The Princess and the Plague Part 42 By Anistasia Allread Not EditedThe radio blasting, the girls singing and yelling above the music as they rolled down the highway. That was how Erika would remember the morning. Samantha turned down the music as they entered the city limits and parked in the gravel parking lot where their camp bus had parked. “It hasn't changed much.” Krystal noted. “It's a lot colder here than in Constitution. Tricia commented. “We're going to be late.” Samantha ushered them down the sidewalk. “You made appointments for us, right?” Krystal asked of Samantha.

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CH 42

Erika woke up in the small, delicate arms of Tricia. She smiled to herself and snuggled closer to her girlfriend.

Victoria moved from nearby. She put a shushing finger over her mouth and motioned that she was going to use the bathroom. Erika nodded slightly in aknowledgment.

She raised her head to look around the room at the sleeping bodies of her cabin mates/friends. The evening after the hot tubbing had wound down to stuffing their faces with snack foods and watching 'chick flicks'. One by one they pulled their covers up and snuggled into their pillows.

Victoria tip toed back into the room. “Samantha's parents are coming.” She jumped onto the sofa and pulled a blanket up around her.

A few moments later Samantha's parents entered. As her mother began cleaning up the snack foods, her father began pulling stuff out of the fridge and cupboards.

Soon the smell of bacon began permiating the great room. Stretches and groans began to eminate from the bundles of blankets scattered about the floor.

“Good morning girls.” Samantha's mom finally greeted. “Breakfast will be ready in just a few minutes. Wash up.”

The girls were soon sitting around a table laden with eggs, bacon, pancakes, orange juice and a bowl of sliced fruit.

“So what's on your adjenda today?” Samantha's father asked.

“We're going to the salon to get our hair done.” Samantha reminded. “I told you the other day.”

“I was just checking.” her father brought a few more pancakes over to the table.

“Okay, if you all want to shower you're going to have to make them short. Five minutes.” Samantha's mother explained, “Some of you can use our shower while the others can use Samantha's shower.”

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The radio blasting, the girls singing and yelling above the music as they rolled down the highway. That was how Erika would remember the morning.

Samantha turned down the music as they entered the city limits and parked in the gravel parking lot where their camp bus had parked.

“It hasn't changed much.” Krystal noted.

“It's a lot colder here than in Constitution. Tricia commented.

“We're going to be late.” Samantha ushered them down the sidewalk.

“You made appointments for us, right?” Krystal asked of Samantha.

“Yes. He's expecting us.”

Krystal opened the door to the salon allowing Samantha and Erika to enter first. The sight of the salon brought a smile to her face, the smell brought back memories good and bad. Mostly good.

“Ah, my camp girls.” Sasha greeted with a big smile and open arms.

“Hello Sasha.” Samantha greeted.

“Hi Uncle Sasha.” Erika teased.

“Wow, look at you.” Sasha stepped back and took her in. “You're becoming a beautiful young lady.”

“Hopefully even more so with your help.” She blushed slightly.

“So who's hair am I doing and what are we doing?” Sasha asked.

“It's my birthday and I came to have you foil my hair.” Samantha smiled.

“I could use some help too.” Erika stated. “Tricia had to trim my bangs because I couldn't get up to see you.”

“I'm keeping my hair.” Victoria stated firmly, clutching at her long braid.

Sasha led them back to a corner of the salon. “I'm going to have you two get changed out of your tops and into a robe. I'll meet you back here.”

Samantha and Erika sat in salon chairs side by side, the light weight robe losely covering them. The other three sat in chairs near by.

Sasha came out of a back room with a tray of all kinds of things: bowls, brushes, combs and long foam things.

“Okay, while I put these foils in her hair, I want to hear about everything that has gone on since I last saw you.” He said this pointedly at Erika.

The girls all took turns telling details of the past few months. Of Them hiding Erika's identity from her parents, then from the school. Getting her involved with the Rally squad, the issues with boys, and with girls. Erika told him about how her father accepted her whole heartedly while her mother still gave her grief about it. She told him about seeing Dr. Barts and Dr. Lipdick as well as the tumor that they found.
Sasha could barely believe his ears hearing all of this. He nodded his head at some of the details, shook it disbelieving others. He looked surprised at hearing about the rally squad and shocked at her being homcoming princess.

“So what are you planning on doing about that thing in your head?” he asked.

“Everyone wants me to go through with the surgery.” Erika explained. All of her friends head's bobbed almost as one.

“And you don't?” Sasha asked.

“I don't want to go back to being a boy.” Erika explained.

“There are hormones that prevent that.”

“I know, Dr. Lipdick and I talked about that.” Erika assured.

“I told her that I'd rather her be a boy and living than a girl and dead.” Samantha told him.

“Sometimes Transgender people would see it the opposite, honey.” Sasha shook his head. “I've known a few who have commited suicide because they couldn't stand living as they were.”

Sasha pushed the bowls of chemicals aback away from the edge of the counter and turned Samantha to face the mirror, a pyramid of foils stacked upon her head. “What were you thinking of doing with your cut?” he asked.

“I kind of want a change.” Samantha smirked at herself in the mirror. “I don't want it short, but I'd like a change.”

“Hmmm.” Sasha looked at her in the mirror for a moment. “Okay, I know.” He then turned towards Erika. “I have something in mind for you too.”

“Oh?” Erika asked.

“How do you feel about curly hair?”

“I — ah — I don't know.” Erika looked to the others for advise.”

“What were you thinking?” Tricia asked.

“A loose perm.” Sasha stated.

“Not a poodle perm.” Victoria wanted to make sure.

“No, of course not.” something that will give her body and some big boucy curls.”

Erika looked to Tricia.

Tricia smiled and nodded.

“Okay Sasha.” Erika nodded. “I'm in your hands.”

“Great. Lets go wash you up.”

Sasha led her back to the shampoo area.

“So is the short blonde haired one, your girlfriend?” Sasha asked.

Erika reddened. “Yeah.”

“She's cute.” he smiled. “She needs to let me fix her hair, though.”

“She just got it all cut off a couple of weeks ago.” Erika stated.

“I can tell.” Sasha nodded. “So, how are you really doing?” he asked.

“Fine.” Erika said.

Sasha stopped shampooing and locked her gaze.

“I'm just scared about this thing in my head. I don't want to go back to being a boy.” She stated. “And I don't want everyone treating me like I have cancer or something.”

“Um, Honey.” Sasha made her look him in the eye. “You do have cancer.”

“I know, it's just....”

“You don't want them all treating you with kid gloves.”

Erika nodded the best she could with her neck in the bowl.

Back at the station, Sasha combed her hair out and then parted it off. He put a thin parting of hair between to thin pieces of paper and grabbed the foam thing off of the counter and wrapped it around the hair, rolling it all the way to the scalp where he bent the ends making it stay in place. With In minutes, he had her whole head covered with the foam rods. The ends sticking up made her look like Medusa causing jokes and giggles amongst the other girls.

Erika's head felt like it had gained ten pounds with all of the rollers in her hair. Cotton was tucked in around the edges and then Sasha began to methoticaly squirt each strange looking rod with a chemical.

“Ick that stinks.” Samantha made a face.

“This one does, the next one to go on won't.” Sasha promised.

As soon as all of her head was soaking in chemicals, He placed a plastic bag over the whole affair and then checked on Samantha's foils.
“You've got a cool head.” Sasha annouced. “And I don't mean in the groovy good way. I'm going to have to heat you up. Come with me.”

Sasha led Samantha over to a chair that had a strange halo looking device suspended above it. He flipped a switch and the halo glowed orange and began to revole and tilt around her head.

“Okay blonde, jump in the chair, you're next.” Sasha called to Tricia.

“I just got my hair cut.” She protested.

“I know, I need to fix it.” he stated. It won't take long and I won't take too much off.”

Tricia sat in the chair as Sasha threw a cape over her. He pulled out some scissors that looked like they had teeth along with a comb. He pushed the comb up through her hair and began working the scissor blades real fast on top of the comb. He then went over each section a few different times before moving on to the next. Bits of blonde hair flew and drifted all around Tricia as he worked. Finally he stood back, and raked his fingers through her hair. He scrubbed through it with the blow drier blowing the rest of the lose hairs to the floor then grabbed a jar of product. After rubbing it through his hands, he began to scrub and pull at Tricia's hair. A pinch here and a twist there and he stood back and looked at he in the mirror.

“Wow!” Tricia beamed. “That looks a whole lot better.”

“Let's see.” Victoria asked.

Tricia turned to them. Erika felt a flush of warmth wash over her and her groin became tight with excitement.

“Okay you are ready to be rinsed.” Sasha pointed to Erika. He turned to Samantha. Come on back you are about ready too.”

The two girls followed him back. Sasha rinsed Erika's hair for what seemed like forever. Her neck was getting tired with all of that weight on it.

“Stay right there and drip dry for a few minutes while I wash out Sam.”

“Samantha.” Samantha corrected.

“Hmm?” Sasha asked.

“I perfer Samantha over Sam.”

“Sorry.” Sasha acknoledged. He pulled the foils out of her hair and then leaned her back and shampooed her well. He wrapped her head in a towel like a turban and sent her back out to the front.

Sasha pulled a bottle out of his pocket and began applying the chemical to her still rolled hair. As soon as he was done, he began unrolling the foam, weird looking rods and tossing them into a box.

“I hope you like curls.” he smiled.

As long as they aren't poodle curls.” Erika shot back.

“They are looking very good.” he told her. “Now, you can not get your hair wet for the next three days.”

“Three days?”

Sasha nodded. He rinsed her hair and conditioned it before turbaning her head as well and leading her out front.

Sasha unfolded Erika's turban and used a large toothed comb to comb it out. “This is a curl definer,” He said rubbing a cream in his hands. You're going to want to scrunch this into your hair as soon as you get out of the shower.”

Erika nodded.

Sasha then began combing her hair into sections and cutting. He then misted her hair back down. “Okay you are to go under the dryer for a bit.”

Erika couldn't hear a thing as hot air whirled and blew around her head. Sasha was back to work on Samantha. She couldn't see what he was doing but she was growing nervous by the amount of hair hitting the floor.

He blow dried her hair using his hands to ruffle it up to give it volume. Taking his shears, he again started cutting on Samantha's hair. Blonde hair flew up in the air as he worked. Erika thoght of Edward Scissorhands as he worked on one side and then the other of Samantha's hair. He then rubbed something in his hands and began working it into her hair in similar fashion to Tricia's hair.

She couldn't hear what was being said, but she cold see Samantha's smile stretching across her face as well as those of her friends. Samantha got out of the chair, and wrapped her arms around Sasha in a big hug before boucing over to her friends.

Sasha meanwhile came to Erika's rescue and guided her back to the station. “This is a difusser.” he explained. “This is how you are going to want to dry your hair.” he went on to describe the different ways of holding the dryer, of using the cool shot button as well as product. He then showed her on her hair.

Erika stared in disbelief at herself in the mirror. Large and medium sized curls gave her such beautiful volume.

“You look ready for the red carpet.” Victoria commented.

“You look beautiful.” Krystal nodded.

“You look sexy.” Tricia agreed.

“It's getting late we need to be getting back before my parents start calling the cops.” Samantha stated.

Samantha and Erika paid Sasha for his wonderful work. Tricia tried to pay him something too.

“No. don't worry about it.” he stated. “It only took me a few moments and all I did was fix a few pieces.”

Tricia gave the stylist a big hug, which was followed by each of the other girls.

“Carefull going home.” Sasha waved. See you soon, I hope.”

To be continued....