Hello my lovelies, I have updated this chapter and revamped the content. I will be similarly revising all the chapters of my story and bringing them up to my current standard. Thank you for sticking with me. I would also like to thank GhostlyHaunting who has helped bring things to my attention and supported me and my work. Thanks love i appreciate it so much. Any reviews on the new chapter will be greatly appreciated.
Lydia paced around the kitchen for a while lost in the sea of thoughts. She knew she needed to do something, something normal, something banal and every day. Sure she had made a pact with someone who could quite literally be a demon for all she knew but that didn't mean that her life had to change. She would go on as normal, she would go to her photo shoots and live her life how she wanted no matter what happened.
She stopped her pacing and opened the fridge only to stare listlessly into the depths of the white box. She knew she wanted something that would take the edge off everything she was feeling. Her eyes drifted across the scant scene inside and she fixed her eyes on a bottle of rosé. She grabbed the bottle. The screw top gave an unsettling fizzing noise as she opened. To be on the safe side Lydia gave the pink liquid a good sniff. She suspected that the wine was either on the turn or had already gone bad. It smelt a little funky but she didn't mind quite so much, as long as it was palatable, she would happily give it a go. It wasn't until she took a sip from the bottle that she deeply regretted opening it. A sour, almost bitter taste fizzled across her tongue like an electric eel of mould. She instantly spat the feted liquid into the sink. She looked more carefully at the bottle now and as she turned it in the light. She could see tiny cloudy particles that had drifted up to the surface of the wine. It looked like they had been hiding, unseen at the bottom of the bottle and she had just disturbed them by taking her ill-advised sip. Feeling slightly sick at her discovery and wanting nothing more than to wash the taste out of her mouth. Lydia quickly turned on tap and washed out the bottle and its rotten contents down the sink.
She shuddered to herself as she washed the pink, frothing liquid go down the drain. Wine, was definitely off the menu for today. She picked up a six-pack of beer. As they were fully sealed they were the safer option. Her slim fingers slid between the cans with ease. She quickly liberated the libations them from their cold prison and brought them through to the living room.
She set the sixer down onto her coffee table. Tearing one away from its siblings, as she opened it and took a large refreshing gulp. It was a thousand times better than what remained of the wine. Even better it got rid of the nasty taste that lingered in her mouth. She set her open beer down on her coffee table before, she flicked on the tv. She began to mindlessly surf through the channels but honestly, she didn't really know what she was looking for.
Instead of watching the television and whatever station it was on. She found her gaze lingering at the tv's reflection in the shining top of the coffee table. It was something of a unique item, truly a one of a kind. For starters, It base was an unusual shape. It wasn't the simple and predictable rectangle most tables sported. This one had a wooden base that started out in the formulaic rectangle. Though as you progressed further up the body its form narrowed, so that the two sides sat at an angle, almost leaning against each other. The very tip of the shape was topped off by a small horizontal cap, making it look like a coffin. It was, in fact, an old school coffin that Lydia had altered into a coffee table. She had done so by taking off the normal, hinged lid that would usually provide cover and modesty for the deceased and she attached a glass top. The interior of the coffin looked stylish, as it was draped with a rich, crushed red velvet she had lovingly stitched into the frame. She had originally bought it to use for a photo shoot years ago. But somehow, just like all the other unusual items she happened upon, she ended up keeping it.
Lydia continued to sip on the amber nectar. She revelled in the slight feeling of a fuzzy, warm buzz that accompanied drinking on an empty stomach.
Meanwhile, Beetlejuice decided to make the most of the time he had 'on the outside'. He would take Lydia up on her suggestion to explore the place. It was true, things really had changed since he had last been there. He floated into the master bedroom. Where he was astounded to see the absence of floral wallpaper. Instead, the room had deep purple walls and a deeply rooted gothic feel. In truth, it looked like a room stolen from the Addams Family's mansion. He could see it easily being turned into a sex dungeon and he only hoped he would be around to see that come to fruition. He passed a door which had a sign stating "Dark Room". He decided he would check that particular one out another time. As far as he was concerned he had all the time in the world, so why rush? He wanted to leave a little something for him to discover later on.
He continued to float down the empty hallways and eventually down the stairs. The sound of the tv pulling on him like a string on a very old wooden toy. When was the last time he had watched tv? He couldn't remember it seemed like forever. Even if it was just boring mortal stuff, it would be the break he needed. He would happily sit the sets warm glow as it provided pure unadulterated, mindlessness. As he drifted towards the beckoning sounds he came across the door what he presumed must be the living room. But he couldn't help but notice the placard on the door than named it the 'Living-Dead Room'.
"Cute" he muttered to himself with a chuckle. It had definitely peaked his interest, so with that, he pushed forward. e swinging door let out a squeaking moan of discontent, which he thought was quite apt. In front of him was what looked like a transplanted slice of a cemetery. Which took up the whole left side of the room. Fake gravestones stuck out of the floor, which was incidentally covered in faux grass and what looked like wildflowers he could have even sworn he had spotted patched of moss.
Why the hell would anyone want a graveyard in their house? he wondered to himself. He could see what he presumed was a small fog generator in one corner along with what looked like a body. If he was in the habit of breathing, his breath would have hitched in his throat at the sight. He gingerly floated towards the body and noticed two things. One; the thick layers of plastic covering the body so all you could see was the basic shape of what he guessed was a woman. The one feature that stuck out from the plastic bags was a shock of grey hair. He would have guessed that it would have reached the middle of the woman's back normally. But the pieces that had broken free from the bad were matted with mud, twigs and other pieces of unknown debris. These things had darkened the hair giving it an uneven, mottled grey colour. The other thing that stood out to him was a strange syringe-like object that had been sitting almost underneath the body.
The core of the thing was shaped almost like a tattoo gun. It even had a trigger, which just added credence to his theory. There was a very sharp looking needle on one end but it was longer and thicker than anything he has seen used before. The oddity of the machine lay at the back of it back of it. Behind the top of the trigger sitting at the back end of the gun was some sort of vial of mysterious blue liquid that glowed eerily. It fitted smoothly into the gun almost like a battery or cartridge. He couldn't help but wonder just what this strange device did.
Beej floated forward a little, his interest was well and truly peaked. Could his little Lydia be a murderer? He reckoned that she would make an excellent killer. The black widow type if he was lucky. As he just so happened to be a ghost he would be immune to any homicidal tendencies the woman had. No matter what way he sliced it. He ended up with all the sex and none of the bitter aftertaste of death, It was a win-win situation.
He knelt down next to the body, his knees making contact with the synthetic grass as he began his examination. Sure enough, it was body shape but he couldn't see much detail. Though the plastic covering was translucent in nature. There were so many layers stretched over the body, that the overall covering had become was almost completely opaque. He moved the plastic covering slightly around the woman's head only to have her hair come tumbling down into his hands. The unmatted portions were surprisingly soft, not silky smooth the way human hair normally was. In fact, it didn't feel like real hair at all he realised as he caressed it lightly. As he looked closer he realised that it was made of something like wool or yarn which had been brushed and stretched to make it look like hair. He moved the covering, even more, uncovering more of the body. Confusion clouded his mind when he was confronted with the dead, painted on eyes of a mannequin. He was a little unnerved but he was so focused in on what he was looking at that he almost missed the voice speaking to him
"Oi you, leave it alone will you," Lydia demanded, only to be very much ignored by the ghost.
"You better not ruin that, I spent ages making that bloody thing". She threatened. The unspoken warning and overall tone or her voice was enough to bring beetlejuice out of his trance-like state.
"Wait, you made this?" he asked both amused and oddly impressed at the same time.
"Yeah, it's for a photo shoot tomorrow," she informed him with a satisfied smile. She was quite happy that he had shown enough concerned to investigate a possible dead body lying in her living room. At least that was some kind of indication that her creation was, more or less realistic looking.
Beej picked up the strange, gun-like contraption turning it over in his hands. He shot Lydia a questioning look as he still couldn't figure it out.
"It's a Zydrate gun" Lydia stated. Through the look of confusion on her companion's face only seemed to deepen at the added information.
"It's a prop for a movie. It's supposed to be a sort of drug gun" Lydia explained.
"We are doing a film inspired shoot tomorrow and the prop warehouse got partially ruined by flood water. That's what happens when you have a prop house near a river. We had a particularly heavy storm and the Winter River burst its banks. It doesn't help that they put quite a few of the pieces I needed down in the basement, which is still sitting in about 3 to six inches of murk water" she clarified before continuing with her explanation.
"So, I have to make my own props for a while. At least until they get things sorted. Luckily a lot of the heavy molds and props were on a different floor." she added with a smile. It couldn't have been a lot worse and she liked the challenge of making her own props.
"You're really into this stuff aren't you?" Beej asked with a deep chuckle that reverberated within his throat. He enjoyed the passion in her eyes as she explained everything. Honestly, it was refreshing to see her like this.
"Of course" Lydia stated sharply before her tone softened.
"What's the point in working if you don't enjoy what you are doing. I can't see myself doing something if I can't have a little bit of fun with it. Otherwise, it's just soul-crushing and that's no way to live" she replied as she took another sip of her beer.
"Hey, do you fancy a beer?" Lydia asked with an eager smile as she tore a second can away from the sixer, without waiting for the reply.
"I thought you would never ask" Beetlejuice replied gratefully, a genuinely friendly grin spread across his face as he got back up and walked over to the sofa. It amused Lydia that he was actually walking instead of floating, perhaps it was because it made him look a little more human. She wasn't exactly sure why, but she was oddly happy he would be joining her. Perhaps it was because she had been stuck on her own for so long. The slightest hint of company (no matter how bad that company might be), was somewhat soothing to her.
"What the hell is this?" Beej asked having flopped down on the sofa next to Lydia. He was now eyeing his beer with suspicion. The gaunt, eyeless orbs of a sugar skull, stared back at him from the side of the can. Beads of condensation ran down the forehead of the beautifully drawn skull, making it look as if it was sweating.
"Oh it's rum-infused beer" Lydia replied taking a large gulp of the amber liquid.
"It's twice as alcoholic and it's a surprisingly good pairing," Lydia added with a smile. The rum gave the beer a beautifully smooth body, with a sweet almost buttery finish. There was a delightful twist of citrus in there that lingered on the tongue. She watched Beej eagerly, entertained by his apprehension.
"What, scared it might be too much for you?" Lydia teased, knowing he wouldn't back down from a challenge like that
"Oh you're on little Miss," He said with a demonic grin as he opened the can which made a comical little fizz. He quickly downed half of the can without really tasting it. Only to let out a burp so loud Lydia was certain that it made the windows shake.
"So, what do you think of it then?" Lydia inquired unable to keep the smile away from her lips.
"I've had worse," Beej replied stoically. Not willing to admit that he actually enjoyed her choice in beverages.
"So what are we watching?" he asked relaxing back into the sofa, as he put his feet up on the glass coffee table.
"Oi feet off!" Lydia demanded angrily, throwing a pillow at Beej which almost made him spill his beer.
"What's the big deal it's just…" He trailed off as he noticed that the coffee table was an actual coffin, topped with glass.
"Alright I'll admit it, that's pretty cool" he replied with an almost warm smile. He leant forward and buffed away the muddy shoe imprint with his sleeve.
"So what's the story behind it then?" he asked intrigued. The more he found out about Lydia the more interested he became, she was much more than the depressed goth chick he had met so many years ago.
"Well, I rented it from a company years ago just for a photo shoot. They seemed to be eager to get rid of it and i got it at one hell of a discount rate. Everyone i talked to about it just assumed it was because it was haunted" she scoffed.
"I just thought it was taking up valuable room in their prop-house, or something like that. I mean you can fit a body in it after all and the woods fairly thick on to of that" she commented taking another sip of her beer.
"Anyway by the time I went to return it, the place had closed. Turns out the head of the company had been skimming money from the corporate accounts. Add that with the recession and it's bye bye prop shop. So, I realise I'm now stuck with the thing. It's not a big deal though because I know a number of clients that would love to use in their photo shoot. So,i knew i could use it, that wasn't the issue". She paused to take a long sip of her beer.
"I just don't have the room to have a whole coffin lying around. With the lid on, they take up a hella lot of room. So, I decided to take it apart and use it as a coffee table, you have to admit it's a conversation starter," she said with a very smug grin.
He enjoyed her little story immensely and he actually found talking to her to be just a little too natural. He felt like he should feel more resistance but he was enjoying finding out more about her.
"Do you still have the top of it by any chance?" Beej asked in the most nonchalant way he could muster.
"Yes," Lydia affirmed suspiciously.
"I will be attaching it tomorrow for a photo shoot. Why, what do you want with it?" she asked cautiously. She had a sinking feeling he would want to do something with her prized possession.
"Well, you don't have anywhere for me to sleep". Beej hinted with a smile that managed to turn from pleasant to predatory, in point five of a second.
"Unless of course, I can share your bed with you," he said licking the small droplets of beer from his lips as he stared at Lydia.
"After all, every girl needs a big strong ghost to keep them nice and cold at night," he leered as he leaned in closer to Lydia, breaking her bubble of personal space. She stiffened as she felt his cold breath prickle the skin on the side her neck. It made her feel frozen all over, in a way that was oddly pleasant.
"And unlike other ghosts, i have something big and hard to keep you entertained all night long" Beej whispered in her ear his voice turning husky and smooth. He enjoyed the way her breath caught in her throat and the delightful blush that betrayed her as it made its way from her cheeks down to her neck.
"They don't call me 'The Ghost with the Most' for nothing babes" he whispered teasingly. He was so close that he could feel the heat coming off her in small waves. He could physically feel the tingle of her flush as it heated the air around her, warming his old bones ever so slightly.
His teeth were no more than an inch away from her ear. He could easily plaster kisses against her neck or even bite her a little. Though perhaps he could start with a simple nibble her earlobe? He couldn't help but wonder which one would get her worked up more. Which one would be the catalyst to get her to jump his bones.
"Not that you will be doing much sleeping. Not when that delicious body of yours is all hot and wet in all the best places" he whispered shamelessly. Being so close he could hear the blood rushing through her veins. He could easily hear how her heart rate had spiked and he couldn't help but let out a low rumbling chuckle, that reverberated along every inch of her throat. Lydia let out the tiniest squeak of surprise, but instantly suppressed it as much as she could. Her actions, however, were pointless as he had already heard it. A cocky smile spread across his face he had her cornered now and she knew it.
"So what do you say Babes?" he questioned roughly. Before she had the change to even think of an answer He placed the most chaste kiss against her neck. His lips barely touched her skin and they were there for only a second or two. Yet, they left a cold imprint against her skin that truly was a ghost of a kiss. An uncontrollable shudder to make its way down Lydia's spine as a silent reply.
"You can have it" Lydia insisted quietly.
She tried to ignore the racing of her heart, or the icy kiss that had turned her neck into a tingling mess. The experience and the flesh of her neck were of both hot and cold at the same time. She wasn't sure what had just happened. Had it been a kiss? If so it was unlike any other kiss she had felt before. It was so light that she was half convinced she had imagined it. She knew Beej would enjoy teasing her and flirting with her because he was a major perv. But she hadn't expected anything quite like this. The man was hardly captain subtle. As for tact or courteousness, they were nonexistent. So she pretty much thought that any kiss from him would be a sloppy, wet affair that would be most unpleasant. But this had been so soft, so gentle. Two words that would normally be far from her mind whenever she pictured Beetlejuice.
"What was that babes, I can have you?" he alluded with the most predatory, serpentine smile that was physically possible without actually turning into a snake.
"No, you can have the coffin," Lydia said sternly. She tried her hardest not to falter and just ignore his breath and the feeling of lingering cold against her neck. "After the photo shoot tomorrow, it will have the lid back on it and it's as good as yours. Lydia said as assertively as she could manage. In the moment, she completely forgot that there was in fact, a perfectly good guest bedroom he could use.
"Such a shame, I was looking forward to showing you a good time," Beej said his forked tongue coming out to tickle her ear wetly.
"Eww!" Lydia exclaimed shooting back to the other end of the sofa as quickly as she should. He had taken things too far and they both knew it. Her following eruption of anger was natural and very warranted. She felt kind of violated at the feeling of his tongue in her ear.
"You do that again and I will fucking kill you" Lydia shouted throwing the remote control at Beej as hard as she could. Beej burst into howling laughter at 'his' end of the sofa, revelling in the reaction he had managed to get out of the girl.
"Babes I'm already dead, what are you going to do shoot me?" he guffawed loudly.
Lydia got up like a shot and she shook her head while staring daggers at the ghost. Less to tell him off am more in an effort to try and remove the uncomfortable feeling of swimmer's ear. All the while she mumbled something about exorcism under her breath. All before she disappeared into the bathroom in desperate need for some cotton swabs. Beej chuckled darkly to himself as he cracked his knuckles before he picked up the remote.
"It's show time" he muttered to himself as he made a flicking motion towards the tv. The large flat screen sat warped, its clean edges becoming askew. Each corner of the black screen jutted out at a strange angle only to curl up into a spiral. The very top of the tv, where the company logo had once been, now warped into the head of an eyeless bat. It's little fangs hanging down a little over the actual screen, the top corners of the screen curved up into half spirals which made the whole tv look like wings for the great bat. The tv moaned and hissed awfully, as it was twisted and finally sunk into the bat shape which had become its new housing. From upstairs Lydia could hear the unearthly noise and she shot downstairs as soon as she had dried and thoroughly disinfected her ear.
"What the hell did you do to my TV?" Lydia bellowed as she came into the room to see a strange bat-like creature, cradling her television.
"Nothing much Lyds" Beetlejuice said with a smile
"There was nothing good on so, I thought I would see if I could get any netherworld channels" he explained as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
"So you possessed the tv because nothing was on. Oh, yeah, that's really logical," Lydia replied sarcastically, slipping down on the opposite side of the sofa, which she now decided was 'her' side of the sofa.
"I didn't possess it," Beej said shortly. "Something needs to be alive for you to possess it. So, unless your TV is sentient, then it's less possession and more electromagnetic interference," Beej said cracking her a genuinely pleasant smile. He was keen to show off his prowess to Lydia, he already knew he could get under her skin but for some reason that wasn't enough, he needed to do more.
"Ok, care to explain that one?" Lydia asked angrily, she still didn't really want to talk to him. She would much prefer to just say his name and make him vanish back into the mirror. But they had to have some sort of truce sooner or later. If she wanted to have any semblance of a normal life, she would have to at least try to make it stick. So starting out with just watching tv together was a plan. Besides she had managed to grab a very sharp pair of nail scissors and tuck them into her pocket before she had left the bathroom. Just in case he decided to try things on again. She half hoped she would be able to chop off that damned snake tongue of his but she reckoned he knew he had crossed the line.
"Have you ever got one of those phone calls where there is just static?" he asked to which Lydia nodded.
"Well that's the most simple case but ghosts can control electromagnetics hence why the lights flickering, the radio turning on and all that kind of stuff is at the heart of any cheesy horror film. It's basic haunting 101 stuff and it happens on the internet too. I would say 9 times out of 10 the person you're talking to in a chat room is actually the living impaired" Beej announced in a very matter of fact way.
"So, that explains all the creepers I have acquired online. You have been trolling me haven't you?" Lydia inquired. She had more than a sneaky suspicion that her hunch was true. Beetlejuice didn't even try to deny it, hell he didn't even try to make a case for himself instead he ignored her question entirely. Instead, he simply replies "Shhh it's on!" as he turned up the volume to the very odd looking tv.
A strange looking creature that Lydia could only describe as Ghoulish popped up on screen. It looked like the crypt keeper mixed with some ex Hollywood star that Lydia couldn't quite remember. The ghoul was dressed in the old and torn remains of what had once been a tuxedo. Somehow he seemed to look almost presentable and suave. Despite slithers of his decaying flesh being as prominent as his tattered wardrobe.
"And tonight on the Netherworlds Next Top Model" the Ghoul announced before the shows flashy title screen began to play. "We are down to our last two models. Who will be eliminated tonight and who will win our coveted prize and walk away with the title of Netherworld's Next Top Model!" the ghoul half sang his voice full of excitement.
Lydia raised a critical eyebrow. "Seriously this is what we are watching?" Lydia asked angrily.
"If I wanted to watch drivel like this it could have stayed on mortal tv" Lydia stated before adding.
"It paints such a bad picture of what it's like to be a model and makes it look so easy," She said softly hoping he wouldn't pick up on her bitching.
"Well, of course, it's easy all they have to do is stand there looking pretty while someone shoots them," Beej said matter of factly.
"I'm not going to watch this with you if you honestly think that," Lydia retorted angrily.
"I'm a photographer. Things like this are my bread and butter. I have seen too many girls throw away their lives because of shows like this. They believe if they want it enough. If they are sassy enough then they can win their way into the industry. They just think its all partying and exotic locations. They think its clear skies it's plain sailing after that. Every session is a struggle, especially with the girls I work with. They have had awful lives and they were brainwashed into thinking they had hit it big because of one show or one nice photo" Lydia said before she trailed off into silence.
"Damn babes you really are passionate about this aren't you. It's not just a job to you is it?" he asked already knowing the answer.
"It's everything to me and I like to take the pressure of the girls a little bit, hence why I shoot here. Not some cold studio, where everyone is bitching at each other and trying to sabotage things. The models I shoot are beautiful but they have to have something special about them. Anyone can make a pretty picture but it's the model that really sells it. It's a symbiotic relationship between photographer and model. It just helps a little more that I'm also the director so there are less conflicting views" Lydia said as she watched the tv show begin.
A few minutes of silence followed as the pair watched the show unfold before their eyes.
"You can stay for tomorrow's photo shoot if you want," she added quietly to Beetlejuice, without really looking at him. "Just try not to get in the way and don't harass my girls," Lydia implored with a pleading smile.
"You won't forget this Lyd's I promise you I'll be on my best behaviour cross my heart". He drew an exaggerated X over his heart, which was now sitting in his hand. The organ looked old and shrivelled. It was a dark ashen grey and the still visible arteries were more of a deep black. The whole thing looked as if it had an aura of magic or something similar around it. Though quite what that aura was remained a mystery, but it was defiantly interesting.
"Put that thing away, before i change my mind" Lydia ordered with a hint of a smirk playing in the corners of her mouth. With a devious smile and a simple flick of his wrist and the shrivelled heart disappeared from Beej's hand and back to whatever bizarre dimension it had originated from.
Lydia was actually, somewhat surprised he had a heart at all. But it did add a little proof to her theory that he had actually once been human. It might have been a long time ago, but he had been human. During her time after the wedding, under Juno's careful tutorage, she had heard many a rumour. Word on the netherworld grapevine was that Beetlejuice was, in fact, some sort of demon and therefore had never been human.
Considering the lengthy list of past misdeeds and crimes Juno kept a record of in his file. It was little wonder people believed him to be a demon. Who else could get away with that much without being sent to the lost soul's room? Also who else in the netherworld had the amount of strange power he had? The answer, no one. It was probably easier to rationalise him away as being a demon. Some abnormality, that gets away with murder because of his powers. Rather than admitting that the whole afterlife judicial system was in fact broken.
Both parties looked back to the tv as the Ghoul seemed to be in deep conversation with two models. Lydia blinked and rubbed her eyes.
"Am I seeing this right?" she asked as there were two mannequins practising their posing in a full-length mirror.
"Yep, what did you think it would be real models?" Beej asked astonished before he added.
"Rule one about the netherworld, nothing is as it seems and yes that includes tv" he said with a smile.
"If it was actual models every undead starlet or ex-playboy bunny would want in on it. It would be chaos, do you know how many dead film stars there just floating around the nether?" he asked with a chuckle.
"So we have haunted or possessed mannequins instead. The rule is they can't just be possessed by a ghost, it would be way too easy that way. The models have to be alive by other means. So it's mainly curses and things like that. Every now and then it's a demon that gets trapped and those little firecrackers make amazing television" Beej explained.
"I see your point," Lydia giggled, the whole premise was so bizarre to Lydia she couldn't help but enjoy it.
"Popcorn?" Beej asked a box of popcorn appearing in his hand. Without really thinking about it Lydia reached a hand towards the box. It was only as her fingertips reached the rim of the box that she saw something shiny and greasy looking moving among the popped kernels.
"That depends, what flavour is it?" Lydia enquired nervously. Bringing her hand back from the strange slimy topping mixed in with the popcorn.
"Buttered Beetle," Beej replied flatly putting one of said beetle into his mouth with an unnerving crunch.
"You know what, I'm fine with just the beer thanks". Lydia said, tearing her eyes away from the disgusting popcorn and fixed it instead on the watch for a while in silence before Lydia's inner photographer took the helm.
"These models can't pose for shit. I wouldn't hire them, everything about them is just too wooden" Lydia critiqued with a smirk at her unintentional pun. She took a celebratory gulp of her beer, quickly finishing the can before she moved onto a new one.
"Just wait for the good parts Lydia," Beej said flicking his hand to make the program speed up and then stop at what was clearly the makeovers section of the show.
"See, makeovers are always good," he stated smugly as the tv zoomed in on two of the models. Lydia didn't seem to see all that much difference between the two presented models. One of the models didn't actually have a face whereas the other one did, but she was pleasantly surprised when the makeovers began. The Ghoul guest host began to address the model who already had a face.
"Now you Crustal, everyone knows you have this 'miss tough' thing going for you. But to extend your makeover we will be giving you a killer weave, I hope you can handle it". The Ghoul said to which the Model named Crustal replied tearfully with "I promise i will make it work". The fashion team of zombie hair technicians then began to stitch track after track of hair into the mannequin's head. All the while battling against sets of razor sharp teeth that seemed to live inside the hair. The ghoul then addressed the second model named Yetchy, who was quite literally a blank canvas. She was made of a cloth material instead of plastic like Crustal.
"And you Yetchy, you are so sweet and so unique. We are going to make you a painted doll," the presenter said dramatically as the model Yetchy shrieked with delight. Though were the sounds were coming from exactly was unknown, as she didn't have a mouth or even lips. The team of makeup artists began to draw a face on the cloth model, it looked reasonably convincing. It was no porcelain masterpiece but it had a haunting and unnerving quality about it. As they watched the painted face began to take on life an animation. Yetchy blinked her drawn on, eyes softly and opened her newly painted lips revealing her new, white cotton throat.
"Boring!" Lydia announced as the two models bitched to the video diary cameras. Crustal breaking down into tears as she confessed that she hated her new weave as it has been trying to digest her while she slept. Beej angrily skipped that section of the show with a flick of his wrist. The tv sped up to a more interesting part.
"Here you go the challenges. If you can find better on mortal tv then I..." He paused to think of a challenge "Then I will have a bath!" he announced proudly.
"Oh you're on" Lydia exclaimed excitedly before adding. "If I win you have a bath. So if you win..?" She trailed off.
"If I win, then you have to kiss me!" he said with a reptilian smile that made Lydia's stomach flip for some reason.
"Fine, a deal's a deal," she said sitting forward in her seat as the challenges began. The models stood perfectly still in a dark room full of boxes, a chest or two were scattered among the mountain of crates contained in the room. A light flickered closer, as the door opened. A solitary human man equipped with a lantern gingerly walked into the room. The guy was oddly short given his overall build. Though one of the things that really stood out about the guy was his hair. It was short and black, yet the front part of it was dyed bright pink. He looked oddly familiar, but she couldn't quite place him.
The man adjusted his glasses as he seemed to be talking to himself.
"God no not mannequins, I can't remember what the name of this fear is but I hate them and ventriloquists dolls. Ewww why are you are so creepy?" he said to himself as he cautiously moved forward. He seemed to notice Crustal and he turned to face her. He began to creep into the room, never taking his eyes off her.
"Helloooo, baaaayby! How YOU doin'?" He leered in an excited and loud voice, which showed an edge of fear. As he meandered around the model and towards a stack of boxes.
"Now all I have to get is some oil, please be oil!" He exclaimed.
"I NEED LIGHT!" He announced as he went to pick up the jar on the floor.
"LAUDANUM? what the frickety frack! Why would I need that?" He moaned as he turned around the models moved in unison making a blockade around him.
"Oh, my fuck!" he exclaimed as his light went out.
"No, no, no" he whimpered as Crustal began to make a low rumbling noise.
"No, oh no you don't, you sassy sue" the pink-haired man replied before he dashed across the room, diving behind a conveniently located box. He peeked out from behind the box to see Crustal's new weave flapping like wings against her head as the teeth became evident gnashing against her plastic skull. The model turned and lunged towards the cowering man, screaming like a banshee as she did.
"Dear God no" the man exclaimed as he dived back behind his box of safety.
"I fucking hate mannequins" he exclaimed through gritted teeth. A solitary tear dripped its way down Crustal's motionless face in a silent reply.
Beej paused the tv his face a picture of pure smugness.
"that's just one, there's another model to go and I think we both know which way this is going," He said with the biggest smirk possible.
"So, I think someone owes me something," he gloated giving Lydia a cheeky grin as he slipped over to her side of the sofa. Arms outstretched, ready to drag her to him so he could give her a good smooch.
"That's up for debate. I need to show you something on the laptop, I would say that we are at most even". Lydia said with a grin as things had finally clicked in her brain. She recognized the pink haired victim from the show and she felt the need to prove her case.