With a bag packed for three days Lydia pulled the scull string to the Road House. The door was opened by Kevin who quickly ushered her inside and into his room.
"What's the hurry?" Lydia asked, looking around the middle sized room where she stepped into for the first time. It was a typical teenager room with its typical disorder. The only unusual thing was the bed – it was huge and took half of the room. At least five Kevins could've slept in there.
"BJ has one of his sore moods again. That's why he is leaving to blow the cobwebs from his mind. I doubt any vacuum cleaner could manage the task, but he believes into the mighty power of fun. He has been acting strange lately. Especially after that hike."
"What do you mean?" Lydia asked, intently listening. Firstly, she thought Beetlejuice was acting strange, and now Kevin? But maybe what was strange to him was not to Lydia?
"I don't know. It is like he is fidgeting or something. Like something is after him. Of course, I am no judge, but to me it looks like he is fighting something but looses. And those losses make him all cranky. And then his juice flairs which makes him even angrier."
"He doesn't hit you, does he?" Lydia asked alert, mistaking worry in Kevin's eyes for fear. It could be fear, but not for himself, for his best friend.
"Of course not, what a ridiculous idea!" Kevin replied with a smile. "But I really wish you to help me to understand what's going on."
"But why me? It could be Jacques or Ginger, they watch him every day."
"Because it worsens after your visits."
"Oh."
……………….
"Oh. I didn't know you were here."
Lydia raised her head from Monopoly board. She was about to pay yet another fee to Kevin (the boy could have made a good realtor if he had grown up) when Beetlejuice appeared in the door frame. "Kevin invited me to keep him company while you are away."
"No need. I am taking him with me," Beetlejuice informed her coldly.
"Why don't you take miss Lydia with you? She hasn't ever been to Las Vigorous. I am underage and you'll get in trouble and your vacation will be spoiled. Not to mention I have no luck with money."
Lydia glanced at the board where everything was bought by the boy and raised an eyebrow. For some reason she felt she was being set up. She gave him a pointed look as if saying, 'What are you talking about?' Receiving in return a mouthed 'help him', she turned to look at Beetlejuice who was undergoing some mental struggle.
"Okay, get in the car. Those luck girls always get all my money anyway," he muttered the last sentence as a justification for his actions.
"But I don't have anything to wear, not to mention any money," Lydia started to protest, but Kevin already brought her up from the floor and was pushing her towards the garage.
Lydia was tossed onto the passenger seat and her bag - into the trunk. The second later they were on the highway. Doomie was beeping happily, excited about going on high speed. Beetlejuice swung his legs onto the dashboard and closed his eyes with intention to take a nap, letting Doomie to drive to their destination on his own; the car was obviously familiar with the route. Lydia was not planning on staying mute however.
"Since when do you have spare money for gambling?"
"Good investments," Beetlejuice grunted in reply.
"Investments?!" Now that was quite a shock. Beetlejuice NEVER bothered with long-term money making. A bulk of cash here, another one there, nothing serious to deal with the next day.
"Yeah. Don't understand why I didn't think of it earlier. I do nothing, but money comes to me non-stop."
"And what kind of fortunate business did you invest in?"
"Casinos."
"Huh? You receive the dividends from the casinos and then loose the same money in the same casinos?"
"Not me alone. Casino always wins, it's the golden rule here too, I also win at times."
"But why don't you spend money on something more useful? Like Kevin's clothes for example. Those rags are horrible!"
"He likes those rags."
"He liked the tuxedo too."
Beetlejuice finally opened his eyes and pinned her with a glare full of irritation. "If you gonna bug me the whole three days, I prefer to drop you on the next bus station. He will get his clothes at the right time. These things don't work here like in your world. So don't pretend you understand anything since you took some trips around here."
Lydia pouted with indignation, but knew that he was right. Yes, she saw a lot of places in the Neitherworld, but she had no idea how it worked. "Kevin told me-"
"He shouldn't have," Beetlejuice interrupted. "The balance must be preserved."
"He didn't mention any specifics. But still, you should've been beside him. I am sure he was scared to die. Everybody is."
"Kev wasn't scared. He dreamed of dying the first time he coughed blood. It was more than five years ago."
"That's how you found him, right? He wanted in."
Beetlejuice shrugged. "That too."
"What else?"
"Why such interest?"
"I want to know him. He is your best friend, I want to know why. I also grew to like him."
"You want to know what he has that you don't?"
Lydia sucked in air. That was sharp, more importantly it was the sharp truth. She was not jealous of Kevin, she just wanted Beetlejuice to treat her the same. She hasn't changed that much since the time of their friendship. Of course, she was more mature, but that didn't mean she was no fun anymore. "I just wanted to know why him. Why not someone… like me."
"Because he is a boy. Girls have… disadvantages."
"What could those be?" Lydia inquired slightly hurt by such disposition.
"Just disadvantages. I thought they wouldn't arise with you, but was unfortunately mistaken."
'Now we are getting somewhere. I must find out what those disadvantages were, then I may find out why he broke up our friendship so abruptly.' She wanted to pry more into the topic, but noticed his tensed posture and decided to postpone it. Otherwise the small vacation would be ruined without even beginning.
……………..
Las Vigorous looked very much like Las Vegas even if Lydia visited the grand city only once. Despite daytime, the streets were busting with ghouls. Some looked like they had won a lot the night before, some – like they had nothing to lose and some – like they hadn't anything at all anymore.
Doomie parked near one of the hotels that looked nothing like shabby. Lydia even saw five stars beside the name of the hotel. Beetlejuice jumped out of the car and headed towards the main entrance. With nothing better to do, Lydia grabbed her bag and followed him. The doors opened automatically and Beetlejuice strolled in like he owned the place.
"Mister Beetlejuice, what pleasure to see you here again," the receptionist, who looked like a creepy doctor fond of unethical experiments, greeted with a strangled smile, which could hardly hide his wish for Beetlejuice to be anywhere but at the current hotel. "Your usual suite?" Beetlejuice grunted his approval. "And the lady? Does she require-"
"The lady is with me and doesn't require anything," Beetlejuice stated with authority.
"But you know that our hotel has a reputation, we can't-"
"Posh, I know exactly what reputation it has," Beetlejuice spat, and quite literally too, throwing several bills. The green paper disappeared before the bills even hit the counter.
"Have you just bribed the manager for us to have one room?" Lydia whispered while they were going upstairs. Despite having five stars on the front, the hotel décor looked to be at least five hundred years old with cobwebs, squeaking floor boards and an occasional rat running down the hall. Lydia could only label it as 'an extremely cool place'.
"It is a lot cheaper."
"But we can't be in one room," Lydia stated as it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Who said anything about one room?" Beetlejuice pushed an old crooked door and they entered the 'suite.'
"Deadly woo," Lydia breathed out, examining the living room she was standing in. Yes, the fabrics were mold beaten and the furniture was cracked in some places and unsteady, but the only thought that it was all genuine, coming from the times of the Tudors…
Beetlejuice neck snapped turning on 180 degrees. "What did you just say?"
"It is very beautiful. Do you always stay here?"
"Yeah," he answered distantly, as if something was on his mind. "I own this place. Unfortunately they clean it up. Reputation and what not. Hah, their reputation stinks almost as much as me! We have a long night ahead, I am going for some shut eye." His eyelids turned into blinds and rolled themselves down. "You better do it too."
"What exactly I am supposed to do tonight? I've been in a casino before, but with friends and only for fun."
"You must bring me luck," Beetlejuice only said disappearing behind one of the doors that led out of the living room.
Lydia tried the door on the other side of the room and it revealed a bedroom. So the beds were separate after all. How was she supposed to feel about it? Happy, relieved, disappointed?
She woke up several hours later by the noise from the living room. Lydia freshened up in the adjoined bathroom and reentered the small living room. Beetlejuice was flipping through the channels, looking totally bored. Moreover, he didn't look like himself at all. Lydia knew her friend well enough to understand that he was distraught about something. But what?
"Get ready, we are leaving soon," he ordered, not even turning to face her.
"I don't have any change of clothes as I've already told you. I thought you would juice something up."
Beetlejuice stood up grunting like an old and sick man. It seemed that conjuring an evening gown for her was the last thing he wanted to do at the moment.
"What's wrong?" Lydia asked, coming close to his slumped figure.
"Nothing's wrong," he mumbled turning away to stare at the window.
"You are not glad to be here. I can see it with my own eyes. Is it because of me? I can leave right away if you want."
"I don't. I think."
"Why did you run away from the Road House?"
"I didn't run anywhere!" Beetlejuice exclaimed retreating towards the window, putting several meters between them.
"I am not a kid anymore, BJ. Yes, I am still young, but I had my ups and downs and I know what is to feel lost, depressed or simply miserable. And don't argue, you are acting exactly like this. Even Kevin noticed it. Your coming here is a natural reaction to run away from your problems, but they seem to haunt you here too. Just tell me, maybe I can help somehow."
"You think you have more life experience than I?" BJ asked slightly bitter.
"Of course not!" she denied, remembering that he was more than six hundred years old. But during her speech she somehow converted him into an ordinary person with worldly problems. She momentarily forgot he was the Ghost with the Most and he couldn't be bothered by some petite inconveniences like loneliness or hurt or indecision. Or could he? "I was just suggesting that I can lend you an ear."
"Thanks, two is quite enough."
Lydia couldn't help but smile at an innocent joke. His mood must be lifting up if he started to crack jokes. She also understood that the topic was closed. Well, she offered her help and it was refused. Didn't mean she was going to give up. But it was advisable to take a tactical retreat for now. "Does your juice let me eat this world's food too? Because I am kinda hungry."
"I've been wanting to get something crunchy myself," Beetlejuice said, snapping with his teeth. As if some switch was turned inside him, Beetlejuice turned into his funky self.
He sent a bolt of juice her way and Lydia suddenly felt as if there was daft in the room. And that was because she felt naked! She cautiously looked down and released a sigh of relief – she was only half naked. She was wearing a long shiny blood red dress with completely open back and the neckline was so low that it was brushing her nipples. It was hard to understand how the dress was not falling down, since there were no straps or anything holding it on her petite figure.
"I actually wanted to ask you for something more covering. The black dress from the last time wasn't exactly comfortable."
"It's the fashion here."
"Like Hell," Lydia protested, seeing that he was simply mocking her. But why in this manner?
"Not at all. Everybody there just go stark naked. It's too hot there to bother with clothes."
For a moment, Lydia believed Beetlejuice to be serious, as if he really travelled to Hell, but his wide smirk told her he was just messing around with her. Again. "Okay, being in the Neitherworld do as the ghouls do. Let's be fashionable. But can you at least add some straps? I feel it will fall the moment I make a step. And maybe a capote of some sort? I am afraid I will freeze to death while you were playing the night away."
"Freeze? Beside me? I highly doubt it."
'What was that supposed to mean?' Lydia contemplated, watching as Beetlejuice's suit changed into a black one with white thin stripes, the shirt became red, and the tie – white. But she could not spare another second on thinking about his reasoning, because they appeared in the lobby of a restaurant. Lydia blinked several times. She didn't remember even being touched by Beetlejuice to teleport her, and since when could he do that? Lydia assessed the situation: they were standing before the maitre d' of the restaurant which certainly was not in the hotel they were staying and Beetlejuice was discussing something with him, possibly the seating arrangements; she also noticed that now the dress had straps over her shoulders and several crisscross straps across her shoulder-blades. To her immense surprise, a black fox boa was dropped leisurely over her shoulders.
"Are you showing off?" Lydia asked after they were seated behind a table for two.
"What gave you the idea?"
Lydia stroked the fur as to prove her point.
"We are among rich people, so we are acting as such. Don't you like it?"
Lydia recalled as years ago Beetlejuice became reach and they went to the resort for the richest people of the Neitherworld. They escaped from there, because they were disgusted by the stuffiness of the inhabitants, and now the same Beetlejuice was indulging in the lifestyle he hated, the spark of mischief nonexistent. But he was not the same anymore. And that simple question… It caught Lydia off guard. She did like it. She decided to forget all her doubts and guesses about Beetlejuice's attitudes and reasons behind them. She will accept him as he is. Like she always did.
"I really like the outfit, but it seems to miss something."
"It won't, if you are a good girl and bring a lot of cash for me."
"I'll try," Lydia promised, but she had no idea how she would fulfill that promise. She has never been especially lucky by nature. "What do you play exactly?"
"Everything."
..........................
Beetlejuice was not kidding. He indeed played everything. Starting from the one-handed bandits (who were actually real bandits with three balls instead of eyes and yapped quite loudly when the players pulled their arms. They also didn't forget to say all kinds of 'encouraging' words when the player lost and sent quite a row of curses if he managed to win), roulette (with colors gross and grime instead of black and red. Lydia didn't get which was which on the field, even if they won quite a fortune there), wheel of misfortune (where the winning fields let you simply leave in one piece), Black Jack (the cards were dealed by a totally black ghoul) and last but not least poker. In the beginning of the night Lydia didn't have the slightest idea how that game would turn out for the two of them.
Entering yet another casino Beetlejuice proceeded with the ritual he did in every casino they visited, namely leaving his feet with the chief manager. "So I won't cheat with my juice," Beetlejuice explained to Lydia in the very first gaming-house they entered. She instantly wanted to retort that his juice using ability was just fine with only his feet missing, but hold her tongue. She seemed to be the only one to know that and it was definitely better that way for all involved. Except for the casino owners of course, but who cared about them? Lydia was not good at math, but cheating or not, Beetlejuice's balance was quite positive.
"What is that?" Lydia asked as they neared a long table with sticks fencing around it.
"Poker table," Beetlejuice answered with a smirk of a predator.
The pokes moved welcoming them into the circle of the players. There were eight of them, mostly skeletons. There was one player however who sent shivers down Lydia's spine – a big angry looking bull. It was hard to forget someone who dragged you down to the altar. Lydia hoped that he didn't remember her or recognized her for that matter.
Lydia and Beetlejuice took seats in surprisingly comfortable armchairs and Beetlejuice was dealed his first round.
"Hello there, Beetlejuice," the bull greeted the new comer with the malice that showed he considered Beetlejuice his personal rival.
"Hello to you too, Bully," Beetlejuice responded, confirming Lydia's fears of the bull being Bully the Crud.
With the game continuing on Lydia turned to her pastime of the night – watching the other players. She had nothing else to do, since her being 'the luck girl' had no specification about actions to bring the said luck. She watched Beetlejuice too of course and discovered, to her astonishment, that he was a very quiet player and winner even more so. She imagined him running all over the ceiling in case he won a lot of cash. But no, he just gathered the chips with a chuckle under his breath as it was the most normal occurrence. As if he was destined to win. Always.
The other poker players were not so confident. All male ghouls had a female companion beside them, who encouraged and advised; the female players, if alone, usually clenched something in their hands. Luck seemed to be an essential part of gambling in the Neitherworld. The train of Lydia's thought stopped on its tracks when she was suddenly shoved to the side.
"What's the big idea?" she heard Beetlejuice exclaim while she was sprawled on the floor. She looked up and saw a huge pole in the place she was a second ago. Another rule of the Neitherworld poker required the winner to poke anyone of the side of players who lost. By an unspoken default it meant the players who lost, not the one who were with them. "Do you need to check your eyes?!"
"What's the difference?" Bully asked with an indifferent shrug.
'I am frigging alive, that's the difference,' Lydia thought, her heart going two miles a minute. 'But you are not supposed to know that, that's the problem.' "Thanks," she muttered, getting back into the chair.
There was no reaction from Beetlejuice, his poker face staid in place. The game and poking continued at the same pace, but Lydia felt bull's eyes on her at least half the time. She was not alien to male attention, but that one was definitely not desirable.
Bully and Beetlejuice reached yet another stalemate. Since the accidental poking aka Lydia's almost death the game turned almost only between them and Bully was generally on the losing end.
"Bet the girl," the bull barked.
"What girl?" Beetlejuice asked, looking at his cards, which were not bad, but not that good either.
"In the red dress."
"What red dress?"
"The one beside you, you dolt!"
"If she is beside me, why should I bet her?"
"Why not? You've won a lot already. It won't hurt you to give me her for just a night, right?"
"I don't share my luck. Call," Beetlejuice closed the topic, throwing several chips onto the betting pile. All participants knew that they were not talking about luck at all.
Bully grated his teeth and folded. Lydia unknowingly moved closer to Beetlejuice, seeing as the bull's yellow eyes were not leaving her at all.
"What about a kiss?" Bully pressed.
Beetlejuice started to retort, but Lydia stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "A kiss won't hurt, BJ. Maybe he will get lost after that," she whispered into his ear so nobody else could hear.
"Do they usually do that?" BJ asked with a distant glance. Lydia wanted to clarify who 'they' were, but he went on, "I can make him win."
Receiving Lydia's affirmation Beetlejuice juiced Bully's cards on the next deal. "The winner gets the girl's kiss," BJ announced.
Bully flashed his Royal Flash right away. Lydia rounded the table, took the bull's muzzle gently into her hands and pecked him on the nose. She departed before the enraged bull could grab her and claim what he, in his opinion, deserved.
"There were no specifications," Beetlejuice stopped Bully's coming protests.
"Then another bet! But a real kiss this time. No cheating, juicing or luck helpers!" Bully roared, slamming the table with such force that the chips' columns fell apart.
Lydia's blood turned to ice, but she knew that resisting was futile, so she stood up and took position in between Bully and Beetlejuice. 'Whoever wins, this will be the last game. I am dragging BJ out of here no matter what he says. Why did I agree? Must be the influence of the fourth… or is it fifth glass of martini? I can't even imagine how gross kissing this bull will be. But what about Beej? He claims to be the grossest creature here. But- '
"Three of a kind," Bully the Crud proclaimed confident in his victory.
"Four of a kind," Beetlejuice said, opening his cards.
"Crud!" Bully roared standing up and breaking the table in half. Lydia fled to hide behind Beetlejuice seeking protection on some female instinct. "What are you waiting for? Kiss that scum already!" he bellowed, eyes turning red.
Lydia took a deep breath and turned to Beetlejuice, but he floated out of her range. 'What does that suppose to mean?' Lydia thought confused. She took a step towards him, but he moved again.
"What's with you? I don't remember you being so afraid of any ghoul you brought here before." Bully asked not forgetting to add insulting laughter.
Beetlejuice turned his attention to Bully to redeem his dignity and Lydia seized her moment. She quickly closed the distance between them, grabbed him by the lapels and brought his lips to hers. The kiss was extremely brief but not only her lips but whole Lydia's body burned as if her blood was on fire.
"Take the money, we are out of here," she breathed out, swaying slightly. If her gaze hadn't been as blurry, she could've noticed that Beetlejuice looked even worse for wear.
