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Description
Thunder cracked as Noah dashed into the salon, his clothes and brown hair dripping from the rainfall he had gotten himself caught in. The storm had sprung up out of nowhere, completely catching him off guard and unprepared. Hugging himself for warmth, he stepped up to one of the large kiosks that stood ready to be used on the far end of the salon. The touchscreen extended from around the center of his chest to just over his head, flashing advertisements for sales and pictures of happy customers.

Noah took a quick glance around the room and saw several people from his class, all clearly there for the same reason: Prom. The room was packed with girls and guys waiting their turn to be let into a "Designer Chamber" or whatever they were called. Noah didn't know nor care, and to be honest, he didn't want to be there in the first place. The idea of a shop being completely automated left him uncomfortable and filled with a great deal of doubt. He said as much to his buddy Jacob when he presented the idea to Noah at lunch hours earlier...

“What if something went wrong? There wouldn't be any employees to intervene,” Noah said between a bite of his sandwich.

Jacob, who hadn't touched his own lunch, was giving Noah his full attention, "These things have been running smoothly since they came out."

Noah paused just before he could take another bite, “That doesn't answer my question.”

“It's totally safe, dude, and well worth it. I've done it plenty with no problem.”

“I don't trust it, too much room for something to go wrong. Anyway, it doesn't even matter. I'm just going to stay home tonight.”

“You got to go, you've been looking forward to going for so long.”

Noah put his sandwich down in frustration, “No, I didn't want to go to the prom, I wanted to go to the prom with Sarah. She decided that she no longer wanted the same thing.”

“I'm sorry she...you know,” Jacob adjusted his glasses out of nervous habit more than due to physical discomfort. “You shouldn't have to stay home while she gets to go with 'what's his face'.”

“Tony.”

“Not important.”

Noah sighed before picking up his lunch again, “I'd just embarrass myself going alone.”

"That's why I brought up that auto salon place. If you book an appointment, you can sign up for their mystery date program that they are doing for the prom. You know, for people without dates. I signed up for myself already. If there is a girl available, I'll get notified and can go pick her up tonight."

"So it's not even guaranteed? You are just waiting around in the off chance? Isn't that a little..." Noah didn't want to say 'sad' but he also kind of did.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I was going to go either way now I also have the chance to take someone that doesn't want to go alone.” They sat there in silence for a few moments before an idea struck Jacob, “Besides, what would Sarah think seeing that you got a date with so little notice. I bet she would be pretty annoyed to be so easily replaced.”

That idea did appeal to Noah. If he did end up getting matched up with someone maybe she would get jealous and reconsider breaking up with him, “I'll think about it.”

For the rest of the day, he considered Jacob's suggestion, bouncing it back and forth in his head. Even as he stood in front of the kiosk, dripping wet from the rain, he thought about just backing out. He took a deep breath as he finally committed to taking the plunge, reached out his hand, and pressed his finger to the screen as another clap of thunder sounded outside.

Noah navigated the touchscreen, creating a profile so he could register to the salon's system. Once he put in the required personal information and he signed, he explored the options available to him. He was surprised to see how many services they were advertising for what he assumed was just a hair salon: new clothes, spa treatments, massages, tanning, and that was just the first few pages. It took a little sorting but he eventually found what he was looking for and rented out one chamber for a simple hair cut. His hair was long and curly, which made keeping it neat a bit of a struggle so he didn't mind the idea of it getting some attention. As he had hoped, a notification popped up and asked if he wanted to be enrolled into their mystery date program which he quickly agreed to. With everything handled, he placed his order before sitting down in an empty chair. A large monitor hanging in the corner of the shop displayed names and Noah noticed his own at the very bottom of the list along with a chamber number. He kept his eye on his name as it slowly got closer to the top as other customers got up and headed into the back rooms once their turns came up. Noah found his nervousness growing the closer it got to be his turn and if he hadn't already paid, he might have chickened out. He couldn't understand how the other people waiting alongside him could be as comfortable as they appeared to be to submit themselves to the whims of a machine. Deciding that there was no use in dwelling, he detracted himself with his phone as he waited until it was time.

He swallowed hard, got up, and walked into the backroom to find his assigned chamber. The back room was more of a hallway than an actual room, closed white doors lining both sides with a number marked above each one. Only one room was open, it's number clearly labeling itself as Noah's. Once he stepped in, the opening behind him sealed closed as a door slid into place from inside the wall.

A slightly stilted, feminine voice spoke out from a source Noah couldn't quite pinpoint, “Welcome Noah. You ordered a 'small trim and hair wash'. Please say 'yes' to confirm.”

“Uh...Yes?”

“You have selected, Yes. Please have a seat and we can get started whenever you are ready.”

Noah hesitated and instead of doing as the simulated lady instructed, he investigated the room for a moment. The most obvious feature of the room was the salon chair sat in front of a basin-like sink that was attached to the far wall. Each wall, rather than being smooth, was segmented into squares and rectangles in no decipherable pattern he could make out. The ceiling was oddly low with large circle designs and in what looked to be the center of the room was a concave dome about an inch deep.

“Is that a...drain?” he said to no one as he knelt down to get a closer look.

It looked to be exactly what he had assumed, a large drain sunk a little into the floor with a nozzle hanging above, just barely out of the ceiling. Though it seemed odd to him, Noah did have to remind himself that he hadn't read everything that the salon had on offer so maybe it was less strange in context. With some trepidation, he made his way over to the chair and gave it a look over but it all looked normal. With little else to do, he sat down and waited for something to happen.

The voice spoke once more, "Thank you. Let's get started!"

Noise could be heard all around Noah coming from behind the walls, causing his heart to beat faster in anticipation, as he heard water begin to spray into the sink behind him. Above his chair, one of the circles in the ceiling opened in a fashion much like the aperture of a camera. From the newly created hole, a black sheet being carried by two mechanical limbs descended down toward Noah's head and quickly attached the black garment around his neck. Noah's first instinct was to bolt out of there but he fought that feeling back down.

He did his best to reassured himself, “Come on, you knew this is how they did things here. Just stay cool.”

Noah only got a short glimpse of the mechanical limbs but that was enough to see just how inhuman the attachments to the ends looked. Their hands, for lack of a better word, had four digits connected to a central sphere and appeared to be made of a metal similar to steel. With smooth movement's they took hold of Noah's head and tilted the chair back, settling his hair under the running faucet. He closed his eyes tightly and clenched his fists but found the water was what he would consider being the perfect temperature. The mechanized fingers worked through Noah's hair carefully, dealing with the knots and tangles with an incredible deftness while gently massaging his scalp. Noah felt the tension he had been holding slip away and began to relax but it was unfortunately short-lived.

A loud boom rang out accompanied by a complete blackout, plunging Noah into darkness. He froze as his heart jumped into his throat as everything went still. With a testing tug, his hair slipped out from the grasp of the hands which were hanging loosely from their limbs. Noah considered himself lucky that whoever build the machines planned a fail-safe for sudden power loss and that he wasn't stuck in the sink forever. His long hair slapped the back of his neck as he got up from the chair and pulled out his phone for the flashlight. Noah tried not to dwell on how eerie the room looked being lit with just the small light, instead choosing to focus on leaving. Once he was at the door he was confused as to how to get the thing open, seeing that there was smooth and perfectly flat.

"Clearly the door wasn't designed by the same person that made the Robo-hands."

He pounded his fist on the door to try and get some help but he couldn't be sure anyone heard him. Despite his growing worry, he did take some consolation in that once he met up with Jacob he was going to have “I told you so” rights for a long time. He was just about to use his phone to call for help when the lights came humming back to life but what first seemed like good news quickly took a frightening turn.

The robot hands that had been motionless began to twitch to life erratically with short stuttering motions. Alien whirling sounds filled the room, metal grinding against metal could be heard behind the walls, the ceiling panels opened then closed repeatedly, and all of the overhead lights flashed. Then all at once, everything stopped again. The arms retreated back into the ceiling and all of the panels closed up tight, returning the room to the state it was before.

The voice from before spoke again but this time with a glitchy, popping sound, “WeLcOme ERROR, you ord-ord-ordeRed a 'Deluxe Prom Princess Package'. PleaSe say 'yes' to confirm.”

“What?! No!”

“You haVe seLeCted, Yes. Please haVe a seat and-and-and we can get-get started whenever yOu are reAdy.”

“Noooo way,” Noah turned and began banging on the door once more.

The voice screeched out, “ThaNk yoU. Let's GEt staRTed!”

Noah turned back in horror as the ceiling panels all opened up and what felt like hundreds of arms descended. Their length and general shape were all identical but several had different attachments that Noah could only guess as to their purpose. Before he could turn back again, his wrist was snagged by one of the rogue limbs and pulled toward the room's center.

“Stop! Uh...Cancel! Quit! Disable! Come on!”

Noah felt his shirt being pulled away and attempted to hold it down with his one free hand but there was nothing he could do to stop what was happening. The hand that was on his wrist released him and slipped back into the ceiling and took his shirt with it. Noah attempted to run but a limb snagged his pant leg and he found his feet pulled out from under him. He slammed down to the ground, getting the wind knocked out of him. Shirtless and gasping for breath, Noah was dragged back toward the center once more.

Both of his arms were grabbed then pulled up, lifting him onto his feet. In between coughing, Noah kicked at the mechanical hive but his attempts at self-defense were as useless as his attempt to escape. A swinging leg was caught and held high as it's shoe was removed, followed by the sock underneath. The other shoe and sock were also removed and both sets zipped up above just the same as the shirt. Wriggling was all Noah could do as the arms removed his pants and boxers and they disappeared leaving him completely exposed. His legs were held firmly and pulled apart, leaving him spread eagle between the concave dome and the shower faucet.

There was only a brief moment where water rushing through pipes could be heard before the nozzle above Noah erupted with warm water. Noah couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of its warmth despite the scenario he had found himself in. With squinting eyes, Noah could make out two more arms descended into view, each having what looked to be nozzles attached to their ends. For a moment, the water stopped and he could feel his hair being grabbed and pulled up as the new nozzled arms took aim. They both fired out a pink colored foam, both working together to coat every inch of his body below the nose. They took care not to touch his head hair before retreating, leaving Noah unable to do anything but stand there and smell the foam. The pleasant warmth that he had been experiencing was soon replaced by a growing heat that filled him with a new fear for his safety. Just when he thought chemical burns were a real possibility, the overhead faucet sprang to life, rinsing away the caustic foam. He watched helplessly as his body hair slipped down the drain, leaving his skin hairless and soft. Once all the foam was gone, the process was repeated once again but with a flowery smelling liquid soap taking the place of the depilatory foam. Finally, the shower was signaled to be over by the introduction of a set of steel cylinders that blasted hot air along his body, drying him off, thoroughly.

Noah was released for a brief moment before a towel around was wrapped around his chest. Once again he found himself grabbed then found himself plopped into the salon chair he had been sitting in earlier. Unlike earlier, the hands were not gentle in the slightest. His ankles and wrists were snatched and held out as his head was forcefully held down in the water basin, which began to spray water as it did earlier. Though he couldn't see it, he felt his nails being cleaned and clipped until the arms were content enough to begin coating them with color. What he could see, though, was a limb equipped with what looked to be a tiny claw or pincer which came straight for his face. He flinched deeper into his chair but had no way to protect his brows from the sudden attack of the salon's new weapon. He winced and cried out with every pluck but the arms continued shaping the eyebrows into pretty arches. Noah had no idea how he was going to fix the damage once everything was all over. The body hair was easily covered up but the girly eyebrows weren't so easily dealt with.

The hands rubbing his scalp weren't exactly unpleasant but he was far from relaxed. Shampoo was soon added to his hair, foamed up and then rinsed out by the machines. This happening at least once more before he felt a wide-toothed comb being set into his hair at the base of his roots. They worked their way along the length of the hair, not so gently pulling out tangles before finding a new spot to repeat the motions again. Every so often, the comb would find a particularly stubborn tangle that would have to be snipped by newly introduced scissors. Once the arms seemed satisfied, Noah was leaned up from the basin and his hair was dried by yet another device. He imagined that the machines needed to see how his hair curled when dry before being able to predictably style it.

Once dried and applied with a leave-in conditioner, the top layer of his hair was pulled up and the edges were cut off. Again and again, it was repeatedly cut and layered while larger clumps of curls were snipped, removing some of the bulk. His split ends were taken care of and the body was shaped into a feminine style that was not going to be easy to fix, he realized. Noah also noticed that his hair's natural color appeared more vibrant as it fell around him, which he wasn't exactly sure how he felt about that detail. Noah was jostled from his thought when the hair on his temples was gathered into several separate strands. He could only just make out in the corner of his eyes the movement as the arms twisted around each other in fluid unison, becoming two long braids. Behind him, he could feel strands being collected and pinned into place as the braids were pulled behind his view. As a finishing touch, a red flower was pinned behind his ear, turning Noah's stomach turned at the thought of how ridiculous he must look.

Once his hair was finished, it looked to be his face was next to get some attention because he was quickly faced with a variety of cosmetics. Though he wanted to turn his face away, the back of his head was held in place so that the machine's work could continue getting him ready for prom. In a whirl, his face was coated in moisturizer followed by a primer before being painted with several things Noah didn't understand. Primer, foundation, concealer, and blush all painted his face with him helpless to stop the assault. It was after the application of mascara and his eyelids shaded that the arms opened the front of the towel he was wearing. He felt something cold pressed into his pecs firmly and held in place. It was only when the arms moved he could see what they had done and was horrified to see a woman's chest instead of his own. Any seam that might be present was impossible for Noah to make out before his chest was covered by the towel once more. With new determination, Noah thrashed against his restraints but only succeeded in delaying his lips from being coated with lipstick for a second before his head was grasped tight to keep him still.

“Let Go! Let! ME! Go!” He screamed but was surprised when they did just that.

Springing fast off of the salon chair, Noah toppled to the ground then threw off the towel. Lifting himself to his knees, he pulled at his chest as hard as he could but was frustrated to find that he couldn't budge the attachments even a little bit. Frantically, he ran his now red fingernails along the prosthetic to find the seam but it was like there wasn't one. As far as anyone was going to be able to tell, even with a close inspection, they were completely real. He guessed that they must come with the deluxe package and cursed his terrible luck.

Clanging metal roared just behind the wall Noah stood in front of and it began to rumble. He jumped to his feet and out of the way just in time to avoid getting slammed by a concealed closet that forced its self into the room. Panic filled him while a swarm of arms grabbed fabric after fabric and held them up in the air, clearly indicating their plans. With all his might he tried to fight back as a corset attempted to wrap his middle. With both hands, he grabbed the edge of the incoming black garment, putting everything he had in keeping it off of him. In the end, it was as pointless an effort as all of his previous struggling, only delaying the mechanical limbs a few moments. His hands were grabbed and tugged out of the way and the corset was put in place. The build-in cup lifted his new assets as his middle was compressed into an hourglass shape, squeezing the air out of him. All fight left him, and the rest of the clothes were added in short order. Matching black panties slid up his legs in place, tightly and uncomfortably containing the last signs of his maleness. He was forced to step into a velvet red dress which was pulled up his body and hugged him firmly. His arms were fed through straps that would end up hanging off the shoulders, showing off his new femininity while the skirts puffed out into a bell shape. Red pumps were forced onto his feet and the outfit was completed with a lace choker around his neck and a red boutonniere was placed into his hand.

Noah was still gasping for breath when he was presented with a mirror, finally seeing what the salon had done to him. The image he saw was of a shapely woman, her body curved in all the right ways into the frills of her prom dress. Her face was flawless, eyes large and bright while her lips were red and demanded to be kissed. Her hair was pinned up and braided with a flower giving her an air of grace and nobility.

“Oh god, I look like a princess.” He whispered between breaths in unison with the beautiful girl in his reflection.

“ThaNk yoU. PleaSe come aGaiN, ERROR. Your bUsineSs is apPreCiateD.”

And with that, the door was finally open and he felt himself being pushed out the door, his skirts swaying side to side with each mincing step. He didn't want to be seen dressed how he was but, like with everything else, he was given no choice. He was quickly deposited back out into the lobby and thought he was going to die of embarrassment.

“Hi, nice to meet you,” Came a familiar voice to Noah's side.

Noah's heart jumped into his throat when he saw Jacob standing there in a black suit holding a red corsage. He couldn't find his voice as he felt Jacob slide the corsage onto his dainty wrist, signifying that Noah was going to be his prom date.

“My name is Jacob. What's yours?” he asked with a hint of nervousness.

“Noa-” Noah began to whisper without thinking before freezing.

"Did you say, Noelle?" He asked.

Unsure how to save himself, he just nodded his head slightly to which Jacob smiled.
“That's a pretty name...do you need help pinning that?” he pointed to the boutonniere.

Noah still hadn't recovered from the events of the salon and now at risk of being discovered, he was left with little choice of what to do. With trembling hands, he reached up to Jacob's chest.

“Uh...um...sorry,” he said before fumbling to put it on Jacob's lapel.

“I haven't seen you around school.”

"Yeah, um, I'm homeschooled..." Noah lied with his best female voice.

“That explains it and that also explains why you wouldn't already have a date.”

“Oh?” Noah wasn't sure how he should have responded to that one.

“Yeah, you are really pretty.”

Noah never once heard himself referred to as pretty before and he hoped it was going to be the last time. All he could think to do was give Jacob a weak smile and finish with the boutonniere. Once it was on, he found himself being dragged to his friend's car to spend the night as his prom date.

Description
Thunder cracked as Noah dashed into the salon, his clothes and brown hair dripping from the rainfall he had gotten himself caught in. The storm had sprung up out of nowhere, completely catching him off guard and unprepared. Hugging himself for warmth, he stepped up to one of the large kiosks that stood ready to be used on the far end of the salon. The touchscreen extended from around the center of his chest to just over his head, flashing advertisements for sales and pictures of happy customers.

Noah took a quick glance around the room and saw several people from his class, all clearly there for the same reason: Prom. The room was packed with girls and guys waiting their turn to be let into a "Designer Chamber" or whatever they were called. Noah didn't know nor care, and to be honest, he didn't want to be there in the first place. The idea of a shop being completely automated left him uncomfortable and filled with a great deal of doubt. He said as much to his buddy Jacob when he presented the idea to Noah at lunch hours earlier...

“What if something went wrong? There wouldn't be any employees to intervene,” Noah said between a bite of his sandwich.

Jacob, who hadn't touched his own lunch, was giving Noah his full attention, "These things have been running smoothly since they came out."

Noah paused just before he could take another bite, “That doesn't answer my question.”

“It's totally safe, dude, and well worth it. I've done it plenty with no problem.”

“I don't trust it, too much room for something to go wrong. Anyway, it doesn't even matter. I'm just going to stay home tonight.”

“You got to go, you've been looking forward to going for so long.”

Noah put his sandwich down in frustration, “No, I didn't want to go to the prom, I wanted to go to the prom with Sarah. She decided that she no longer wanted the same thing.”

“I'm sorry she...you know,” Jacob adjusted his glasses out of nervous habit more than due to physical discomfort. “You shouldn't have to stay home while she gets to go with 'what's his face'.”

“Tony.”

“Not important.”

Noah sighed before picking up his lunch again, “I'd just embarrass myself going alone.”

"That's why I brought up that auto salon place. If you book an appointment, you can sign up for their mystery date program that they are doing for the prom. You know, for people without dates. I signed up for myself already. If there is a girl available, I'll get notified and can go pick her up tonight."

"So it's not even guaranteed? You are just waiting around in the off chance? Isn't that a little..." Noah didn't want to say 'sad' but he also kind of did.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I was going to go either way now I also have the chance to take someone that doesn't want to go alone.” They sat there in silence for a few moments before an idea struck Jacob, “Besides, what would Sarah think seeing that you got a date with so little notice. I bet she would be pretty annoyed to be so easily replaced.”

That idea did appeal to Noah. If he did end up getting matched up with someone maybe she would get jealous and reconsider breaking up with him, “I'll think about it.”

For the rest of the day, he considered Jacob's suggestion, bouncing it back and forth in his head. Even as he stood in front of the kiosk, dripping wet from the rain, he thought about just backing out. He took a deep breath as he finally committed to taking the plunge, reached out his hand, and pressed his finger to the screen as another clap of thunder sounded outside.

Noah navigated the touchscreen, creating a profile so he could register to the salon's system. Once he put in the required personal information and he signed, he explored the options available to him. He was surprised to see how many services they were advertising for what he assumed was just a hair salon: new clothes, spa treatments, massages, tanning, and that was just the first few pages. It took a little sorting but he eventually found what he was looking for and rented out one chamber for a simple hair cut. His hair was long and curly, which made keeping it neat a bit of a struggle so he didn't mind the idea of it getting some attention. As he had hoped, a notification popped up and asked if he wanted to be enrolled into their mystery date program which he quickly agreed to. With everything handled, he placed his order before sitting down in an empty chair. A large monitor hanging in the corner of the shop displayed names and Noah noticed his own at the very bottom of the list along with a chamber number. He kept his eye on his name as it slowly got closer to the top as other customers got up and headed into the back rooms once their turns came up. Noah found his nervousness growing the closer it got to be his turn and if he hadn't already paid, he might have chickened out. He couldn't understand how the other people waiting alongside him could be as comfortable as they appeared to be to submit themselves to the whims of a machine. Deciding that there was no use in dwelling, he detracted himself with his phone as he waited until it was time.

He swallowed hard, got up, and walked into the backroom to find his assigned chamber. The back room was more of a hallway than an actual room, closed white doors lining both sides with a number marked above each one. Only one room was open, it's number clearly labeling itself as Noah's. Once he stepped in, the opening behind him sealed closed as a door slid into place from inside the wall.

A slightly stilted, feminine voice spoke out from a source Noah couldn't quite pinpoint, “Welcome Noah. You ordered a 'small trim and hair wash'. Please say 'yes' to confirm.”

“Uh...Yes?”

“You have selected, Yes. Please have a seat and we can get started whenever you are ready.”

Noah hesitated and instead of doing as the simulated lady instructed, he investigated the room for a moment. The most obvious feature of the room was the salon chair sat in front of a basin-like sink that was attached to the far wall. Each wall, rather than being smooth, was segmented into squares and rectangles in no decipherable pattern he could make out. The ceiling was oddly low with large circle designs and in what looked to be the center of the room was a concave dome about an inch deep.

“Is that a...drain?” he said to no one as he knelt down to get a closer look.

It looked to be exactly what he had assumed, a large drain sunk a little into the floor with a nozzle hanging above, just barely out of the ceiling. Though it seemed odd to him, Noah did have to remind himself that he hadn't read everything that the salon had on offer so maybe it was less strange in context. With some trepidation, he made his way over to the chair and gave it a look over but it all looked normal. With little else to do, he sat down and waited for something to happen.

The voice spoke once more, "Thank you. Let's get started!"

Noise could be heard all around Noah coming from behind the walls, causing his heart to beat faster in anticipation, as he heard water begin to spray into the sink behind him. Above his chair, one of the circles in the ceiling opened in a fashion much like the aperture of a camera. From the newly created hole, a black sheet being carried by two mechanical limbs descended down toward Noah's head and quickly attached the black garment around his neck. Noah's first instinct was to bolt out of there but he fought that feeling back down.

He did his best to reassured himself, “Come on, you knew this is how they did things here. Just stay cool.”

Noah only got a short glimpse of the mechanical limbs but that was enough to see just how inhuman the attachments to the ends looked. Their hands, for lack of a better word, had four digits connected to a central sphere and appeared to be made of a metal similar to steel. With smooth movement's they took hold of Noah's head and tilted the chair back, settling his hair under the running faucet. He closed his eyes tightly and clenched his fists but found the water was what he would consider being the perfect temperature. The mechanized fingers worked through Noah's hair carefully, dealing with the knots and tangles with an incredible deftness while gently massaging his scalp. Noah felt the tension he had been holding slip away and began to relax but it was unfortunately short-lived.

A loud boom rang out accompanied by a complete blackout, plunging Noah into darkness. He froze as his heart jumped into his throat as everything went still. With a testing tug, his hair slipped out from the grasp of the hands which were hanging loosely from their limbs. Noah considered himself lucky that whoever build the machines planned a fail-safe for sudden power loss and that he wasn't stuck in the sink forever. His long hair slapped the back of his neck as he got up from the chair and pulled out his phone for the flashlight. Noah tried not to dwell on how eerie the room looked being lit with just the small light, instead choosing to focus on leaving. Once he was at the door he was confused as to how to get the thing open, seeing that there was smooth and perfectly flat.

"Clearly the door wasn't designed by the same person that made the Robo-hands."

He pounded his fist on the door to try and get some help but he couldn't be sure anyone heard him. Despite his growing worry, he did take some consolation in that once he met up with Jacob he was going to have “I told you so” rights for a long time. He was just about to use his phone to call for help when the lights came humming back to life but what first seemed like good news quickly took a frightening turn.

The robot hands that had been motionless began to twitch to life erratically with short stuttering motions. Alien whirling sounds filled the room, metal grinding against metal could be heard behind the walls, the ceiling panels opened then closed repeatedly, and all of the overhead lights flashed. Then all at once, everything stopped again. The arms retreated back into the ceiling and all of the panels closed up tight, returning the room to the state it was before.

The voice from before spoke again but this time with a glitchy, popping sound, “WeLcOme ERROR, you ord-ord-ordeRed a 'Deluxe Prom Princess Package'. PleaSe say 'yes' to confirm.”

“What?! No!”

“You haVe seLeCted, Yes. Please haVe a seat and-and-and we can get-get started whenever yOu are reAdy.”

“Noooo way,” Noah turned and began banging on the door once more.

The voice screeched out, “ThaNk yoU. Let's GEt staRTed!”

Noah turned back in horror as the ceiling panels all opened up and what felt like hundreds of arms descended. Their length and general shape were all identical but several had different attachments that Noah could only guess as to their purpose. Before he could turn back again, his wrist was snagged by one of the rogue limbs and pulled toward the room's center.

“Stop! Uh...Cancel! Quit! Disable! Come on!”

Noah felt his shirt being pulled away and attempted to hold it down with his one free hand but there was nothing he could do to stop what was happening. The hand that was on his wrist released him and slipped back into the ceiling and took his shirt with it. Noah attempted to run but a limb snagged his pant leg and he found his feet pulled out from under him. He slammed down to the ground, getting the wind knocked out of him. Shirtless and gasping for breath, Noah was dragged back toward the center once more.

Both of his arms were grabbed then pulled up, lifting him onto his feet. In between coughing, Noah kicked at the mechanical hive but his attempts at self-defense were as useless as his attempt to escape. A swinging leg was caught and held high as it's shoe was removed, followed by the sock underneath. The other shoe and sock were also removed and both sets zipped up above just the same as the shirt. Wriggling was all Noah could do as the arms removed his pants and boxers and they disappeared leaving him completely exposed. His legs were held firmly and pulled apart, leaving him spread eagle between the concave dome and the shower faucet.

There was only a brief moment where water rushing through pipes could be heard before the nozzle above Noah erupted with warm water. Noah couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of its warmth despite the scenario he had found himself in. With squinting eyes, Noah could make out two more arms descended into view, each having what looked to be nozzles attached to their ends. For a moment, the water stopped and he could feel his hair being grabbed and pulled up as the new nozzled arms took aim. They both fired out a pink colored foam, both working together to coat every inch of his body below the nose. They took care not to touch his head hair before retreating, leaving Noah unable to do anything but stand there and smell the foam. The pleasant warmth that he had been experiencing was soon replaced by a growing heat that filled him with a new fear for his safety. Just when he thought chemical burns were a real possibility, the overhead faucet sprang to life, rinsing away the caustic foam. He watched helplessly as his body hair slipped down the drain, leaving his skin hairless and soft. Once all the foam was gone, the process was repeated once again but with a flowery smelling liquid soap taking the place of the depilatory foam. Finally, the shower was signaled to be over by the introduction of a set of steel cylinders that blasted hot air along his body, drying him off, thoroughly.

Noah was released for a brief moment before a towel around was wrapped around his chest. Once again he found himself grabbed then found himself plopped into the salon chair he had been sitting in earlier. Unlike earlier, the hands were not gentle in the slightest. His ankles and wrists were snatched and held out as his head was forcefully held down in the water basin, which began to spray water as it did earlier. Though he couldn't see it, he felt his nails being cleaned and clipped until the arms were content enough to begin coating them with color. What he could see, though, was a limb equipped with what looked to be a tiny claw or pincer which came straight for his face. He flinched deeper into his chair but had no way to protect his brows from the sudden attack of the salon's new weapon. He winced and cried out with every pluck but the arms continued shaping the eyebrows into pretty arches. Noah had no idea how he was going to fix the damage once everything was all over. The body hair was easily covered up but the girly eyebrows weren't so easily dealt with.

The hands rubbing his scalp weren't exactly unpleasant but he was far from relaxed. Shampoo was soon added to his hair, foamed up and then rinsed out by the machines. This happening at least once more before he felt a wide-toothed comb being set into his hair at the base of his roots. They worked their way along the length of the hair, not so gently pulling out tangles before finding a new spot to repeat the motions again. Every so often, the comb would find a particularly stubborn tangle that would have to be snipped by newly introduced scissors. Once the arms seemed satisfied, Noah was leaned up from the basin and his hair was dried by yet another device. He imagined that the machines needed to see how his hair curled when dry before being able to predictably style it.

Once dried and applied with a leave-in conditioner, the top layer of his hair was pulled up and the edges were cut off. Again and again, it was repeatedly cut and layered while larger clumps of curls were snipped, removing some of the bulk. His split ends were taken care of and the body was shaped into a feminine style that was not going to be easy to fix, he realized. Noah also noticed that his hair's natural color appeared more vibrant as it fell around him, which he wasn't exactly sure how he felt about that detail. Noah was jostled from his thought when the hair on his temples was gathered into several separate strands. He could only just make out in the corner of his eyes the movement as the arms twisted around each other in fluid unison, becoming two long braids. Behind him, he could feel strands being collected and pinned into place as the braids were pulled behind his view. As a finishing touch, a red flower was pinned behind his ear, turning Noah's stomach turned at the thought of how ridiculous he must look.

Once his hair was finished, it looked to be his face was next to get some attention because he was quickly faced with a variety of cosmetics. Though he wanted to turn his face away, the back of his head was held in place so that the machine's work could continue getting him ready for prom. In a whirl, his face was coated in moisturizer followed by a primer before being painted with several things Noah didn't understand. Primer, foundation, concealer, and blush all painted his face with him helpless to stop the assault. It was after the application of mascara and his eyelids shaded that the arms opened the front of the towel he was wearing. He felt something cold pressed into his pecs firmly and held in place. It was only when the arms moved he could see what they had done and was horrified to see a woman's chest instead of his own. Any seam that might be present was impossible for Noah to make out before his chest was covered by the towel once more. With new determination, Noah thrashed against his restraints but only succeeded in delaying his lips from being coated with lipstick for a second before his head was grasped tight to keep him still.

“Let Go! Let! ME! Go!” He screamed but was surprised when they did just that.

Springing fast off of the salon chair, Noah toppled to the ground then threw off the towel. Lifting himself to his knees, he pulled at his chest as hard as he could but was frustrated to find that he couldn't budge the attachments even a little bit. Frantically, he ran his now red fingernails along the prosthetic to find the seam but it was like there wasn't one. As far as anyone was going to be able to tell, even with a close inspection, they were completely real. He guessed that they must come with the deluxe package and cursed his terrible luck.

Clanging metal roared just behind the wall Noah stood in front of and it began to rumble. He jumped to his feet and out of the way just in time to avoid getting slammed by a concealed closet that forced its self into the room. Panic filled him while a swarm of arms grabbed fabric after fabric and held them up in the air, clearly indicating their plans. With all his might he tried to fight back as a corset attempted to wrap his middle. With both hands, he grabbed the edge of the incoming black garment, putting everything he had in keeping it off of him. In the end, it was as pointless an effort as all of his previous struggling, only delaying the mechanical limbs a few moments. His hands were grabbed and tugged out of the way and the corset was put in place. The build-in cup lifted his new assets as his middle was compressed into an hourglass shape, squeezing the air out of him. All fight left him, and the rest of the clothes were added in short order. Matching black panties slid up his legs in place, tightly and uncomfortably containing the last signs of his maleness. He was forced to step into a velvet red dress which was pulled up his body and hugged him firmly. His arms were fed through straps that would end up hanging off the shoulders, showing off his new femininity while the skirts puffed out into a bell shape. Red pumps were forced onto his feet and the outfit was completed with a lace choker around his neck and a red boutonniere was placed into his hand.

Noah was still gasping for breath when he was presented with a mirror, finally seeing what the salon had done to him. The image he saw was of a shapely woman, her body curved in all the right ways into the frills of her prom dress. Her face was flawless, eyes large and bright while her lips were red and demanded to be kissed. Her hair was pinned up and braided with a flower giving her an air of grace and nobility.

“Oh god, I look like a princess.” He whispered between breaths in unison with the beautiful girl in his reflection.

“ThaNk yoU. PleaSe come aGaiN, ERROR. Your bUsineSs is apPreCiateD.”

And with that, the door was finally open and he felt himself being pushed out the door, his skirts swaying side to side with each mincing step. He didn't want to be seen dressed how he was but, like with everything else, he was given no choice. He was quickly deposited back out into the lobby and thought he was going to die of embarrassment.

“Hi, nice to meet you,” Came a familiar voice to Noah's side.

Noah's heart jumped into his throat when he saw Jacob standing there in a black suit holding a red corsage. He couldn't find his voice as he felt Jacob slide the corsage onto his dainty wrist, signifying that Noah was going to be his prom date.

“My name is Jacob. What's yours?” he asked with a hint of nervousness.

“Noa-” Noah began to whisper without thinking before freezing.

"Did you say, Noelle?" He asked.

Unsure how to save himself, he just nodded his head slightly to which Jacob smiled.
“That's a pretty name...do you need help pinning that?” he pointed to the boutonniere.

Noah still hadn't recovered from the events of the salon and now at risk of being discovered, he was left with little choice of what to do. With trembling hands, he reached up to Jacob's chest.

“Uh...um...sorry,” he said before fumbling to put it on Jacob's lapel.

“I haven't seen you around school.”

"Yeah, um, I'm homeschooled..." Noah lied with his best female voice.

“That explains it and that also explains why you wouldn't already have a date.”

“Oh?” Noah wasn't sure how he should have responded to that one.

“Yeah, you are really pretty.”

Noah never once heard himself referred to as pretty before and he hoped it was going to be the last time. All he could think to do was give Jacob a weak smile and finish with the boutonniere. Once it was on, he found himself being dragged to his friend's car to spend the night as his prom date.