“Because we love you guys,” Zach enthused in his bracing baritone, “and we honor the faith and determination you have shown today, we are about to give you all a very special gift. One that has never been offered in the history of the fellowship!” Zach was electric, his body gliding nimbly across the floor. The campers leaned toward him like iron filings toward a magnet, drawn by his charisma and the seduction of this “special gift.” Something had been taken from them today, but something big was about to be given in exchange, and they wanted it. “We all know that many of you have wanted to be Witnesses since you were kids,” Zach purred. “Maybe even Apostles. The next Burton Ames. The next Cleo Walker.”
There was no celebrity in Unitas, but Apostles Ames and Walker were universally revered. Cleo Walker died in a fire defending a village of new converts from vengeful members of another Tribe, and her exploits were legendary. No one, not even Burton Ames, had gone so far into uncontacted areas, at such risk to herself, to bring salvation to the un-Returned. A small chapel in the Arbor Vitae Temple bore her name, and more girl children had been given the name Cleo since the Apostle’s death than the census could keep track of. Ames had been on Walker’s Witness team and was her successor when she died. The fact that Zach had invoked the hallowed names of the two most celebrated Apostles in Unitas history was lost on no one. The campers surged to their feet, every eye on Zach. Even Gabi, Marnie, and Jordan had straightened away from the wall in rapt attention.
“Who here has that dream?” Zach shouted above the overlapping amens and hallelujahs now rising from both sides of the room. “Who here has ever dreamed of being a Witness—of serving God in the most blessed way possible?” Every counselor raised their hand, and slowly the campers joined in. Because they were in the back, no one could see that Gabi did not raise hers, nor did Jordan or Marnie. Gabi didn’t want to arouse suspicion about her motives for wanting something so beyond her. She also didn’t want to be made fun of for even thinking she had a chance. That was probably why Jordan kept his hand down too. Marnie’s reason went without saying. Witnesses had ruined her life.
“Right!” Zach bellowed, “That’s what I thought. We’ve got dreamers in here, dreaming big dreams! Well, we’ve seen what you all can do, and we want to show you that we believe in you!”
The campers jostled each other, pressing eagerly toward Zach. Ruth joined him in the center of the crowd, holding a microphone. Speculation on what “the gift” was going to be had raised the volume in the lodge to a roar, which the counselors made no effort to subdue. They’d finally reeled the campers back in, and they didn’t want to lose ground.
“Yes, we all believe in you!” Ruth shouted into the microphone as praise music pounded from the speakers mounted in each corner of the room. It was the popular band By His Hands singing their latest hit, “New Eden.”
“From separation into unity,” the song blared, “we have come. Oh, we have come. He commands the earth to bring us back to him, oh, oh back to him.” The music had a powerful bass, and everyone clapped along.
“Which is why,” Ruth said, “we, the counselors, are going to make a covenant with everyone here.” Someone turned the music down, and the teens quieted at Ruth’s hushed, conspiratorial tone. “What I am about to say can never leave this room. We place this trust in you and know you will honor that trust.”
Ruth has them right where she wants them, Gabi thought, envisioning a snake rearing back to strike. Not that Gabi was immune to Ruth’s spell. Whatever gift was about to be bestowed would be offered to her as well, and it was big. Her injured hands itched for it.
“We have decided to waive recruitment invitations for anyone here who wants to take the Witness exams,” Ruth declared. “You’ll have only ten days to prepare if you choose to sit in time for summer assignments, but you can defer a year if you like. Your spot will be held.” The campers gaped in shock. “That’s right, everybody here will be given a chance to test for a Witness position, pending consecration!”
There was a beat of silence as electric guitars reverberated through the hall and the news sank in, followed by disbelieving shrieks and ecstatic cries. For the first time ever, it would not only be the highflyers who got to test for the chance to be the next Burton Ames or Cleo Walker. This year, they were all chosen ones. Gabi, Jordan, and Marnie stared at each other as pandemonium reigned, each engaged in their own struggle between disbelief and hope. Ruth’s announcement changed everything.
Marnie’s expression was thoughtful. Calculating. For his part, Jordan simply looked at Gabi and nodded. This was an opportunity none of them could afford to waste. Whether a recruit passed or not, the status of having endured the examination would be an honor they could carry with them throughout their lives. They would be given noncompetitive status for college, vocational schools, and work assignments. No one outside of camp would know about the special dispensation. For most of them, the worst day of their lives had just become the best. In the end, all but three of the newly anointed campers ate, danced, and flirted with brazen confidence until drugged food and exhaustion drove them to their beds.
GABI’S EYES were gritty and blurred when she forced them open on Consecration Day. She was nowhere near rested, but her bladder ached from the liters of water she’d chugged before leaving the party with Marnie and Jordan. As she rose from her bunk, she grabbed her toiletry kit and headed for the
