I wake up to loud crying. I roll over and groan, mumbling a quiet, "Your turn," rolling back over and covering my head with a pillow.

Nobody moves. I sigh and get out of bed, rubbing my eyes. Who's idea was it to have children!?

Kelley is awake and at the door. He always appears when the children cry.

It's pretty unconventional, for a couple of Capitol parents to raise a kid on their own, wake up and care for them in the night. But… Well, let's just say that I don't always see unconventional as being so bad.

Usually waking up in the wee hours of the night is the Avox's job. But they're our children, and it's our job to care for them.

I pick up Deck.

Well, it's mine.

Solitaire's dead, after all.

It was really sudden, too. After Milonius was replaced by Snow, it was only a week or so before Solitaire was killed off. I guess he didn't like unconventional. He must not have liked how she ran things. I still have no idea why he wouldn't like her. She was a star. She dealt with what she needed to deal with. She took care of things.

Well… There was a specific instance in 36 where things didn't quite go according to plan. But she didn't tell me anything about it, and she said she had it under control… I trusted her.

I don't know why Snow was so adamant about having her gone.

Deck falls back asleep, his chubby little arms wrapped around my neck. Every day Deck and Singe do things that remind me of her. She used to bring them into work with her, every day, she never left them with Avoxes. That was our promise when we decided to have a child. One of them was expected, the other was a total surprise. The joys of twins.

Deck and Singe, named after two of Solitiare's most successful Arenas. Singe was named after the 37th Games, a volcano of lava that erupted on the tributes and left them gob-struck. The magma was so beautiful, though, and unforgettable.

Deck was named for Solitaire's first and greatest Games. The 36th Games were a hit. It didn't matter that none of the tributes wanted to hurt each other, the emotions were at a high and Solitaire used that to make the most relatable tributes of all time. And, of course, the unexpected victory of the Joker, Gio Piccozzi. He went around preaching his gospel that everything is possible, and became a beacon of hope and sunshine. So many people idolize him.

But then, so suddenly, she was just… Killed. I still don't know why.

I put Deck back in his crib, looking in the other crib to make sure Singe is still sleeping. Then, I go back to the master bedroom.

"Go back to bed Kelley," I yawn. I never thought I would've actually started calling my Avoxes by name. It's weird, what love does to you. It's especially weird when you were worst enemies with the one you love for no reason other than she whooped your ass.

I sit on the bed, and pick up the cards she used, still fresh with the handwriting of the tributes' names. I flick through them and I feel Kelley sit on the bed.

I miss her too. Would you like to play a game with me, Sir?

"Oh… Uh, alright… What do you like to play?"

War?

"Sure. You can sit." He sits cross-legged on the bed and I shuffle out the cards. War is a game that can take forever, but I have time. I don't want to go back to sleep.

I'm the one that's going to replace her. I've been replaced with a new young hot-shot named Caesar Flickerman. My green notebook sits under the cards, full of sketches of the next Arena.

I have everything I ever wanted. After all, isn't this the job I was trying for to begin with? All I ever wanted was to beat out Solitaire and steal her position.

I've dreamt of this day.

And it's hell.

I never wanted this. Well, maybe I did, back when I was young and stupid. I would do anything to have Solitaire back by my side. I would interview pretentious, intolerable, sarcastic, snarky tributes for the rest of my life if I could have her back by my side. Life's just cruel and ironic like that, huh?

My goal this year is to play it cool and just survive. If I just survive this year, I can peacefully retire and go back to my boys alive. Right now, I don't care about fame or glory. I only care about staying alive and being there for Deck and Singe. They need me. I'm a single father, and a pretty crappy one at times, but I refuse to let my sons be orphans.

If I can just make a simple, quiet, good enough Games, I can escape with my life and my family and not have to continue living the nightmare that killed the love of my life. That's all I need at this point.

Kelley and I flip cards and go back and forth for at least an hour before it's even remotely okay to get up. It's five or so, and I know Deck and Singe will be awake soon enough. Besides, today's my big interview day, right?

I send Kelley off to get ready for the day and wash my face, trying to wake myself up, shaving, and brushing my teeth. Then I get dressed in my nice suit and tie, and run a brush through my now dark red hair. Red like blood. They said this would be a good angle for me. I said that I refuse to have my hair the same color as Solitaire's, so we settled on a dark maroon.

I put my glasses on, and then I hear Singe screaming and go to take care of the boys. After all, after all Solitaire did to help them I can't just let the legacy stop. I take both of them, one on each hip, and put them both in their high chairs for breakfast.

"How about some bananas?" I go to the cupboard to get food, putting the babies into their bibs and trying to spoon-feed two very messy and very reluctant eaters at once. After breakfast, I put on the baby carrier, putting Deck in the front, and Singe in the back. Then, I take my bag with me, putting my pencils, notebooks, and supplies in, and head off to work.

It's going to be another horrendously long day.

A/N: Look at the summary to this story. Look at the word "PARTIAL." One of your tributes is not going to win. Don't like? Don't submit then. But don't review saying "nobody will submit if their tribute won't win." Because I know. And the fact still stands that one of mine will win. Please. Don't review saying that one of mine shouldn't win. Sorry if I wasted 1000 words of your time but really, please don't review saying it's dumb that one of mine will win. I still do everything for my submitters. Sorry this was super pissed-sounding, but last time I did this I got a couple of shit reviews and I want to avoid that.

Now that THAT's over, let me welcome you to Masque: The 42nd Hunger Games! This is somewhat a sequel to my other stories about the 36th Games and the 41st Games, but you don't have to read either of those to understand this, no worries!

So, the rules and form and junk are on my profile, so if you're interested please read those first. I'm sorry, but I won't be taking any Guest submissions.

I'm so very excited for this story and I hope you all enjoy the twist! If this is your first time flying on Celtic Airlines, here's how this goes: this story has a sponsor system based on points that you can earn in the following ways:

Favorite the story: 4 points.

Follow the story: 2 points.

Review a chapter of the story: 5 points. Answering a Chapter Question in your review gets five additional points.

Reviewing another one of my stories gets five points per story (not review, just per story though).

I think that's all for now about the points. On every chapter I have a question, answer it and you get more points. And trust me, those points build fast. Use them to buy objects for tributes you like, including your own!

Please check out the available spots/important info/rules on my profile! Stay tuned because it probably won't be long before I allow two per person! If you have any questions, hit me up with a PM! So, without any further ado, our first chapter question!

Chapter Question: How did you like the intro? Did you enjoy the look into Yin's POV?

I'll tell you all this: the 42 tributes are going to be NOTHING like the 36 tributes. Mine are going to be ready to kill, so yours better watch out. Yin's not going to have to force anyone to kill each other in this one. I can't WAIT!

Everybody please buckle your seatbelts! The flight attendants (AKA the Ponty, Dawson, and Vardaman) will be there shortly to offer you come complementary peanuts. We thank you for choosing Celtic Airlines! Prepare for takeoff!