Tim had brought Finn home.
The kid had been bursting with energy the whole way back, jumping from topic to topic—277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvc81nP3mA9
from kindergarten lunch, to his future wedding, to a dinosaur-shaped cake he once dreamed about.
Tim didn’t interrupt.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDdzewKIgcb
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."277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWWNcfFf25T
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,277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJW1f8wPs2
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,277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgSYPJGSVEy
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.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi05a07AEup
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,”277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvtdiOA6cH8
but ended up eating all three before remembering that promise.
Tim kept an eye on him.
Leaning against the doorframe, arms loosely crossed,277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCT2btiydWK
he watched the little whirlwind spin through the air—277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYkdI4mMlgO
but his thoughts began to drift.
Suddenly, in his mind—those emerald eyes appeared.
Clear green.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJTPFegiSnI
Not shy, not exactly warm either,277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGp07tzoSJT
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—277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvW56BNvmLq
one that just refused to go away.
Back there, after she’d stood up—277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiSDx9EEp6K
she had scanned him.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2pxJLuB5pu
Not just looked at him—277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgnmhHI5PEX
scanned him.
Not the casual up-and-down kind of glance,277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn6RMb4t4JO
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,277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzEI4cFuZEn
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—277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWmc0mO9raC
just… never in a kindergarten.
It made him feel like he wasn’t wearing armor.
Not in a sexual sense, not naked like that—277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr5fT38xuSO
but stripped down.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEslBaLQYBH
Exposed.
As if someone had effortlessly peeled back his layers of defense and smiled,277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnHLTxaHQ3T
“Ah. So that’s where you’re hiding.”
And that teacher—277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEI6fKBGNRe
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.”277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6bCYZ1Wq5y
“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.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9w6W4IKUp
But for a brief moment, something in his spine had tensed.
It wasn’t unfamiliarity.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjpAcMNMfAV
It was the scent of danger—something deeply familiar.
The kind of danger you sensed in a battlefield, in an alley before a fight,277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQdcaEeBSas
in the air seconds before an explosion—277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0IaoWzy5db
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.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTjyAm6Q4TM
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—277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSgGwhyjL8Q
more than he trusted most things people said out loud.
This woman…277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqVVqzZDYa4
needs to be investigated.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9nT2z8a2QT
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwZrs1V4PdL
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.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO2ZdSCHfBE
The screen lit up.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2kjujV43Gk
His fingers began quietly tapping the keyboard.
This wasn’t anything major.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMJuxAfspd
For him, it was just a simple cross-check.
He scanned her computer.
Not hacking—just a remote sweep.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh3VjdiQLUG
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,277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHYA1kNeQS1
her materials were meticulously categorized—with visuals included.
Some files were labeled things like “Emotion Coaching Drills,” “Whisper Strategy,” and “Behavioral Intervention Protocols”—277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXWrIhzad5R
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:277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJWwha6ghc
“Nonverbal Response Analysis in Highly Sensitive Children.”
She’d highlighted notes, underlined passages, and written in red:277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEQEWuPTzgf
“Emotional connection > Behavior correction.”
She was genuinely serious about teaching.
Not the kind of serious for performance reviews or appearances—277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBdi51Uvn6a
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—277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY6vkUb4MfI
they all had legitimate reputations.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMmwNIZVCnv
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.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzzp1XhF6rS
The article didn’t boast about her own work—277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG5GQc4b3sv
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—277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAFefcMjPp2
but tired, honest smiles filled with warmth.
Some were clearly taken after long activities.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRq19l788hK
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,277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEZHlqrWpqS
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:277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwLycjsRbEG
“If she’s here, then everything’s okay.”
Children are mirrors. They can always tell who truly loves them.
Tim remembered that.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmLjDzGXf4r
It was something Bruce once told him when he was twelve,277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Nmid98S4f
standing just outside a group home during a charity event.
Maybe I’m just being paranoid, Tim thought.
His fingers left the mouse.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEkNJpfNgJM
He leaned back in his chair, staring at the smile in the photo.
Maybe it was just professional reflex.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtO0pFuKjLU
Maybe the atmosphere that day had been too weird.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuaWidHMQl4
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—277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD6DbWp9Y6e
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.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUG8NURaFpU
Encrypted.
The title read: “Nightnest.”
Tim’s brow twitched.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcdOIjlrwdu
He moved the mouse over and clicked.
A name that didn’t belong.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNicdqNdTIN
Encrypted too.
It wasn’t part of any category.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXSd4oGvztA
Not a subfolder of her teaching files.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkqXbsNUSOP
It looked like a deliberately hidden private space.
Tim tapped a key.
It opened immediately.
He didn’t even need effort.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT3kULuwONM
The encryption was outdated—practically ceremonial, like a lock that wasn’t meant to keep anything out.
“Let’s see what you’re hiding.”277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDNlkSJGfo
Tim clicked to open it.
His voice was flat.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1TnM0Wrmlc
But his eyes clearly froze for a few seconds.
The screen flickered.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr9rvxl8nKT
And slowly, the contents unfolded.
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡALWW5rhpeW
and then Add to home screen.