher—65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrJTRiVXqQ9
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.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwhuc2kqXwC
“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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg99b9SHsRR
But for a brief moment, something in his spine had tensed.
It wasn’t unfamiliarity.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHHdlQO03jA
It was the scent of danger—something deeply familiar.
The kind of danger you sensed in a battlefield, in an alley before a fight,65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgHLxLl0Oo
in the air seconds before an explosion—65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdaEo4S6Y5G
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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkyVKMoIymp
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—65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUI6KbadCFD
more than he trusted most things people said out loud.
This woman…65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbSB2UqgTRn
needs to be investigated.
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSCHWleV87Q
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIfP931JMUM
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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaZfxP7xjK5
The screen lit up.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU9jGqyCySd
His fingers began quietly tapping the keyboard.
This wasn’t anything major.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2fhUJLk79E
For him, it was just a simple cross-check.
He scanned her computer.
Not hacking—just a remote sweep.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsEkQFKkCtc
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,65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb7kPGzyESZ
her materials were meticulously categorized—with visuals included.
Some files were labeled things like “Emotion Coaching Drills,” “Whisper Strategy,” and “Behavioral Intervention Protocols”—65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtp7pYjBppT
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:65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaq6qEgTfSP
“Nonverbal Response Analysis in Highly Sensitive Children.”
She’d highlighted notes, underlined passages, and written in red:65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPVD3093MFv
“Emotional connection > Behavior correction.”
She was genuinely serious about teaching.
Not the kind of serious for performance reviews or appearances—65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGMv75eE57p
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—65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ9gr0BzOjH
they all had legitimate reputations.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5UE42A1KV
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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvYRy8uHi3U
The article didn’t boast about her own work—65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3jFz7Mh1ck
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—65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKuIekBB8tz
but tired, honest smiles filled with warmth.
Some were clearly taken after long activities.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDSbkl4St3y
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,65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ45TWGIOSW6
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:65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8AGJqRdqZc
“If she’s here, then everything’s okay.”
Children are mirrors. They can always tell who truly loves them.
Tim remembered that.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQosNcWCtNh
It was something Bruce once told him when he was twelve,65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpVyi5E9K6N
standing just outside a group home during a charity event.
Maybe I’m just being paranoid, Tim thought.
His fingers left the mouse.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6aDb2zxSKp
He leaned back in his chair, staring at the smile in the photo.
Maybe it was just professional reflex.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3X8Xl0f1td
Maybe the atmosphere that day had been too weird.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFah4KaNM21
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—65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrjiQtX3q4q
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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHPmjkifsa7
Encrypted.
The title read: “Nightnest.”
Tim’s brow twitched.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtZi02Rikjn
He moved the mouse over and clicked.
A name that didn’t belong.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwioLJI0zFz
Encrypted too.
It wasn’t part of any category.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmEa6Frtm7V
Not a subfolder of her teaching files.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ixzejhGXt
It looked like a deliberately hidden private space.
Tim tapped a key.
It opened immediately.
He didn’t even need effort.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBNd9jH6Y5p
The encryption was outdated—practically ceremonial, like a lock that wasn’t meant to keep anything out.
“Let’s see what you’re hiding.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNp5uLnSHcZ
Tim clicked to open it.
His voice was flat.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJe1vfvnOVk
But his eyes clearly froze for a few seconds.
The screen flickered.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTyQWoSTe9a
And slowly, the contents unfolded.
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGI6LCRBe5l
and then Add to home screen.