It Runs In The Family

[Blah!?]

Alrighty, so...

Strance circumstances in Live Chat made me wonder what would happen if a Banshee sneezed, and I ended up writing a little story about it. It's kind of two stories technically, but they're both about the same main character, and they do more or less happen one after the other, so I decided to post both together. I also kind of just didn't feel like recounting the events of the first story at the beginning of the second one, so once again laziness plays its role.

Also, I decided to use Gaelic names for the main characters. These can be a little hard to pronounce, so I thought I'd include a little guide to make things simpler:

Siobhan - Shivaun

Ailbhe - Alva

Caoimhe - Keeva

And there you go. I'd once again like to thank all my beta readers, you know who you are, with special thanks to The Cake Is A Lie for helping me come up with the idea in the first place, and Junia for all her help with Gaelic names.

Without further ado:

Twenty two years ago, Siobhan was born to a pair of Banshees named Cael and Ailbhe. Of all the mythical monsters in the world, they are really quite civilized, and Siobhan found herself in the arms of a loving family. They live together as families until the children are mature enough to live on their own, and even then, married couples will stay together as long as they live. Banshees do often live in caves, and these caves are generally very well furnished and made to resemble fancy houses. However, despite their civilized nature, Banshees were still bound by one monstrous trait: the need to prey upon humans.

Siobhan was taught by her mother since birth to hunt humans, and she was well on her way to becoming a Banshee just as powerful as her parents. With their debilitating shrieks and unique ability to literally disappear into the shadows, Banshees were extremely effective hunters regardless of their environment. Humans lacked any special abilities of their own, so even before maturity, Siobhan was an effective hunter. However, as she stalked her human prey, she steadily became fascinated by them, and she began to wonder why her kind had to hunt them in the first place. Humans seemed so powerless against her, and above all, Siobhan began to question Banshees made such a game out of their hunts.

As she matured, Siobhan found herself growing farther and farther apart from her Banshee parents. In the end, she felt as if she had more in common with the humans than her own kind. Despite being a Banshee, Siobhan found herself dreading each daily hunt rather than anticipating it. Before long, both she and her parents decided something had to change.

Siobhan found herself concentrating very hard on keeping her hands from shaking as she stepped through the crowd at a bustling, fancy party. Being surrounded by humans always made her uncomfortable, especially on an important day like today. Siobhan may have been born a Banshee, but she didn't share her family's human-hating ways. After refusing to hunt humans, she was cast out and forced to live alone, and after several years of solitude, she decided something had to change. After months of planning, Siobhan found a sorcerer who could change her appearance, making her indistinguishable from the average human. Indistinguishable, that is, as long as she never shrieked again. However, having cast off her Banshee ways, Siobhan had no regrets about her decision.

After tonight, Siobhan would be able to live among the humans without ever worrying about her appearance. Humans generally reacted poorly to the sight of Banshees, either running away or attacking, but Siobhan couldn't blame them. She was the only Banshee she knew of who didn't hunt humans. As much as she wanted to live among them, Siobhan knew they wouldn't see her any differently if she simply showed up in town to rent a room at the inn. Her pale, purple skin, pointed ears and large, hooked nose would immediately betray her identity if she revealed herself. As such, she was clad in a flowing black dress and an intricate headdress with a veil to cover every inch of her face but her eyes. The veil was uncomfortably tight across the bridge of Siobhan's elongated nose, but after tonight, she wouldn't have to wear it again.

The sorcerer told Siobhan to come to the party, and he would find her before the night was over. The Banshee had initially planned to stick to the shadows and stay away from the crowds, but shortly after arriving at the party, she found herself having too much fun to stick to herself. Siobhan had danced, finished too many glasses of wine, and she even had a nice conversation with a young man who she found herself inexplicably drawn to. However, now the night was starting to come to a close, and she wanted to make sure she met the sorcerer. She was having so much fun that she completely forgot, so now she was making a conscious effort to seek out her savior.

As Siobhan gently pushed her way through the crowd, a strong, sweet smell suddenly pierced up her nostrils. The sensation came over her so quickly that she couldn't help but let out a small, sharp snort. The party guests around her gave her a variety of irritated glances, put off by her unladylike behavior. Siobhan held up a hand in apology and continued on her way. However, the scent seemed to follow her, and it refused to leave her alone. She tried to distance herself from the source, but no matter where she went, the scent became more and more potent with each passing moment. Before long, Siobhan's eyes were watering and she was unable to keep her nostrils from flaring.

"Hah..."

Siobhan's breath suddenly hitched, and she resisted the urge to lift her veil to give her access to her ailing nose. If she exposed even the smallest sliver of her body, someone could see her and her entire plan would have gone to waste. The Banshee held her breath and then exhaled gently through her nose, causing the black veil to billow gently, but not enough to reveal her face. She concentrated on taking slow, deep breaths, and while the irritation in her nose continued, Siobhan's worry steadily began to decrease.

"Hah-Hah!"

After a second bout of hitched breaths, a wave of panic suddenly washed over the young Banshee. Over the course of her entire life, Siobhan had only ever seen another Banshee sneeze once. She knew humans did it all the time, but luckily for Banshees, it was a rare occurrence for them. When she was very young, Siobhan's mother took her to an old, abandoned mansion in the middle of an ancient forest to teach her daughter how to break into human homes and sneak around. As soon as they made their way inside, Siobhan noticed her mother having a strange reaction to the heavy dust hanging in the air. Ailbhe made a scrunched-up face that conveyed all the same nasal irritation that Siobhan was feeling now, and then her mother let out what must have been the sneeze of the century. It was as loud as the Banshee's shriek, so naturally it echoed for miles and it shattered every piece of glass in the house. Despite the remote location of the mansion, it even attracted the attention of a few guards patrolling around a nearby town, forcing Siobhan and her mother to flee back to their lair. The elder Banshee subsequently had to endure weeks of teasing from her husband, and needless to say, Siobhan never saw her mother sneeze again.

"Hah-Hah-Hhh-Hahh!"

Now, Siobhan knew the same thing would happen to her. She held her breath and shook her head, trying to free herself from the strong scent, but no matter how hard she tried, it followed her wherever she went. Eventually, Siobhan found herself standing in the dead center of the party; the middle of the crowded dance floor. She opened her heavy eyelids, trying to get her bearings, and when she saw where she was standing, the young Banshee knew she was standing in the least inconspicuous place in the whole party. Closing her eyes again, Siobhan gave up, knowing she would simply have to make a new plan to live among the humans later.

"HAH-TCHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!"

A wave of sound exploded around the Banshee as she sneezed. The high-pitched shriek lasted for several seconds, only growing louder and sharper as it continued. One by one, every glass, window and mirror in the building exploded into shards, and everyone inside fell to their knees as they covered their ears. Siobhan's veil billowed up like a cloth in a hurricane, and after a few seconds it tore loose from her headdress and sailed away.

When the storm finally stopped, Siobhan could only stare in horror at the destruction she had caused. Every other party guest was lying on the floor, their hands still over their ears, and broken class covered almost everything. As the guests began to recover, the Banshee buried her face in her hands and quickly fled the party. Tears began to well at the corners of her eyes as she pushed through the front door and she filled the air with shrill sobs as she sprinted back to the small, abandoned cabin she called home.

Slamming the door behind her, Siobhan slumped down on the corner of her bed and cried. Hours later, she finally began to regain her composure, and she headed to the bathroom to wash up before bed. The young Banshee splashed some water on her face, and as she looked up at the mirror above her sink, she didn't recognize herself. Instead of the purple-skinned, pointy-eared and hooked-nosed Banshee she was used to, she found herself looking at a young woman with cream skin and rounded ears, and she couldn't help but giggle when she noticed her big, hooked nose was still the same.

"Your wish has been granted."

Siobhan whirled around at the sound of a male voice behind her. She was momentarily terrified that some human had followed her home to get rid of another Banshee once and for all, but when she saw who was behind her, she recognized the face of the young man she had talked to. He winked at her, and before she could say anything, he vanished in a cloud of golden dust. Siobhan smiled, realizing that she had met the sorcerer after all. She stepped through the cloud of dust as she headed back to her bed, and as she did, she couldn't help but inhale some of it.

"Hah... Hah-Hah!"

The Banshee shoved her finger under her nose, knowing what was about to happen now. However, after a few seconds, Siobhan decided to just let it out. All of the cabin's windows had already been shattered by her shrieks in the past, and her mirror was enchanted to never break, so she knew she had nothing to lose. On top of all that, she was in too good a mood to restrain herself anymore.

"HAHHHH-TCHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!"

Siobhan let out the same screeching sneeze she had at the party, and she felt the whole cabin shake with its force. As soon as she recovered, the Banshee giggled to herself and rubbed her finger under her nose. She knew the sorcerer's spell was only skin-deep, but she couldn't think of anything about herself that she still wanted to change.

-----

After a long, busy day, Siobhan returned to her room at the inn for some well-deserved rest. She quickly collapsed on her bed, taking slow, deep breaths to help herself relax, but after a few seconds passed, the young Banshee began to feel like she wasn't alone. Siobhan quickly sat up in bed and looked around the room. Although she now appeared human, it didn't take the Banshee very long to spot one of her own kind watching her from the darkest corner of the room.

"Show yourself, Banshee!" Siobhan said, speaking firmly but quietly. The purple-skinned figure remained still for a moment, its eyes shining in the darkness, but a few seconds later, it stepped into the light of Siobhan's bedside lamp.

"Caoimhe?" Siobhan gasped, her jaw dropping. She stared in a mixture of surprise, relief and fright as her own sister appeared before her. Caoimhe nodded, pulling back her hood to reveal her pointed ears.

Caoimhe was Siobhan's younger sister, and she was much more receptive to their parents' teachings. The sisters had loved each other, but when Siobhan was cast out, Caoimhe didn't voice any objection. She had always been loyal and obedient to their parents, so even if she did miss her sister, she had never raised a single complaint.

"What are you doing here?" Siobhan asked, standing up from the edge of the bed. Caoimhe remained silent until her older sister approached, at which point she stepped back into the shadows and explained herself.

"Mother and Father want you to come home, Siobhan."

"What? They were the ones who cast me out! Now they want me back? Don't lie to me!" Siobhan shouted, restraining herself so her natural Banshee voice wouldn't shriek. Caoimhe shook her head and retreated farther into the corner.

"That they did, but you are still their daughter. They know what you've done to yourself, and they won't stand for it. They won't stand for their daughter becoming a lowly human!"

Caoimhe's voice screeched slightly as she shouted at her older sister, a sign that the younger Banshee still hadn't fully matured. Siobhan quickly stepped forward and clapped a hand over her sister's mouth, doing her best to silence her. Keeping her hand in place, Siobhan glared at her sister, squeezing her face firmly.

"If I'm still their daughter, then I'm still your elder sister! You will listen to me!" Siobhan said, speaking quietly but powerfully. Caoimhe glared up at Siobhan, but she made no effort to interrupt.

"I have made my choice, Caoimhe. I'm not going back, never. And there's nothing you, Mother or Father can do about it."

"Yes there is," Caoimhe whispered, her mouth still under Siobhan's hand. Her older sister's eyes widened, surprised at how cruel Caoimhe sounded. She removed her hand from her sister's face and retreated back to her bed.

"You may appear human, but you are still a Banshee in your soul," Caoimhe said, stepping toward her frightened sister. "Mother and Father told me that if I could not convince you to return with me that I am to reveal your identity as a Banshee to the humans you live with. I will obey my parents."

"You wouldn't," Siobhan breathed, feeling sad and terrified. Caoimhe nodded and crossed her arms.

"I will, if I must. You have one day to decide. I will return tomorrow-"

"Don't bother!" Siobhan interrupted, her voice loud and powerful, but she still kept it from screeching. "I am not going back! Never!"

"Very well," Caoimhe said with a sigh. She hung her head and retreated into the shadows again, and the next time Siobhan blinked, her sister had disappeared.

Siobhan remained awake for hours after that, too worried and saddened to sleep easily. However, after a few hours of restlessly lying on her bed, the Banshee finally dozed off. At this exact moment, Caoimhe made her move. The younger Banshee once again emerged from the shadowed corner of the room, this time carrying a myriad of seemingly random objects. Caoimhe held a feather, a pepper shaker, and a vial of white powder in her hands as she approached, and she laid each one out on Siobhan's bedside table as she knelt down next to her sister.

First, Caoimhe held the pepper shaker over Siobhan's head. Holding her own head back as far as she could, the younger Banshee shook out a portion of the pepper directly over her sister's large, hooked nose. As the black grains of pepper fell on Siobhan's nose, she simply scrunched up her face, not showing any urge to sneeze. Caoimhe shook out a bit more pepper, and Siobhan still didn't react. Not sure what else to try with the pepper, Caoimhe lowered the shaker toward Siobhan's face and gently pressed its lid to her sister's nostrils. The next time Siobhan inhaled, she snorted loudly, prompting Caoimhe to jump back and hide in the shadows. However, despite her initial reaction, Siobhan simply gave her nose a slow, firm twitch, refusing to stir from her slumber.

Annoyed, Caoimhe placed the pepper shaker on the bedside table and picked up the feather. Kneeling down next to the bed, she leaned in close to Siobhan and began to carefully reach the feather toward her sister's nose. Caoimhe gently flicked the feather across the underside of Siobhan's nose, trying to find out how the older Banshee would react. Siobhan's nostrils flared, but nothing else happened. Then, Caoimhe began to tickle her sister's nose more vigorously, causing her nostrils to twitch and flare.

"Hah..." Siobhan breathed, wrinkling her large, hooked nose. Caoimhe knew she was on the right track, so she began to tickle even more vigorously, working the tip of the feather into Siobhan's right nostril. Siobhan's jaw dropped and she scrunched up her face, the urge to sneeze beginning to overwhelm her.

"Hah... Hh-Hah-Hah!"

The older Banshee's breath hitched again, but just before she was forced to sneeze, her eyes snapped open and she shot up in bed. Siobhan swung a hand toward Caoimhe, knocking her sister away, and she used her other hand to immediately grab hold of her long, hooked nose and pinch it shut.

"HAAHHH-KKKNNNNNXXNTTT!!!"

The bed shook as Siobhan stifled a massive, Banshee-worthy sneeze. She continued to hold her nose closed for a moment after recovering from the sneeze, and then she turned her eyes toward her sister. Siobhan glared at Caoimhe, who had fallen on her rear with the feather still clutched in her hand. After the sisters eyed each other for a moment, Caoimhe lunged toward the bedside table to snatch the vial of sneezing powder, but before she could reach it, Siobhan grabbed her arm and held her in place.

"Stop it, Caoimhe!" Siobhan growled, keeping her voice down. "Don't waste your time! I'm not going back!"

"But why?" Caoimhe asked, her voice pained. A single tear appeared at the corner of her eye, but she tried to blink it away before her sister could notice. "Mother and Father miss you. I miss you!"

"Because this is who I am," Siobhan said, trying to speak softly and calmly. "I don't want to hunt humans. If that's what my people want me to do, I'd rather live among their prey that continue living with them. Everyone has their own destiny, and I've chosen this life as mine."

Caoimhe's arm went limp, and Siobhan decided to release it. Her younger sister took a deep breath and sighed, shaking her head. She calmly reached for the vial of sneezing powder and picked it up, but she simply held it at her side nonthreateningly.

"What shall I tell Mother and Father?" Caoimhe asked, her voice cracking as another tear slipped from the corner of her eye. "They will be most disappointed in me." Siobhan smiled and put a hand on her sister's shoulder.

"No they won't. They'll see this as another of my failings, not yours. I'm going to keep being myself, and if you continue being who you want to be, they'll forgive you," Siobhan consoled, gently patting the top of Caoimhe's head. Her younger sister suddenly threw her arms around her, causing her to gasp lightly.

"I'll miss you, Siobhan!" Caoimhe cried, her voice going shrill. Siobhan returned the hug, rubbing her sister's back. They held each other in a tight embrace for what felt like hours, but suddenly, Caoimhe lost her grip on the vial of sneezing powder. It slipped through her fingers and shattered on the floor, enveloping both sisters in an infectious cloud.

"Hah-Hah-Hah!"

"Hihh... Heh-Heh! Hih-HEH!"

Siobhan and Caoimhe both began to heave and hitch as they inhaled a noseful of sneezing powder. Siobhan couldn't help but chuckle as her head tipped back, wondering if the small inn would be able to withstand not one, but two Banshees sneezing simultaneously. Caoimhe panicked, knowing every human for miles would know there was a Banshee about, and it would most likely land both her sister and herself in an inescapable pile of trouble.

"HAAHHH-TCHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!"

"HEHH-SHHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!"

The Banshee sisters let loose at the same time, their powerful, shrieking sneezes breaking every piece of glassware within a mile of the inn and rousing every sleeping creature in five times that distance. They both scrunched up their faces and rubbed their noses gently for a few seconds, oblivious to the chaos they had just caused until they looked each other in the eye again.

"Caoimhe, we have to get out of town! If we're caught, we'll be-"

The younger Banshee held up a hand, silencing Siobhan. Caoimhe shook her head and then gave her older sister another hug.

"Not us, just me," she said, looking up into Siobhan's eyes. After just a few seconds, Siobhan knew what her sister was planning. They squeezed each other tight, not letting go until they heard the front door of the inn being kicked down by the town guards.

"I'll miss you," Caoimhe murmured, stepping back from the bed. Siobhan smiled and waved one hand in goodbye.

"Don't say that," Siobhan said, lying down on her bed. "You know where to find me."

After giving her elder sister a quick nod, Caoimhe let out an ear-piercing screech like the true Banshee she was, and she tore out the inn's front door. She led the town guards on a wild chase through the woods, giving them the Banshee they sought and allowing Siobhan's days as a human to continue. As Siobhan feigned agony to fit in with the other humans around her, she smiled as she heard Caoimhe let out another howling sneeze from miles away, and she took it as a sign that both she and her sister were in the clear.

---

And there you have it. I hope you all enjoyed reading this one! I sort of feel tempted to write some more fantasy stories taking place in the same universe, but we'll see where that ends up later.

[Sneeze999]

I really liked this. It was brilliant! I, for one, would love to see either more stories involving these lovely banshee's or more stories from this univers

[bloom]

<3 You already know I think this is frick-fracking adorable. I love Caoimhe's protecting her sister, cutest thing evaaaarrr

[happycamper123]

This was AWESOME! I hope you do more like this

[a red nine]

"As Siobhan feigned agony to fit in with the other humans around her, she smiled as she heard Caoimhe let out another howling sneeze from miles away, and she took it as a sign that both she and her sister were in the clear."

Awah this ending is so cutie-patootie~~~! I really love it when stories go full circle too - the sisters used to be close, they drifted apart, and then they had that moment of understanding together in the end. This story has a certain quality to it that's obviously fairytale-like, but somehow nostalgic in another way as well. The way you paint the banshees is unique too; they aren't good by the reader's standards, but they also aren't evil. They merely have their own culture, which just so happens to revolve around killing humans. Siobhan isn't supposed to be a hero either. She does what is best for herself, because her happiness is important to her, even if it means separating from a family that we've been told has never done vastly anything wrong to her. She's a rather dimensional character.

And the memory always gets me with the cuteness. Clearly Ailbhe has passed on her adorableness to Siobhan lol

[Animeeze]

Awesome job Blah!

I really like how you develop your characters, I always feel like I can learn a thing or two from your writing style and your stories. With that being said, this story is fantastic!

[NoV]

You certainly can write some superb massive sneezes - and getting two of them in at the same time = genius

The bed shook as Siobhan stifled a massive, Banshee-worthy sneeze. She continued to hold her nose closed for a moment after recovering from the sneeze, and then she turned her eyes toward her sister. Siobhan glared at Caoimhe, who had fallen on her rear with the feather still clutched in her hand.

Love this bit

[mysterysneeze]

I really enjoyed this story! It is really rare having this species sneeze. Something about mythological things needing to sneeze has fascinated me lately, especially with the new series magnus bride. The banshee character in that series is adorable and I loved imagining what these two banshee young ladies looked like during my reading of this story. Great descriptions here and I think it was awesome how her younger sister had a conflict and resolved it by talking. It was great seeing both sisters sneeze too!