{ #5 } Eclipse Of The Moon (MxM || 18+)

Chapter 9 - Treasure Hunt

Eclipse Of The Moon ~ Book 1 of Aaron
Chapter 9
Treasure Hunt

Wednesday 14 August 2002

"Aaron..." Raphael sighs, like he has been doing every morning of the past week.

Raphael is one of our tent's Sponsors. In his late twenties, a celibate who still hasn't found the perfect virgin he can marry – and a virgin himself from what he told us in previous conversations – Raphael is actually pretty cool. Of course, all his spiritual talk is boring as hell and I don't agree with much of what he tells us, but he is a nice person to speak with and when on a recreational activity with him, I usually have fun.

He is less uptight than Stephen, our other Sponsor. Stephen is twenty-one years old and a priest-to-be, so this simple fact says how strict he can be. Very involved in his parish in Richmond, he has told us a lot about his desire to enter the Clergy as soon he turns twenty-five. For now, he is still in college – attempting to reach a degree in theology – but as part of his preparation before he enters seminaries, he attends retreats and helps other youths. His rules are the strictest and he doesn't yield easily.

For some reason, Stephen was the one I went to when Andrew came up with this bed-height issue the day we arrived and his answer was a firm no when I asked if we could swap places. Thank God, Raphael was nearby and heard our conversation. He simply brought the subject to Mr. Patterson who agreed. I really didn't see where the problem was, honestly, but I'm glad it was sorted out before I could let my nerves make me lose control.

"Please make an effort and tidy up your place," Raphael orders, pointing at the mess of clothes lying over my duffle bag beneath Andrew's bed. "This is not only your space, I remind you. Please have some respect for your fellow companion. He doesn't have to bear with your mayhem. Besides, you know the rules and if Stephen interferes, he has already warned you of the consequences..."

True.

Most of the time, Raphael does the inspection of the tent in the morning but on last Friday, Stephen was in charge and when he saw my mess, needless to say I was in for a lecture and penance. Yes, penance... I was punished and had to do all the cleaning chores of the tent for that morning and he warned me that next time, I would be deprived of recreations and spend the afternoon with Father Nicolas to help at the chapel instead.

The threat should have motivated me to keep my space clean and tidy! Well, it has worked quite well, I have made efforts, but it seems like this is never enough and the Sponsors are never satisfied.

"I will do this right away, Raphael!" I reply eagerly, because I can't afford to miss today's outdoor activity!

We are leaving the camp around 10am for a huge hike in the forest and, Andrew and I may or may not have planned to get lost at some point this afternoon. You know... to do naughty things in peace.

It turns out that the 16-year-old cutie and I have grown really close in a week and a half's time and discovered that we have a lot in common, except for our size and personality. My little dwarf – like I like to call him teasingly when it's just the two of us – was raised in a strict Catholic family even worse than mine because he goes to a boarding school in Savannah. At least I got to pursue my education in public schools! From what he told me, our parents come from the same mold and stick to rather archaic beliefs and culture.

A strict religious culture and outmoded principles of discipline.

I believe this is the case of many more teenagers at the camp, but unlike them, both Andrew and I are misbelievers through and through and rebels at heart. Only to a certain extent because we are only 16 – almost 17 for me – and unfortunately, when you live in such families, you have to bear with their environment at least until you reach adulthood, unless you want to be severely punished on a regular basis or become a runaway child. Sometimes, I think I would like the second option better than having to deal with all of this, but Mark, Cam and Josh are really the people who keep me staying around.