One could feel the tension rippling through the crowd as the judge consulted his list. Any moment, the winner would be announced....
"The champion of the eleven to thirteen year old divsion is...Val Lightning!" he announced.
The crowd roared as Val walked up to the judge. She shook hands with him and collected her trophy. Otto turned tail back to the ocean, head hung in dejection. Val didn't notice. The shoobies who had come to watch the contest were asking for autographs or photos. In the background, she heard Sam and Reggie chanting, "Go, Val! Go, Val! It's your birthday! It's your birthday!" (Though Val couldn't see it, they were doing a little dance, too). When Val had finished up with the shoobies, she walked back to her friends. Twister gave her a high five.
"Way to go, Lightning girl!"
"How about we celebrate with a round of banana splits?" Sam suggested.
Val cocked her head, thought about this, and replied, "I could go for some ice cream."
"Me too," Twister agreed as he put his camera back in its camera bag. "My heart is growling."
Val tipped her head back, laughing a clear, musical laugh. Twister gave her a confused look.
"Why are you laughing?" he asked. "My heart really is growling."
Val didn't reply. She carefully slipped Twister's necklace off and held it out to him. Twister gently placed a hand over hers.
"It's yours now," he said.
Val smiled and put the necklace back on. Shyly, she gave Twister a kiss on the cheek.
A/N: Sorry about the wait between chapters. I've had terrible writers block. Please review!