Chapter Text
When Ezekiel Jones was first told he was being sent to Oregon, he had laughed and told the social worker that he was ready to meet all the west coast girls. And boys, for that matter. She had rolled her eyes and carried on with her explanation of where they were sending him, but he had tuned most of it out. It wasn't like it mattered, he wouldn't be staying there long.
The flight over and the drive there had been rather uneventful, since his social worker's laser hawk eyes and iron grip were on him the whole time. He still managed to steal four wallets, and put them back, just for fun. Took some money off the top, naturally, but it was more of an exercise in boredom than anything else. The most memorable part of the five hour drive was the scenery rolling past his window. Who knew somewhere could be so...tall and green? Even in New York, he had never seen this many trees and mountains in his life. The town they entered wasn’t the huge cities he was used to, but it wasn’t some tiny back road redneck nightmare. Which was a relief.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they pulled up to the house of his new foster guardian. Ezekiel forced himself to appear indifferent, even though his heart was beating out of his chest. He stuck his hands in his pockets as he got out of the car, hoping the movement would seem natural. In reality, it was to hide his shaking hands. As he meandered after his social worker towards the door, he made quick work of casing out the basics of the house. Ranch style, what looked like 3 bedrooms, two car garage. Split roof with a bedroom or something above the garage, windows peeking up. Easy to climb out of, with the large old oak tree in the yard. There weren't any flower or decorations in the yard or on the porch. The grass was neatly cut, though. The house was painted a matte gray with white trim, and vaguely achromatic stone texturing over certain parts of the porch. There were three security cameras out front, Ezekiel noticed. Not quite hidden, but not in plain sight. Not super expensive ones, but not shitty ones. It made sense, since there was a cop car parked in the parking lot. But he’d already known this woman was involved in the law.
As they moved closer to the door, Ezekiel felt his skin crawl and his stomach churn. the urge to bolt grew stronger and stronger, and he struggled to control it. The door opened after his grouchy old social worker knocked three times, to reveal a smiling, beautiful blonde woman. Her hair was pulled back into a tight teacher bun, and she was wearing casual jeans with a plain blouse. Minimal makeup, but just enough to highlight her features. He couldn’t quite place her age - not young, but she looked like it. What Ezekiel noticed the most was the way she carried herself. With purpose, authority, strength. It made him want to turn on his heel and run as far away as possible. This house looming in front of him felt like a giant bear trap.
“Hello! Come in, would you guys like some water? It must have been a long trip.” The woman greeted, smiling widely. But her eyes were sharp, flicking over them as if it was instinct to gauge their presence. More than just a cop, Ezekiel guessed. Ex military. Fucking amazing.
“Thank you so much. It’s so good to see you, Eve. How have you been?” His social worker, Freya, said happily as she stepped inside. Ezekiel followed, flashing his biggest, most shit eating grin at Eve. He saw the appraising flash of her eyes, as she took in everything about him. All without missing a beat.
“I’ve been good, just working, and getting ready for Mr. Jones here to call this place home, I hope.” Eve said, pulling the door closed behind them. Ezekiel languidly moved forward, looking through the open doorways to the living room, dining room, kitchen and the hallway that lead to a stairwell. A few picture frames, some flowers, no knickknacks or anything like that. Books neatly stacked on the end tables next to the couch. Everything was tidy and organized, and he wrinkled his nose slightly at it before turning to Eve with another wolfish grin. He shrugged carelessly, reaching a hand out to absently run a finger along the wall.
“Home? I wouldn’t count on that, love. Sure a nice unit you got here, be a shame if someone robbed you off, wouldn’t it? Good thing you’ve got those security cameras, nice taste. ” He said brazenly. Eve’s smile faltered, and she cocked her head a little. Freya cleared her throat awkwardly, and they headed into the living room to finish talking about everything. Ezekiel didn’t do much talking, other than to give snarky answers to every question given to him. Eve Baird seemed...like someone who could go either way, nice or mean. Ezekiel decided then he wouldn’t let himself find out either way.
“I’ll be going now, thank you so much. Ezekiel, do you need help carrying your stuff up?” Freya asked as they walked her to the door. Ezekiel shook his head, walking past them to the door.
“No, I’ve only got one bag. I’ll go grab it.” He said, heading quickly down the stairs of the porch and out to the car. He pulled his bag out of the car and sighed, squinting up at the house again before he went back. He slowed down as he walked up the stairs, because he could hear voices. The door was slightly ajar. He crept forward as quietly as possible to hear what was being said.
“...every two weeks for the first few months, me or someone else will be by to see how things are going. You’ve got all the numbers if you need anything, and the number of the Reynolds, right?” Freya was asking. Ezekiel froze, blood running cold at that name.
“Yes, I’ve got it all. Don’t worry, I’m more than a match for Mr. Runaway. Thank you for this chance.” Eve replied.
“You might regret putting such a fight up over this, Baird. Even Jonathan and Maria were on board with sending him to the correctional facility to straighten him out, and you know them. They wouldn’t just give up unless he was a lost cause.” Freya said, her tone changing slightly.
Lost cause. That’s what he was. He clenched his jaw against a strange surge of emotion. It wasn’t like this wasn’t everything he already knew.
“Nobody’s a lost cause when they’re just a kid, Freya. He’s just a tough nut to crack. The fresh Oregon air will do him good, we don’t have anywhere for him to run here. John and Maria have done so well by so many foster kids, maybe it’s time to give them a break. I mean, they raised Ivy Leaguers for christ’s sake.” Eve replied firmly.
“Exactly. They took kids from way worse situations and lifted them up that high, I’ve seen them perform some god damn miracles. But...you just can’t help someone who doesn’t want help. But, you seem confident, so we’ll see. Maybe you’ll be what it takes to knock that kid down a peg. I’ll be in touch.” Freya sighed. Ezekiel took this to mean that the conversation was over, so he quickly backed up and then started forward as if he was just walking up. Freya opened the door all the way just as he was reaching for the handle. He smiled at her and stepped to the side politely so she could step past, swiping her wallet from her jacket pocket as she did. She smiled and waved as she walked off the porch and down the driveway. Eve came to stand next to him in the doorway, and the wallet was suddenly being ripped from his own pockets before he could blink.
“Freya! You dropped this!” Eve called casually, holding the wallet up. Ezekiel blinked at her in surprise. Freya turned around, and Eve tossed her the wallet. Freya caught it fairly easily and called out a thank you, before getting in her car and driving off. Eve crossed her arms and turned to give Ezekiel a smug smile.
“You’re pretty quick, kid. But I was in NATO. I’m the big leagues. From here on out, being a petty criminal isn’t gonna fly. Not on my watch.” Eve announced, turning and walking inside. Ezekiel followed her, shutting the door behind her.
“Well then it’s a good thing I’m not a petty criminal, ain’t it?” He said, smirking. Eve rounded on him, raising an eyebrow.
“And what exactly is that supposed to mean, Jones?” She asked.
He pretended to look affronted, putting a hand to his chest. “Why, it means exactly what it does, Baird. I may be a runaway and a criminal, but I never lie.” He said sincerely.
Eve looked him over, nodding. “Maybe. But not telling lies and being honest are two different things.”
Ezekiel furrowed his brow and pursed his lips thoughtfully, giving her a look. “No, I’m pretty sure they mean the same thing. Rather a straightforward definition of honesty.”
Eve huffed. A smart aleck to the bone. This ought to be fun. “You’re room is upstairs, the third door to the left. The one with the window overlooking the street, that’s super easy to climb out of and onto the tree. But I’m sure an honest fellow such as yourself wouldn’t use that to your advantage. Now, what would you like for dinner?” She asked.
“How good is the pizza in this town?” Ezekiel asked. Eve grinned, shoulders dropping.
“Oh, thank god, I’m a horrible cook. I know just the place. What do you like?” Eve asked, pulling her phone out of her back pocket.
“Anything that doesn’t have pineapple or anchovies.” He replied.
“Pepperoni and sausage it is. Go unpack, it should be here soon. I’m sure you’re tired after that trip, and you’re starting school early tomorrow.” She said. Ezekiel blanched.
“Really? So soon?” He asked, surprised.
“Yup. I’m the school officer. You’re already registered, and I’ll be driving you every morning. Although, the school is only a few blocks away. It’s a good school, you’ll like it.” Eve said with an upbeat tone.
“Yeah, says the chick who works there. What makes you think you know what I like?” Ezekiel asked, feeling a slight lash of anger.
“You’re smart.” Was all she stated as a reply.
“Street smart.” He countered in indignation. “I’m not some bookworm.”
Eve just shrugged and walked into the living room as she put the phone up to her ear and began to make the delivery. Ezekiel just stared after her for a moment, perplexed. Then he shook his head and started up the stairs.
HIs room wasn’t huge, but it wasn’t tiny. There was a small closet, a bed with white and blue bedding that looked super comfortable, a nightstand and a window seat underneath the big paneled windows that jutted out over the slanted roof. Ezekiel set his bag on the floor next to the bed, and walked to the window seat. He pushed his hand against the cushions. Pretty nice.
The glass was clean, all except a few specks smudges on the outside. Even though it was only a two story ranch style house, the window gave a fairly good view of the winding neighborhood. A bunch of mismatched styles of house, framed by an abundance of different types of trees. More evergreen trees than he was used to, for sure.
He hadn’t wanted to show it down there, but he was actually exhausted. He’d spent the entire trip on edge, trying to hid how terrified he was. He sagged a bit, sighing as he sat down in the window seat and put his back against the wood. He looked out the window at the slowly approaching sunset. The golden disc was casting a pinkish glow along the dark ridge of the horizon. He’d seen the sun rise over the ocean, all the time, back in Eastern Australia and on the East coast of America. But he’d never seen it set.
He promised himself then, that when he ran away from here, he’d go west. There were always great places to hide and steal on the coast. He’d been told that the Northwest had cold beaches. Washington was above Oregon, right? Seattle was on the coast. Maybe he’d go North. Seemed like a good place for a lost cause like him. Maybe he could find a way to get to Hawaii, or somewhere tropical and full of tourists. At the very least, he just wanted to get as far away as possible.
Far away from what, he didn’t wanna think about right now. Or ever. That was in the past, and as long as he kept running, he’d find someplace he didn’t want to run away from anymore. Somewhere he finally felt free, to steal and get as rich as possible, where nobody could ever hold him back or lock him away again.
No, he wouldn’t be here long. He had learned his lesson many times over. Leave before they hurt you. Maybe this time, those pesky social workers wouldn’t waste their time coming after him.
“Jones?” Came Baird’s voice through the door, followed by a knock. He whipped around in slight surprise, having been lost in thought. He blinked. She knocked. That was a first. He got up and crosses to open the door, putting on his best smile.
“Here you go.” Eve said, handing him a rather nice looking bag. He took it, and pulled it open. There was a laptop, a laptop cord, a bunch of spiral notebooks, a pencil bag and a graphing calculator. He stared up at her.
“This is a nice laptop.” Was all he could say.
“It’s the digital age. I haven't gotten you a phone yet, though. What kind do you like?” She asked, as if everything she’d just given him where the most normal things in the world. Ezekiel pulled his phone out of his pocket.
“Uh, I've already got one.”
Eve raised an eyebrow. “I'm going to go ahead and warrant a guess that I don't need to ask about your service plan.”
Ezekiel grinned. “It's the digital age indeed. But, really, you don't...buying me over isn't going to help.” He said.
Eve’s expression fell into a slightly annoyed look. “I don't buy people over. I’m your Guardian, now. Taking care of you includes giving you the things you need to succeed. In something other than stealing, that is. Take the win, Jones. It didn't even cost that much, I know a guy. It's already logged into the wifi, please try to refrain from cybercrime as well. I will know.” She told him firmly.
“I'm sure you will.” He replied. She gave him a pointe look, before turning away.
“I'll be downstairs if you need, and we’ll watch a movie when the pizza comes. I hope you like action.” She called over we her shoulder. Ezekiel watched her go, clutching the bag, not sure how to process all of this. After a moment of her absence, he slowly shut the door. He turned away and pressed his back to it, frowning down at the possessions in his hands, and then up at his new room. The last dying light of the sun was peaking through the window, casting rays of contrast into the space.
This was surely a Trojan Horse. He would be gone before he could find out the nasty truth behind such a pretty facade. That didn't mean he couldn't have a little fun while he was here, though.