Val's eyes widened as Dayyan held out the rod to him. No one had told him that he would be one of the students considered. He had never thought he was... worthy of something as prestigious as a<i>scholarship. </i>But, tightening his jaw, he took the rod from Dayyan. Like the other students had done, Valentine closed his eyes and focused. He drowned out all the other noise until he could hear just his breathing. He heard several confused mutters and exclamations, but did as Dayyan had instructed; focused.<br/>He couldn't help, however, to sneak a peek at what the rod was doing. Inside the orb, a steady and strong glow of a bright green flared, like the flame of an enchanted candle. It pulsed in time with his heartbeat, which sped up at the sight before him.<i>Green like my eyes, green like my magic in my mind. </i><br/>Val liked the color green. It was warm and gentle, so different from the snow that he'd lived in his entire life. Maybe, if he was picked to go to White Castle, he would get to see green grass in a place other than a picture book.<br/><i>Please, let Annie be able to go too. I might not survive White Castle without her. </i>