AN: So, I know that I've got a lot on my plate right now. I've got two stories that I NEED to finish by May, but I've had this idea swimming in my head for a while and I need to put it out there if I'm ever going to be able to move passed it. So, here it goes. An AU Hunger Games piece that takes the Games to a different reality television level. Tell me what you think and if I should continue. THANKS!

Mockingjay Lullaby

The sun began to peek through the trees and Katniss Everdeen indulged in the first breeze of the morning, her lungs filling with a crisp freshness unparallel to anything else. She watched as light began to fill the woods with life and relaxed into the soft grass at the weeping willow's trunk. The first moments of the morning were always her favorite and tranquility crept up her entire body with the rays of the sun. Closing her eyes she began to hum.

Her mind drifted back to years before, in the wee hours of the morning when she and her father would come out together and begin their day. They would always venture from their small home into the woods so they could fish and gather fresh product from nature, before returning just in time to have breakfast with her mother and sister. It was a simple routine, one that allowed them fresh air and fresh meat in the moments when they would hunt. But in the mix of their bonding through conversation and laughter her father would also sing.

His voice had always been deep and comforting, like a large bowl of chicken noodle soup on a cold day, filling her with warmth and satisfaction. He always sang lullabies, soft and gentle and she swore that all of nature became silent just so they could hear him. He taught her songs about love and life, songs of myths and old legends and soon enough their voices would intertwine together until they became one and almost coaxed the sun into it's place in the sky.

But those days, of course, had been before everything changed, been before her father's accident; before her father's death. Now, only her voice rang out among nature, never really silencing anything, in her opinion, just paling in comparison to his. Yet, there were moments, when the breeze was just right, that she swore she could hear him join her, like he had never left. And that was one of the reasons why she continued their morning ritual, at first alone and then sometimes with Gale. Those rare moments when she could almost feel him close by made up for all the times she knew that he was never coming back.

Breathing in a sigh she opened her mouth and began to mumble the lyrics to a song her father used to sing, gaining clarity and volume with every passing moment.

"Deep in the meadow, under the willow, A bed of grass, a soft green pillow
Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes, And when again they open, the sun will rise.

Here it's safe, and here it's warm, Here the daisies guard you from every harm
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true, Here is the place where I love you."

The sound of clapping brought her out of her reverie and she shot up, catching sight of Gale only a little ways off, applauding. In an instant she scowled and waved him away. "Don't sneak up on a girl like that Gale, especially one with a weapon." She held up her bow and sheath to him, adding to it a painfully sharp glare, but he looked at her unfazed. Instead he stepped toward her, a teasing smile on his face. "Sorry Catnip, but, come on, you know I think your voice is beautiful. It would be disrespectful not to clap for you."

Katniss rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Save your lines for your groupies Gale because this is one fish that will not take the bait."

It was Gale's turn to roll his eyes as he reached out a hand to her and helped her up. "It's not a line and besides, who says I would want to bait you anyway? You may have a beautiful voice, but it gets suffocated by your sarcasm. Thankfully, I love you in spite of that, so lucky you."

Katniss scoffed, "Yes, lucky me."

Gale grinned, "Good, so we agree."

The two laughed as Katniss shoved him away and shook her head, "Come on Casanova. Let's hurry and see what we can catch. Prim's insisted that I be home early for the Review. She's completely wracked with nerves and wants me close by to keep her sane."

Gale nodded, stepping carefully through the brush as they approached one of his snares from the evening before. "Do you think she'll get it this year?"

Katniss shrugged and shook her head, "Who knows. I mean, she's clearly the most intelligent and ambitious out of her class, but the Review is for everyone. She's going up against others who are older than her and, as advanced as she might be, they've been preparing longer, some of them know what to study. But if they do pick her it still won't ensure that she'll get the scholarship. She'll just end up competing against the tributes from the other districts and if she loses to them then she can't go under review again. At least if she doesn't get picked this year then there is always when she's eighteen and the Games come back."

"And what about you?" Gale asked, letting his hand trail over the thing string snare he had set up and check the tension. "Are you going to try this year?"

Katniss scoffed and shook her head, "What? No. When have I ever said I would?"

Gale sighed and turned back to Katniss, his brow furrowed in concern as he stepped to her. "I know you've never wanted to, but…come on Catnip, you've got talent. You could easily get through the Performance Review, get yourself into the Games this year and maybe even win! Then Prim wouldn't have to try and win a scholarship to a good school because you could afford it."

"First off, I don't want to go through the performance review. I don't want to sing for the Games this year and me competing for Prim would be the same as Prim competing for herself. At least if she gets into the Academic Game this year she could compete for herself and she'll want it a whole lot more. She won't resent it like I would. And besides, the Academic Arena is the easier one to control. Even if I wanted to, you know the Talent Arena is more of a popularity contest. I stand a greater chance of losing than Prim does if either of us were to compete."

Gale sighed and shrugged, "I guess you're right. It's just, it doesn't hurt try. I mean, who says you both can't put yourselves in the running this year, huh? It'd Better your chances of getting that money."

Katniss didn't respond, but Gale hardly waited as he continued on toward his next snare. With a sigh Katniss followed, but her mind stayed fixed on the conversation at hand. It was true, there was no harm in both of the Everdeen girls competing, but the prospect of Katniss having to perform through the Performance Review was enough to make her sick. She had never wanted a life outside District 12, not like Prim did. She had never wanted her music to be for anyone but herself. But then again, she would do just about anything for her sister.

Her thoughts then trailed to the Reviews themselves, the first round of a time honored tradition in Panem, where the Capitol gave a chance to the youth within the outer districts to gain a different and, in their opinion, better life. Every four years the Capitol would send representatives to administer Reviews in four categories: academic, performance, athleticism, and skill. Each Review would consist of it's own customized testing, but, at the end of each, one citizen, between the ages of 13 to 21, from every district would be chosen to represent in the Hunger Games. At the end of it all only one winner in each category would be awarded a full scholarship of money and education, meaning that they were practically ensured a future. To some, it was the only way to get out of the District.

The Capitol broadcasted the games on consecutive days so that everyone could tune in and support their tributes. It was a source of entertainment as well as a dream maker. But Katniss had never felt the draw of competition in that way. She liked her life, she liked her woods and her routine and she could do with watching from the sidelines. She didn't need to ever leave District 12.

But of course, her younger sister Prim was different. Prim was smart and ambitious. She wanted to be a doctor, to heal people and make her mark on the world. But being from District 12 brought obstacles, such as the lack of access to education. The top schools that could offer Prim the courses that she needed were all in the districts closest to the Capitol, if not the Capitol itself. For the application process alone she would have to go to one of those elite schools if she wanted to stand a fighting chance. But even if she could convince Katniss and her mother to move in favor of going to school they could never afford the move or tuition, not as the daughter of a small town Healer and a the sister of a game shooter. So, for Prim, the games were her only option.

So, ever since she had turned ten and fully realized what the games could do for her chances, she poured herself into her studies. She knew that she didn't have the natural ability or special trade necessary for the other three categories, but could run laps around anyone else when it came to intellect. She wanted to be a healer, she wanted to go to school in the Capitol and the Hunger Games were her only chance.

Katniss worried about the devastation that would befall Prim if she were to fail. She gave so much of herself to her training that she lost the time to truly enjoy her youth. But she couldn't deny her sister of her dreams. She could only hope that the better life Prim had in mind would prompt the odds in her favor. Otherwise, she didn't know what would become of Prim or if she would be able to protect her sister from herself.

The rest of the morning went on without talk of the Games. Gale seemed to understand that it was useless to continue arguing with Katniss and that maybe it would be best to leave the Games talk for the rest of the week in order to save the purity of the morning, for which Katniss was grateful.

His snares had caught three squirrels and a rabbit, while Katniss was able to shoot down a rather plump wild turkey just as the morning bell rang. They headed back in towards home in a comfortable ease until they could feel the rumble of anxious applicants getting up to make their way into town. Katniss sighed and shook her head, just as the two came up to the gate that separated her property from the woods. The Reviews always started with an introduction in the square, then an announced outline of how Review week would progress. It never changed, was always the same, but tradition was never skirted in Panem, especially when it came to the games.

The first day was for Skill Review. Those who believed their particular trade, invention, or offering to society was a worthwhile investment to the Capitol would present in closed quarters and gain either a "yes" or a "no" in regards to their consideration. The next day was set aside for the Academic testing, the five highest scores ensuring a face to face interview with the Reviewers, which would help determine who the Academic tribute would be. The third and fourth days were for the Athletic Reivew, consisting of an open obstacle course and a capability test, while the fifth and sixth days were set aside for Performance Review: a closed audition where applicants would display their performing arts talent to the same panel of reviewers before being told, just like skill review, a "yes" or a "no".

On Sunday, was when the results of the reviews were announced, not only to the entire district, but all of Panem and the four tributes would immediately be sent to the Capitol to prepare for opening ceremonies.

It was always an eventful week, one that held an air of tension and excitement. Celebrations for luck and best wishes constantly in play, but as Katniss turned toward her own home, catching sight of her sister at the sill of her window, head bowed, hands folded, eyes closed, she couldn't help but sigh. Prim was praying and Katniss knew that, no matter how exciting Review week was, for Prim it would be nothing but nauseating. She shook her head and cast a glance at Gale who had also caught sight of Prim in the window. He met her gaze and shrugged her shoulders, "Let the games begin."

AN: So, a little different. Definitely a completely different Games here, but...it's an interesting one. I kept coming back to the idea of the games being a blood bath. Our society today is a constant blood bath. People are trying to succeed and sometimes that can get uglier in the real world than the gory survival of the fittest game that the books portray. I hope that it all makes sense. It makes sense in my head, but anyway, if reviews are bad I'll probably just scrap the piece or keep it for myself. We'll see. Review and let me know what you think.

-scribbling_wordsmith