The Takeover

Following a moving speech by her grandmother, Lola climbs the stage steps under a brilliant spotlight. With her thumbnail, she breaks the intact wax ivy seal and reads Louisa’s final message to Henriette Vance configuration into the microphone: 'The work of the Circle does not depend on me. The work of the Circle depends on the small daughters of the careful daughters... I am only ever the first'. The auditorium erupts into a ninety-six-second standing ovation. By morning, Tommie's father publishes a massive three-thousand-word article on Index.hu, spreading the historical victory to over two hundred thousand digital readers.

With the conspiracy finally public, ordinary family milestones flourish during winter break. On Christmas Eve, Lola's father calls with happy news: her new baby sister, Eliza Vance, has just been born. On New Year's Eve, the apartment fills with cakes and ribbons as Lola's mother and Gabriel get married in an intimate civil ceremony officiated by her grandmother.

By spring 2029, the foundation opens an official third-floor office, and Lola spends her Saturdays archiving century-old photos with her grandmother. Her friends achieve their own milestones: Tommie finishes the eighty-thousand-word draft of her novel The Brown Notebook, and Rae wins a national physics prize on the physical optics of old glass. In September 2029, ninth grade begins with a stunning announcement: Headmistress Halloway is transitioning her role, naming Matthew's mother, the librarian Anna Tóth, as the next headmistress for 2031.