Tim had brought Finn home.
The kid had been bursting with energy the whole way back, jumping from topic to topic—226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp22qJYEy9R
from kindergarten lunch, to his future wedding, to a dinosaur-shaped cake he once dreamed about.
Tim didn’t interrupt.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiB92BtVAmw
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."226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ40lsi4QwxQ
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,226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7SD8Rj6yhy
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,226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYdj9FJTyj7
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.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbKQnsFz38C
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,”226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAff1E6Lvex
but ended up eating all three before remembering that promise.
Tim kept an eye on him.
Leaning against the doorframe, arms loosely crossed,226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqtjOCGdYrN
he watched the little whirlwind spin through the air—226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHlCMRxlhLy
but his thoughts began to drift.
Suddenly, in his mind—those emerald eyes appeared.
Clear green.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd0kPHb32yi
Not shy, not exactly warm either,226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEXLEoUMeqR
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—226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYATrEyM42a
one that just refused to go away.
Back there, after she’d stood up—226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡya3W9kQ4O1
she had scanned him.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6g5S8nvtSz
Not just looked at him—226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7IAnPeDqUU
scanned him.
Not the casual up-and-down kind of glance,226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhmlNfKKm07
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,226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPdDvbi9YTz
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—226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWGuq4HDE2
just… never in a kindergarten.
It made him feel like he wasn’t wearing armor.
Not in a sexual sense, not naked like that—226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVk7ywOrjJX
but stripped down.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoXkHsLzs9f
Exposed.
As if someone had effortlessly peeled back his layers of defense and smiled,226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSgI9QtZqsu
“Ah. So that’s where you’re hiding.”
And that teacher—226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmHn2CMhfPL
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.”226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgiBTRP1fOi
“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.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcnvAB5u7iI
But for a brief moment, something in his spine had tensed.
It wasn’t unfamiliarity.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1uM7jPHlAz
It was the scent of danger—something deeply familiar.
The kind of danger you sensed in a battlefield, in an alley before a fight,226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMya4wKEgD9
in the air seconds before an explosion—226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgi0pN1PspC
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.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ9Zc7lJ0yu
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—226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqH7lPJ8w6o
more than he trusted most things people said out loud.
This woman…226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwsPtg8eHZG
needs to be investigated.
226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgzRbPSVk9f
226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6360eof3AP
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.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4VVK371rnv
The screen lit up.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBEbGL5Gsl1
His fingers began quietly tapping the keyboard.
This wasn’t anything major.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn0KIyfan9H
For him, it was just a simple cross-check.
He scanned her computer.
Not hacking—just a remote sweep.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIrZK8vXA8p
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,226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWdhWZHFZPq
her materials were meticulously categorized—with visuals included.
Some files were labeled things like “Emotion Coaching Drills,” “Whisper Strategy,” and “Behavioral Intervention Protocols”—226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzAv1pED5Yj
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:226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpxKjToXL1g
“Nonverbal Response Analysis in Highly Sensitive Children.”
She’d highlighted notes, underlined passages, and written in red:226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX0tpe6F2U9
“Emotional connection > Behavior correction.”
She was genuinely serious about teaching.
Not the kind of serious for performance reviews or appearances—226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuLPfliSz1n
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—226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgMESs0yOsS
they all had legitimate reputations.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3rU9vogKta
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.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUTtNdxqs6C
The article didn’t boast about her own work—226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX6cFas7Tub
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—226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZZ7JaDVW0b
but tired, honest smiles filled with warmth.
Some were clearly taken after long activities.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCJgcqP0u6O
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,226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjgZaxCcm0w
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:226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDHCJEnRpCA
“If she’s here, then everything’s okay.”
Children are mirrors. They can always tell who truly loves them.
Tim remembered that.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpoM8om1srG
It was something Bruce once told him when he was twelve,226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRPlkguhkKy
standing just outside a group home during a charity event.
Maybe I’m just being paranoid, Tim thought.
His fingers left the mouse.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTcbPwWqEmb
He leaned back in his chair, staring at the smile in the photo.
Maybe it was just professional reflex.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzyPk1At0rx
Maybe the atmosphere that day had been too weird.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhWvtEgD2Ax
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—226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkOTUOscOlZ
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.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcoU2bAgvTZ
Encrypted.
The title read: “Nightnest.”
Tim’s brow twitched.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuyP9JazODi
He moved the mouse over and clicked.
A name that didn’t belong.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡajmqknaO6e
Encrypted too.
It wasn’t part of any category.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfGjrpcFPJp
Not a subfolder of her teaching files.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMnG5lCE3El
It looked like a deliberately hidden private space.
Tim tapped a key.
It opened immediately.
He didn’t even need effort.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi57L79RvQi
The encryption was outdated—practically ceremonial, like a lock that wasn’t meant to keep anything out.
“Let’s see what you’re hiding.”226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5cjvvBBEHp
Tim clicked to open it.
His voice was flat.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSC9j1Lpjuv
But his eyes clearly froze for a few seconds.
The screen flickered.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzcmqvsBBSY
And slowly, the contents unfolded.
226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfoTM6XmyKd
and then Add to home screen.