Chapter 1011

"Come back here," Neumann calls, pointing at the ground in front of him. Midnight appears again in the corner, dismissing her shadows, and dashes back over, smiling her delight.

"Are you seriously encouraging this?" the Captain murmurs, shaking his head and heaving a big sigh.

Neuman doesn't reply, instead narrowing his eyes at Midnight. "Are you smart?"

"Plenty smart," she says, giving a sharp nod.

"Where were you educated?"

"My yurt."

Neumann pauses for a moment and then moves on. “Do you have advanced chemistry and mathematics?"

"Nope!" Midnight says, tucking her hands behind her back and giving her head a firm shake. "But Ariel says she will tutor me all summer and I'll be ready for the fall."

"All right," Neumann murmurs, his voice dropping low, his mouth drawing to a thin line. "Let's quiz you, then, to see if you have the mental capacity to enroll in this school. If there are eighteen bananas and six coconuts that you need to split between a pack of baboons and another of monkeys who are at war, how do you split them up to effect piece?"

"What on earth does that have to do with her capacity for espionage?" the Captain blurts out, exasperated.

"I want to see how the girl's mind works,” Neumann murmurs, keeping his eyes on Mids.

Midnight cocks her head to the side, her eyes squinting in thought. "I'm afraid that I need more information to solve this puzzle."

"Such as?" Neumann asks.

"Such as...what is a coconut?" Midnight says, fastening her eyes seriously on his face. "And I need to know whether or not in can be used as a weapon."

Neuman's face spreads into a wide smile. "It can."

"Then I take all the coconuts for myself, to enforce control," she says, her mouth spreading into a wicked smile. "And all the monkeys and the baboons recognize me as their King. And I give bananas to my favorites to ensure their loyalty."

Neumann laughs a little, clearly delighted with the girl, and then turns his head to the Captain. "I mean, if she can pass through the Candidate stage, I definitely want her."

The Captain rolls his eyes as Midnight eagerly bites her lip. "I'll pass!" she says, nodding, eager. "I'm sure I will! I'll kick all their butts!"

"I look forward to watching your progress," Neumann says, leaning forward to her with a friendly smile.

"All of this is out of order," the Captain growls, glaring around at all of us. "We cannot have children and unenrolled girls living in the Castle - it's an impossibility

"Well, I'm actually not sure that that's a huge problem," Jesse calls from the window. Curious, I turn to see him with a huge smile spreading across his face.

"What?" the Captain asks, his face falling at the evidence of a new undesired surprise.

"Come here," Jesse says with a laugh, waving us over.

Marigold, leaning towards the window, gives an excited little shout. Baffled, I glance up at Jackson, who just shrugs at me, and then together - followed by Midnight, Neumann, and the Captain - we head over to the window, all peering out together.

"Oh my god!" I gasp, my hands immediately flying to my mouth.

A moment later tears start to spring to my eyes and I spin away from the window, dashing for the door.

"Mom!" I call, running across the lawn at the base of the castle. "Mom, are you kidding me!?"

She turns, a huge smile spreading across her face, a laugh breaking from her as she sees me coming with my entourage of family and professors following behind.

"Hi baby!" she calls, waving to me.

But I barely have time to look at her, distracted instead by the four houses that are being removed from their spots on a train with the aid of several trucks and complicated machines.

"Oh my oh my god," I whisper,

fascinated and thrilled as I stumble to her side, watching the most adorable tittle cottage being lowered to the flat grass. "Did you are you bite my lip, desperately wanting one of the little houses to be for me but hesitating even to ask.

"Oh, of course it's for you, darling," Mom says on a laugh, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she wraps me up in a hug. I shriek with joy, hugging her back as I feel Jackson and the rest catching up with us.

"But why are there four!?" I whisper.

"Well, you didn't think I was going to

let you move to the Academy and not let me have daily access to my grand-daughters for the first year of their life, she says, pulling back to look at me like I'm insane. "Plus, my little Goldie-girl needs her grandma too!" she says, stepping close to Jacks to press a kiss first tonoveldrama

Marigold's cheek and then his.

I gasp, delighted, my eyes flooded with tears. "Mom, that's too much!"

"It's just enough, baby," Mom says, turning back to me and cupping my cheek in

her palm as Jesse and Mids come to joins us.