PROLOGUE – CURDLEJUICE

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Beetlejuice came to a horrifying conclusion: He was never going to be given the chance to use his talents again, and when it came down right to it, that really pissed him off. He had mastered the supernatural-powers death had given him, only to be cast aside as the one you were never to speak of, wrongfully accused of being nothing more than a troublemaker.

While it was true he loved having fun-that's not all he was about. He knew he was different, but being dead for so long, you couldn't blame him. Everyone would always look past this, and only see his ultimate goal and gross nature.

Unlike most of the others-and to their amazement-he willingly stayed behind in the Neitherworld, and passed up every invitation into the next world, where all were destined to go after their punishment in paperwork. He claimed that the next world was for losers, and you would no longer be connected to your world that had rightfully been yours to live in (or haunt), and so he declined from even the thought of moving on.

They were nothing more than ungrateful as far as he was concerned.

He sat there in his study, reading the latest in the Neitherworld's happenings. "If I were to rid the world of the living, then no one would have to…"

He paused, feeling a shiver run down his neck as he came across a heading in bold letters, which read: "NEW ARRIVAL," followed by a sub-heading in a smaller font, "The Living Immortal No Longer."

In it, the article explained that the hands of death finally grasped her. He knew that he no longer had to wait, for she had promised him. He knew, the one who had shown Beetlejuice another side to his being had finally succumb to death's door, and now he had to sit in fear for her arrival.

She was the one who cursed him, but not just literally. She had also cursed him into another state-of-being, and that had been love.

Beetlejuice looked at the ring on his finger, pained by what she had put him through. The one who cursed the beetle, and set loose the juice.

"Curdle…"

--

Meanwhile, a tearful Lydia Deetz was saying goodbye to the Maitlands, whom had been invited into the next world, and after a long discussion they all decided that perhaps it was for the best that they all moved on. Because of their temporal manifestation had been eased by accepting the Deetz family into their home, they were allowed to do so, instead of waiting for the original time they had been given.

As hard as it was, it was time to say goodbye to the married couple.

"Barbara…Adam…"

Juno stood next to them both, and gazed into the young girl's eyes.

"You realize, you'll have no memory of them," she said. "And neither will your parents for that matter, so take all the time you need." She finished as a puff of smoke escaped from the slit in her neck, which was a reminder of her own murder.

"I'm going to miss you both."

"Honey, it's not like we won't see each other again," Barbara said, feeling Adam's touch as he shook his head in agreement.

"That's right, so just live your life to the fullest."

"But…"

Juno interrupted everyone, and pressed on. She was getting impatient, as she did have other clients to attend to.

"Well, I guess we should get going, Barbara," Adam stated.

"Goodbye…"

In a flash of green, Lydia found herself realizing she was going to be late for school.

--

Lydia rushed to school, cycling away as fast as she could to greet Prudence and Bertha, whom were really the only friends she had here at Miss Shannon's school for girls. They were nice to her, even if the didn't share her taste in the strange and unusual.

"Hurry up Lydia! Class is going to start in five-minutes," Prudence warned as she looked up at the girl.

As they hurried along, they would talk about concerns of the upcoming dance, which would be shared with the district of Mister McDonald's school for boys. Bertha dreamily spoke of having a romantic affair that night, and couldn't help but ask Lydia if she planned on going with someone.

"A dance really isn't my thing…and neither is romance, at least at this moment."

For a moment, she had a faint feeling of déjà vu, and almost recalled the certain marriage incident with Beetlejuice. However, it was a memory concealed away by the forces of the afterlife.

"Deadly-vu."

--

The cold rushed past a woman standing atop a skeleton statue that held an hourglass with sand at the bottom. Her eyes were filled with tired emotion, and sought out the one who had broken her heart.

Her powers greatly increased in death, she focused on him, savoring the fear in his eyes.

"So I meant nothing to you?"

Her black dress dangled in the wind, like spider's legs grasping for it's pray.

"You, the one who had promised to love me?"

She would either have him, or send him to the lost souls room. Either way, he was not going to escape her. Not this time.