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Rejecting the Change is the unfortunate instance in which a Blue Fledgling's body may reject the Change from Marked human to adult Blue Vampyre at any time during the four year Change. There is no known way to stop the fledgling's body from rejecting the Change once it has started and the rejection is always terminal. Rejecting the Change is always a tragic, disturbing and traumatic experience for those who witness it, and even more so for those who were close to the fledgling.

Causes

There is no obvious cause to a normal Change rejection, although are a few things that can cause a fledgling to reject the Change:

  • If they do not receive proper nutrition.
  • If they do not receive proper amount of exercise.
  • If they are not around mature, adult vampyres.

Symptoms Before the Rejection

When a fledgling's body rejects the change, they will usually feel some or all of these symptoms:

  • Groggy
  • Coughing (Frog in the throat)
  • Headache
  • Nausea

What Happens?

The fledgling will start coughing uncontrollably. It will sound dry and painful in the beginning, but then, when the fledgling starts coughing up their own blood, it becomes a wet, horrible sounding cough. The fledgling will bleed from all obvious orifices, until they bleed out. If someone is able to get to Neferet fast enough, she may produce a liquid that will stop them from feeling all pain during the rejection. Healers, such as Neferet, may be able to take some of the pain away during the process. There is no way to save the fledgling once the rejection starts.

Forced Rejection of the Change?

It may be true that someone, especially a powerful High Priestess, could force a fledgling's body to reject the Change. This is hinted at in Untamed. When Neferet shows up after James Stark's body rejects the Change, Zoey sees a triumphant gleam in her eyes before being "a mournful priestess" once more. This may be because Neferet forced his body to reject the Change so she could use him to free Kalona. It's also hinted at that Neferet, as Queen Tsi Sgili, forced Erin Bates to reject the Change when Zoey attempted to destroy her with the power of her circle in Revealed.

Known Fledglings who Rejected the Change

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