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full of temptations when life lays it before you like a seductive platter. He tried to do with the church youth what he tried to do to her, which was to turn them into dour adults before their time. It was a miracle to Naomi that he finally came to a place in his life where he admitted he was wrong about something. In this case, the admission had probably saved his church; every teen who climbed on board smiled at the Rev. Eric Feagans.
    Naomi sat back in her seat, feeling slightly jealous. She would only admit to herself that his attention to her moral character had made her feel special. Today she would have to share him with a dozen other young people. But she was an adult and would be working beside him, and that set her apart. So it would still be a good day.
    They were the first ones to arrive at the lake. The surface glistened like a piece of shiny glass. It looked cool and inviting on a day that was already growing ridiculously warm before noon.
    The kids spilled out of the bus past Naomi, who waited in the seat behind Eric. He told her they would be the last ones off and would pick a couple of teens to help with the unpacking. He let her select and she chose a tall, pimply boy named Mark who'd cracked jokes the whole way to the lake and a girl named Beth who was looking as goth as her parents probably were willing to allow.
    "Cool! I gotta job," Mark said. Beth just sighed heavily as she followed the taller boy, the chains at her hip slapping against pale legs that stuck out from beneath oversized black shorts.
    It took two trips to lug everything to the water.
    The packs of water and chips were placed on a nearby picnic table along with the sunscreen and bug repellant. The kids dropped their towels there, too, and with everything unloaded began to strip down to their swimsuits.
    The Rev. Eric Feagans followed suit, pulling his t-shirt over his head to reveal a well-muscled chest. Naomi forced herself to look away as she began to strip down to her suit.
    "No way !" A girl next to her stood staring at Naomi in shock. Everyone turned to stare along with her.
    "What?" Naomi asked.
    "Your tattoo. That's crazy! You're the preacher's daughter, right?"
    They were staring at the falling angel that graced her right shoulder.
    "Yep, sure am," Naomi replied quietly as she folded her shirt.
    "So what's that mean?" It was the first time Beth, the Goth girl had spoken. Her voice was soft and slightly monotone. "Is it like a fall from grace or something?"
    "Yeah, something like that." Naomi smiled.
    "We'll need to take up a collection to get her another tattoo showing the angel climbing back up," the Rev. Feagans said. "Just because an angel falls doesn't mean it has to stay down."
    Naomi looked at him gratefully.
    "She's got another one here!" A pretty blonde girl with the flattest stomach Naomi had ever seen was pointing to her leg. "It's a thorny cross."
    "Wicked..." Someone said.
    "OK." The Rev. Feagans clapped his hands together. "Are we going to stand around staring at the new youth counselor or are we going to swim?"
    "Swim!" the kids shouted in unison. But as they ran past her several looked back at Naomi with admiration. Naomi sensed that she'd passed some sort of test among the teens. She wasn't so sure about Rev. Feagans.
    "Sorry," she said, removing her jeans.
    He was reaching into a bag and pulled out two whistled. One he hung around her neck and the other he handed to her.
    "For what?" he asked.
    "For being such a spectacle," she said.
    "Look," he said. "I already knew about your ink. If I'd been worried about it I wouldn't have asked you to come, or I'd have insisted you cover up. But I told you, it's no big deal. In fact, I think it makes you more acceptable to the kids."
    Naomi smiled and then looked down at the whistle.
    "What's this for?" she asked, turning it over in her hands.
    "Mob control," he said. "If someone's getting out of line or playing too rough in the water blow your whistle. They won't hear you if