Ruth was calling all the campers to the center of the clearing, but Gabi remained rooted in place.
“So the Witnesses are hurting people?”
“Not all of them,” Marnie said as she took Gabi’s arm and pulled her toward the circle. “It’s the Apostles, mostly, since they make first contact. There’s a reason they’re trained for combat.”
There was no time to question Marnie further, as Luke, Beth, Ginny, and Zach herded the team toward Ruth. The head counselor once again looked sweet and fresh-faced, all signs of ugly fervor banished. It was time for the campers to face their obstacles.
Each camper-mentor pair was asked to split off from their team and join others who had chosen the same obstacle. This year’s exercise was a new component of Consecration Camp. Mathew had heard rumors of it from some of his old camp buddies and had asked Gabi to report back on the specifics. Gabi’s group, Weak Faith, was the smallest, consisting only of her, Luke, a watery-eyed boy with stooped shoulders from Poplar named Troy, and his mentor, Ursula. Apparently few campers wanted to be identified as having Weak Faith, even though Ruth assured them that no negative judgments would be made based on the obstacle chosen.
After each of the five groups was formed, they struck off in separate directions, following the narrow trails that led away from the clearing. Like the points of a star, Gabi thought, as the shiny pentagram scar on Marnie’s torso rose unbidden in her mind. Due to her whirling thoughts, Gabi barely noticed where her group was going as she followed the backs of Luke’s sneakers ahead of her. The implications of Marnie’s story were clear. The Tribes were not, as doctrine indicated, evil savages abandoned by God. They weren’t even “Tribes” at all. Nor were the Witnesses all sainted saviors anointed by the Will. If Gabi did manage to get recruited, would she become a part of something that was even worse than what she was trying to change? Granted, it wasn’t the Witness work itself, but the opportunity to find someone who might help her expose the council that she sought. Besides, Marnie had assured her that it was the Apostle-led special teams rather than the regular crews that were responsible for carrying out vile acts. There was no way she could make an elite team. Mathew could make it someday, maybe, if he ever changed his mind about being a councilmember, but never she.
By the time the Weak Faith group came to a stop, Gabi was full of fresh resolve. If anything, Marnie’s story made finding a way to expose the council even more important. So when Luke pulled a large bedsheet out of his backpack, directed Troy and Ursula to stand across from him and grasp the edges, and asked Gabi to climb up on top of the seven-foot boulder in front of them, she didn’t hesitate. She would do exactly as she was asked and do it well, no matter what.
“Okay, folks, let’s get started,” Luke said, his handsome face alight. He was even more attractive in the speckled light of the glade, but without the subtle drugs in the food warming Gabi’s perceptions, she didn’t get all swoony like she had the night before. “But first, I have a confession to make.” Luke peered at them through his eyelashes. Ursula looked like she wanted to dive under the sheet and invite Luke to join her for some unsupervised physical contact. Troy just stared uncomfortably at Gabi, apparently having already surmised that whatever she would be asked to do, he was next. “We, your devoted counselors, played a trick on you this morning,” Luke admitted. “All of those obstacles on the list? They boil down to the same thing. Weak Faith, Selfishness, Lack of Will, Fear of Losing Control, and Insecurity are all about trust. It’s a lack of trust in our worthiness to serve God. When we trust that our actions on his behalf are blessed, then his Will strengthens us. We become capable of all things in his name!”
Luke’s voice was absurdly bombastic given the size of his audience, but Ursula and Troy were transfixed. Maybe it was the height or the dispassion of her bird’s-eye view, but Luke’s sermon didn’t touch Gabi. She did make sure to nod, though, and smile at Luke whenever he looked up at her, raising her hands in a gesture of supportive praise. It felt silly and fake, but his beaming response told her the ploy was worth it. “You, who have identified your biggest obstacle as Weak Faith,” Luke went on, favoring Gabi and Troy with a tender smile, “suffer as no one else suffers. You don’t believe, because you still hold to the idea that you, and not God, are responsible for your lives. Until today, that is. Today, that burden will be lifted.” Luke fluttered the sheet, and Gabi’s heart fluttered along with it. “This group is small, and that’s actually perfect. It will force your faith to rise higher to meet the challenge.”
Luke instructed Ursula and Troy to pull the sheet taut and looked expectantly up at Gabi. Her palms were damp, and the ground seemed to yawn away so she felt as if she were staring into a deep gorge. Luke’s face shone with encouragement, but Gabi had the urge to smack it nonetheless.
“Now, Gabi, I know that from where you’re standing, it seems impossible that the three of us could catch you, but I’m asking you to see through the eyes of faith. Once you surrender, there is nothing to do but trust. If God feels your faith, he will catch you. He will strengthen our arms and cushion your fall. Do you understand?”
She did understand, but hitting Luke still felt like a very good idea. How could a couple of crazies like Ruth and Luke be allowed to run the show at Consecration Camp, shepherding unsuspecting youth
