Continue fighting despite what Miss Velvet said about resistance

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You squeeze your eyes shut, trying to build walls in your mind. Think. Concentrate. You grit your teeth and concentrate harder, marshaling every ounce of mental discipline you possess. Your analytical turns inward, trying to construct barriers against the chemical invasion.

But the serum doesn't care about willpower. It feeds on the electrical impulses of your resistance, converting each defiant thought into fuel for its rewriting process. The heat in your skull spikes viciously, and suddenly you can't remember what you were trying to hold onto. There's a blank space where something important should be, like a word on the tip of your tongue that refuses to materialize.

"There it is," Miss Velvet says, watching your face. "The moment of surrender. Your eyes just went glassy."

She's right. The fight drains out of you as the last neural connections sever. You know intellectually that you had another name once, that you were someone else, but accessing that information is like trying to remember a dream after waking. The harder you reach for it, the more it dissolves.

"What's your name?" Miss Velvet asks.

"Candy," you answer immediately, and the word flows out without hesitation. It's simply true.

"Perfect." She produces another syringe, this one filled with silvery-blue liquid that seems to shimmer in the light. "Now we move to stage two. This serum will restructure your vocal cords. It's going to hurt quite badly, I'm afraid, but the results will be worth it."

She moves to your side, bringing the needle close to your throat. "By sunrise, that masculine voice will be gone completely. You'll speak in soft, feminine tones. Every word you say will remind you of what you're becoming."

The needle touches your neck, finding the precise spot. "This is going to burn like nothing you've experienced before. The serum essentially melts and reforms the tissue. But don't worry—I'll be here with you through every agonizing minute."

She pushes the plunger slowly, and the silvery liquid enters your bloodstream. For a few seconds, there's nothing. Then molten fire erupts in your throat, spreading through your larynx like acid. You try to scream, but the sound comes out strangled, broken.

"That's it," Miss Velvet murmurs, stroking your hair as you writhe against the restraints. "Let it work. Your body is being remade, Candy. This is just the beginning."