No pictures this week. On an unexpected work trip for at least this week.
Ezra’s feet sunk into hte plush carpeting that cradled his feet with every step as he looked out at the monstrously sized view of Dayton’s bedroom. His entire habitat was tucked into singular cube of one of those wooden shelves diveded out into cubes where you can choose to buy canvas square baskets to house items.
Looking from what he could see below him when he walked to the wall of the cage. Ezra could see fun colored canvas baskets holding various items of Daytons. However his entire home as much as he hated to call it that was contained and held in one singular cube slot.
This habtiat as she called it was neatly tucked in. Warmth radiating upward from the floor. The table was was firm and constructed of solid wood. It wasn’t cheaply made. He could see the brush strokes where stained it herself. The careful detail to make sure every stroke provided perfectly even amount of stain.
The chairs didn’t bend or creak like they were going to give way when he sat down. He hated it. He hated how thorough she was. He hated how much effort she clearly put into this. The carpet wasn’t just haphazardly chosen it was soft and supported him. Cushioned him in a way regular carpet wouldnt. The heated element kept the habitat at a constant comfortable temperature for him. It was never to hot or to cold. It was perfectly temperate.
As he sat down on the bed it was soft. The bedding was luxurious. It wasn’t scraps of fabric. It was a high threadcount sheets and bedding that was purposefully built to be comfortable and soft to him. His bed at hte school was made with human bedding scaled down. This was built for someone like him with time and care to research, to acquire. It’s styled to look nice and put together.
The walls were clear. Perfectly clear without a single smudge on him. They held the room temperature not letting it escape like many cheap glass windows like the ones in his apartment. This was nothing like his apartment. Everything it was nicer then the accomdations he had which made this so much worse.
He wanted to hate it. He wanted to find fault so he could say how Dayton took shortcuts. That she wasnt hte guardian she claimed to be. That she was talk and not follow thorough. That she wasnt as reasearched, as polished, as ready for the task as she thought and this was yet another example of it. However, he couldnt say any of that. Not truthfully. Not with any kidn fo accuracy.
As he booted up the phone he watched the generitech logo bubble up. Then the part he hated. He saw the fancy shimmering text of LIttle Mode appear. The device that made the screen little sensitive so he could work the screen with ease. It automatically had the little version of apps installed. Generiflix booted into the littleflix section. Shopping apps loaded into the little version. Anything he added to a cart would show up for Dayton to approve. Yes Dayton Harris now approved or denied every purchase he wanted to make or might want.
Even the music app was filled with little artists or little versions of songs if the original was deemed inappropriate. It had a L rating meaning edited for littles. Everything here was structured and perfect.
He looked over even the water dispenser was made for a littles, the food dispenser had pellets in it.
“Dayton Harris.” Ezra mumbled as if it were a swear word. He could hear her mother downstairs. Doing whatever it was she did. Unbothered by her daughter owning him like a puppy. Thinking it was perfectly reasonable for daughter to hold him prisoner like this. Keep him trapped in this habitat, this cage like some kind of beast. Like a person devoid of intelligence.
She was unbothered with his actual rights just if he was going to leave footprints on her table and counters. She cared not that he was ever a person. She just wanted him tucked away in her daughters room.
That was When the door opened. Ezra hated that he turned towards the door. Stood in front of the glass facing out towards the room. Like he was waiting for Dayton. As he looked at the door swing open he hated how comfortable these clothes felt. Tehy were soft and breathable. They were little first materials.
Mrs. Harris stepped into the room carrying a laundry basket dropping it on the floor of Dayton’s room with a thud. She looked around seeing the neat room and not a mess in sight. However, her eyes landed on the habitat. She looked at it seeing Ezra looking at her.
“Oh,” she said. “I thought you would’ve gone to the store with Dayton and the girls.” Her gaze narrowed slightly, practical. “Kinsley was going, right? So you’d have another Little around.”
Ezra’s jaw tightened. “I will not be carted around like some kind of show pony.”
Mrs. Harris didn’t flinch. She didn’t raise her voice. She just stepped closer, and the size difference made the air feel heavier.
“Dayton is working hard to keep you,” she said. “Spending money. Taking on responsibility. The kind you didn’t have to think about when you were taller. You aren’t free.”
“I didn’t ask her to claim me,” Ezra snapped. “I was fine where I was. Your daughter did that to herself. She poked around and—”
Mrs. Harris’s expression changed.
Not into rage immediately. Into something colder. Cleaner.
A mother who had kept herself polite for too long.
“Now you listen to me,” she said, and each word landed like a nail. “You do not come into my house and talk about my daughter like she’s a mistake you get to correct.”
Ezra’s hands curled at his sides. He could feel the mic and speaker system Dayton had set up, the little hidden Raspberry Pi tucked somewhere out of sight, detecting his voice and projecting it just loud enough to be heard. No toggle. No control. Even his volume was managed.
Mrs. Harris continued, voice firm and sharp now.
“You were tenured,” she said. “And you hid behind it.”
Ezra’s throat tightened.
“I saw what you wrote on her papers,” Mrs. Harris said. “I saw how you graded her compared to everyone else. And don’t act surprised. Parents talk. Teachers talk. People notice patterns.”
Ezra tried to speak, but she didn’t give him room.
“In a perfect world, you wouldn’t be here,” she said. “Not because you’re small. Because you were reckless with power. And you had no idea how it felt on the other side of your little ‘critical thinking.’”
Her eyes flicked, briefly, to the collar at his neck.
Then back to his face.
“But Dayton wanted you,” she said. “And I let her, because I love my daughter. I don’t love Littles. I don’t love this system. I love her.”
The words hit Ezra in a weird place.
Not as comfort. Not as mercy.
As a wall.
A boundary he was never going to move.
Mrs. Harris reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone.
And Ezra’s blood went cold.
“I can call the SEA,” she said, holding it up where he could see it through the glass. “Right now. They’ve been calling me all day. Asking if everything’s stable. Asking if you’re compliant. They’ll come back if I ask.”
Ezra stared at the phone like it was a gun.
“Maybe they take you to a facility,” Mrs. Harris said. “Maybe they ship you somewhere. Maybe they reassign you. Maybe you become a line item in somebody else’s paperwork. Whatever it is, it won’t be my problem anymore.”
She leaned closer, and the glass between them did nothing to soften how huge she felt, how final.
“My only concern is Dayton,” she said, voice low now, dangerous. “So here is what you are not going to do. You are not going to tear her apart the way you did in your classroom. You are not going to turn her home into your stage. Not at four inches tall. Not at forty feet tall. Not ever.”
Ezra swallowed. The collar pressed lightly as his throat worked.
Mrs. Harris waited, watching him struggle with pride that had nowhere to stand.
Then she asked, quietly, brutally calm:
“So what is it, Ezra?”
She lifted the phone a fraction higher.
“Do you want to stay here,” she said, “or do you want to go?”
Ezra’s mouth opened.
No answer came out.
Because the truth was simple and horrifying.
He didn’t trust her.
He didn’t trust Dayton.
He didn’t trust the system.
But he trusted the SEA even less.
Mrs. Harris didn’t smile. She didn’t gloat. She didn’t look pleased.
She just stared at him, steady as gravity.
“As long as you are in this house,” she said, “you will show my daughter common decency.”
A beat.
“Even if you hate her for saving you.”
Ezra’s hands trembled.
He looked past Mrs. Harris into Dayton’s room, into the vastness of a life that wasn’t his, into the shelf that held his habitat like a trophy cube.
And he realized something he hated even more than the comfort.
He was already learning how to survive.
And survival meant choosing the cage you could live in.
Mrs. Harris waited, the phone still in her hand, patient the way only a parent could be when they had already decided what mattered most.
The air in Ezra’s habitat stayed perfectly warm.
Perfectly fresh.
Perfectly controlled.
And Ezra stood there in his soft Little-first clothes, staring up at a mother who would move mountains for her daughter…
…and would not hesitate to move him out of the way.
I just want him to say “ do what you want I don’t care anymore” cause to be honest that’s how I would feel in that situation! His opinion doesn’t mater anymore! He’s a pet! A toy a “thing” horrible the way littles are treated
His opinion could matter. Dayton isnt unreasonable. She has shown she cares what happens to him. If she wanted him dead or just gone she would have just let hte sea take him.He could get somewhere with her If he’s not an ass to her like he was full sized he might get some say in things.
She asked him to come with to the store where he could have had input but he chose to not to go and exclude his voice and opinions from being heard.
He is choosing to further how he feels. If he gives his opinion and dayton ignores it or doesnt consider it then he has a valid reason to be upset but he chose to not even try. So thats on him.
Its like thinking you willl be bad at basketball so never trying. You could be bad it but you might not be. But by not trying you are only creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Ezra, I’m going to tell you something.
Ahem
Your entire situation was a house of cards waiting to come down, you stupid dumbass, god I want to slap you.
A house of cards, but at least one he had a hand in building.
And this chapter proves that his new position isn’t exactly stable either, even if more legal
His prior situation wasnt great and if it wasnt dayton it would have happened eventually.
Exactly, that’s been my point regarding Ezra’s story.
Damn talk about guys meets mama bear .
In many ways I feel for Ezra even though he was tough on his students and especially Dayton but I can understand Mrs. Harris reaction towards him and his feelings about this whole thing
It’s honestly grey area all around and just makes sense for the emotions felt by both parties here
When you mess with Mama Bear’s kids. What can you expect?
He did partially put this on himself with his policies. This eruption would have came sooner and not with him as a little if he wasn’t tenured.
1) “He hated it. He hated how thorough she was. He hated how much effort she clearly put into this.” That’s Dayton’s ego, she wouldn’t half-ass something this important
2) “His bed at hte school was made with human bedding scaled down. This was built for someone like him with time and care to research, to acquire. It’s styled to look nice and put together.” The school half-assing it is expected
3) “He wanted to hate it. He wanted to find fault so he could say how Dayton took shortcuts. That she wasnt hte guardian she claimed to be. That she was talk and not follow through.” I’m rooting for you buddy.
4) “It automatically had the little version of apps installed. Generiflix booted into the littleflix section. Shopping apps loaded into the little version. Anything he added to a cart would show up for Dayton to approve. Yes Dayton Harris now approved or denied every purchase he wanted to make or might want.” As much as I hate the control, I gotta admit it’s thorough, they left no stone unmanipulated
5) Thinking it was perfectly reasonable for daughter to hold him prisoner like this. Keep him trapped in this habitat, this cage like some kind of beast. Like a person devoid of intelligence.” She’s not entirely onboard with the idea, though not for the reasons he wants her to disapprove
6) “Kinsley was going, right? So you’d have another Little around.” Just because they’re both Littles doesn’t mean they’d get along; Kinsley’s still only a quarter of his age.
7) “I will not be carted around like some kind of show pony.” Just as Mrs Harris decreed Dayton wasn’t to do
8) “Dayton is working hard to keep you, Spending money. Taking on responsibility. The kind you didn’t have to think about when you were taller. You aren’t free.” And she’s expecting gratitude? He didn’t ask nor want Dayton to do any of that, he knows he isn’t free, that’s the problem.
9) “I didn’t ask her to claim me, I was fine where I was. Your daughter did that to herself. She poked around and—” I’m glad he’s willing to display his issues, but the cutt off makes me a touch nervous.
10) “Now you listen to me, you do not come into my house and talk about my daughter like she’s a mistake you get to correct.” Why not? Dayton went into where he lived and did the same to him.
11) “I saw what you wrote on her papers, I saw how you graded her compared to everyone else. And don’t act surprised. Parents talk. Teachers talk. People notice patterns.” All the more reason you should have blocked this, you knew he and your daughter had a toxic relationship, and that this wouldn’t be healthy for either of them/
12) “In a perfect world, you wouldn’t be here, not because you’re small. Because you were reckless with power. And you had no idea how it felt on the other side of your little ‘critical thinking.’” In a perfect world, Dayton wouldn’t be his guardian; her karma for bullying and attempted false accusation against Jordan would keep Littles within view but out of reach to her. But this is a world where only some people’s actions have consequences, and only sometimes.
13) “I can call the SEA, Right now. They’ve been calling me all day. Asking if everything’s stable. Asking if you’re compliant. They’ll come back if I ask.” That’d be a fun surprise for Dayton to come home to.
14) “So here is what you are not going to do. You are not going to tear her apart the way you did in your classroom. You are not going to turn her home into your stage. Not at four inches tall. Not at forty feet tall. Not ever.” So where are the boundaries here? What is she considering the difference between tearing her apart and reasonable criticism?
15) “So what is it, Ezra?” – “Do you want to stay here, or do you want to go?” He wants to go, but not where she’s offering.
16) “As long as you are in this house, you will show my daughter common decency.” Again, subjective concept, but the real issue is she’s not likely to hold Dayton to the same standard; she has a history of abusing Littles, one she faces practically no ramifications for.
17) “Even if you hate her for saving you.” He didn’t need her to save him
18) “Ezra’s hands trembled. And he realized something he hated even more than the comfort. He was already learning how to survive. And survival meant choosing the cage you could live in.” Can’t blame him for being scared, She’s definitely where her daughter gets her personality from. Better the devil he knows still has him with
SatanDayton,2) not so much that, but more about being cheap.
4) Shades of the USSR or 1984!
6) To her, Littles are Littles.
10) Plus he didn’t “come into my house”, he was forcibly interned there.
13) I think it’s a bluff. Like you suggested, she would not do that to Dayton.
14) Given the situation, I don’t see Dayton tolerating being “torn apart” and I don’t see her mother not being aware of that.
15) It would be a huge risk, but he should call her bluff.
17) In he mind he did not need “saving”.
18) God, I hope has some kind of come back to her. Perhaps mentioning that he has no choice but to comply. He cannot escape, he cannot impose his will. Even if the SEA was called, what would she tell them unless she lied. At this point he has been compliant.
1) yes, Dayton did work hard on this as she knew it needed to be right. Which is unfortunate for Ezra that dayton was checklist thorough.
2) The school didnt have his best interest at heart. I do think Dayton is probably a upgrade form the school, even if she isnt the ideal or best choice.
3) I wrote that part thinking about you. I was like if lethal were here he would be looking at everything with a finetooth comb then annoyed that she did it right.
4) Well teh thought was they wanted the littles to have agency adn teh ability to do things they could do before but that also created the cage so to speak which may have been unintentional from some parties and the plan of others. its the reality they have.
5) agreed, she conceded to dayton getting a litlte becuse of how much she wanted one but she definately isnt fully onboard.
6) I agree but the sentiment was that since they are littles its the same. Kind of like how people will bring pets together for playdates or even kids.
7) Yes, although I dont think if ezra had gone with Dayton seh would have been showing him around or flaunting him like a show pony. She didnt even really do that at school. But I can understand his concern.
8) Not gratitude but much a shred of appreciation or even a thanks would have gone a long way. Something to show even if he doesn tlike the situation he appreciates the efort she put into his care.
9) oh in what ways?
10) Well she is required to go to school. So it is a bit different in that regard. He wasnt required to be an asshole to her. But I do see the similarities of the situaiton
11) That i do agree with. I dont think Ezra is the best little for dayton. She should have just taken dayton to little mart and let her get paired with one or let dayton pick one out she liked. Being the fact she was volunteering and helping in intake. i’m sure she could have found one she liked and clicked with.
While I never thought about it when I came up with the idea. I am just thinking of this for the first time now. I am curious how her discount card would work with actually buying a little. Like what is the base cost of buying a little?
12) Nothing dayton has done is enogh to keep her from owning a little from a legal standpoint. I do think Ezra wronged her and failed her as a teacher. But two wrongs dont make a right as they say.
13) That would be mean. Shes wanted a little for so long. I picture it in my head like getting your son or daughter a dog they really wanted. then they go to the store get things for the dog and they come back to find out you got rid of the dog.
Like dayton is no saint and has done her wrongs but thats cruel to do to a kid or teen
14) Well what he was doing before she considers tearing her apart as he wasnt doing that to everyone he was targeting her. Fair criticsm would be constructive criticsm. LIke its given with the thought and want of helping out. Kind of like you can provide constructive feedback to someone or you can be a dick about it. thats kind of what she is getting at. shes not saying he cant critcize or critque but he cant be a dick and try to tear her apart over it.
15) Legally that would be only option though given his situation. if had gone to a facility like a normal little he would have more options. But he chose this district situation which with the illegalties of that and the illegalaties of his teaching style. Makes the option slim.
16) I think if dayton carts him around like a trophy she will say something to dayton. Its not like she doesnt punish dayton for things.
17) Well he needed to be out of that situation some one would have to have to save him from that sinking ship but it didnt need to be dayton.
18) Dayton would be better then the SEA thats for sure. Dayton has rules buts its not the worst.
Not the best move for Ezra. I chalk it up to bottled up anger from grief and adjusting but still, mouthing off to someone’s mom isn’t ever a good idea. Little or otherwise
yup poking momma bear isn’t smart. She will always come out swinging in defense of her children. Even if its an over reaction it comes from a place of love.
I agree little or person. does not matter