The Challenge: Fire & Fate

16

It's late afternoon, and the gym feels like a pressure cooker.
Weights clank, jump ropes snap, treadmills hum — and nobody's really training. We're all pretending not to wait for Fire's nomination list.

Kam's stretching beside me, calm as always.
Marcus is on the bike, tapping the pedals like he's buying time.
Cory's doing push-ups between jokes.
Theresa's pacing like she's trying to wear a groove into the floor.
And Jenna? Jenna's sitting on a yoga mat beside me, cross-legged and smiling faintly.

"Why are you smiling?" I ask.

"Because if I stop, I'll panic," she says cheerfully.

"Fair."

Kam chuckles. "We're coping through denial. Classic Earth move."

🎥 Confessional — Kam (Team Earth)
"We've got balance — brains, brawn, and breakfast. But when Fire's in power, that balance feels like walking a tightrope."

In the backyard, Fire's holding their "strategy meeting." Which means Devin's pacing, Bananas is being dramatic, and Tori's trying to mediate like a therapist who's overworked and underpaid.

Bananas: "We need to make a statement. No boring picks."
Tori: "Or... we could not start a war."
Devin: "Pick threats, not allies. It's math."
Xavier: "Math's not the issue. Consequences are."
Maya: "We can't keep hitting Water. They'll implode."
Bananas: "Exactly why we hit Earth."

Tori groans. "I swear, you make chaos sound strategic."
Bananas: "It is. Look — Kam, Theresa, and Sienna. From Water: Laurel and Ava Reynolds."

Devin drops his notebook. "Hold on, hold on. Sienna?"

Bananas smirks. "She's too comfortable. Too connected. Everyone likes her."

Devin: "Yeah, because she's decent. You ever tried that?"

Bananas: "Nope. Works for me."

🎥 Confessional — Devin (Team Fire)
"Sienna's like a little sister. She makes coffee for everyone, she's kind, and she doesn't play dirty. Bananas going after her? Dumbest move of the season."

When Fire announces the picks, it's like someone dropped a bomb.

T.J. reads them out: "Kam, Theresa, and Sienna from Team Earth. Laurel and Ava Reynolds from Team Water. Air, you'll choose two of your women to go in — and they'll each pick who they want to face."

The air shifts. People murmur, whisper, exchange glances.

Kam squeezes my hand.
Cory mutters, "Hell just froze over."
Jasmine whispers, "Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry..."
Leroy just says, "Let's get through tonight."

🎥 Confessional — Sienna (Team Earth)
"I knew my name was coming eventually, but hearing it? It's like getting hit with cold water — fast, loud, and impossible to ignore."

The rest of the day feels like a movie montage gone wrong.

Marcus tries to cheer everyone up with protein pancakes.

Jenna helps me prep a big dinner, calling it 'morale food.'

Kam helps Jasmine braid her hair while giving calm pep talks.

Leroy and Cory wrestle in the yard for stress relief.

Devin swings by from Fire, grabs a piece of garlic bread, and mutters, "If you go home tonight, I'm flipping Bananas' mattress."

Maya apologizes quietly. "I didn't vote for you."

Tori hugs me. "Stay calm, Teach. You've got this."

Even Xavier stops by, half-grin in place. "You'll smoke her. You always do."