Tim had brought Finn home.
The kid had been bursting with energy the whole way back, jumping from topic to topic—278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9MCVGQOTQB
from kindergarten lunch, to his future wedding, to a dinosaur-shaped cake he once dreamed about.
Tim didn’t interrupt.278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfKJxQbxkn3
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."278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSSG9sCeuXh
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,278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXXwdukBLib
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,278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4kv1aluWTE
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.278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOpdfqt5UGk
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,”278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFKsDBhW0gp
but ended up eating all three before remembering that promise.
Tim kept an eye on him.
Leaning against the doorframe, arms loosely crossed,278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4QXd87tOEU
he watched the little whirlwind spin through the air—278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOJnb545LdR
but his thoughts began to drift.
Suddenly, in his mind—those emerald eyes appeared.
Clear green.278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeNiB1wc5yx
Not shy, not exactly warm either,278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE1zYltmn40
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—278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtXlEEUlMh2
one that just refused to go away.
Back there, after she’d stood up—278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9JtM5n6dMq
she had scanned him.278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5aszHNxYTm
Not just looked at him—278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9bE0fs931V
scanned him.
Not the casual up-and-down kind of glance,278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW9ihTvMSet
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,278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVwjv9Ii6ga
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—278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8k4EgIDPK5
just… never in a kindergarten.
It made him feel like he wasn’t wearing armor.
Not in a sexual sense, not naked like that—278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyKZU5JmbyK
but stripped down.278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNjnBpxX3m
Exposed.
As if someone had effortlessly peeled back his layers of defense and smiled,278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzWipiKCzkv
“Ah. So that’s where you’re hiding.”
And that teacher—278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQro3B2Tn90
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.”278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4C7xNqUPOV
“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.278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLE8FqPZ1zg
But for a brief moment, something in his spine had tensed.
It wasn’t unfamiliarity.278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDUwqovSdNq
It was the scent of danger—something deeply familiar.
The kind of danger you sensed in a battlefield, in an alley before a fight,278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTpogSeE1NK
in the air seconds before an explosion—278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0ZsTGlX3q
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.278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡirWd9UEwxz
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—278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ76HiV0R0UT
more than he trusted most things people said out loud.
This woman…278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNbnfN5xCAv
needs to be investigated.
278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJWryA288U
278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVBeAIcQnZ4
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.278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoG3lCYJv8i
The screen lit up.278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSfvc41P4CS
His fingers began quietly tapping the keyboard.
This wasn’t anything major.278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL6wH73fEcZ
For him, it was just a simple cross-check.
He scanned her computer.
Not hacking—just a remote sweep.278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1okJNLj10z
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,278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuYmSxuxBg3
her materials were meticulously categorized—with visuals included.
Some files were labeled things like “Emotion Coaching Drills,” “Whisper Strategy,” and “Behavioral Intervention Protocols”—278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMuDJVgIDLl
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:278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡggGw9oQ8mC
“Nonverbal Response Analysis in Highly Sensitive Children.”
She’d highlighted notes, underlined passages, and written in red:278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7IjWUPP3Yu
“Emotional connection > Behavior correction.”
She was genuinely serious about teaching.
Not the kind of serious for performance reviews or appearances—278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvDH8KjwZoS
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—278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXoWcd04q7E
they all had legitimate reputations.278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7BvnfeBDxc
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.278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjptZF98c6Y
The article didn’t boast about her own work—278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeCPCTTLyqW
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—278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSz9eNhb0zf
but tired, honest smiles filled with warmth.
Some were clearly taken after long activities.278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOG1oSOtT98
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,278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3boabp8hK
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:278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRtxrFyUTMv
“If she’s here, then everything’s okay.”
Children are mirrors. They can always tell who truly loves them.
Tim remembered that.278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡybbAbS5Hjb
It was something Bruce once told him when he was twelve,278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEHX35bmhyu
standing just outside a group home during a charity event.
Maybe I’m just being paranoid, Tim thought.
His fingers left the mouse.278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL2ePK6dlNZ
He leaned back in his chair, staring at the smile in the photo.
Maybe it was just professional reflex.278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIa8UA44w8S
Maybe the atmosphere that day had been too weird.278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc9ew7ket1q
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—278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOaoGEdjaES
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.278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmy4B8zX6iQ
Encrypted.
The title read: “Nightnest.”
Tim’s brow twitched.278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV9n6w1J3qO
He moved the mouse over and clicked.
A name that didn’t belong.278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM36Vidg2BZ
Encrypted too.
It wasn’t part of any category.278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCrOy74klva
Not a subfolder of her teaching files.278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXCrbHqtsrs
It looked like a deliberately hidden private space.
Tim tapped a key.
It opened immediately.
He didn’t even need effort.278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXsS04LMoG6
The encryption was outdated—practically ceremonial, like a lock that wasn’t meant to keep anything out.
“Let’s see what you’re hiding.”278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Xg90l9POD
Tim clicked to open it.
His voice was flat.278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6oRsOlPpLz
But his eyes clearly froze for a few seconds.
The screen flickered.278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzKFya2fVmn
And slowly, the contents unfolded.
278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqwJxHqmSQB
and then Add to home screen.