"Alishia" - (2 Parts)

[snuffles]

"Alishia - Part 1"

(For lack of a better title...)

Original Fic, Male Sneezing

This is my first story that I've ever EVER posted. Please be gentle! I'm not really confident in writing, so please consider this as practice! Hopefully I can continue this story later... but I'm slow! Sorry!

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Alishia rolled over on her bed and lazily glanced up at the large wooden clock that hung on her bedroom wall as it finished chiming three. Her father wouldn't be home from work for another 2 hours and she had already finished her assignments for her online classes. Being home schooled her whole life meant she had no real friends she could call in her times of utter boredom like normal girls her age could. But Alishia was far from being a normal girl.

Since before she could even crawl, Alisha could read people's minds. Her father discovered her talent at an early age as she picked out colors in a book before he could even read the words aloud. Being highly overprotective, he forbade her from going out alone and made her promise that she would tell no one about her ability. He even kept this secret from doctors and government officials in fear that they would run experiments on her. If word leaked out about a girl that could read people's minds simply by looking at their face, chaos would ensue. So Alisha remained trapped, a prisoner in her own house.

Crawling out of bed, she stood up straight and stretched. Her petite frame made her look younger than she really was, and her long tangled black hair framed her small body. She wore an extra large shirt and pink panties with hearts on them, something her father had picked up for her because he thought she would like it. She didn't mind since there was no one around for her impress with her looks anyways.

Alishia slipped out of her bedroom and headed downstairs for some TV. She flipped it on and surfed through a couple channels. There was usually nothing good on at this time of the day. Her trigger-happy finger paused at one show interviewing a boy who had just been awarded the prestigious Chancellors scholarship at the nearby Ivy League university. He was gorgeous: tussled dark brown locks of hair and deep blue eyes, with prominent features and a beautifully toned body.

"I wonder what it'd be like to read pretty boy's mind. Being gorgeous AND smart should be illegal!" Alishia laughed aloud. Her eyes glanced over his sleek body as she concentrated at the television. The voice was soft but still clear. "What'd I give to get out of here!" it said. Alishia laughed again.

Just then, she heard a rustling sound outside her door. Alishia slammed off the TV and jumped off the couch. She slowly crept to the front door and peeped out the peep hole. A man was bent over outside in discomfort. He had light blond hair that was brushed to the side and he carried a large box in his arms. When he straightened, she could see his face was young, perhaps mid-twenties, and his expression made his thoughts painfully obvious, even without reading his mind. He needed to sneeze!

His nostrils twitched wildly in vain as his hands were too occupied to provide the relief he desperately wanted. He took a couple hitched breaths before doubling over expelling a muffled hxch! The sneeze only intensified his itchy nose and he quickly sneezed another louder double hexchh! hackxhh! The jostling of the package in his arms must have been too rough as a small cry came from within the large box. Meew!

"A cat???" Alishia thought to herself bewildered. Why was this man carrying a cat on her doorstep, especially if he was allergic to them! She focused and tried to read his mind, but his overpowering need to sneeze again pushed away any thoughts he might have had about delivering this package.

The man was preparing for an even stronger sneeze as he threw his head back. Alishia could see his nostrils wide open as they readied to expel the kitty irritants that plagued the insides of his nose. The bundle in his arms protested the man's rough hitching breath as it meowed louder. Without thinking, Alishia threw open the door and grabbed the box from the man's arms just as he lurched forward with a loud sneeze, HAAKTCHEW!, which almost toppled him over. Uncovered, the man's sneeze produced a fine spray which brushed Alishia's cheek as she tried to turn away.

"Oh my gawd, I'b so soddy!" he chocked out. "I'b allergic to… cah… cah…" The word might have triggered another sneeze because he turned aside and sneezed loudly again HETCHEW! He fumbled with one hand for a tissue as he held the other under his still quivering nostrils. His mind, now that it stopped screaming sneeze Sneeze SNEEZE!, grew frantic as he couldn't find the tissues. "Ah my nose still itches! Where are those tissues? I'm sure I grabbed some on my way out. I just need to sneeze! I think my nose is running now. I must look a mess. Hold it in hold it in! I need to sneeze. No! Hold it just a bit more!" Alishia almost chuckled at this man's wretched plight.

"Wait here." she told him. "I'll get some tissues." She put the box down gently as the little pure white kitten curled up back to sleep. Then she dashed over to the couch and brought back a box of soft tissues which she offered to the man.

"Thags!" he nearly cried as he grabbed a bunch and buried his nose just in time to catch a powerful HGXTH! "Hode on, dere's… one bore…" Heee heee heckcheew! He sneezed into the same mound of tissues then blew his nose deeply, expelling most of the irritants. "Aaaah! Dat's so much better!" he sighed.

"Are you ok?" she asked. He nodded vigorously even though she knew that in his mind, his nose still itched madly and he wanted nothing more than to sneeze freely. But he did well holding them back as he kept his finger protectively under his nose.

"Sorry 'bout sneezing on you! I didn't realize you were dere." he apologized.

"No need to apologize! I just didn't want you to drop her!" Alishia pointed to the tiny sleeping ball of fur. As if that reminded him that the cat was still here, he tensed up and his nostrils flared daringly again.

"Oh yeah, 'bout her. Um, cad I come inside?" he asked glancing down at her bare legs.

Alishia jumped as she remembered she hadn't put on any pants before throwing open the front door! She grabbed the box and hurried inside. "Come in!" she shouted. "Make yourself comfortable, I'll be right back!" She put the kitty on the table and rushed back upstairs! She heard him close the front door and sneeze a couple more times before she dashed into her room. Back in her room, she threw off her old baggy shirt and slipped on a black tank and denim pants. She quickly brushed her long wild hair and put it up in a half-bun that still fell past her shoulders. She paused long enough to dab some powder on her face before running back downstairs.

The man was pacing around the box at a distance. He stopped rubbing at his nose when he heard her approach, but his mind was still completely occupied with holding back his sneezes. "Oh she's back, that was quick. God, I need to sneeze again. The back of my nose still itches. I think my nose must be bright red from all of that sneezing. But I just want to rub it! Tickles so much. Wait, compose yourself. Don't sneeze, you won't be able to stop if you start again! Yeah that's right, I just need to hold my finger gently like this. Then I won't snee… ah but it itches so much!"

Alishia couldn't help herself and laughed. He glanced up at her coming down the stairs and smiled pathetically. But the distraction caused him to lapse his concentration and two quick sneezes burst out before he could cover his mouth. Hechew hexcheew!

"You don't have to hold them back for me" she told him.

"Oh, you coud tell? Well, I know I wod be abbeh to stop if I start. Oh yeah, my dame's Alex. I lib up the street. I wanted to ask you if you wanted a cah… cah…" Alex scrunched his nose up and stopped the fast approaching sneeze. "A Cad" he said finally. "As you possibby noticed, I'b allergic to dem".

Alishia laughed again. Not only was his need to sneeze becoming increasingly more urgent, she thought his scrunched up face looked absolutely adorable. This was the first time in her life that she had this long a conversation with a boy, especially without her father around. She walked over to the brown box and a tiny pair of black eyes peered back at her. It meowed happily and Alishia picked it up. The tiny white ball fit comfortably in the crook of her arm. Alex tensed again as if he could see the tiny puffs of white kitty dander wisp out of the box.

"What's her name?" she asked.

Alex shrugged as he pressed his finger tighter against his nose. "I just cawd her Cad."

"That's not a name!" Alishia scolded. "I'll call her Jasmine. Where did you get her?"

"It's a log story." he waved it away. "But she's ackually by fried's cad. She's god all her shots and everythig, dond worry. She jus Hahhh needs a place to lib. Can you keeb her? I… hah… ahh… I… need to…. sneeze…" Alex released his nose and grabbed at the nearby tissues. The sneeze stuck as he held the tissues warily in front of his face. "Ah… it wod cob out… ah… ahh!" he cried desperately.

Alishia with Jasmine in her arms took a couple steps toward Alex who immediately doubled over in a powerful sneeze HEXCHEEW! Three more followed as the magical kitty dander worked it's magic on Alex's sensitive nose. Hehchew! Hexchng! Hxchg! He sneezed into a wad of tissue which was quickly becoming a soaked ball in his hands.

"Ok ok stop!" Alex shouted, waving his free hand and holding the wad against his nose with the other. His mind also urgently begging her to stay away. "Stop stop stop! Please don't come any closer! Ah my nose, it feels like it's on fire! It itches so bad. My eyes are starting to water. I just need to sneeze. Get the tickles out. I can't hold it much longer. Where's the bathroom? If I can just splash my face with water… Oh the sneezes are coming out!"

Alex turned toward Alishia and gasped out "Where's… da…" but he couldn't hold it any longer and the volley of sneezes burst forth. Hckng! HeeKcheew! HackchEW! HESHEW! HAHTcheew! One after another the sneezes kept coming. Alex barely managed to catch his breath between sneezes. Alishia put down Jasmine and waved Alex down the hall to the bathroom. He stumbled down the hall and closed the door behind him as he continued to sneeze and sneeze.

"Poor guy" Alishia told Jasmine who ignorantly purred in her arms. She could still hear Alex sneezing continuously in the bathroom, but at least they seemed to be slowing. Just as she fixed the little kitty bed, she heard a car pull up in the driveway.

"Oh! Dad's home early!" she rushed to greet him at the front door.

The man that entered the house was even smaller than Alishia's 5'2" frame. However, he was a bit chubbier and his hair was graying. He noticed the cat immediately as it stood out brightly against Alishia's black shirt. Then he heard the noises coming from the bathroom.

"Alishia! Who…? What…!" he frowned at her for letting a stranger in the house and pointed circles at the white furball in her arms.

"Daddy! That's Alex. He lives up the street. He's allergic to cats so he stopped by to ask if we wanted to keep her. Can we???" Alishia beamed at him like a little girl.

"You know you're not supposed to let strangers in! What if something happened?" then he lowered his voice and whispered. "What if he founds out?"

"You don't have to worry about that Mr. Tenning." a deep voice interrupted. Alishia and her father spun around to see a much more composed Alex standing in the hallway. "I already knew before I came."

"What?!" Alishia exclaimed. "You were acting???"

"Acting? Hahaha no, I really AM allergic to cats." Alex muffled a sneeze quietly as if to prove a point hxchg! "But my father told me that you can't read people's minds if they're sneezing. Don't ask me how he found that out. However, indeed it's true. I was so distracted by my allergy that you never discovered my true intentions."

"Who are you? What do you want?" Alishia's father demanded.

"My name is Alex Hawthwater. I'm sure you know my father." Mr. Tenning tensed at the name. "He's an important politician. And you can't imagine how valuable your gift is Alishia! Just think of everything you can accomplish together with my father in his position. All the lives you have save, all the money you can make! You can make this world a better place AND make us both richer at the same time!"

"You just want the money." Alishia sneered.

"Of course! I'm not lying to you. I never have. You can't believe how much my nose burns right now!" Alex gave it a quick rub. "But it's all worth it. Think of it this way… it's a win-win situation. We help you out and you help us out. What do you say?"

"Do we have a choice?!" Mr. Tenning demanded.

"Everyone has choices Mr. Tenning." Alex explained. "I just came with a little… persuasion." He patted the bulk in his jacket pocket. "There's a van and crew waiting outside for us. Why don't we take a ride now, shall we?"

"And Jasmine?" Alishia asked.

"She's yours! Actually, it's better for me if you can't read my mind just yet. I'll put up with the sneezing." he sneezed again to the side Hexchw! "If you don't want her, my father will just have her killed. And I know you want to shove her against my face. I'll make it up to you later, I promise. But come, let's go now, many people are waiting. We can talk more in the van." Alex nodded for them to both proceed out ahead of him as he stayed a good distance behind. As both entered the van without fuss, Alex sneezed once more into his fist and closed the door behind him.

TO BE CONTINUED!

[juliette]

Ooohh Snuffles, I LOVE it!!!!! Please keep it coming!!!

cyberhugs,

juliette

[Mistress Quickly]

Oh honey, there's no need for us to be gentle, I promise. This was excellent, very sexy, fantastic descriptions, and I personally love the whole mind-reading thing. This Alex seems like a yummy boy indeed, lucky Alishia Do continue, as promised.

[tma]

Wow! This really had some interesting and unexpected twists. Would love to see more and see where this might be headed.

Oh.. and to see if the cute boy on TV will figure in anywhere or if that was a "red herring".

Oh.. and really like Alex too. Thank you!

[Shay]

Great so far, please continue it.

[Bongo]

Ooh, me gusta mucho. Keep up the good wrok. And it's your first? I would have thought you were a professional sf writer. I always thought it'd be cool to read the mind of someone who had to sneeze really badly.

[count tiszula]

This is excellent, and fun. The mindreading thing is particularly good; there should be more preternatural sneeziness [i'm always surprised there isn't], and of course it's a wonderful way of getting to what the sneezes feel like, which we all want to know.

Nice plot twists, and What's going to happen NEXT ?

[ID2006]

loved it... definitely loved it. And the way you spelled out the sneezes...ahhhhhhhhh........to die for.

[snuffles]

Thank you everyone for your awesome replys! You're all seriously too nice to me! I hope this next part is still interesting. Please enjoy!

"Alishia - Part 2"

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The van door closed with a decisive thump. Although the exterior of the van appeared worn and mundane, the interior was quite lavish. The seats in the back faced each other and curtains were drawn over all the windows. Two guards sat up front while the third guard handcuffed both Alishia and her father. He placed the small white kitten into a travel case and left it beside Alishia's feet. Alex seated himself directly across Alishia, glancing only briefly at the metal cage on the floor.

Alishia could tell without reading his mind that it was taking all of Alex's willpower to remain calm and composed. But he even smiled at her and thanked the guard as he settled himself in.

"I sincerely apologize about your accommodations." he said to them with a soft smile. "Please don't worry, we won't be traveling far. My father has arranged for your stay with us in our Executive Center. You both will be given your own suite and your personal belongings will be delivered shortly. Please let me know if there will be anything else you require and I will personally see that you are given the most honored treatment."

If Alishia hadn't been staring at him so intently, she might have missed the slight flaring of his nostrils and his lightness of breath. It annoyed her that she could be impressed at his external collected appearance as he sat in a small enclosed space with his one weakness just a couple feet away. He must have practiced that speech because his mind was completely focused a much more urgent matter.

Hold it in hold it in. Concentrate. Breathe normally. Just 10 more minutes you can do it. Don't sneeze. Come on. Agh it itches! Wait wait… slowly… breathe. Count to ten. One, two, I really need to sneeze! Calm down. Where did I put the handkerchief? My nose is dripping. Sniff. Agh that made it worse. The handkerchief the handkerchief!

Alex calmly reached into the side compartment and pulled out a clean handkerchief which he folded in half. He turned his head to the side, brought the soft cloth to his nose, and completely stifled a sneeze. Alishia only heard a barely audible ngh but neither the guard nor her father even noticed. The stifle shot a sharp pain up his head as the powerful pressure of the sneeze was contained. It also did nothing to alleviate the burning itch in his nose. Alishia wondered why Alex would go through such great pains to hold back his sneezes, especially since she could clearly read his sneezy desires anyways.

"You shouldn't hold them in" she said. "It's bad for you".

Startled, he looked up at her and two more sneezes almost slipped through his composed frame. He quickly stifled those as well in a slightly louder ngth Ngth!

"It's nothing really." he replied offhandedly and dabbed at his nose lightly. "As I was saying, you both are our guests and these men here will be your personal body guards, so please page them if you need anything. We hope that your stay with us will be pleasant and enjoyable." At this, he stopped talking and pretended to be intently poring over paperwork as he discretely held the handkerchief under his tortured nose. Even though she was taken captive by this man, Alishia couldn't help but smiling.

Alishia glanced over at her father who was silent and sat staring straight ahead. But as she focused, she could hear his thoughts clearly.

"Alishia, don't trust this man. His father is ruthless and will do anything to get what he wants. If you are given any opportunity, I want you to escape. Don't worry about me. Find your sister." he thought.

Sasha? Alishia sat up straight at the thought. Her sister, who also had a unique gift, had refused to live under her father's overprotective control and ran away to live with their mother's relatives when Alishia was only 6 years old. Alishia rarely even spoke with her elder sister who was 4 years older than her, let alone know where to find her or what she could do to help. Sasha was just as distrustful of the government as her father, but managed to live a relatively normal life.

"We're here" a deep voice from the front of the van announced. The car came to a stop and the two men from the front opened the back doors to help Alishia and her father out and uncuffed them both. Alex and the other man, who was carrying the small metal case, followed them out.

"Please… hah… escort Mr. Tennings to his suite." Alex choked out as he nodded toward the two men. "Mr. Dahl, please follow me up to Alishia's suite."

As her father was lead away, he glanced back at her to be sure she understood. She frowned back at him. There was no way she could abandon her father, even if there was an opportunity to escape! A firm hand gripped on her shoulder as the guard, Mr. Dahl, lead her in the other direction. He was by far the largest of the 3 guards but he carried the metal cage gently.

Alex walked ahead and she could see his body shaking slightly as he held back his sneezes. They were coming continuously now but the other man still seemed not to notice. As they entered the elevator, Alishia could feel Alex's dread as he tried to stand as far from the cage as he could. The ride up seemed like an eternity as the numbers on each floor blinked by slowly. Alex resorted to firmly gripping his nose shut as his eyes watered and a fit of silent sneezes took hold of his body.

A loud chime announced that they had finally reached her floor. The three walked wordlessly around the corner to a room. Mr. Dahl took out a pass and swiped it against the door controls. The doors swung open revealing a spacious and impressive suite. Alishia stopped in shock at the lavish accommodations, but Alex roughly pushed her in. He nodded toward the other man who put down the cage by the door and left.

No sooner had the door clicked shut than a sneeze burst from Alex. HEETCHEW!!! Alishia jumped back in surprise at the force of the sneeze. Far from finished, an intense fit of sneezes took hold of his body. HEH HEKCHEW! HetCHEW! HAHshew!! One after another they kept coming as all the sneezes he had withheld rushed forth out of his nose.

Alishia caught herself staring intently at this man helplessly sneezing. She had almost lost herself in the grace of each sneeze that took hold of his body. It was as if he were dancing, with the sneezes guiding him across the floor and bending him at the waist. He didn't bother covering them up, and so each sneeze sprayed a fine mist that glittered in the light.

Shaking herself, she pried her eyes away from the display. Perhaps this was the "opportunity" that her father wanted her to take. She walked toward the door, but it was firmly locked. And there were no windows or other exits from the whole place. But in terms of luxury, this place had it all! Alishia even hesitated about returning to her small prison home while this place was everything a girl could wish for! There was even a hot tub in the beautifully furnished bath, plus a large wide-screen TV and a surround-sound stereo system. A pile of the latest magazines were stacked by the table, and Alishia lazily flipped through them as she sank into an extremely comfortable leather sofa.

A picture in the magazine instantly caught her eye. It was the boy she had seen on TV earlier! "Jake Randall wins this 3rd consecutive amateur golf tournament." So he plays golf? His photo looked just as gorgeous as he did on television.

What was she doing?! She was so caught up in the fantasy of her new home that she had forgotten she was actually trying to ESCAPE from here! She put down the magazine and snuck a peek at Alex. He seemed to have gotten most of the sneezes out and his body was exhausted at effort. Hehschew! He sneezed one last time then his body wavered and he fell backward, collapsing to the floor.

Alishia stopped herself from rushing to his side. She took a deep breath and walked over slowly and deliberately to where he lay in the middle of the floor. Her eyes scanned over him and she giggled. He was such a mess! So completely unlike the composed clean-cut act in the van. Although part of her told her to just leave him lying there, she ignored her better judgment and grabbed some tissues and wet a cloth then walked back over to him.

As she wiped his face down with the wet cloth, he weakly opened his eyes and smiled at her. She used the tissue to tenderly trace down his very reddened nose and his body shook feebly as that tickled another sneeze out of him. hgch! Alishia laughed again as the almighty Alex was reduced to a lump on the floor, resigned to her smallest whim.

"Except when you're a sneezing wreck, I can never tell when you're acting or not." she told him while she brushed back his hair with her fingers. "Why do you even bother putting up an I'm-so-cool front?"

Another sneeze shook his body but he was too weak to release more than a soft Nngh. After catching his breath, he finally responded "Dose men may look like body guards, but dey're actually 3 of by father's closest associates. I doubt by father will work wit you directly. Aldough he put me in charge of you, dese men still answer to him. I may not look it, but I'b a lawyer. In dis business, image is everyting."

"A lawyer?" she chimed. "No wonder you're such a great actor. How old are you exactly?"

"27. How old did you thig I was?"

"I thought you were in your mid twenties. Except now you look just like a little kid." Alishia giggled.

"Look who's talking? You coud pass for a high-school student." Alex mocked.

"Hey I'm 22 ok!"

"I know." he said.

"You sure know a lot about me. So what do you expect me to do for you anyways? I refuse to do anything illegal. And I demand to see my father regularly." Alishia hovered the tip of the tissue daringly in front of his nose.

"Ok ok stop!" he cried as his nose began itching again by just looking at the dangerous tip hanging before his eyes. His nose wriggled in protest but he was too tired to lift his arms up and rub it. Startled, he felt a soft finger rub gently under his nose.

"You're so easy." Alishia laughed. "And so? You were saying."

He frowned at her, but his nose felt good. "Well," he began "you dow that knowledge is power. I just need you to watch bideos of cases, trials, interrogations, international conferences, speeches, debates, and pradically anyting that the speaker may be saying someting but thinking someting completely different. You can read minds from old videos right?"

"It helps to see them in person. Or from a live video. Old videos or photos are ok if I know their general location and can locate them. Of course I can't read their mind if they've passed away. Or if they're a sneezing wreck." she rubbed at his nose harder.

"I'm sorry!" he cried. "My dose is already raw! I didn't realize thad such a small cad could shed so much fur and dander." The reminder made his nose itch again. Alishia heard his mental plea and stopped rubbing. She pressed her finger lightly against his nose.

Alex sighed in relief and continued. "Of course, people will pay big bucks to ged your information. You don't hab to go anywhere or do anyting dangerous. No one will eben know about you or your father. You'll be safe here, and we'll provide you anyting you want. If you do desire to get out of dis building for a break, that can eben be arranged. And if you cooperate, eventually you and your father can lib together."

"What about you? What are you hiding? Why are you willing to go through all this torture?" she asked adamantly.

Alex blushed and turned away. "Sorry, I can't answer thad one."

"Even if I bring Jasmine over?"

"You wouldn't!"

"I'm sorely tempted." She took her finger away from his nose and slowly moved away. Her hand brushed against his coat, and she felt a hard object in his pocket. Suddenly remembering, she reached in and grabbed out a blue toy water gun. "This was your 'PERSUASION'???" she exclaimed.

"I neber claimed to have a gun." he shrugged. "Actually, I thought that carrying a real gun would bake me nervous. Then I might slip up and you'd catch me. Having a toy gun worked out to be much more effective."

"Augh!" she exclaimed exasperated, stood up, and walked away.

Alex's nose tingled more intensely so he forced himself to roll over and stand up slowly. Wobbling on his unsteady legs, he braced himself against the wall until the ground stopped spinning. Stifling all those sneezes made his head hurt intensely, and it still throbbed painfully from it. He put his free fist securely under his nose and attempted to walk towards the door before being pelted with more questions.

He got about half way to the door before a dizzy spell overtook him. He almost fell again over but Alishia caught him. She put his arm around her neck and used her tiny body as a brace even though he was almost a full head taller than her.

"I don't think I'll ever understand you." she sighed as they reached the door.

"I'll check on you later." he said. He let go of her and stepped outside. She gave him a curt nod and walked away. The door slid shut tightly behind her.

Alex sighed too. "For a girl who can read minds, she sure is dense." He shook his head but the throbbing returned. So he made his way slowly back toward the elevator.

TO BE CONTINUED… AGAIN!

[funbusej]

I was just re-reading some of my favorite stories and came across this gem!! Is it still a work in progress? I would love to read more! Please, keep up the good work.

[obsessed]

Is there more to come? I love it. =D

[a red nine]

I remember this story! In fact, I've been looking for it. I'm so glad to see you're updating. I love it so much, adorable!

[scent]

Oh my goodness! That was gorgeous! Great 1st story.

Mod Note: Trimmed quote ~Mute

[littlesneezer18]

I am left speechless! This is one of the best stories I have read! Not only is everything written beautifully, but the plot is simply intriguing to the highest degree!!!! Amazing! Please continue with this. You've got me snagged. As well as a few others I believe. Can't wait for more!!!!!!!!!!!!