"Okay. Which is the next available Saturday for testing, and is it the same Port Angeles site?"

"This weekend. And no, it's in San Francisco. We can get you airfare, business class."

"Oh. I guess I can fly out after school Friday? It's a long drive to the airport so if you want me all day Saturday that's what I'd do, I assume you'll comp the hotel too?"

"Hotel, parking, meals, taxi while you're in San Fran if you need it, all of it. We can just organize the hotel booking too, if you don't want to fuss with getting comped later."

"That would be convenient!"

"I'll get it expedited, then! I just have to confirm name, address, phone number, email all match up. Hotel requires it."

She can recite this information.

"Okay, just a sec..." Typety typety. "Any other questions in the meantime?"

"Not a problem that I'm seventeen? Do you need me to call back with my dad to hand for his permission or anything?"

"-Oh, right. I hadn't gotten to that screen yet, yeah, if we're booking the hotel for you we need a parent or guardian's permission. I can email you a form to sign. And definitely if you get selected, and aren't 18 yourself by then. For the day trip itself, no, though."

"I'll be 18 in September."

"I see. Okay, sent you the hotel permission."

"Great, I can get him to sign that after his shift."

Further logistics later, Bella shows up to be tested of a Saturday.

There's a short orientation; The people here are excited at the idea of being ageless (several are old), excited about magic, excited about another world, anxious about the test.

There's a really rather excruciating written test with eclectic, almost random, subjects. Wrong answers are much worse than blank answers, but some questions have an option for 'this is how I would go about finding the answer' for reduced credit. And then a nice lunch in the cafeteria.

Bella has read lots of eclectic books but not the exact subset this test happens to draw on! She will leave answers blank or describe a research process when she has no idea.

In the early afternoon they have various kitschy team exercises like logic puzzles, escape rooms, a couple business negotiation type scenarios, which-of-these-three-building-plans-is-least-stupid analysis tasks with made up information, that kind of stuff.

One of her teammates for the last thing is really loud and annoying. He has an engineering degree so he should definitely be in charge, after all.

Well, he could be a plant, or just an annoying guy, but either way she isn't going to rise to the bait. She's seventeen and does not have the charisma to take charge of their team. She instead assigns herself notetaking duties and writes up pro and con charts and mostly doesn't try to talk around him so much as point things out to other parties in the group silently with the eraser end of her pencil.

The rest of the group sours on annoying guy pretty quickly. They can finish the task without anything resembling a fight breaking out.

Next up, time to meet Joe Henson, who was previously selected for this back in '97! He's sitting there at a conference table, looking surprisingly ordinary despite the blue sclera and hair, just kind of sitting there sipping on a can of Sprite. Her group is the first one in.

Magic dude! "Afternoon!"

"Afternoon, guys! How're you liking the boot camp?" He waves and chuckles. "So yeah, I'm here to answer questions. Ask away!"

"Why are your eyes blue?" Someone asks first thing. "Is that going to happen to us?"

"Nah, personal choice. And I'd be surprised if even one of you makes it honestly. Just the math of it, no offense."

"Do you make it to Earth often?"

"Oh, once every couple of months? I got an arrangement for weekends in Vegas. Aside from these quick hops I mean, I'm only here for like an hour to talk to you guys right now."

"Can you show us any magic?"

"Oh, sure. Everyone always asks, but it's seriously difficult on Earth. The air's heavy like you wouldn't believe, it's oppressive. So come close, I'm not doing this twice."

People scurry close. He focuses and cups his hands and- Nothing seems to happen, but the others ooh and aah.

"- I didn't - see? - was I looking the wrong way -"

"What? Ugh, maybe. Even cheap-ass illusions barely work here. Here, again. Look close now."

Now that she's expecting it, there's a little ballerina figurine made out of light spinning and flickering slightly above his hands. Or is there?

"Oh, this time I saw something, thanks."