Mrs. Darquartz adjusted the cuff of her cardigan as she drifted between rows, the knit catching lightly against her wrist. The room was in its familiar rhythm: laptop fans whispering, keys tapping in uneven percussion, the occasional hush-hush comment passed like contraband.
Outside the big windows, Manhattan flashed silver between bare branches. Rooftops. Water towers. A slice of skyline that made Roosevelt feel both tiny and important at the same time. It was Monday. It was fifth period. It was supposed to be storyboards and text anchors and kids pretending they were filmmakers.
She paused at the back row where Janelle was doing what Janelle always did: clicking wildly and praying the universe rewarded vibes over instructions.
“You need to actually read the directions,” Mrs. Darquartz said gently, leaning down just enough that it felt like guidance instead of a scolding. “Not just guess and click.”
Janelle sighed with theatrical suffering, then nodded like she’d been personally wronged by literacy.
Mrs. Darquartz smiled and moved on.
She loved this part of teaching. The controlled chaos. Thirteen-year-olds balanced on that weird wire between childhood and whatever came next, full of opinions and eye rolls and sudden, startling insight. She was good at this. The other teachers said she had instincts. She could feel a classroom’s temperature like it was weather.
But nothing in her instincts had prepared her for the shape of Ezra Rhys beside Dayton Harris’s laptop.
Her eyes flicked that way before she could stop them.
Dayton was hunched over her screen, completely locked in. Dayton always had been. Sharp, intense, the kind of kid who made you relieved and nervous when you saw her name on the roster. She never coasted. She didn’t “wing it.” She didn’t even pretend to wing it. Everything with Dayton was deliberate, and teachers either loved that or found it exhausting.
And now, on the edge of Dayton’s desk, sitting in a contained little square of space like a figurine placed for display, was Mr. Rhys.
Ezra Rhys.
Four inches tall. Collared.
Mrs. Darquartz made herself look at the seating chart in her hand like it suddenly held the secrets of the universe. Her heart gave a small, traitorous twitch.
Ezra had been her mentor when she started. Not officially, not with paperwork, but in the way older teachers quietly decide whether you’re going to sink or swim. He’d helped her build her first syllabus, sat with her after a brutal parent night and said, “They didn’t hate you. They just wanted to be heard.” He’d left a tiny cactus on her desk when she got sick her first fall, a stupid little thing with a sticky note that said: Don’t die. We need you.
And she remembered the conversation too. The one she hadn’t known how to handle.
Ezra, stiff-backed in the staff lounge, explaining in careful words that he’d tested positive for Smallara a year ago. That he was “taking precautions.” That he intended to teach until he couldn’t.
She’d told him he was brave.
She’d meant it. She just hadn’t understood what it would cost.
Now he sat at Dayton’s elbow.
Legally claimed.
By a thirteen-year-old.
Mrs. Darquartz’s throat tightened. She forced her smile back into place, the way teachers did. She walked toward Dayton’s table, keeping her pace light, the same brisk-peppy stride she always used so kids didn’t feel like they were being approached by the disciplinary grim reaper.
“Project slides open, please,” she chirped as she passed the front row. “And I don’t want to see you playing Minecraft. I can tell. Don’t act like I can’t tell.”
A few kids laughed. Someone clicked a tab away a little too fast. Classic.
Dayton didn’t look up until Mrs. Darquartz was close. Of course she didn’t. Dayton was focused. Dayton was always focused.
Then she lifted her head, calm and alert, like she’d heard the change in footsteps.
“Problem, Mrs. Darquartz?” Dayton asked.
It wasn’t rude. It was just… direct. The same directness she’d used earlier when the SEA agents had been in the building, when the hallways had been split by uniforms and radios and locked doors. Dayton had walked through it like she’d been born for pressure.
Mrs. Darquartz swallowed.
“No,” she said quickly. “No problem. Good job staying on task. You continue to be a model student, Dayton.”
It wasn’t a lie.
It just felt thin.
Her eyes dropped to Ezra.
He looked up at her.
Smaller, yes. A tiny version of the man she’d known. But his expression was still him. The tight jaw. The controlled face. The flash of recognition that made her stomach twist.
For half a second, she saw him in the staff lounge again, coffee in hand, quietly sarcastic about the district’s newest initiative. She saw him standing at his classroom door during passing period, making kids feel like the hallway was a place with rules.
And then she saw the tag. The collar. The charm that shifted when he moved.
Mrs. Darquartz softened her voice without meaning to. “Mr. Rhys,” she said, and then hesitated, correcting herself out of fear of being wrong. “Ezra… are you… are you really doing alright? Do you need anything? After this morning, it would be normal to be out of sorts.”
Dayton’s fingers paused on her trackpad. She didn’t bristle. She didn’t smirk. She just glanced down at Ezra like she was checking a gauge.
Then, to Mrs. Darquartz’s surprise, Dayton nodded once.
“Go ahead and answer,” Dayton said, tone matter-of-fact. “She’s your friend, right? You don’t need my permission to speak to her. Just be respectful. We’re still in school.”
The words were simple. Reasonable.
And yet, the subtext sat heavy in the air: You can speak because I’m allowing it, and because I trust myself to control the situation.
Mrs. Darquartz felt that line like a cold draft.
Ezra’s tiny hands flexed once, then settled back into his lap. He took a breath, the kind that looked too small to hold anything real.
“It’s been… difficult to adjust,” Ezra said. His voice was quieter than she remembered. Not weak, exactly. Just… small. Stripped of the amplifier he’d used for lectures. Stripped of the room bending to him.
“I didn’t realize what I didn’t know,” he continued, the admission looking like it tasted bitter. “I’ve… learned a few things from Dayton already. I wouldn’t say I’m okay, but I’m… as good as can be expected, given the situation. The SEA presence this morning was—” he paused, searching for a word that wouldn’t sound like panic. “—blindsiding.”
Mrs. Darquartz nodded slowly. “I can imagine.” Her voice dipped, instinctively private even though students were only a few feet away. “We were told the school was in lockdown. No details. We didn’t know why until after.”
She looked at Dayton then, forcing herself to treat this like what it was: a student’s life intersecting with something bigger, something bureaucratic and sharp-edged.
“If you need anything,” Mrs. Darquartz said, and her eyes flicked back to Ezra, “you can let me know. Both of you.”
Dayton’s expression didn’t change, but her tone softened just a notch. “Of course, Mrs. Darquartz. I have Ezra’s best interests at heart. I want to give him a good home.”
That phrase, good home, made Ezra’s face tighten.
Dayton continued anyway, steady as a person reading off a checklist. “And I was surprised too. I thought it would’ve been quieter. Like… principal’s office quiet. Not… armed agents in the hallway quiet.”
She didn’t say raid, but the room didn’t need the word. Everyone had seen the uniforms. Heard the radios. Watched the adults go stiff.
Nicole leaned back slightly in her chair, joining in with the easy confidence of someone who’d been living this reality for months, not hours.
“After school, we’re gonna get Ezra set up,” Nicole said. “Little tablet, Littlenet account, all that. So you’ll be able to message him if you want, Mrs. Darquartz.”
Mrs. Darquartz blinked. “Little… net?”
Nicole nodded like it was obvious. “Yeah. Littlenet. It’s like… the filtered version. My parents had to set it up when Kinsley became a Little. So she could still talk to them when they’re at work.” Nicole’s voice stayed casual, but there was a practiced steadiness there too. Experience. The kind you couldn’t fake.
“I can help you link your stuff to an account,” Nicole added. “It’s annoying the first time, but once it’s set up, it’s easy.”
Mrs. Darquartz’s face warmed with gratitude. “Thank you, Nicole. I might take you up on that.”
Then she looked at Ezra again, and this time her expression flickered. Not pity exactly. Something like… apology. Like she wanted to say, I see you, but didn’t know if she was allowed.
“Alright,” she said gently, stepping back into teacher mode because she had to. “Keep working. And… truly. If you need anything, you let me know.”
She moved away toward another desk before she could do something reckless like linger.
The classroom sound rose back up around them.
Ezra stayed still, but inside him, something shifted and recoiled all at once.
Littlenet.
The word landed like another collar.
He’d been using the regular internet in the vague, stubborn way of someone refusing to learn new rules out of principle. He’d been living, technically, but not living like a Little. Not really.
Of course Dayton would put him on Littlenet.
Of course there would be a separate lane for his new species.
Ezra’s jaw clenched. His eyes flicked toward Dayton’s face, expecting satisfaction.
Instead, Dayton looked down at him and, for the first time in minutes, actually held his gaze.
There was something almost annoyed in her eyes, not at him, but at the situation. At the bureaucracy. At the fact that she had to do this at all.
“I have to set you up on Littlenet,” Dayton said quietly, keeping her voice low enough that it wouldn’t carry. Her fingers hovered over her keyboard, paused mid-task like she was choosing her words carefully.
“For the record,” she added, “I don’t even care if you use regular internet or Littlenet. Thomas used both. I didn’t police it.”
Ezra’s eyes narrowed slightly. Thomas. The training Little. The friend. The invisible ghost in the room whenever Dayton talked about “how things work.”
Dayton continued, tone flattening into something practical. “But right now? With the SEA watching? We have to do things by the book for a bit. If they see you bypassing the Littlenet filters, it’s a red flag.”
She tapped her trackpad once, a quiet punctuation mark.
“And I’m not getting in trouble because you want to prove a point,” she said, then softened, just slightly, as if acknowledging how humiliating it sounded without taking it back. “So… just don’t make this harder than it has to be. For either of us.”
Ezra stared at her.
A thirteen-year-old girl was explaining surveillance compliance to him like she was an administrator and he was the liability.
His throat tightened with a dozen things he wanted to say.
He didn’t say any of them.
Dayton’s eyes flicked back to her screen. The cursor blinked. The work continued.
And Ezra, perched beside her laptop like an accessory with a pulse, felt the next layer of his life settle into place.
solid olive branch. yeah it’s still control in a way that dayton probably enjoys on some level, but she’s light years better than what i had been expecting. depending on how the rest of the day and week go, i might have her in the middle of my guardian rankings instead of the lower bottom haha
Yeah I have to give Dayton her due she is getting better from her first introduction and honestly is rising up for me …..unless she does something that piss me off again but hey I like to be proven wrong lol but she almost in the middle for me I just need one more nice or character development moment from her and she’ll be in the middle
I will also add that she was okay with Ezra talking with his friends a lot faster than Sara was with Jordan being allowed to talk to his lol
Well he is Daytons little. So she will probably always have a degree if control as it’s who she is. But she has lessened as she has gotten older.
That part in general I can accept. Like it makes sense for the guardian to have a bit more control over a little just because of the fact it’s safer. It’s just I think that some take it a bit too far, Madison and her friends being the most extreme example. I think Ellie would probably fall closer to the center if she had a little that vibed with her. Like Jordan’s too stiff for her personality, but I think Thomas would have really gotten along with her. I bet they’d have hilarious banter, or Kinsely would too.
Good character development for Dayton here, in potentally allowing Ezra and Ms Darquatz to communicate with each other.
Facts ! I’m so proud for her doing that I know she’s not pure evil ( definitely a brat at times……most times) but she’s doing good right now and this is a great moment for her
Dayton has no issue with them communicating.
Yes finally there you go Dayton that’s what I been waiting for still room to grow but better and Mrs. Darquartz already favorite teacher like let’s goo !
Being nice to Ezra and Dayton showing her care for both ! Love to see it
Age does that. She is one of the younger characters so she has the most room to grow.
1) “Everything with Dayton was deliberate,” She’s definitely a character who likes being in control
2) “Ezra had been her mentor when she started. Not officially, not with paperwork, but in the way older teachers quietly decide whether you’re going to sink or swim.” Ezra taking her under his wing is nice
3) “Ezra, stiff-backed in the staff lounge, explaining in careful words that he’d tested positive for Smallara a year ago. That he was “taking precautions.” That he intended to teach until he couldn’t.” I like that he’s actually made plans for what happened when he shrank, though his not checking the law first was a rookie mistake.
4) “Good job staying on task. You continue to be a model student, Dayton.” It wasn’t a lie. It just felt thin” Model student and good person aren’t necessarily the same.
5) “Ezra… are you… are you really doing alright? Do you need anything? After this morning, it would be normal to be out of sorts.” Darquartz’s empathy is good. Pity Dayton’s gonna block it
6) “Go ahead and answer. She’s your friend, right? You don’t need my permission to speak to her. Just be respectful. We’re still in school.” That’s not how it went last time. I guess this isn’t the same scene from another perspective.
7) “The words were simple. Reasonable. And yet, the subtext sat heavy in the air: You can speak because I’m allowing it, and because I trust myself to control the situation.” I’m glad he’s not pretending this is unconditional kindness; that’s not how Dayton operates.
8.1) “I didn’t realise what I didn’t know.” A little research goes a long way.
8.2) ““I’ve… learned a few things from Dayton already. I wouldn’t say I’m okay, but I’m… as good as can be expected, given the situation. The SEA presence this morning was——blindsiding.” Attempting to put as positive a spin on it as he can without lying is a good way to relieve some of Datquartz’s stress about the situation, but also feels like Dayton praise (which is bad)
9) “I have Ezra’s best interests at heart. I want to give him a good home.” Oh fuck off, no you don’t, you want revenge and to make him submit to you, that’s not the foundation of a good home.
10) “She didn’t say raid, but the room didn’t need the word. Everyone had seen the uniforms, heard the radios, watched the adults go stiff.” She also didn’t want to say command, but Dayton seems to like substituting accurate descriptions with softer ones.
11) “Little tablet, Littlenet account, all that. So you’ll be able to message him if you want, Mrs. Darquartz.” Nicole seems to make a genuinely kind offer, not something Dayton would do.
12) “Little… net?” Nicole nodded like it was obvious. “Yeah. Littlenet. It’s like… the filtered version.” I agree with Nicole, this should be obvious, even to people who don’t own Littles.
13) “He’d been using the regular internet in the vague, stubborn way of someone refusing to learn new rules out of principle.” So it is possible for Littles to access the real web, nice.
13.2) “He’d been living, technically, but not living like a Little. Not really.” Sure he has, just maybe not the American government’s definition of Little
14) “Of course, Dayton would put him on Littlenet. Of course, there would be a separate lane for his new species” Yeah, Dayton does everything by the book, even if SEA wasn’t lingering over her shoulder, she would.
15) “There was something almost annoyed in her eyes, not at him, but at the situation. At the bureaucracy. At the fact that she had to do this at all.” she doesn’t want him on even the Little net, but can’t make Nicole look bad.
16) “For the record, I don’t even care if you use regular internet or Littlenet. Thomas used both. I didn’t police it.” Wait even Littles in the Little city aren’t limited to Little net?
17) “Ezra’s eyes narrowed slightly. Thomas. The training Little. The friend. The invisible ghost in the room whenever Dayton talked about “how things work.” The Little Ezra will never measure up to in Dayton’s eyes.
18) “But right now? With the SEA watching? We have to do things by the book for a bit. If they see you bypassing the Littlenet filters, it’s a red flag.” I guess I was wrong in point 14. She is only following those rules because of SEA.
19.1) “And I’m not getting in trouble because you want to prove a point.” That definitely seems like something Ezra would cause
19.2) “So… just don’t make this harder than it has to be. For either of us.” No, that’s already SEA’s role in his life.
20) “A thirteen-year-old girl was explaining surveillance compliance to him like she was an administrator and he was the liability.” That is basically the situation.
6) Last time he couldn’t answer himself, Dayton waited, and Ezra was silent, so she answered for him.
6) Last time he wasn’t allowed to answer for himself, Dayton intimidated Ezra into silence.
Give me your reasons. How did she intimidate him? Did she forbid him from talking to anyone without her permission? When was that? He’s still in shock from this morning’s events and the whole situation is unfolding at a gallop, yes. But Dayton’s also a bit out of sorts; judging by her feelings, everything is happening too quickly and loudly. However, I think she only answered for him because he was silent for a long time and couldn’t bring himself to answer.
Dayton would see it as a challenge.
He could feel her attention on him, steady and expectant. She didn’t squeeze him. She didn’t threaten him with a look.
She just waited.
Like a guardian waiting for a Little to demonstrate comprehension.
And Ezra understood something ugly in that moment.
If he spoke against her here, in this room, he wouldn’t be reclaiming dignity. He’d be escalating the rules”
Dayton, in less than a day, has set up a dynamic where he’s too intimidated to act without her having to actively make threats, it’s subtextual but the intimidation is objectively there
So? From the text, it turns out he came up with it himself; she didn’t forbid him. As I wrote earlier in Chapter 40, he could have responded neutrally, politely. (Honestly, Reese was a disappointment. He’s a weakling. He could have responded to his colleague, one of the few who addressed him directly. And by the way, I don’t think it’s a violation, since she addressed him directly, twice. There was no need to yell “help,” especially since he knows it’s useless. But a polite “I’m safe, adjusting, thank you for your concern” would have been just right.)
She praised him for his earlier silence, she’s letting him talk now as likely a partial reward for his earlier compliance, or perhaps she’s just in a better mood, but he wasn’t permitted to speak earlier and would have faces consequences if he did.
I do agree he’s disappointing though, I hope he gets more spine soon
1) Dayton have to be in control. However, if she feels she should be in control in a given situation she will rise to that leadership role. As Dayton generally doesnt take control when sara is around for instance.
2) He has pockets of niceness. He had his issues and was an asshole as well but he wasn’t just like walking douchebag either. I like trying to portray people as human who are flawed and good and bad.
3) I agree checking the laws would have been good. Making more decisions in realms of who is caring for you would have been helpful. But you dont know what you dont know.
4) I agree her being a good student, studious, on task, hard worker. Doesnt mean she is a good person. You can take assume a level of responsibility from that but who they truly are and personality and attitudes could be far different.
5) Darquartz is a nice person. Dayton can hardly believe you are besmirching her character. she woulld never do that in this situation.
6) no this isnt the same scene its later in the class. She is just swinging back around o check again. Wanting to really make sure .
7) The reality I feel like is somewhere in between. Dayton is probably not as bad as you think but she isnt a upstanding perfect angel either.
8) It would be hard though as you dont know what you need to look into. Its not like there is a guide what to do if you have smallara. As any guide or info would be partially a sales gimmick i feel like. But that is probably my own skepticsm in people and companies.
9) I believe dayton is telling the truth. I just think her idea of good home and whats best may be different then yours.
10) Well they would be less scary terms tha would be not as unsettling to people. Regardless of what you feel about dayton. The incident would have a traumaic and unsettling.
11) Damn the dayton shade is coming fast and furious here. Some might say dayton didnt need to because nicole did it.
12) Not everyone keeps up with little news and tech. Especially if you have no desire o have a little.
13) Well its possible for ezra who was living illegally in a unregistered status without a guardian or collar under district oversight which was non existent and negligent which end up getting district and school staff removed and investigated for negligence and possibly lead to hte whole district getting shut down or wiped clean.
So in that highly illegal situation a little could get unfettered acess to the internet without oversight or monitoring. As allowing the little access to the internet isnt inherently bad. But when combined with everything else and not having any oversight makes its bad.
Like Jordy has a level of acccess to the internet. But he also uses the littlenet.
13.2) Well he wasnt living in a legal state. He was living and was a little. But he was living in a lifestyle that broke most laws.
14) I think while dayton does things by the book she also has some give. As she has things she doesnt like or seem necessary.
15) Nah, dayton thinks the littlenet is stupid.
16) no the little city has exclusively the litlte net. Dayton allowed Thomas to use the actual internet when he was with her. He used both littlenet and the internet. As Dayton didnt really care as long as he was responsible about it. Just like she didnt specifically care if he watcehd her netflix account or littleflix account. Its just not a big deal to her as long as its not abused and if its brought up respond accordingly.
17) Well thomas is her friend. She only has thomas, Kinsley, Gavin, Kelli and Jordan to compare him too. With thomas and Kinsley being the ones she has had the most interaction with. So they would be her largest points of reference.
18) She is doing somethings just because of the SEA. She would be actually a bit less strict and a little more lax.
19) It does. He gives off acvist vibes.
19.2) also what he brought down on himself. HE should have researched a bit better or spoken to guardians or someone. Ironically if he wasn’t such an ass to Dayton he probably could have had access to the best resources but he was an ass and also never took the time to learn about her beyond his perception of her.
20) yeah agreed. that really is the situaion
1) Sara can control Dayton, though Dayton will also lie to Sara’s face when it suits her.
5) Yeah, that comment was made thinking this was the scene from earlier from the teacher’s perspective.
7) That’s probably true.
8) I feel like the same company that organised guardian training could make a comprehensive guide to what Smallara does to the body. After all Dayton seems to know all this stuff, and she’s not vulnerable.
9) I feel like her idea of a good home is what she’d give Thomas or Kinsley, not what awaits Ezra.
10) But it’s also a form of manipulation.
11) Or Nicole did it because she know Dayton wouldn’t
12) Fair I guess, but I’d assume it’s like pop culture osmosis
13.1) So is it legal or not?
14) I was wrong with this one.
16) Interesting behaviour for Dayton “If I only followed the rules when it was easy, what’s the point of the training?” Harris.
17) Kinsely and Thomas would be her most common reference point, Jordan she’s canonically only seen thrice and Gavin and Kelli would probably be less than that.
18) That’s actually good
19.1) Many teachers do.
19.2) His downfall really was putting trust in the wrong people. I can’t actually see Dayton helping him even if he was nicer to her, She definitely wouldn’t have gotten Chloe involved.
He was an ass to Dayton, but Dayton wasn’t innocent either, she was trying to assert dominance over him, she got the name plate to goad him, she pushed threats and ultimatums to try and control him. I think we agree that him being an adult makes his actions worse, but that doesn’t make what she did ok.
Is that Mrs. Darquartz in today’s picture?
Yes
Ezra should have talked her into being a contingent Guardian 😁
She’s is hot!
that is what I was thinking also. he deserves to be with one of his students being that dumb. He is what gives littles a bad name lol.
A) for someone who is thinks he is smart, he is like most of the people we got at work right from college. we called them book smart because they were lost if they had to figure anything out.
B) He knew he was going to be a little and did learn everything about being a little like a mad man.
C) He had this beautiful woman friend and seems to have a kind heart and didn’t ask her to be his guardian even after the school did their fake set up which again I am not surprised because even in college I wasn’t impressed with my non engineering/math professors.
D) Trying to put myself in his position, the amount of failures he makes makes me think he needs the firm but soft hand of Dayton to keep him alive because he acts like he has issues with planning important things.
E) if you had a in with a hot woman like that, how are you not dating her lol.
The hot teacher giving Prof fluff a little fun time.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1W1G4dH9TjDxnkydBJt6PsM1nTJcmVdO-/view?usp=drivesdk
A) he is a intellectual so that kinda fis
b) He learned what he coudl but you dont realy know what you need to know until you are a little.
c) Tehy were friendly but they could have just been work friends.
d) Being a little is uncharted waters for him
e) just becuase they were friendly doesnt mean she or him were interested. Sometimes people can just be friends or work friends.
Holy fuck Daytons teacher! 😮💨😮💨 is she taking applicants for a little???
Dude, she’s a public middle school teacher. She can’t afford one. Even the teachers at Sara’s fancy private school can’t afford Littles.
Then I’ll just have to be hers no charge🤣