Tim had brought Finn home.
The kid had been bursting with energy the whole way back, jumping from topic to topic—225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOmTt7yfZLB
from kindergarten lunch, to his future wedding, to a dinosaur-shaped cake he once dreamed about.
Tim didn’t interrupt.225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTUTKTkGawH
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."225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEl1Jp0DhZC
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,225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN4NS7gXMCQ
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,225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7OMRJvXjBA
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.225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQMDcDA2NEC
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,”225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwBgpHytLhz
but ended up eating all three before remembering that promise.
Tim kept an eye on him.
Leaning against the doorframe, arms loosely crossed,225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfN1ZThwMrJ
he watched the little whirlwind spin through the air—225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡECf9aCP6lN
but his thoughts began to drift.
Suddenly, in his mind—those emerald eyes appeared.
Clear green.225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD9c0qbd3i3
Not shy, not exactly warm either,225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8IFq2uBHIh
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—225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCrACKxDw7N
one that just refused to go away.
Back there, after she’d stood up—225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLi6q9SRqGE
she had scanned him.225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFKOB5mKLuG
Not just looked at him—225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJOJxmlKoj
scanned him.
Not the casual up-and-down kind of glance,225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS2sy4xWfgd
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,225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh0yZ4dVvVr
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—225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIiY3xXiN1k
just… never in a kindergarten.
It made him feel like he wasn’t wearing armor.
Not in a sexual sense, not naked like that—225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx3cs1gI0ST
but stripped down.225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSH36TXSORT
Exposed.
As if someone had effortlessly peeled back his layers of defense and smiled,225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw9Sdz9Hp2B
“Ah. So that’s where you’re hiding.”
And that teacher—225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5oYi7SSxGL
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.”225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9bHcwD9Ayc
“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.225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ56R1YGBSxW
But for a brief moment, something in his spine had tensed.
It wasn’t unfamiliarity.225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVX9cSXDZBC
It was the scent of danger—something deeply familiar.
The kind of danger you sensed in a battlefield, in an alley before a fight,225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeZJtbsCN4d
in the air seconds before an explosion—225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNwoINM9C6D
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.225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8OZADU6mDL
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—225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXXy3RoRp7D
more than he trusted most things people said out loud.
This woman…225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPUtAV9weGO
needs to be investigated.
225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQK62wiuPtq
225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYoftZ4OPvG
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.225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP91wLk0qWH
The screen lit up.225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVMgGAW72AV
His fingers began quietly tapping the keyboard.
This wasn’t anything major.225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwK7YNQ0MMz
For him, it was just a simple cross-check.
He scanned her computer.
Not hacking—just a remote sweep.225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq652bZH0Ic
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,225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgHcrbKXb9Q
her materials were meticulously categorized—with visuals included.
Some files were labeled things like “Emotion Coaching Drills,” “Whisper Strategy,” and “Behavioral Intervention Protocols”—225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiC3Lnmt0SP
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:225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj740Gig214
“Nonverbal Response Analysis in Highly Sensitive Children.”
She’d highlighted notes, underlined passages, and written in red:225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnr7o2ewqUP
“Emotional connection > Behavior correction.”
She was genuinely serious about teaching.
Not the kind of serious for performance reviews or appearances—225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuHUF1GFRUL
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—225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu0Ley78fS3
they all had legitimate reputations.225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTMp07HO643
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.225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP4TShEFcWi
The article didn’t boast about her own work—225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ19O9jbLRs6
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—225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9eY0ErkYlA
but tired, honest smiles filled with warmth.
Some were clearly taken after long activities.225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNIzCbybnZf
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,225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWL7bTEsOor
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:225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMMT6smpY7z
“If she’s here, then everything’s okay.”
Children are mirrors. They can always tell who truly loves them.
Tim remembered that.225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ03YVeG1jDp
It was something Bruce once told him when he was twelve,225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4RkgNGETAY
standing just outside a group home during a charity event.
Maybe I’m just being paranoid, Tim thought.
His fingers left the mouse.225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaeKY0YCVUt
He leaned back in his chair, staring at the smile in the photo.
Maybe it was just professional reflex.225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW8guHSXjfO
Maybe the atmosphere that day had been too weird.225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmlPCTcGRc2
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—225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQEjLk7iwPD
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.225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoVhL2qhVtj
Encrypted.
The title read: “Nightnest.”
Tim’s brow twitched.225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1c99fuWHN5
He moved the mouse over and clicked.
A name that didn’t belong.225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjH8sRyLp6U
Encrypted too.
It wasn’t part of any category.225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHHlcZOoKjk
Not a subfolder of her teaching files.225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVYeKc2Fb48
It looked like a deliberately hidden private space.
Tim tapped a key.
It opened immediately.
He didn’t even need effort.225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKHF90Qbaco
The encryption was outdated—practically ceremonial, like a lock that wasn’t meant to keep anything out.
“Let’s see what you’re hiding.”225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyrZpP5A68s
Tim clicked to open it.
His voice was flat.225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhMgG3i32ol
But his eyes clearly froze for a few seconds.
The screen flickered.225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOmgKdfJ75w
And slowly, the contents unfolded.
225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNu1HS8gEPb
and then Add to home screen.