Cressa Vernetti

This article contains spoilers for **Bleeding Hearts**, the first installment in the Bleeding Hearts series. Bleeding Hearts can be read here: AO3 · FFN · Wattpad

This article contains spoilers for **Ultimate Crown**, the second installment in the Bleeding Hearts trilogy. Ultimate Crown can be read here: AO3 · FFN · Wattpad

## Cressa Vernetti

* BH
* UC

### Age

17 (119th HG)
23 (Bleeding Hearts)
48 (Ultimate Crown)

### Occupation

Tribute (119th HG)
Victor
Mentor

### Related to

Roman Murdock (husband)
Coral Murdock (daughter)
Percy Murdock (son)

### Appears in

Bleeding Hearts
Ultimate Crown

**Cressa Vernetti** is the Victor of the 119th Hunger Games and a tribute mentor from District 4. She appears in Bleeding Hearts and Ultimate Crown as a mentor of District 4 tributes. She is married to the Victor of the 124th Hunger Games, Roman Murdock. She narrates two chapters (Chapters 26 and 38) in Bleeding Hearts.

## Bleeding Hearts

In Bleeding Hearts, Cressa appears as a close friend of Roman Murdock. She is the second-youngest Victor in District 4, and she is responsible for mentoring the District 4 tributes in the 125th Hunger Games along with Griff Cohen and Georgina Burgess.

After Roman's brother, Soren, is Reaped into the 125th Hunger Games, Roman begs Cressa to mentor his brother in the Games, which she agrees to. Cressa acts as an older sister to Soren, guiding him through the Capitol before he enters the Games. Cressa convinces Soren to align himself with his District partner, Lacie, and also tells him to form a larger alliance.

Later in the Games, Cressa is responsible for saving Soren life, as she sends him a single purple bellflower. This bellflower is a symbol of loss in District 4, and this warns Soren that something dangerous is approaching. Sure enough, the Career tributes find Soren's alliance soon after, but Soren is given enough time to escape.

After Soren wins the Games, Cressa continues to guide him as he prepares for his Victory Tour.

## Ultimate Crown

Cressa returns in Ultimate Crown, the sequel to Bleeding Hearts set twenty-five years later. In this installment, it is revealed that Cressa married Roman Murdock, and they have two children: Coral and Percy.

In Ultimate Crown, Cressa is shown to be a member of a tight-knit group of close friends, all of them Victors. She is closest to Luna Brimstone, who she considers her best friend. She is also known to be close to Mac O'Connell and Jordinia Jackson.

At the meeting of Victors led by Tantalus Snow, Cressa is one of the most vocal Victors in favor of the decision to force Victors into the 150th Hunger Games, as she believes the sacrifice is necessary to save the children of Panem, her children included. At dinner with the District 4 Victors, Cressa even attempts to convince Seamus Carter to vote with her, although she is unsuccessful. Ultimately, the plan succeeds, and Victors are sent into the Arena.

After Soren Murdock is Reaped into the 150th Hunger Games, Cressa returns to her role as his mentor, as she feels Roman is too emotional to mentor his own brother. She takes a more hands-off approach as mentor, as she knows that Soren is more experienced this time around.

To fill the District 6 female spot in the Games, Tantalus Snow announced that all the remaining Victors are eligible to be Reaped, and that this spot would be filled by a public Capitol vote. The most popular Victor would be Reaped into the Games; ultimately, Decimus Ilyrian was chosen. Cressa ranked 14th out of the 37 eligible Victors in terms of overall votes. This indicates that she is relatively popular to the Capitol audience, but not notably so.

In the Games, Cressa aids Soren by gifting him a large trident, which he uses to defend himself in the Arena. After he survives the first portion of the Games, she spends time with him out of the Arena as they await the final stage of the Games.

After the conclusion of the 150th Hunger Games, Cressa returns to District 4 with Soren, Roman, and the other Victors. She is reunited with her children and returns to everyday life.