Beetlejuice's POV
CHAPTER ONE
Beetlejuice sat in the waiting room. He was sure that if that Argentinean receptionist didn't let him go see Juno right now, he was going to die for his second time. He pounded his head on the wall behind him. The image of the girl in the frilly red dress bounced around his brain. The sounds of laughter, from the ghosts playing poker on the ground echoed though his ears. He had already beaten them over seventeen times. But the demon waited, as he had for two years now.
"Number fourteen, billion, nine hundred eighty-two thousand, three hundred sixty-one!" Beetlejuice heard the number. He didn't even need to check his paper, because he knew it all too well. When he stood up the joints in his leg popped from underuse. He dashed over to the desk and slapped down his number. The receptionist glanced down and said, "Room twenty-two" Beetlejuice grinned and dashed down the hall. He counted the numbers of the doors until he reached twenty-two. He took one deep breath and pushed the door open. The office was dim like any other part of the netherworld. That old bat, Juno sat behind her desk lighting her cigarette.
"Well, if it isn't my old apprentice. Take a seat." The woman's voice sounded tired and slightly annoyed." Beetlejuice plopped down in a seat and put his feet up on the table.
"Not anymore, June bug!" He said picking at his teeth with his long dirty fingernails. "I'm now the afterlife's leading Bio-Exorcist! I'm not cooped up in a dingy office like you." Juno rolled her eyes and took a long drag on her cigarette.
"We are not here to discuss business affairs Mr. Juice. We are her to chat about your little escapade."
Beetlejuice rubbed his hands together, "Great! Getting right down to business."
Juno silenced him with a glance, then went on. "You had no right to try and marry that little girl. You've already lived your life; you shouldn't be able to ruin hers." Beetlejuice scoffed.
"I never did anything like that! I don't know where you're getting your information but- "
"The Maitlands told me everything, no need to lie."
Beetlejuice cursed the Maitlands under his breath. How was it any of their business who he was married to? "Aw, come on Juno! Isn't a dead guy entitled to a love life?"
"We both know full well that you only married her because you wanted to live again." Beetlejuice stood up and performed a very dramatic bow.
"And I'd like to see her again, if you don't mind me taking my leave!"
"You will do no such thing!"
Beetlejuice blinked. Then forced a very fake smile.
"Whyever not?"
Juno pulled out a dusty looking book, they brushed off the cover. "This is the handbook for the recently deceased."
What kind of idiot does she think I am? Beetlejuice thought to himself. "I'm well aware." He said impatiently.
She flipped to a certain page, "Page 131," she said glaring at him. "Once a ghost has been eaten by a sandworm and returned to the waiting room, they must the 125 years in their home."
Beetlejuice grinned. He had beat the system. "And…" The ghost with the most snatched the book from Juno's hands. "Guess whose wife has a little house in Winter River Connecticut?"
Juno's fists clenched, "She's not your wife and you know it! You leave that little girl alone!" Beetlejuice reached the page he was looking for. He laughed and shoved it in Juno's face. Then he read it out loud,
"Unlike in the human world, netherworld marriages are complete once both the bride and groom state, "I do"." He let out another giggle. "How about that June Bug?"
Juno sat there stunned. Beetlejuice handed her back the book clicking his tongue. "Guess the apprentice has become the master. See you later Juny!" Then the ghost with the most turned on his heel and swept out of the room, laughing like the mad man he was. He grabbed a pen off the desk and hurriedly drew a door on the wall of the waiting room. Lots of the other ghosts looked at him, envious that he could leave.
"See ya suckers!" The demon yelled as he jumped through the door.
The moment his feet hit the floor; he started walking. The attic of the house was not changed. The model still sat there collecting dust in the center of the room. Beetlejuice crouched by its side, just to see how much the town had changed. A new town hall stood proudly in the center of the model. It had gardens surrounding it, with little fountains with the plastic water frozen spewing out. He hears a voice coming up the stairs,
"Don't worry I'll grab it!"
For a moment his heart stopped in his chest. It was her. Flashes of red satin filled his memory. The door opened and there she was. Lydia Deetz. Stading not ten feet away. She was wearing a simple black dress, fishnet stockings, and her hair all done up. She was older. But he didn't have much time to stare when her eyes met his. She opened her mouth to scream, but before she could he was standing behind her covering her mouth with his lichen covered hands.
"Nice to see you again." He whispered. She tugged at his hand. He leaned in close so he could whisper in her ear. "If ya don't be a good, quiet little girl, I'm gonna be forced to let that sandworm out and let Barbra have a taste of her own meds." Slowly Lydia nodded. Beetlejuice grinned and took his hand off her mouth. Lydia spat on the ground attempting to dislodge any bacteria left by the dead man's hand. "Now let me have a good look at you." He pulled her in front of him. She glared up at him.
"Who summoned you?" Lydia said.
Beetlejuice chuckled, "No one, babes. Now that I've died for my second time, I must spend my 125 years at home."
"Then why are you here, instead of at home?" Lydia was feeling uncomfortable with him grabbing her shoulders. Her question made him laugh again, this time more evilly.
"Well, that's an interesting question. I'm guessing you remember our last meeting?" He ran one of his sharp fingernails down her arm, which she hurriedly pulled away.
"How could I forget?" Lydia could vividly picture herself being floated over by his ghost powers to join him arm in arm, hear Delia's scream as her sculpture held her in place.
"Then, I suppose you'll remember how the priest never finished the ceremony."
"Yeah?"
"Well, here in the living world, you gotta finish it," He whispered again in her ear. "In the Netherworld it's finished at the vows, babe." Lydia's eyes went wide. This had to be a nightmare. Or maybe a hallucination.
"N-no… I… No…"
Beetlejuice grabbed her by the arm leading her to the model. "And now we're gonna have a nice little movie night at home, alrighty Sugar pie?" Lydia tried to pull her arm away.
"Let me go!" She yelled kicking him in the shins, which seemed to have no effect.
Beetlejuice sighed, turned to face her, not letting go of her arm. "Sweetie, if you insist on screaming, I'll have to gag you. Got it?" Tears welled up in Lydia's eyes. She thought over her options. She could give one final scream and hope that one of the adults in the house would hear her, or she could listen to Beetlejuice and endure a movie night with him.
Quickly she made up her mind and let out a blood curdling scream. Beetlejuice ripped a piece of tablecloth of the stand holding the model and tied it around Lydia's mouth. Her screaming stopped as the piece of fabric served its purpose.
"Lydia?!" Delia's voice came echoing up the stairs. Beetlejuice cursed under his breath and dove under the model. Lydia stood there stunned as Delia came in. "Lydia what on earth is going on up here?! How am I supposed to throw a garden party when you're screaming like a banshee?"
Lydia opened her mouth to tell her stepmother what had happened, when she got a sharp kick in the ankle from under the model.
"I- ow! Sorry Delia, I accidentally touched a cockroach." Delia sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Did you find the strainer?" Delia said looking around. Lydia seized her chance and dashed over to a huge cardboard box and dug out Delia's electric pink fruit strainer.
"Here it is! I'll carry it down for you!" Then she ran down the stairs.
Lydia's POV
Chapter Two
Delia Deetz was known around the town for throwing the most lavish garden parties. Many people would come to them and chat about their spruces and elms, and how they were either growing well or dead. Usually, this left Lydia sitting by the food table serving punch. But this time, when Lydia was pouring punch to a particularly snooty woman, Delia had asked her to grab a strainer that none of them had seen scince the move here. Lydia sighed, then noticed the woman's cup was overflowing. She quickly apologized and got the lady a new cup.
After the unpleasantness in the attic, Lydia ran down the stairs at full speed. She brought the strainer to the kitchen and filled it up with boysenberries, then ran them under the tap. Delia watched from the doorway.
Lydia handed Delia the bowl of berries.
"There you go. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go get a photo shoot of Journey."
Hearing her name said, the giant golden retriever skidded down the stairs, barking and howling. The dog had been a 16th birthday present to Lydia. It had also been an apology gift from the Maitlands, to say sorry for almost getting her married to a demon. Journey jumped up on Lydia and licked her face with her gigantic tongue. Lydia laughed and petted the massive dog.
"Then who's going to serve punch to my guests?" Delia put her hands on her hips.
It took a lot from Lydia, not to roll her eyes.
"Get dad to do it." Before Delia could protest, Lydia dashed into her bedroom, Journey at her heels. She flumped on the bed and let out a deep sigh.
"Stepmom bugging ya, babes?
Lydia shot up and looked around. She couldn't see Beetlejuice, but she could feel his presents.
"Where are you?!"
Beetlejuice snickered and tapped on the glass of the mirror he was hiding in.
"In here Lyds." Lydia spun around to see Beetlejuice. He was leaning cooly on the side of her mirror. The strange thing was, he was inside the glass. Instead of her reflection, Beetlejuice stood there smirking.
"How… How…"
"How did I get in here?" He finished for her picking at his teeth, with a toothpick he had just pulled out of thin air. "Shouldn't you be used to my "Juice" by now?" Lydia slowly approached the glass and put a hand on it, to see if she could go through it. The glass stayed its normal hard self. The quickly wrenched it back when Beetlejuice put his grimy hand over hers on the other side of the glass. Beetlejuice chuckled at her fright.
"Get out of that mirror, Beetlejuice!" To Lydia's surprise, Beetlejuice didn't wince at his name. He just looked up at her with his endless green eyes.
"It doesn't work anymore, babes." He said pulling out a lit cigarette from his jacket pocket and taking a long drag. "The curse was broken. You can't send me back." Lydia's mouth ran dry for the second time that day.
"You're kidding, right?" she said in a shaking voice. Beetlejuice burst out laughing.
"Your funny, kid!" His laughing fit slowly faded, "No. I'm not kidding." He snapped and he was out of the mirror. The ghost was much more intimidating out of the glass.
"How did you get out of your curse? Why can't I banish you anymore? Why- "
Beetlejuice held up a hand. "Woah! Woah! Woah! Way too many questions!"
Lydia huffed and sat down on her bed. "Can you just leave me alone?" She whimpered the words out. Beetlejuice put an arm on her shoulders.
"No can-do kid. No… Can…. Do…"