I stared straight into the fire. I didn’t know what it was, but the flames were so mesmerizing.
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I took a deep breath today. I had made a mistake.
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And it almost took the life of my Kípaté.
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A door opened behind me.
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I thought I was the only one awake. I hugged my knees closer to my chest, hoping whoever it was wouldn’t see me.
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Too late.
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Dripp sat down beside me, not looking at me but instead following my gaze into the fire.
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“You really messed up today.” He mirrored my thoughts.
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I decided not to say anything.
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“It could have been so much worse. You never should have gone against Toast’s plan. And you never should have left your fellow Dahnté behind. We are all Kípatés. No one gets left behind.” He looked at me now. His stare clearly stated the dire seriousness of the situation.
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I swallowed. I knew that now. “Yes.”
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“Our Objective is to survive. Not to win.”
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I nodded. “I understand.”
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He calmed back down then stared back into the fire. Pulling something out of his pocket, he handed it to me without looking.
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I grabbed it from him and studied it in my hand.
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A Call badge.
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The Call badge had a single flame on a black background.
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Dripp took a deep breath then looked back at me. “You have a fire. But you have to learn to control it. If you don’t control it, it will burn down the Shack. But if you control it, it will be beautiful.”
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I couldn’t believe it. I finally got my Call name.
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“Now you’re an official member of the clan, Flame.”
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