Chapter 15: Jill Wilson

AN So here's Jill! And all I can say about her is, well, she's my favourite one so far! You'll see why. Anyways, enjoy! Cheers:)

Katniss smirked. "The greatest lumberjill who ever lived, eh? Johanna might have something to say about that."

Peeta chuckled. "Well, last I checked, Johanna didn't make her own violin and use it to lure other tributes."

Katniss blinked. "Wait, what?"

"Ah, yes. The violinist girl!" Haymitch had shown up again, a little soberer now, but he still looked like a mess. "I remember Jill. Her music was wonderful! Shame she died just before the Quell."

It was a strange thing, winning the Games with a violin, and Katniss still thought Peeta and Haymitch were just messing around. Little did she know, Jill Wilson went down as one of the most entertaining tributes in the history of the Hunger Games.

Jill Wilson

District 7

Aged 16

4 Kills

To say that Jill was a brilliant violinist would be an understatement. No, she was the best violinist in all of Panem! It had all started as a small project. She would chop down some wood each day and managed to accumulate enough wood to craft a small violin and a bow. Despite her rather busy schedule with school and woodcutting, she managed to find a small pocket of time to showcase her skills in the Hassan Greenwood Square, named after their living mutt rider legend of a Victor, of course. The crowd became so entranced by her music, they began dropping coins in front of her, not that she complained. Even the peacekeepers were impressed, sometimes inviting her to perform at their bars for some cash. But her biggest fan has to be Hassan himself. Walking around the square, he could hardly blend in, especially not with all the people surrounding him with questions and autograph requests. To be honest, he didn't even need to come to the square. All he had to do was call the delivery guy over to bring him groceries. But no, he still came, nearly every day, because in the heart of the square was a young girl with the most beautiful music he'd ever heard in his life. "That was amazing," he told her after she had performed an entrancing, mystical tune.

Jill seemed a little flustered. "Thanks, Mr Greenwood."

Hassan laughed. "Call me Hassan. You should perform in the Capitol one day!"

Jill smiled sheepishly, beaming a little. "I don't know if I could, though. Maybe. Perhaps one day I'll get the chance? " She would get her chance. Very soon. Because that stupid escort just had to pull her name from the Reaping bowl. As she walked as calmly as she could up the stage, the district was engulfed with rage. They were taking their best musician to her deathbed! Even the peacekeepers seemed furious. Everyone was shouting, screaming about how it was unfair and she deserved better. The escort quickly pulled out a boy's name. Elm Dearing. That caused even more outrage. Elm was their best painter! The escort had no choice but to flee the scene as angry mobs started chasing after him. Jill gritted her teeth. She felt bad for the escorts. He was just doing his job. Then again, his quirky attitude was utterly annoying, but still, if neither of them came home, he would probably get axed, literally. But this was her chance to play in the Capitol. One, final song before potentially getting slaughtered in the arena. And she would savour the moment.

Draco was livid. The girl from Four, River, was a strong, crafty tribute. He'd specifically told his tributes not to allow Fours into the pack, since Mags was so damn smug about it, but no, the last two packs had blatantly ignored him. So he'd done the one thing he always knew how to do. Following Snow's suggestion, he'd marched up to Deus and Minera, glared at them right in the eyes and hissed, "If those Fours make it out of the Bloodbath, you will not get any sponsors, you hear me?" The pair gulped and nodded briskly. He sneered. "Good. I want you to make that River girl wish she'd never been born!"

The first thing Draco did upon arriving at the Capitol was to go look for Snow. His ever-reliable drinking buddy and fellow schemer. Sure enough, he found him at a local bar, with paparazzi already waiting to pounce on Draco. They knew his movements, and they wanted that autograph! He gave it to them willingly, wriggling his eyebrows confidently and showing them exactly why he was the greatest Victor of all time. He wasn't like the rest, scared, wimpy and reduced to wee little crybabies. No, he was a strong, proud citizen! Snow grinned, passing him a glass as the paparazzi left. "So, any attractive tributes?" he asked. "I couldn't watch the Reapings."

Draco nodded. "Cash and Pearlyn, the Ones, obviously. And there's Luna from Eight too." He showed her the photos of all the tributes, pointing out the potentially useful ones as he went.

Snow scratched his chin. "Watt from Five looks like he might bring us some cash too. And that boy from Seven. Wait a minute," He scrunched his nose, squinting at the girl from Seven. "I've seen her! I think she was on a Capitol special on District Seven. She's a brilliant violinist! Oh, and she's quite pretty too."

Draco grinned. "If my tributes don't win, reckon she'll be a good investment?"

Snow gave his usual dark, sinister sneer. "Yes. Jill Wilson would be simply wonderful to have around..."

Thank goodness there was a violin in the Tribute Centre. After all, Jill had to practise before her grand finale! Or hopefully her warm-up show. Jill slapped herself. "Stop it," she hissed. "All you need to do is put on a good show and go home." She picked up the violin, and began playing. Outside, her haunting melody could be heard all across the entire Tribute Centre. Even Draco seemed impressed. The District Seven escort, however, was not.

" Ugh, those district scumbags think they're so good, when in fact, even our dear President can-"

"Oh, shut up," Tigris, Jill's stylist snapped. "She's brilliant, and certainly better than the President!" Then, an idea clicked into her head. A smile crept onto her face as she dashed to get the design ready. She was going to make District Seven simply astonishing. Jill, in particular, was going to outshine all the Careers!

Ravenstill watched, a little bored by the Tribute Parade. Many of the outfits were simply ridiculous. At first, he'd had a good laugh about it with his ministers, but now, it was just plain annoying. The Ones were dressed up as royalty, the Twos were dressed up as mighty vikings, and the rest of the stylists had sort of just given up. He nearly barged when he saw the Fives dressed as electric sockets. SOCKETS! He made a mental note to fire that idiot of a stylist. He was just about to complain to Minister Ray, when all of a sudden, a rather lovely melody entered his years. "What the-" Perplexed, he turned and his jaw dropped when he saw the girl from District Seven dressed up as an elven princess, and playing the violin in front of a screaming crowd. Her district partner, dressed up as an elven Prince, was painting the finishing touches on a painting, before hoisting it into the air. It was that of the Tribute Parade going on in front of them, and the sheer speed and skill, it stunned him. "Minister Ray?" he squeaked, still stumped. "Place a bet on a Seven victory."

Deus didn't think too much of her. The big brute from Two was more focused on tormenting River from Four, per Draco's instructions. It seemed, the excellent spear thrower was also a very sensitive person. By the time he was through with her, she was already running straight for the elevator. He cackled, leaning back and watching smugly as Minera did the same with the boy from Four. He smirked. Draco had given them a job, and they were going to finish it in style. The boy was following River's footsteps, bolting for the elevator, wailing miserably. Deus glimpsed Jill, that show-off from Seven, watching pitifully as he went. She was at the knife-throwing session and was pretty decent at it. But Deus didn't care. All he cared about was that she had dared to upstage him in the parade. She had attracted more admirers than he had. She was going to pay dearly with her life. He stomped over to her. Minerva and the pair from One, a snooty, self-entitled pair of twins named Cash and Pearlyn Carmichael, followed him, hands on their hips, casually wielding weapons. "Hello, Seven." Jill had the nerve to ignore him, instead choosing to plunge a knife into the target. She smiled, satisfied by this. Deus grabbed her wrist. He could feel the anger burning inside when all she did was give him a bemused look. "You dare disrespect me? I am the pride of Panem, you fool!"

Jill rolled her eyes. "And I'm the best musician in Panem. So?"

He pushed her back, glaring down at her. Well, he would be glaring down at her, if she wasn't as tall as him. Instead, he settled on looking her in the eye with the coldest stare he'd ever given. "When I find you in that arena, I'm going to chop your body up bit by bit, then carve your face..."

"Oh, shut up," she grumbled, prying her wrist away. Deus was momentarily stunned. How had she been able to break free of his famous Iron grasp? As it turned, out, chopping down trees since a young age had its advantages, and Jill was by no means a pushover. "Look, I'm just trying to practise, okay? Leave me alone and go bother that Watt kid from Five instead." With that, she proudly marched away, deeming her knife-throwing skills good enough, and headed over to the knot tying station. Deus seethed with rage. He was going to make her death extra painful. "I claim her kill," he declared.

Pearlyn nodded. "I'm fine with that, as long as I get her district partner over there." She gestured to Elm, who was busy painting himself at the camouflage station.

Deus nodded in agreement. Jill was as good as dead, but for now, he decided to focus his attention on the small girl from Eleven, who was cowering in a corner as he approached, a rather savage look on his face after the encounter with Jill.

Hassan was anxious. Elm had gotten a four, so most hopes of him winning were dashed. But Jill, she was different. She'd already admitted the Careers were mad at her. Plus, she deserved to be in the bright lights, a girl bathed with fame, not a girl bathed with her blood. He'd heard just how magical her music was. He would never forgive himself if he had that pure, raw talent go to waste. Jill's face appeared on the screen. Hassan held his breath. Please be good, please be good. She needed sponsors! "Jill Wilson," Bartomeus read out. "With a score of eight." He grinned as Jillian smiled smugly at the screen. Elm shook her hand, clearly trying his very best to seem genuinely pleased for her. Hassan was delighted. The silly, broad grin on his face, he knew what was coming. He would finally have a Victor!

Jill beamed at him. "Well, that was surprisingly easy. Now, what about my interview?"

Hassan rubbed his chin. "Well, you could talk about your skills..."

"Or," Elm piped up. "We could showcase our skills live on stage, in front of all of Panem!"

Jill's eyes sparkled with excitement. Hassan grinned. Let the sponsorship money rain down! It was the most confident he'd felt since that mutt ride through the woods more than a decade ago. He was finally having a Victor.

The interviews were hard to watch. Not least because Deus and Cash both singled out Jill as a dangerous one, vowing to torture her and 'teach those Seven douchebags to show some respect for once'. Hassan rolled his eyes, grumbling all the way. Marina smirked. "Remember, only the smartest tributes win. Those guys probably have a combined IQ of 0."

He let out a soft chuckle. "Yeah, well, not very different from the Capitolians then?"

"True. What's Jill doing for her interview anyway?" Marina asked.

Hassan smiled slyly. "Oh, you'll see, Marina. You'll see very soon."

When it was Jill's turn, Bartomeus simply stood aside as the curtains drew out, revealing Jill, dressed in a beautiful sleeveless white dress, holding a violin as she prepared herself for her best show ever.

She did not disappoint. The tune, so enchanting, so melancholic, so ancient yet captivating. It drew tears from several of the audience members. Even Bartomeus was struggling to keep it together. The other Victors just stared, stunned and in awe. Ragnar held Reyna close, muttering about how Jill should be invited to perform at their wedding if she survived. The other tributes stared too, some awestruck, others insanely jealous. But Harriet, the girl from District Ten, she was simply entranced. She made eye contact with Ringo, who seemed to get her message. Ringo scooted over to Hassan. "Hey, my gal there wants an alliance with your lady."

Hassan remembered Harriet's score. A good, solid seven. She would be a good ally. He nodded. "Yeah, sure. I'll break the news to her later."

Ringo winked. "She won't disappoint either!"

Elm's interview was just as good, in Hassan's opinion. In five minutes, he managed to make a masterpiece of an ancient castle surrounded by thick forests. A girl, perhaps Jill, was standing in the courtyard with her violin. It encapsulated the mood perfectly. The crowd roared and thundered in applause. This was a good year for Seven.

It was not, however, a good year for Ten. Because Harriet's interview was pretty average. Worse still, Jill refused an alliance with her, or anyone for that matter. She shook her head at Harriet's proposal of an alliance. "Nah, I'm a lone wolf. I think I'll go solo."

Ringo sighed. "That could've been a good team right there, mate. Shame it didn't quite pull through. Ah well, Harriet. Just saddle up for a solo ride, eh?"

Jill entered the arena, and smiled broadly. It was a forest covered with spruce trees, perfect for violin making. But first, the Bloodbath. The Careers were nowhere near. She was between twelve year old Coal from Twelve and the tiny boy from Eight. She weighed her options at the Cornucopia, and a plan formulated in her head. Oh, this year's Hunger Games was going to be exciting, all right. The gong rang, and she dashed in, grabbing a backpack, some rope, a carpentry set, an axe and a net. An arrow sailed by. She ducked just in time to avoid Cash's murder attempt, but sadly, the girl from Twelve didn't. Jill grimaced as the poor girl collapsed to the ground. But she had no time to waste sympathising with poor children. She had to make a run for it! As she entered the woods, she took one final look and gasped in horror upon seeing Pearlyn slash poor, helpless Elm's throat. She blinked back her tears. Elm was so promising, yet so wasted by the Capitol. It wasn't fair. "Ignore them," she snapped. "Just keep going!" It was out of pure luck that no other tribute was coming her way, because her plan would certainly take some time. But when it was finished, it would be worth the wait.

Jill found a small clearing with a big rock in the middle. The sun could break through the trees, illuminating the clearing like a big spotlight. She grinned. The spotlight was exactly what she needed. But first, she had to make sure no one came snooping around. Using the rope, she practically fortified the area with snares and net traps. Then, she wielded the axe and started chopping down what she deemed to be the finest spruce tree in the area. In the distance, the pair from Three, Binary and Giga, gasped at the sight of a falling tree. "That could be a mutt!" Giga exclaimed, her face paling rapidly. "Run!"

Binary didn't need to be told twice. He was already fleeing the area, Giga trailing behind him. They weren't taking any risks.

Once Jill had cut down the tree, she began chopping off pieces of wood. The Capitol watched in awe as she began construction on her very own violin. She'd done this many times before, and was so skilled at it, she could make one within a week, a record deemed impossible previously. But there she was, crafting her violin swiftly, as the Careers tried to find her, to no nighttime, she'd made good progress, having finished a good portion of the neck. She whistled a joyful tune as she worked. It was almost as if the Hunger Games weren't there. The anthem played, and Jill momentarily stopped to watch the night sky. Eleven tributes were dead. Both from Four, the girl from Five, poor Elm, the boy from Eight, both from Nine, both from Ten and the girls from Eleven and Twelve. "Weed and Coal are still alive, huh?" Jill mused, thinking of the twelve year olds from Eleven and Twelve. She shrugged. "Hopefully I don't have to kill them. That'll tarnish my reputation!"

Jill got lucky again. The Capitol wanted blood and fighting, not a violin making session! Their desire and hunger was satisfied when Formula from Six clashed with the Careers, slicing off Deus' ear before bolting off into the woods. On the third night, they found Luna and after some intense fighting which involved Deus losing his other ear, Minerva took her down with a slash to her throat. Meanwhile, Jill was calmly finishing up on the neck, and had begun progress on the bout. She heard the screams and the sounds of the battle raging nearby, and paused to chop down two more trees. She smirked when she heard Cash scream for the Careers to run from 'the mutts'. "Oh, Cash," she chuckled. "If only you knew."

By the fifth day, the Careers had caught up with Weed and Coal, the pair having allied together. Cash struck Weed with a spear, but as Deus lunged forward to kill Coal, a flurry of landmines were sent tumbling their way. One of them, thrown by Binary, blew Deus into bits and the other, thrown by Giga, decapitated Coal and tore Pearlyn's kneecap. The screams and panic were loud and clear. Jill winced as the cannons boomed. She didn't want to be in the thick of it, but it really wasn't fair. Those kids deserved a chance to live. What chance did Weed and Coal have against trained brutes? None. Her face soured as she continued working on assembling her violin together.

The following day, Pearlyn, now alone and bloodied, came across Prix, who was dying of a stab wound from Watt some time earlier. She grinned. With a loud, echoing battle cry, Pearlyn tore the poor, crying girl apart like a savge beast, giving the Capitol a jolly good show, and the District Six kids a bunch of nightmares. She cackled like a mad woman, laughing about how fun killing was, when all of a sudden, a tiny black object crashed into her. She looked up just in time to see Binary fleeing the scene. A split second later, the landmine detonated and all that was left of the Savage noble Career was a smear of blood and gore on the forest floor. Through all this, Jill could hear the explosions and the cannons that followed, but remained unfazed. She had a show to prepare for!

The eighth day came around. Giga had been severely wounded by winged snaked, the Capitol's brand new addition to the mutt family. She screamed at Binary to help her. But the older boy, rendering her useless, simply shrugged and walked away casually. District Three started shouting and screaming at him, calling him a traitor. But Giga was far gone. At least a spear from Minera spared her a long, horrific death. Cash crossed paths with Formula from Six, and the pair left the scene with sprained ankles, broken ribs and one hell of a beating. Jill, on the other hand, was finishing up on her violin. "I need a music sheet!" she demanded. One was sponsored to her right away. A smug smile instantly appeared on her face. It was going to be a great show, all right!

Formula was the first unlucky victim. Jill's music, it was so entrancing he practically wandered into the clearing, hoping to hear it one more time before he killed her. He saw her just sitting on the rock, and thought she would be an easy target. Surely she had given up? Besides, the shot of morphing he'd taken coupled with the concussion received after fighting Cash muddled his common sense to think that she seemed way too easy to kill. One wrong step and he was sent flying into the air, screaming all the way. Jill sighed, stopped her music, and walked over with her axe. Formula begged and screamed for mercy. Jill hesitated a little. She wasn't a killer after all. "Twenty-three kids to go home," she reminded herself. "Just one, quick slash!" She buried the axe in his chest, and the cannon boomed. She untangled the ropes and cast his body aside for the hovercraft to take away. Then, she resumed her musical show.

Binary was up next. He rushed towards her, landmine in hand, and was about to send it flying towards her head when the snare scooped him up and the he dropped the landmine. It blew off his legs and he screamed, howling in pain. Jill had the good sense to make it quick. Then, she resumed playing. The music was so haunting, so saddening, even she couldn't help but tear up. Watt approached, noticing the tears rolling down her cheek. He didn't want to upset her. After all, in the eyes of Pabem, she was a beautiful forest maiden, one Watt couldn't bring himself to kill. In fact, he was planning on teaming up to take down Minera and Cash. But no, the trap sprang and he too suffered an axe to the chest. The beautiful forest maiden was more of a cunning forest killer, as Watt found out. "Two more to go," she whistled. "Just Cash and Minera and I'm free!"

Cash and Minera ran into each other on the tenth day, both chased by winged snakes and out of breath. Cash was suffering from an infected wound after his fight with Formula and a day before, had been attacked by stinger mice the day before. All Minera had to do was slash his arm and he was left at them mercy of the hungry winged snakes. Besides, Minera had a bigger target on her hands. Jill. The girl was still playing her stupid violin and she wanted her dea. Dead for insulting the Careers. Dead for being so casual in these Games. Dead for upstaging her in the Capitol. Dead for being another one of those wity outliers. As the cannon boomed for Cash, she charged down the forest, eventually arriving at the serene clearing, where Jill was still playing. Sword in hand, she barrelled in, only to end up entangled in a net, screaming and howling. Jill simply gave her a bemused look and marched over with her violin. "Release me, freak!" Minera snarled. "Fight me like a true lady!"

Jill rolled her eyes. She just wanted to go home! And this oompa loompa was standing in her way. She shook her head. "Nah, I've got a show to practise for." Then, she took her violin, and smacked Minera to death, as District Seven watched in awe and District Two watched in horror and disgust, plus a tad bit of begrudging respect. She was a warrior, and a clever one, no doubt. Not that they'll ever admit that, of course. The cannon boomed and Jill gave the cameras a weary smile. "That wasn't so hard. Now can I please go? I really need some practice!" As the trumpets sounded, citizens from all across the Capitol rushed to schedule their own violin lessons and violin sales curved to unimaginable heights.

The worst wasn't over, though. No, rather, it was only just beginning. Draco saw her as nothing more than another member of the VPR, and after the threatened her family's life as he dragged her off to a bedroom to get some 'business' done, Jill screaming all the way. Years later, President Alma Coin requested her to create some music for propos, and she duly obliged, chanelling all her anger at the Capitol into her music, which, after her death, would be used as background music in the Mockingjay's propos, to ensure that Panem's greatest lumberjill/musician would never be forgotten.

"I've watched some of her concerts in the Capitol," Haymitch remarked. "Simply astounding, that woman."

The next Victor was a familiar one. Peeta flipped the page to reveal a boy with shaggy brown hair and fairly round cheeks. "Wood Casino," he read out. "Gosh, I saw Gloss spear him. It wasn't pretty."

VICTORS

District 1-Sapphire Huntington(4), Onyx Hibonite(9), Franc Montgomery(14)

District 2-Ragnar Sveinsson(5), Reyna Boudicca(6), Draco Hadley(10)

District 3-Nikola Johnson(13)

District 4-Marina Bluebell(1), Mags Flanagan(11)

District 5-Shocker Crimson(8)

District 7-Hassan Greenwood(2), Jill Wilson(15)

District 10-Ringo Alvarez(7)

District 11-Orchid Bloom(12)

District 12-Axel Millar(3)

A/N: So that was Jill, our cunning violinist girl! That was pretty fun to write, so hope you enjoyed that! Next up is Woof, and I'm not entirely sure how to write him, so some ideas would be appreciated! Thanks for reading, stay tuned for Woof and cheers:)