Chapter 12 Noelle
NOELLE
The little orange alien moved surprisingly fast for someone so round.
“I’m Lupin, by the way,” he said over his shoulder as Noelle hurried to keep up with him. “Personal image consultant to the Skowlians—on loan from the Flesh Bazaar for this season’s auctions. You’re very lucky, my dear—I usually work only with elite stock.”
“I’m Noelle,” she said quietly, not sure why she told him her name. Maybe because he sounded so chipper—so normal.
“Well, Noelle,” Lupin said cheerfully, “you’re about to undergo a total transformation.
I specialize in makeovers—rejuvenation, rebranding, and reconditioning both inside and out.
By the time I’m finished with you, you’ll be a whole new woman.
And believe me, you’re going to need my skills if you want to fetch a decent price. ”
Noelle opened her mouth to say she didn’t want to fetch a decent price—she just wanted to be free…
and then she shut it again. Lupin didn’t strike her as the kind of person who cared very much what anyone else wanted—especially not a lowly slave, which was basically what she was now, though she was still trying to wrap her head around it.
His quick, squishy-sounding footsteps echoed down the twisting maze of metal corridors, and Noelle had to halfjog just to stay close.
The prison ship was a labyrinth—every junction looked the same.
Every turn was identical and every bulkhead appeared to be smeared with the same grimy fingerprints and streaks of rust.
Within minutes, she was completely lost.
She’d had this silly, vague idea—more a fantasy than a plan—that maybe she could slip away, maybe find a weapon, or bring something back that could help Burn and Bright fight their way free. But that clearly wasn’t happening.
Just great. So much for trying to be brave and make some kind of daring escape. Dios, I can’t even find the bathroom on this ship—how am I supposed to find a way out?
I’d die of starvation before I even found my way back to the cell.
Lupin kept up a cheerful, bouncing commentary as they walked, as though they were strolling through a shopping mall instead of a floating prison.
“Yes, yes, I’ve worked with humanoids of all types,” he said proudly, clasping his hands behind his back.
“Aging is such a tedious look, let me tell you. But don’t you worry—I’m going to rejuvenate you, revitalize you, renew you!
Why, I can take ten years off you, my dear.
Possibly even fifteen—depending on how well your skin responds to the treatment. ”
He looked over his shoulder and gave her a critical onceover.
“Your elasticity appears…adequate. So there’s that, at least.”
Noelle had no clue what that meant.
Elastic? What am I, a rubber band?
She kept following him because what else was she supposed to do? The guards marching up and down the corridors all had faces like stone and weapons that looked terrifyingly complicated. Lupin might be weird, but at least he wasn’t pointing a gun at her head.
After what felt like twenty more turns, they reached a small circular door set into the bulkhead.
Lupin pressed his palm to the metal center and waited.
The metal flashed blue under his hand—like an eerie pulse of bioluminescent fish scales—and a sharp click echoed through the hallway. The door swung open on hidden hinges.
“Come in, come in!” Lupin chirped, waving her forward. “Welcome to my workroom—where I make all the magic happen.”
Noelle stepped inside…and blinked.
She was standing in a spa…a spa that looked like someone with a questionable obsession for stainless steel, industrial equipment, and mad-scientist décor had designed it.
The air was warmer here—humid, and scented faintly with something floral but sharp, like over-steeped jasmine tea mixed with ozone. The lighting was soft, glowing from panels sunk into the walls. Everything around her gleamed with polished metal or smooth white surfaces.
To the left sat a padded, swiveling metal chair—like something out of a futuristic hair salon.
Behind it was a towering rack filled with bottles, vials, jars, sprays, brushes, combs, and bizarre silver implements she didn’t recognize.
Some looked like ordinary curling or crimping irons.
Others resembled tiny torture devices with sharp picks and hooks extending from them.
A soft whirring sound came from a machine near the chair—like an oversized humidifier—emitting fragrant steam that coiled upward in little ghostly tendrils.
But none of that compared to the thing at the far end of the room.
It was a huge, round pool, sunken into the floor and it was filled with water so dark it looked like ink.
No light touched its surface—the glowing wall panels dimmed around it like they were afraid of getting too close. At first glance, it looked bottomless. The water was still as glass, but then a faint ripple passed through it as though something had moved just beneath the surface.
Noelle froze, her heartbeat thudding in her throat. For some reason just looking at the pool gave her a feeling of dread.
“Uh…what’s that?” she asked, pointing at it.
Lupin smiled happily, showing even, tiny white teeth.
“Why that, my dear, is the Rejuvenation Pool. And it’s exactly what you need.” He rubbed his palms together with excitement. “Now hurry and strip off your clothes so we can get you into it.”
Noelle’s breath caught in her throat.
“Strip…” She swallowed. “You want me to get naked?”
“Yes, yes—everything off!” Lupin said impatiently. “Rejuvenation cannot happen with cloth in the way. Do you expect the nanites to work through fabric? Of course not!”
This was getting worse and worse—not only was she expected to get into the ominous black pool, but now he wanted to see her naked too!
Oh hell, no. Absolutely freaking not.
But if she refused, what would happen to her? And even worse, what might happen to Bright and Burn, still locked away in the cell?
Her heart was pounding now in a mix of humiliation, fear, and helplessness.
“I… I don’t even know you,” she managed. “I don’t like to be naked in front of people I don’t know.”
Lupin rolled his bright green eyes dramatically.
“In that case, you’re simply going to hate the auction at the Flesh Bazaar,” he said dryly.
“But you needn’t worry about me—I am a eunuch.
I couldn’t hurt you even if I wanted to.
Which I very much do not. I live for fashion, darling—I’m not here to ogle your body, I just want to make it look better for the buyers. Now, hurry and get undressed!”
He scowled at her and tapped his foot like a crabby teacher waiting for a child to follow instructions.
Noelle stared at him, her nails digging into her palms, and tried to breathe.
“I don’t—” she began.
“Look, do you want those manacles removed from your men or not?” Lupin snapped. “And what about those bathroom breaks we talked about? Would you rather use the facilities like a proper lady or piss in the corner of your cell? It’s your choice.”
Noelle bit her lower lip.
You have to do it, a little voice whispered in the back of her head. You need him to remove the manacles from Burn and Bright. They’re counting on you.
Also, Lupin was right—she did not want to pee in the corner of the cell. So it looked like she was doing this.
She took a shaky breath.
“All right,” she said, lifting her chin. “I’ll get undressed.”
“Good! Then hurry up about it!” Lupin snapped, clearly running out of patience.
Her hands felt numb as she reached for the top button of her blouse. She kept glancing toward the door, half-expecting Bright and Burn to burst in and tear the room apart. But of course, that wasn’t happening. She was alone here and she was going to have to go through with the weird makeover.
It’s okay…just get through it. You survived years with Branson, you can survive this. Just don’t cry.
Her fingers trembled as she finished unbuttoning her blouse and slipped it off. Lupin watched with the bored but critical air of someone assessing fabric quality. As she reached for the zipper of her skirt, he clapped his hands briskly.
“Yes, yes—very good! You won’t regret this, my dear. Once you step into the Rejuvenation Pool, you’ll feel ten years younger.”
He better be right, Noelle thought, as the skirt slid down her thighs.
Because right now I just feel scared to death.
Shoulders hunched, clutching her clothes to her chest like a shield, she looked at the dark pool again. The water shimmered—black silk stirred by invisible hands.
A shiver crawled up her spine. Dios, what was she getting herself into?
She took a steadying breath, trying to calm her nerves.
You can do this, she told herself firmly.
It’s just a spa treatment. Just like a weird alien makeover version of going to the salon.
Nothing to freak out about. It’s probably like one of those mud baths they have at really high-end places that are good for your skin.
Still, her fingers trembled slightly as she folded her clothes across the arm of the padded beauty chair and slipped off her sensible low-heeled shoes. The moment her bare feet touched the metal floor, she winced.
God, that’s cold… like walking on a frozen cookie sheet.
But that wasn’t the worst part.
“Well, come on—it all has to come off!” Lupin prompted briskly, glaring at her under his bushy white pouf of hair, his bright green eyes narrowing at her bra and panties.
“We can’t rejuvenate you through your clothing, my dear.
Don’t you want your breasts to be high and perky again?
The nanites must be able to reach them.”
Noelle hesitated. Her arms crossed reflexively over her chest.
“I don’t usually… I mean…” she began.
“Oh please.” Lupin rolled his eyes dramatically. “You think you’re the first woman I’ve worked with? Honestly, my dear, I’m a professional. And as I said before, I’m a eunuch—no interest in your bits whatsoever. Now strip.”