Matilda Wormwood

( Because it might come in handy. )

First-year university is busy.

More so when you're six years old and generally regarded by your classmates as a sort of joke, the punchline of which will be coming any day now.

Nevertheless, Matilda studies determinedly. At first she's sure she'll need Milliways to complete all her homework and assignments - that was the original plan, after all. But once she's settled properly into the swing of things, she finds it's often easier just to spend a few extra hours at the library.

Time passes.

After the first month, everyone slowly stops waiting for the other shoe to drop. Most people start ignoring her. Others ask to borrow her notes, especially in Linguistics. Then to be her lab partner. Then to be her friend.

With a jolt she realizes that it's the Christmas holiday, she's finished with all her exams, and no-one's told her to run along back to her parents since before Halloween.

Tilda decides it's only proper to celebrate this with Miss Honey via the creation and consumption of vast quantities of delicious waffles.

Matilda comes dashing out of a closet in a way that suggests her entrance ought to be accompanied by trumpets.

Miss Honey is used to this sort of thing by now. "And what did we learn today at the end of the universe?"

"Oh- astrophysics, mostly-- a little dimensional, but that's not the point. I want to learn to be an electrician!"

"A noble cause if I ever heard one. What brings this on?"

Matilda gives her adoptive mother a glance of distracted snark. "I'm not any good at it. And it's interesting. And I've got these brilliant designs for all kinds of machines, I've been reading up on how all the bits and pieces work, but I can't seem to get them properly together when I try."

"So you need parts to experiment on, is that it?"

"Exactly. I've got a list here of everything I'll need for my first few, I wrote it up on the off chance I could get it from Milliways, but it doesn't look like Bar does that kind of mass supply--"

"I'll see what I can do the next time I'm in Cambridge about your application."

"Oh, thankyouthankyou I'm going to go make you some waffles." And with a still-distracted hug, Matilda is off to the kitchens.

---

"...You want what?"

"Everything on the list. It's for my daughter - she's taken an interest in circuitry."

"Excuse me, ma'am, but how old is your daughter? You look hardly old enough to have given this world a college graduate, if you'll excuse my saying."

"She's adopted. Can you sell me all that or not?"

"I'd have to order it in. You'll have it by Wednesday. Is that good enough?"

"Plenty. Thank you so much, sir."

---

The delivery arrives during a picnic breakfast outdoors, courtesy Chef Tilda.

"That's a big box."

"Good luck carting that upstairs," says Miss Honey teasingly.

"It's worse than that. I'm going to be working on this stuff out back of Milliways. Fear not, though, I can lug it up to my room in bits and then pack it out project by project."

"It never ceases to amaze me what a resourceful little girl you are."

"...Eat your pancakes, Mummy."

28 flavours of Tilda.
1. Naughty Tilda [DONE]
2. Happy Tilda
3. Sly Tilda
4. Angsty Tilda
5. Poorly-Sick-And-Dying Tilda
6. Highly-Caffeinated Tilda [DONE]
7. Tilda as a pregnant man. TAKE THAT, BETHAN. [DONE]
8. Excited Tilda
9. Book-Reading Tilda
11. Jealous Tilda
12. Kidnapped Tilda
13. Caring Tilda
14. On-Her-Knees Tilda
15. Obedient Tilda
16. Eating-Pie Tilda
17. Naive Tilda
18. Shocked Tilda
19. Greedy Tilda [DONE]
20. Daring Tilda
21. Exploring Tilda
22. Swimming Tilda
23. Creative Tilda
24. Eating-Lunch Tilda
25. Exhausted Tilda
26. Falling-Down-A-Lot Tilda
27. Making-Stuff-Go-Splodey Tilda
28. Kickass Tilda

[Matilda discovers what it's like to be Bound, and now she must find her room.] ( Cut for length. )