The Challenge: Fire & Fate

19

Some mornings feel calm.
This one feels like the universe woke up and said, "Let's start a fire."

Literally, because Devin's burning toast in the kitchen again.

Kam groans. "You can start drama without starting smoke, Devin!"

"It's a metaphor!" he yells, waving a spatula. "Fire won! I'm celebrating!"

Cory mutters, "We're all gonna die of irony."

I grab the extinguisher from the counter. "You're one headline away from 'Reality Star Accidentally Torches Alliance.'"

Devin grins. "That'd still trend."

🎥 Confessional — Sienna (Team Earth)
"Devin's like a human sparkler. Bright, chaotic, a little dangerous — but impossible not to love once you realize he means well under all the sarcasm."

The kitchen's packed.
Marcus is brewing coffee like it's a competition.
Jasmine's gossiping with Kailah over toast.
Jenna's helping me cook real food before Devin burns the rest of the house down.
Kam and Cory are whispering about Fire's strategy.
And Leroy's leaning back against the counter, calm as always, watching the madness unfold.

"Anyone else feel like today's gonna be messy?" Kam asks.

"Messy's Devin's love language," Cory says.

Devin: "Excuse me — strategically unpredictable is the term."

Leroy smirks. "Same thing."

Jenna laughs. "You guys should just put that on a t-shirt."

🎥 Confessional — Kam (Team Earth)
"We said we'd align with Fire — but that meant Tori and Devin, not Bananas. If Bananas is driving the bus, I'm getting off at the next stop."

Across the house, Fire's meeting in the lounge — Bananas pacing like a man who thinks in bullet points.

"All right," he says. "We can't pick Air, so we hit Earth or Water. Three names. Thoughts?"

Maya: "We don't need enemies this early."

Ava: "We already have enemies."

Tori sighs. "Can we not go after Earth? Kam and Sienna are the reason we haven't been targeted yet."

Bananas smirks. "So we make it interesting."

Devin, sprawled across the couch: "We make it strategic. You know, that thing you used to do before you discovered chaos."

Bananas: "You've changed."

Devin: "I'm friends with nice people now. It's disturbing."

Tori laughs. "He means Sienna."

Bananas rolls his eyes. "Fine. We won't touch Kam or her crew. Yet. Water then — Zach's an obvious threat. And Marcus from Earth."

He pauses, grinning slyly. "And... Jackson."

The room goes dead silent.

Tori's eyes widen. "You're joking."

Maya frowns. "Why Jackson?"

Bananas shrugs. "He's too comfortable. He's charming, competitive, and everyone likes him. That's dangerous."

Devin sits up. "That's not strategy. That's self-sabotage."

Bananas: "No, that's ratings."

🎥 Confessional — Devin (Team Fire)
"I'm not protecting Earth because I've gone soft. I'm protecting Earth because Kam scares me and Sienna bakes. You'd make the same call."