Project Archangel Book One: The Conspiracy Project

Chapter 22

The following morning was filled with packing up our belongings and getting ready for the ring ceremony and then the long bus ride home, after lunch of course. Mercedes was freaking out about her dirty clothes touching her clean ones, but honestly, that wouldn't be an issue if she hadn't packed a week’s worth of clothes for a two day and one night trip. I was just ready for this retreat to be over, so I could be with Michael again, wherever and however I wanted.
“We're all going to leave our luggage and personal belongings here in the cabin while we take a hike,” Mrs. Rachel announced as we finished packing everything up. “After lunch, we will return to the cabin to get our things and then wait for the buses to arrive in the gymnasium. Any questions?”
No one spoke.
“Alright then. If we're all packed up, let's get going.”
Everyone tossed their luggage onto their beds, and some of the girls put their hair up in ponytails for the hike. Having shorter hair than most girls, I didn't have to worry about that. I couldn't put my hair up even if I wanted to, so I just pinned back my bangs and followed the rest of the group out.
We met up with everyone else at the cul de sac, and everyone broke up into their groups of friends while the leaders passed out special Promise Ring Fling water bottles, already filled. I found Michael and Levi easily and approached them.
“Hey, Babygirl,” Michael greeted with a smile.
“Hey, Trouble,” I replied, falling into step beside him.
“Have you seen Jess?” Levi asked me.
I shook my head. “I'm sure she's somewhere in this sea of people though.”
He nodded in agreement and looked around. When he saw her, he excused himself and ran off. A moment later, he returned with Jessica, and we followed the rest of the team, headed by the leaders, into the woods.

---
A good portion of our hike was spent walking uphill, next to a stream going downhill, holding onto a rope. I wished I could just go downhill like the stream, but at least the trip back would be all down hill. Luckily, the trip wasn't too terribly long, and we made good time getting to our destination which was, as Levi promised, the Fellowship Chapel. The sun was just rising when we arrived, filling the chapel with a red-orange light. While everyone filed in and the leaders got things set up, I approached the stone railing to look out at the sunrise over the mountains. Michael approached on my right and leaned forward against the railing, also looking at the mountain sunrise.
“It's really pretty, isn't it?” I said softly.
“Yeah,” he agreed. “It's beautiful. Like you.”
I looked at him and smiled. “That was so cliche, Michael. Sweet, but cliche.”
He gave me a smirk. “You love it.”
I shrugged and turned my gaze back to the mountain peaks. “Yeah, I do. I love everything about you.”
“And you said I was cliche.”
I smiled to myself. “You know, this chapel would be a really nice place to get married.”
Michael looked at me. “Married? To who?”
I shrugged and smiled. “Whoever wants to put up with me for the rest of our lives.”
He looked back to the sunrise. “That wouldn't be too hard. You're pretty easy to deal with. You're just bored.”
I looked at him from the corner of my eye. “What's that supposed to mean?”
“You're just looking for excitement.”
“Maybe.”
“I'd like to be that guy, if you don't mind. The one who wants to put up with you for the rest of my life.”
I gave him a surprised look, but he was still looking at the mountains. His cheeks were a faint pink.
“I'd like that too, Michael,” I said quietly. “But Michael...”
“Hmm?”
“You have a lot of secrets, and if you really want this relationship to last that long, you're eventually going to have to tell me the truth.”
He sighed. “You're right. I know that, and I hate keeping secrets from you, but there are some things I just can't tell you right now. One day, I'll tell you everything. I promise.” He looked at me. “Before we really even start considering marriage.”
I smiled faintly and nodded.
“Just bear with me for now, okay? I'm sorry.”
“I trust you, Michael. You said you would never break a promise to me.”
“I won't.”
“Okay.”
We were quiet for a moment before he sighed and muttered. “Well, are you ready for this?”
I looked at him, and his gaze was on the scenery before us. “Ready for what?”
He looked at me with a grin. “To swear away your life on a ring.”
I laughed quietly. “I wouldn't say that exactly.”
“What would you call it then?”
“I don't know. Maybe promising to remain pure? Like everyone else calls it?”
He shook his head. “Nah.”
“Besides, it's just a ring. If I really want to, I can take it off.”
“Or just wear it anyway.”
“Is that what you're gonna do?”
He shrugged. “Maybe. Depends if I like the way it looks or not.”
I smiled and shook my head.
“I'm just here for you. I don't believe in all that purity stuff and promising yourself to God. I believe in enjoying your life however you want to. But all that matters to me is that you're happy.”
“Are you happy, Michael?”
He was silent for a moment, thinking about his response. “No. I'm happy with you, and I'm happy that I met you and your friends. I'm happy that I can afford to buy you stuff, but the rest of my life is just a big ball of black and gray misery.”
“Why?”
He started to respond, but Mr. Wes interrupted everyone's conversations.
“Now that the sun has mostly risen, it's time to begin our ring ceremony! Everyone will divide into their usual groups, aside from the following people, who will, unfortunately, need to sit out because they are clearly not ready for the commitment that this ring requires. Andy, Karla, John, Barbie, Dave, Brianna, Tanner, Taylor, Jane, and Riley.”
One by one, the named teens took a seat on a bench that was pointed out to them at the back of the room.
“Sorry, Kids,” Mr. Wes called. “Maybe next year.”
Mrs. Rachel took the mic. “As for the rest of you, line up before your leader single file, and you will be rewarded for your hard work and commitment to this seminar and to God.”
Michael and I exchanged glances. It seemed a bit messed up to single people out like that. I honestly felt bad for them, especially if they had parents who were worried like mine. We approached our leaders and got in line as they began passing out the rings and giving each of us a certificate and a mini monologue about how great our commitment was. I looked down at my hand to see that I was wearing the ring Michael had bought me on my wedding finger, and I quickly took it off and put it on my right ring finger before any of the leaders could say anything about it.
When the ceremony came to a close, everyone was asked to take a seat for one final sermon before we headed back. 
“We just want to thank everyone for being a part of this great seminar,” Mrs. Rachel said aloud. “Your commitment and love for God is outstanding, and you will be rewarded for all your hard work on your wedding day. In the meantime, however, we just want to remind you kids what is and isn't acceptable, now that you all have your purity rings.”
She gave the microphone to Mr. Wes, who already had his Bible opened. He thanked her and began to address us. “We already went over several scriptures on purity and the importance of marriage, but one thing we didn't cover as extensively is self pleasure.”
“Oh my god...” Michael groaned from beside me. Levi was on the other side of him, and his face nearly matched his hair.
Mr. Wes didn't hear him and kept talking. “Now, many of you may have already experienced this, but we have told you many times that self pleasing is a form of impurity and should be avoided at all costs. Now that you have made the commitment to remain pure, you must not indulge in these worldly behaviors.”
After that, he went over several scriptures that he somehow translated to mean what he was saying. After that, he went into other verses about honoring God with your body, which included no tattoos or piercings.
By lunch time, we finally started back to the camp. When we got there, everyone was permitted to talk and hang out by the lake or in The Lodge while the leaders grilled burgers and hot dogs for us on the patio outside. Most of the other kids were hanging out inside or on the dock. The rest were in various groups around the lake. Levi, Jess, Michael, and I were in our own little group at a good distance from the others, sipping drinks while we waited for the food to cook.
“These Jesus retreats always suck, but hanging out with you guys has made it better,” Levi said aloud. “Usually it's just me and Jess.”
“Yeah, at first I was skeptical, but you turned out to be pretty cool,” Michael agreed.
“Maybe we can trade numbers or social media and hang out again sometime,” I suggested. “We go to the same church, so we must live close to each other.”
Jess nodded. “That's a great idea.”
We traded information, and Levi held up his can of caffeine free soda. “To our friendship.”
“To our friendship!” the rest of us echoed, tapping our cans together.
We stood together and talked until the food was ready and everyone could get some. After eating, we were all released to go get our belongings and then wait in the gymnasium for the buses to return. Several people were using the basketball hoops, but there was one available.
Levi picked up a ball. “Hey, Michael, wanna play?”
“I'm not much good at sports,” Michael replied awkwardly. 
“I'm sure you're fine.”
Levi threw the ball, and Michael caught it easily, which seemed to surprise him for a second.
“Me and Jess against you and Kelsey,” Levi pressed.
“Hey, don't drag me into this!” I exclaimed.
Michael tossed the ball back to Levi. “Fine. Let's go.”
Jess and I exchanged concerned looks. I was guessing she didn't know anything about sports either.
I shrugged. “They say you've just gotta keep your elbows in.”
She shook her head. “This is gonna end terribly.”

---
About halfway through the game, Michael called out “time out!”
He threw me the ball and took his hoodie off, leaving it on the floor by the basketball goal. He jogged back over to us, while Levi took off his jacket as well. Once Levi rejoined us, the game continued.
I had never seen Michael so active, but watching him running around with his bangs drenched with sweat and a playful smile on his face, I couldn't keep from smiling myself. He looked sexy. How had I ended up with the hottest guy in school?
The rest of the game mostly involved Jess and me standing awkwardly until the ball was passed to one of us. We would then dribble it for a few seconds before throwing it back to our partners, who took care of all the really fun stuff, like scoring. In attempt to involve me in the game more, Michael tried to pressure me to score at least once, but the ball hit the rim and fell to the ground. Levi ran for it, but Michael got there first and threw it back to me.
“Try again!”
I threw it again, and it once again bounced off the rim. Levi and Michael both dove for it, but Michael reached it first and knocked the ball back up and into the goal. Just as the ball hit the ground, a loud whistle rang out. Everyone turned to face Mr. Wes, the source of the whistle.
“Buses are here,” he announced. “Finish up what you're doing, use the bathroom if you have to, and let's get going.”
Michael picked up the ball and tossed it to Levi with a grin. “We win.”
Levi smiled and shook his head, tossing the ball into the opened closet. “We'll play again one day.”
Both boys grabbed their jackets, and we used the bathroom and left to board the buses.

---
“Well, this wasn't the worst experience of my life,” Michael said aloud as we took our seat on the bus. Levi and Jess had ridden to camp on the second bus, so they had been required to take the same bus back.
“You mean you didn't have a ton of fun?” I joked.
He smiled. “Well, my idea of fun is being with you, so yeah, I guess you could say I had fun.”
I blushed. “Yeah, at least we were together.”
“And the rings look kinda cool.” He looked down at the ring on his wedding finger.
The ring in question was a stainless steel band with a cross engraved in the top of the band and the abbreviations for some notable scriptures engraved in the underside. The rings looked the same for everyone.
I looked down at my ring as well, then the one on my right ring finger. I held up my right hand. “I like this one better.”
Michael smirked. “Me too.”
The driver got the confirmation to go, and we began moving, finally going home after our long weekend.