CHAPTER 3

Lydia never called him the following day. Beetlejuice waited, albeit impatiently, expecting to be summoned at some point, but when the shadows grew long in the remains of the Neitherworld sun, he decided he wasn't going to hear the magic B-words that day. By nightfall, he took it upon himself to peek in on his friend through her dresser mirror, and was surprised to find the bedroom dark, as well as having his view partly obscured by an oversized bouquet of roses.

"That bonebrain," he muttered, peering around the flowers to see if Lydia was in her bed. His hopes were dashed when he found it vacant and undisturbed.

Beetlejuice sighed. He lingered at the glass, feeling like more of a ghost than ever before. Similarly, Lydia's room seemed bigger and emptier than usual, lit only by moonlight that streamed in through the window. It occurred to him that the moon had more of a presence in the room at that moment than he did, and he felt a sudden hollowness manifest somewhere in the pit of his stomach. It was a sense of emptiness that possessed its own gravity, like a black hole that swallowed up his insides and hungered for anything more within its pull.

His eyes fell on Lydia's clock. It was nearly half past ten. Where could she be at this hour? How long had he been loitering in her mirror already? He heaved another sigh, resting his forehead against the glass.

What may have been either minutes or hours later-he couldn't be sure-Beetlejuice's heart leaped when he finally heard the familiar voice coming from the other side of the bedroom door. He strained to listen and suddenly wished his ears weren't so jam-packed with six hundred years worth of wax. Along with Lydia's voice, he managed to identify that of her father. Old Chucky sounded happy, and the ghost couldn't decide if that was a good or bad thing. Less than a minute later, he heard them wish each other goodnight and he practically quivered in anticipation, knowing that door would open any second now and his Lyds would be here with him. He pressed closer to the glass, so anxious to see her that he could almost taste it. At last, the door swung open and his best friend walked in, flipping on the light and tossing aside the purse she was carrying. Beetlejuice couldn't contain himself.

"BABES!"

"Beetlejuice?"

Lydia moved the roses out of the way and gazed into the mirror at her ghoulish friend. If she was completely honest, he didn't look so good, and that was saying something for a dead guy.

"Babes, where have you been?" The question was genuine and held no venom. "I thought you'd be here doin' homework."

"It's Friday night, Beej," she said. "I went with Sean to a late movie."

"Oh," Beetlejuice seemed to accept that answer. "I just expected to see you sometime today, that's all."

"Sorry about that, BJ," she told him with sincerity. "I ended up going straight from school to Sean's house. I'm sorry. I should have let you know."

"Aw, it's okay, babes," he forced himself to say, despite the feeling of some invisible constricting snake squeezing his chest. "Hey, how about those B-words, huh?"

Lydia smiled. "Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!"

The spectre in the striped suit leaped from the mirror and Lydia immediately found herself in his arms, flying with him around the room. She giggled as they circled and dived, dipped and weaved in as many creative ways as the ghost could think of. When the record player started up on its own, Lydia was forced to put a stop to the fun.

"Beej, my parents," she said, but the smile never left her face.

"Oh, yeah," Beetlejuice remembered. "Sorry."

The music stopped and he set her down on her feet, grinning goofily at her as he continued to hover above. The fact that she had her dark hair up in a new style wasn't lost on him, nor did he fail to notice that she was wearing her make-up differently than usual. She also wore a sleek, black skirt and top outfit that was plenty modest but still highlighted her feminine figure. By human standards, Beetlejuice could tell she was very pretty, and for some reason that made him feel both a flash of pride and a stab of pain. Another part of him just found it plain disgusting.

"Did you see the roses Jacques sent?" she asked as she began working on taking her hair down.

"I saw TOO much of the roses Jacques sent," he groaned, rolling his eyes dramatically.

Lydia laughed. "He did go a little overboard," she admitted, casting a glance at the abnormally large bouquet, "but it was nice of him."

The two best friends spent the next half hour chatting as they often had in the past. Lydia did share some of the details about her evening with Sean, and Beetlejuice surprised even himself by how well he behaved during that part of the conversation. Finally, the girl was spending more time stifling yawns than speaking, so she reluctantly broke it to her companion that she needed to get some sleep.

"Okay, Lyds," he went along amiably without any argument. "I can tell you're really tired. Get some sleep, babes. G'night."

He waited for the B-words that would return him to the Neitherworld, but they didn't come. Instead, Lydia seemed to be mulling something over in her head.

"Babes?" he inquired.

"Beetlejuice," she said finally, and he prepared for two more. "Would you stay here with me tonight?"

That was unexpected.

"Sure, Lyds," he said with uncertainty. "If ya really want me to."

"You don't have to stay all night if you don't want to," Lydia added. "It would just be nice to know you're there when I fall asleep."

"Anything ya want," he said, a clear note of confusion in his voice.

"Thanks, BJ," she said, smiling. "I need to get dressed for bed, so if you could..."

"No problem," he replied.

Rather than turn his back, he used his magic to put a dressing screen between them. Lydia noticed the wooden panels of the screen were adorned with stylized paintings of serpents and dragons, and she found herself admiring the artistry.

"Deadly vu," she murmured.

A few minutes later, Lydia was settled comfortably in bed, more than ready for sleep. From his floating position at her bedside, Beetlejuice snapped his fingers and the light went out, enveloping the room in blackness. Hovering there in the dark, he listened to the gentle rhythm of her breathing, his mind replaying similar scenes from the past when she was younger. She hadn't asked him to stay with her through the night since the days of being afraid to sleep after watching scary movies. He wondered what movie the nose-picker had taken her to see.

"You can go as soon as I fall asleep if you want to," her sleepy voice startled him from his thoughts.

"Hey, babes," he began hesitantly, "I forgot to ask ya... what movie did you see tonight?"

"Oh," Lydia paused to yawn. "It was called Sunshine Of Love."

Beetlejuice silently gagged. That WAS scary.

"G'night, Beej."

"G'night, Lyds."

Less than five minutes later, she was snoring softly. He stayed all night.