Chapter Text
It was a dark and stormy night when it happened. There Beetlejuice was, minding his own business, when this witch came up to his home. He had done pretty well for himself. As one of the more powerful beings in the Neitherworld, he had amassed a certain name for himself which garnered fear into the hearts of all ghouls that surrounded him. He had moved up in the world. Graduating from the Roadhouse to what had become the most haunted mansion in all the realm.
The witch rapped weakly on his front door, obviously lost and out of her gourd. She would soon realize that he was not one to be trifled with or bothered. Period. “What the hell do you want?” He spat, opening the front door with a huff. The woman begged for a place to stay, seemingly turned away from the housing that the Waiting Room usually offered to the recently deceased. Had she been attractive, he may have thought about it. His bed was always open to voluptuous women who found themselves in need of a night to stay as long as they paid the price. This woman had obviously gone way past his age limit.
Demon as he was, he rarely found it necessary to be kind to others. Instead, harshly turning her to the Monster Across the Street who would maybe be more open-minded to the…elderly. He was a monster after all. A monster with zero taste.
The woman was furious at the lack of kindness that the ghoul showed. She began chanting strange words, apparently placing some strange spell on him. After the spell had been completed, she explained herself.
His power had diminished and his soul had been tied to another. One that could quell his angry spirit and possibly restore some humanity in his long-dead heart. The witch made her way inside, claiming a random hand mirror as her payment for his cruelty. She continued, explaining that her spell would only break once he found love or some shit like that, but at some point Beetlejuice stopped paying attention. “Yeah, go tell someone who cares.” He pushed the woman out the door, slamming it behind her.
Despite his attempts at keeping himself in the dark, he could feel a change deep within himself. That bitch had definitely done something. He wasn’t entirely sure what, but as more centuries passed, it became more and more apparent what exactly had happened. His limitless power had been leashed, keeping him from doing anything that he pleased. And that, beyond all else really pissed him off.
He found ways around it. Found new ways to entertain himself. Going after his neighbors, causing problems, things he used to do for the entire Neitherworld, but confined to a much smaller area. It was a pain in the ass, but this was the afterlife. Nothing was supposed to be easy.
At some point, he gave up. As there was nothing he could really do, but hope that maybe this person he was connected to would find him somehow. Not that he was exactly sure how that was supposed to work. He would proudly admit that he was a bastard. While he was more than able to get women to hang around for a while, he wasn’t exactly the type to keep them around for much longer than an orgasm. Not exactly romance material.
Who could ever learn to love an asshole like him?
Lydia Deetz was not a normal eighteen year old girl. She would be considered by other girls her age as strange and unusual. Her likes rivaled those of Vincent Price. She loved the dark and mysterious, bugs and gruel. Myths and fables and dark stories of the night. Lydia did not wear bright girly colors or went out to parties with boys. She kept to herself to her hobbies; taking photos of cemeteries and bugs or buried deep in her studies. No one tends to be friends with a girl who wore nothing but black and red and spent her days in a graveyard.
It got lonely after a while. Senior year at an all girl’s catholic school was not what it cracked up to be when she was nothing but the outcast. Alone, invisible, forsaken by her classmates, Lydia Deetz wished for nothing but to disappear. To fade away like ashes in the wind because no one will miss her. She would only become a distant memory to those who hated her.
Her stepmom and proclaimed ‘life coach’ Delia noticed and demanded that she would go bargain shopping with her at an antique shop. A gift for a friend she claimed but Lydia knew it was for her horrid attempts at modern art. She spent hours wandering the aisles of the stories, playing with objects that no young adult except for her would know the functionality of. Lydia could get lost in here. Her camera full of dark shadows cast from old bikes from the ceiling and cold empty eyes of dolls long since loved by a child.
Delia’s voice had faded from earshot as she wandered to the back of the store. Dust layered sleeves of old books, musty smell filling the room making her cough loudly kicking more of it in the air. Lydia stumbled knocking a loose book from a table.
“Shit…” She grumbled as she bent to pick it up only to be greeted by a pair of tattered boots.
“I don’t think you’re supposed to be back here. Wandered too far?”
Lydia slowly brought her gaze up following the owners of the tattered boots till she met the gaze of an older woman, hunched back, wiry grey hair and ageless eyes. She panicked, quickly picking up the book, “Sorry. I uh… didn’t know I was supposed to be back he-”
“Shh. It’s quite alright.” The Old Woman placed a gentle finger on Lydia’s lips and smiled, “It is easier to be lost than found. One of the many reasons we are never found. Too many locks to open but not enough keys. What brings you in child?”
“I-uh-” Lydia turns back to where she had come from only to find it dark and empty, “I don’t know. I was just following my stepmom as she goes-”
“Let me be more precise. What are you looking for?”
“I don’t know.” Lydia pressed as she walked away from the woman, shaking her head, “Look. I’m sorry but I should probably go… uh back to my stepmom. We got a lot of things to do… shopping… buying things ... dying. Stuff like that. It was nice meeting you.”
The Old Woman folded her hands against her stomach, an endless smile full of secrets “Child. There is no rush. I want to give you something at no cost expect that you listen to my story.” “Me? Please ma'am. I can’t.”
“Child, you seem like a nice polite, beautiful girl. But even I can see in your eyes that you’re lonely and fail to see the great potential you have in this world. Please, honor an old woman with your company and listen to what she has to say.”
Lydia seemed hesitantly agreed, following the old woman deeper into the back of the store. She didn’t think the store was this long, it seemed almost endless. The Old Woman opened a door revealing an empty room with only a small mirror sitting on a stone pedestal illuminated dull candle light. It seemed odd that the mirror was the only thing in the room, but she listened to her tale. A tale of a demon who was more powerful than he seemed and how he was cursed. How he lost most of his powers and his souls became bound to another. His name that even the Old Woman couldn’t not bring herself to say. The story didn’t make any sense and she questioned on what a mirror had to do with it.
“A legend is told that if you look in that mirror and say this incantation completely” she handed Lydia a worn piece of parchment. “… the demon would appear in front of you.”
“So like Bloody Mary?” Lydia was intrigued. She always loved stories that involved incantations and bizarre names to be spoken to a mirror. She always hoped one would be true.
The Woman shrugged. “You can say that. Go on.. take the mirror. It’s yours.” She nudged Lydia into the room, forcing her to take the mirror. It was heavy, made of silver with ornate carvings on the back. “But I would be cautious with the incantation. You don’t know what you might find.”
“What-”
“LYDIA!’
Lydia blinked finding herself back in the storefront, the mirror and parchment still in her hand. She spun around to find the path she had wandered down was blocked by a huge shelf.
“There you are! I’ve been looking for you forever!” Delia exclaimed holding a busted old relief of the Thinker, “Come on. We gotta go the store closes soon…. ooh.” Lydia glanced down at the mirror then back to her stepmom, “Nice mirror. Very gothic chic.”
“Uh thanks?”
The ride home wasn’t eventful. Delia rambled on about her art project and Lydia tried her best to tune her out. Her attention more drawn to the mirror sitting in her lap. Why would a random old woman give her a mirror and trust her with an incantation? It was almost like a favor and that she had to have the mirror. Why? She wasn’t special and definitely not as beautiful as the Old Woman said.
But curiosity had gotten the best of her. Once hidden up in the attic, Lydia held the mirror firmly in one hand and stared at the incantation in the other. The script was old and nearly faded. Even her eyes could barely decipher it but she tried.
“Though I know I should be wary…still, I venture someplace scary. Ghostly hauntings I turn loose. Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice!”
A gust of icy wind blew through the attic sending stray pictures spinning around her until she found herself standing in the massive hall of a very dark manor. Her loud surprised gasp echoed throughout the empty hall.
It was hard to tell when their true hell began.
Adam and Barbara Maitland had died and for some inexplicable reason, they were trapped in this house. It was hard to see why, but all they could get out of Beetlejuice were curses and moans whenever they tried to get some answers out of him. He wasn’t exactly friendly, but he didn’t seem completely against having them spend time here.
Wasn’t like he had a say in the matter anyway. They couldn’t leave.
The couple did everything they could to stay away from him, but when his boredom got the better of him, he would suddenly appear. He would pull pranks and generally do whatever he could just to make himself laugh. It wasn’t exactly the afterlife they had envisioned for themselves, but they had no way of leaving the mansion.
They spent their days in a particular wing of the mansion, much the same way that they had every day prior. Adam had his obsession with the model he had created and Barbara spent her time doing pretty much whatever she could get her hands on. She had always loved being crafty. Pottery, painting, sewing, the activity never really mattered. She liked to keep her hands busy and that’s exactly what she did.
Their sense of normalcy was immediately shattered when a young girl suddenly appeared in a cloud of smoke. Barbara peaked around the corner, a smile crossing her features as she came into view. “Oh, Adam. Look! It’s a little girl!”
“I can see that. What the hell is she doing here?”
“Why can’t she be here? Look, she’s gorgeous.”
“Uh, maybe because of Mr. Can’t-keep-his-hands-to-himself-to-save-his-life? Poor girl won’t stand a chance.”
Barbara thought for a moment, sticking her head back out to get another look. “I guess you’re right. She seems too sweet to be here, anyway.” A twinge of regret stained her lips, sighing softly as she watched the girl from afar. “How do we get her to leave?”
“We’re ghosts…so…maybe try to scare her?” The uncertainty in his voice was obvious, but it was really the only thing they had to go on. They hadn’t seen anyone outside of Beetlejuice in what seemed like forever. It wasn’t like they were going to be able to draw from any personal experience to draw on. Barbara nodded sadly, the two turned around to find what they needed for their attempt.
They appeared a few feet in front of her, shielded by the darkness. In an attempt to scare her, they covered themselves with sheets, the only spaces coming from the two eye holes they had effectively cut out for themselves. They collectively began making spooky noises, doing everything in their power to get her to turn around the way she came. “Booooooo! Get ooooout! Leave this plaaaaaace! Or eeeeeelse!”
The initial shock of the sudden displacement slowly faded as she took a few steps in the massive hall. Her eyes staring at the different dark menacing features. How the hell did she get here? She expected a demon in the glass not to be thrown into… this. How was she going to get home? Maybe she was dreaming and she would wake up soon. She prayed that was the case because the incantation flew out of her hand the minute she finished speaking it. She didn’t remember it for the most part. All she knew was the last three words.
Beetlejuice.
Lydia dwelled on the word for a while, not knowing the meaning of it unless it was referring to the star Betelgeuse. But even then she had never seen it spelt like that. She closed herself off in her thoughts when a pair of cheaply made sheet ghosts appeared in front of her. The sudden appearance made her jump and startle her but it wasn’t enough to classify as scared. This was a cheap haunted house trick.
“Please.” She scoffed rolling her eyes, “If this is my mind trying to wake up from this cheesy haunted house then I must be watching too many cheap horror movies. Come on… you can do better than that.”
The ghost pair looked at each other through the tiny peepholes, their confidence wavering. Adam spoke up again, making sure to put some spooky arm flailing for added effect. “You must leeeaaavvvveee! Noooooooooow!”
Barbara’s sheet nodded. “Yeeeeees! You’ll be stuck here foreveeeer! Woooooo!” They had to get her out of here. She was cute and looked adorably sweet, just the kind of thing that Beetlejuice would instantly quash. He was known as being a womanizer through these halls. The two of them had seen many women enter through those doors, that they weren’t entirely sure if they ever made their way back out.
But she didn’t come through the door, did she?
“Little giiiilrl, you must goooooo!” Adam continued, the spookiness in his voice faltering as it didn’t seem to be doing any good. While she had initially pulled back when they appeared, she appeared downright…bored with their spooky attempt.
“If I could wake up, I would leave. But something tells me I’m not sleeping.” Lydia raises an eyebrow as she examines the sheeted ghosts. She could clearly see their feet from below the sheets. A pair of male and female feet. A couple. This was a joke. She had seen way too many horror movies to know it was a trick. Now if they were like the ghosts from 13 Ghosts then that would be a different story.
“Unless you can help me. I don’t know how I got here. I had an incantation and this mirror-” she held up and shrugged, “lost the incantation I think. Only know the last three words- uh… Beetlejuice?”
Lydia shrugged as the word fell from her lips. It wasn’t a big deal to her just a part of the incantation. She looked at the ghosts and chuckled. They clearly had human legs but why the sheets? “So… where am I? Why are you wearing sheets? Got an odd deformity? Can I see?” She reached out for the female legged ghost, “ What do you look like under there?”
It was apparent that this wasn’t working and she was becoming morbidly curious as she began poking and tugging at the edges of the sheets. Adam gave up, throwing the sheet over his head and allowing it to fall to the ground. He walked closer to her, concern plastered on his face.
“Look, girl. You can’t say that name here.” He searched the room for the right words. Ones that would convince the girl to turn around and go back the way she came. Barbara was next to abandon the sheet, her hands immediately going to fix her hair. She peaked at herself in a mirror, a nasty habit, and despite the fact that she couldn’t actually see her reflection, she smiled. Barbara became instantly curious when she held up the mirror, moving closer to her. “Let me see that.” She looked it over, her fingers trailing over the intricate design on the back. It looked familiar, but there was no way this could be the same mirror. They had only heard about it, seen pictures of it, but as the curse was placed before their fate had been sealed to this house, she couldn’t be certain.
“You really need to leave. It’s not safe here. When he finds you…you won’t be allowed to leave.”
The moment the male ripped the sheet off of him, Lydia was morbidly disappointed. She wanted to see something grotesque to make up for the cheap haunted house gag. The female was next and vanity seemed to be her weakness as she went as straight for the mirror to check on her hair. They together looked so… plain and mundane. Some sort of farmer market-old school type of people. But what thrown her was the fact that the woman had no reflection.
Lydia blinked, barely catching the male getting closer to her. She shook her head trying to focus, “That’s a name? So I was right to assume it was the name of a star. Speaking of names. I got one so don’t call me a child. If you’re gonna call me something call me Lydia.”
Lydia watched as the woman examined her mirror that she got and stared between the two, “The woman who gave me that mirror couldn’t even say his name. Why is that? Why are you sooo insistent I leave when I have no idea how to go back home? I barely know how I got here and I certainly don’t know where I am or why I’m here. So a little help would be great.”
“Yes, it’s a name and it’s one you never need to say again. It’s for your own safety. You’re lucky he hasn’t shown up and…and…” He took the mirror from Barbara and handed it to Lydia. “Just don’t say it again, okay?”
A big smile crossed Barbara’s face as she moved closer. “Lydia’s such a pretty name!”
“Barbara…” Adam chastised her. The girl had to go. There was no point in her getting all attached to her now. Barbara deflated as she turned her attention back to the little girl.
“You’re in the Neitherworld, but the man who lives here is dangerous. He does not need to find you. If he does…” The pair shared a look, concern becoming a prominent look on their faces. “He doesn’t need to find you. You won’t be able to go home. We aren’t sure how you got here, but if you could think of anything that would help you get back home, I would do it.”
Adam nodded. “You said a woman gave you that mirror. Did she say anything else?”
These people had still yet to answer her question. She had no idea where she was or who they were or why they were flat out terrified of the owner of this mansion. As much as she wanted to prod them with questions, she should not be here. It was considering breaking and entering in a sense and it sounded like she wouldn’t be welcomed.
She stared at the mirror in her hand remembering what the old woman told her. You don’t know what you might find. “She… she told me a story and for payment for listening gave me the mirror. It had to do with some demon and him being cursed and he lost his powers and something about a soul and a mirror as payment for it. I don’t know or remember exactly. But she gave me an incantation with the mirror and said: “Legend has it that if you speak the incantation completely, the demon will appear right in front of you.”
She shook her head and laughed hoping it was a dream, “I thought it was a stupid story to scare kids like Bloody Mary and shit like that. I said the incantation and it had his name I guess written down three times and boom… I’m here.”
The couple shared a look, not entirely sure what this all meant. Who was the woman that she kept talking about? Was she sent here to break his curse? Surely the woman didn’t mean for this little girl to go up against that beast of a ghoul.
“Prolly best you don’t repeat it. Not sure what will happen with him being here.” Adam began pacing back and forth, struggling to find the right words. “You’re alive though. Not sure how you would have found yourself down here.”
“He’s just not a very nice man. He doesn’t treat the women who walk through this door properly and we just…” Barbara stopped herself, a sad look in her eyes. “We don’t know you, but that doesn’t mean that we want something bad to happen to you.”
“There’s gotta be something else we can do.”
Lydia huffed as she found herself a seat on a worn-out seat, she pinched the bridge of her nose groaning loudly. So she wasn’t dreaming. She was in a mansion with an owner who seems like a prick. She had a pair of ghosts or what she assumed as ghosts trying to help her and all she had was a mirror and no way…home. Wait…
“Three times sent me here…. do you think saying again might send me back?”
“That may work!” Barbara said happily.
“Or it could summon him right here. Best not to risk it.” Adam continued to pace, wracking his brain for any hint of a decent idea. The girl had just appeared in the room. Ot was different from the other girls, but they knew for a fact that the curse was tied to his name in some way. There had to be a better option.
“She gets it!”
Lydia wasn’t really too keen on the male. He seemed uptight, followed the rule book to the T. She wanted to get out of here as much as he did but goddamn it would have to work.
“How would we learn if we don’t try? I said it three times. It got me here why can’t it bring me back home. It’s clear that you want me out of here. So fuck it.” She stared at the mirror, clenching her eyes shut “Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice!”
Beetlejuice had spent the better part of the millennium, drowning himself in women and the pranks that he had been reduced to. He used to be feared in the Neitherworld and now…he was reduced to this. That damn old hag had left him basically powerless, stuck playing stupid pranks on his neighbors to pass the time and cheer himself up.
He had been in the middle of one of those pranks when the incantation on his name ignited. He felt himself be thrust backward, skidding across the floor until he was thrown into the entrance hallway and up against the main doors. “Fuck!” He cursed loudly, rubbing his head and forcing himself to his feet. “The hell was that?”
He dusted himself off, turning on his heels as Lydia came into his view. Where the hell did she come from? He made his way towards her, glaring eyes scanning her body. “Who the fuck are you? You’re definitely not the stripper I ordered.” She wasn’t bad, but Busty-Babes.com never let him down before.
Lydia could feel the glare that the male was giving her when she watched Beetlejuice appear in the hall, slamming against the door. She was really trapped here now if what they told her was true. That old woman had really thrown her in a lion’s den by giving her the mirror. She quickly glanced at the mirror cursing it for not sending her home before hiding it in between the cushions of the chair.
You’re not the stripper I ordered.
Lydia gasped as she stood to her feet, glaring at the striped figure before her, “What is it to you? Do I look like a stripper, Bozo?”
She was so plain looking. Not really much of a looker, but she had some spunk. She didn’t seem to be afraid, but he could easily fix that. He chuckled, giving her another once over. “Definitely not.”
Beej turned his attention to the suddenly quiet couple who had placed themselves on either side of Lydia. “How the heck did she get in here?” He looked down at her. “This ain’t the place fer you, toots.”
“She uh…” Adam faltered briefly trying to maintain his composure, “We don’t exactly know? We were still trying to figure that out.”
Lydia’s eyes narrowed as she folded her arms against her chest, feeling disgusted with the look he was giving her. She felt like she was some meal just waiting to be consumed. “I figured that much, thank you very freaking much. And-”
“She came with a mirror!” Barbara suddenly exclaimed, trying to ease the growing tension, “She-”
“Barbara!” Adam hissed loudly giving out a warning.
She doesn’t know? Did she not just walk through the door? His face contorted, obviously annoyed by the sudden intrusion. She was a kid. What the hell was she doing in a place like this? While he was nothing compared to the being he once was, his reputation still spread. Hardly anyone came here willingly. “So just go back the way you came. We ain’t got room for wanderers here and I certainly don’t got time for ya.”
She came with a mirror!
Beej gave Barbara a look. One that didn’t seem to give two shits what this little girl came with. “So? We have billions of mirrors around here. We don’t need any, little girl. Whatever you did to get here, just…undo it.” He waved his hand, turning around and began to wander off.
“She tried,” Barbara exclaimed. “When she did, it just brought you here. I think she’s stuck here.”
Beetlejuice rolled his eyes. “Fine. Then be stuck here. See if I give a rat’s ass.”
“Fine?! Fine?!” Lydia snapped nearly screaming. It took all that she had not to scream. She can’t just be stuck here. She had the rest of her senior year and college prep stuff. She had Prom, despite the fact that she still didn’t have a date. Regardless of how much her family didn’t seem to care, she still had them and she kind of just disappeared on them. This was not fine. Not one bit.
“This is not fine! Just because you’re some… womanizing whatever the fuck you are doesn’t mean I can be stuck here! You can come and go as you please. I can’t and I would love to go home. I am not going to be a fucking prisoner in this place. So I would love if someone could just figure out how to help me get home!”
At that point, the anger just took over. She wished she could just throw that God-forsaken mirror at Beetlejuice’s smug ass face. She wasn’t thinking when she went to the chair and pulling it from the cushion. Lydia didn’t really know what would happen after that. All she saw was red.
Well, she had certainly recaptured his attention with that little outburst. “I dunno what you want me to do about it, girl. Not like I was the one that summoned you here. You figured yer way in the door, I’m sure you can figure yer way back out.”
His face became somewhat serious when he got a good glance at the mirror she was clinging to. Why the hell did that look so familiar? It didn’t matter.
“Stay here fer all I care. Someone in the Neitherworld can surely figure out how ta get ya the hell back.” She was way too loud to stay here. “’Til then, stay here and shut up. Yer lucky I’m puttin’ up with ya for the time bein’. I’m sure Adam and Babs can find ya a room.”
Adam looked at him surprisingly, yet somewhat terrified. “You’re actually going to let her stay here?”
“Doesn’t look like I got much of a choice if she can’t go nowhere.”
“You… you… YOU HAVE TO KNOW SOMETHING!” Lydia screamed as loud as she could, nearly throwing the mirror at his smug ass face. She could already feel the hot tears if anger and frustration stressing down her face, “There was a fucking reason why I was sent here to the Nether-Neither- Whatever World! I was sent here in your house mind you!”
“Lydia… stop.” She felt Barbara’s cool hand on her shoulder, the touch alone sending her in near shock, “We’ll figure this out… come on…”
Was she fucking yelling at him now? She SOMEHOW called him here and he’s supposed to just have all the answers for her? The fuck was this girls problem.
He stormed back up to her, growling softly. “Hey! I don’t HAVE ta know anything, got it? This is my fuckin’ house and if yer gonna stay here, yer gonna fuckin’ behave and shut yer damn mouth. If there was some damn reason why you were brought here, I ain’t got the slightest clue and honestly don’t give a shit.” He turned away from her again, tired of dealing with her. “If ya know what’s good for ya, you’ll learn to shut yer mouth. Otherwise, I may not be so nice. And yes, it does get a lot worse.”
Adam placed a hand on her other shoulder. “Come on, prolly best not to keep this up. Let’s find you a room.”
Lydia nearly gagged at the smell protruding from Beetlejuice, but her gaze remained firm. She wasn’t going to back down from this. Even the tears of anger did not distract her. He may not know how or why she was sent here. If he was the demon from the legend he should have came to her. Not the other way around. Maybe he was the so-called cursed demon who fell off his high horse. If he was, then good for him. Maybe he deserved it. Womanizing smug asshole.
The desire to strike him with the mirror in her hand was still strong, but the couple at her side were right. It wasn't the best idea to keep it up the fight. He may have won this time but she was going to get the last word.
“You don’t scare me, asshole.” She growled as she retreated, giving in to the cool pulling of the couple beside her as they lead her away to find her a room.
Beetlejuice grinned as he watched the three head towards the other end of the mansion. She certainly was spunky. If she was stuck here, he imagined he could have been stuck with a lot worse. There was plenty of time to scare her shitless in the coming time they spent together. At least if he hadn’t found a way to kick her out of his life for good by that point.
Adam and Barbara walked her down the long corridor, trying to think of the best room for her to stay in. One that was on the complete opposite side of where Beetlejuice stayed would probably be best for her. They stayed quiet for a few moments before Adam finally broke the silence. “I wouldn’t recommend pushing him. He’s a…very…..very bad man. I don’t think he’d hesitate to seriously hurt you.”
“Adam’s right. We don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“Fucking asshole.” Lydia grumbled as she glanced back to make sure he wasn’t following her or being a creep or something. Insufferable bastard that she was forced to stay under the same roof until some god awful way she managed to go home.
“Why the hell does he think I can just came back the way I came?!” She ranted briefly before glaring at the mirror. What a useless piece of shit it was now.
She shot a glare between the couple, “As long as I don’t have to see or deal with his… horrid, putrid self. I highly doubt I’ll be any danger. Thanks.”
The anger faded after long silent moments down the hallway. Her anger-filled tears turning into tears of sadness and grief. If they didn’t know, she didn’t know, and that ass Beetlejuice didn’t know how she can get home. Then she was truly a prisoner and trapped here until they found a way out or she died. A fate worse than anything she dealt with at St. Shannon’s.
“So… I really am trapped here. I can’t go home… I… I can’t finish off my senior year…. I can’t go to college…. I’m literally trapped here in the… Neither-whatever with you guys and a demon who smells like death.”
Adam and Barbara shared a look, uncertainty in their eyes as they both placed a hand on either side of her shoulders. Adam sighed. “We’re gonna try to keep you away from him. It’s best to just stay in this wing. All we can do is cross our fingers he’ll just leave you alone while we try to figure out how to get you back.”
“And we are going to figure it out,” Barbara continued. The fact that he had seemed almost okay with the fact that she was here bothered them greatly. He was necessarily happy about it, but the look that lingered in his eyes as she walked away from him disturbed them. “Here, this room should be good I think.”
Barbara opened the door to one of the bedrooms on the far side of the house, smiling back at her. He’s not much of a clean freak, but I think with a little love we could make this the perfect room. The room was a decent size, but the cobwebs and dust had certainly overtaken it. Barbara crossed the darkroom, going over to the large window and opened the blinds for the light to shine through.
“Not too shabby.”
“Yeah, for the dead.” Lydia coughed as a cloud of dust filled the room, the light flickering through the particles marking the room almost iridescent. The layers of dust made it difficult to see the different hues of purple and red and black. Barbara was right, a little love it could be perfect, but she didn’t want to be here. She didn’t want to be isolated to the wing because the owner was a ‘bad’ man.
She ran her finger against the smooth wood of an old vanity, rubbing the dust off onto her dress. Lydia noticed the look Adam was giving her. Were they… “I’m sorry! I didn’t know that you were… are you guys really?”
Barbara still loved this room and was glad that it was finally going to get some use. This girl had appeared and suddenly it was like their entire afterlife had turned upside down. It was amazing. While she was sad that Lydia so obviously didn’t want to be here, Barbara couldn’t help but be happy that she was here. That something was different for a change.
Yeah, for the dead.
They had been dead for what felt like an eternity, but the words still stung. It was nice having a living person here for a change, but all it did was remind them of what they no longer had. Barbara smiled, grabbing hold of Adam’s hand and nodding sadly.
“We’ve been dead for a while now. Hard to keep track of how long, exactly, but hey. Here we are.”
“And Beetleju- he’s a demon and he is…?”
“Also dead. We’re all dead here.” Adam finished still feeling the sting, “The Neitherworld is a place where all mostly go after death. Well, expect for you. You’re still alive. Funny how things work.”
“So it’s more of a priority that I leave now than wait till death or whatever.” Lydia groans as she throws herself onto the dust-laided bed, coughing and fanning the dust away, “Great. How are we going to figure this out then? Getting me home.”
“How about we clean first?” Adam suggested fanning at the dust as if it bothered him, “There is no way in Hell am I going to allow you to stay in a dirty room.”
“This place is rather dirty. The whole mansion is, really. We don’t exactly get guests and he’s not really much of a cleaner.” Barbara made a face as she mentioned him, making sure not to actually say his name. They would have to go find him soon. If she was going to stay here, he could at least come and visit her and at least somewhat be polite.
She wasn’t exactly sure how she was going to get him to come around to the idea, but she had to do something. Lydia couldn’t just be sequestered to this one room for the rest of their life. Plus, if anyone was going to be able to figure out how to get her back home, he could find out. His ‘friends in high places’ were sure to be helpful in this time.
Barbara spoke back up, a smile crossing her face. “Why don’t I go see how the other ghosts are doing with dinner while you guys start? I’ll be right back.”
The moment Barbara had appeared in the kitchen to check on the ghosts that took residence there, she had overheard them talking about the new guest. A new sense of life filled the room as they talked. Their voices carried down the hall as they questioned the guest’s potential tastes in food or if she even ate at all. At the time, she had been in the mansion she had never seen them so happy. It was a welcome change to the dark tense gloom that its owner painted it with. Lydia was already a welcomed breath of fresh air and she didn’t even know it.
Barbara opened her mouth to speak to complement the cheerful demeanor of the staff but only smiled instead. She couldn’t ruin the rare joy that they were experiencing. Only to find it diminished when they learned that she will be going home as soon as they figured out how. They needed this moment, regardless of how small it will be. Who would have known when the last time they experienced that little bit of happiness?
Barbara left the kitchen silently, walking through the unnecessarily large dining room before finding her way to the other side of the house. She knew it wasn’t the best idea to seek him out. She knew it was pointless to plead with a demon. But he could at least try or talk to his ‘friends’. If he wasn’t going to do that, he could at least be polite and make her feel welcomed. But it was that lingering look and the false sense of happiness in his eyes still disturbed her. It wasn’t right or even natural for him.
“You…” Barbara cleared her throat as she finally found him, “You could have been a bit kinder to her. She looked like she’s been through enough.”
Beetlejuice spent the next several minutes after Lydia left with the couple trying to cool off. While he had probably been more rude than usual, he definitely could have lashed out a lot more. She should feel lucky. Not that he cared. She was the one that barged into his house without any warning. She was the one that just showed up and basically demanded him to take her home. Who the hell did she think she was?
Leaning up against the wall, he glared off into the distance. If she truly was stuck here, he imagined the best solution was to get her out as fast as possible. He didn’t want her to be here any more than she wanted to stick around. He enjoyed the quietness of the mansion and now that she was here, she was probably going to be barking and carrying on like some newborn babe.
Well, either her or…
Barbara. Right on time.
His mood immediately turned. “We’ve all been through enough, Babs. Ain’t my fault she just showed up. She did that on her own and I’m sure she can figure out how to get back on her own. I ain’t no babysitter.”
“Well, it isn’t hers either. She didn’t know what was going to happen when an old woman gave her the mirror, an incantation with your name on it, and a story about you though I highly doubt she knows that. ”
Barbara was trying her damn best to remain calm and not resort to pleading. She took a deep breath smoothing out any wrinkles from her dress. Sour mood or not, Barbara had to try something.
“But now she’s trapped here with no idea how to get back. She went from a senior in high school with her whole life in front of her to being here. I don’t know why she’s here just as much as you. But maybe you see it from her point of view. She thought it was all a story, a game maybe got curious. But do not put all the blame on her.”
“I don’t really understand how that’s my problem. I certainly didn’t give her the mirror or tell her to do jack shit.” He folded his arms, not entirely sure why Barbara was coming at him like he was the one that initiated all of this. Girl did it on her own. Not his fault that it didn’t produce the outcome she wanted.
They were just as much trapped here as the girl was. Wasn’t like she was special. She just so happened to get stuck with a cast of characters that were in the exact same boat as she was. Not really a pity party type of situation.
“I dunno what you expect me to do about all this, Babs.”
“Oh, I don’t know ... maybe ask your so-called ‘friends in high places.” Barbara frowned, mirroring his actions. This was not how she wanted it to go. The chances of Lydia going home growing slimmer with every passing second and Mister ‘Oh-Woe-Is Me- I’m-stuck-doing-Pranks-on-People’ wasn’t helping.
She hummed loudly in thought, “If you don’t know what you can do because Adam and I sure don’t, that means she’ll be stuck here for a very long time. Maybe instead, you should get to know her. Try being polite and maybe ask her to dinner. Something.”
He rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of how exactly he was supposed to handle this entire situation. Living humans weren’t exactly his strong suit. “I can prolly ask, but they ain’t too keen on me nowadays, alright? I ain’t half the ghoul I used ta be.”
His face contorted after her last addition. “Ask her to dinner? What am I? Twelve?” He scoffed. “In case ya hadn’t noticed, I ain’t exactly Mr. Polite. She fell into the wrong house if she was expectin’ some kinda Prince Charming.”
“I’m not asking for you to be Prince Charming.”
Barbara rubbed her face, maybe it would have been best to have left him alone in the first place. This wasn’t going anywhere show she wanted but then again…
“I’m only suggesting to try to get to know her or something. The way I see it, she’s here for the long run. I’m not asking you to interact with her on a daily basis. Actually, we would prefer if you didn’t, but right now there is a girl who wants to go home and she can’t for some reason. I know you don’t care, but we do. At least try to care, okay? So maybe that she will have a little hope to cling to while we figure out how to get her home.”
It clearly wasn’t going anywhere with him. Barbara felt like she was talking to a dense brick wall. She couldn’t force him to care, but at least make her feel welcome so she’s not stuck in her room for the rest of her life. With no other words to say, Barbara signed with resignation as turned away. By now, Adam and Lydia could have made progress with the room and she couldn’t wait to see how it turned out.
What the fuck was her deal?
Beetlejuice watched as she made her way back towards the room he could only assume they had declared for the girl. Why the hell did he have to ‘get to know her’? He was gonna figure out how to get her out of here because there was no way in hell she was staying here. He’d make sure that things got back to normal. There was no way he was going to pretend to care about some scrawny little living girl.
Adam had spent the time that Barbara was away to try to get as much information out of Lydia as possible as they cleaned up. The room was going to take a lot longer than a few minutes dusting as it hadn’t seen the light of day in a couple of centuries, but the house was sure to brighten just with her being here. “I am sorry you got stuck here. I wish you could've been sent to a better place than this one. You’re more than welcome to wander around. This place is pretty gorgeous so long as you stay away from him.”
“I don’t want anything to do with him, don’t you worry about that.” Lydia grumbled before throwing herself back on her clean bed, her arms immediately wrapping tightly around her legs.
All emotions had left her leaving her numb not wanting to move. All she wanted to do was stay in this bed for a while. Talking with Adam helped but it still didn’t help the fact that her life that she planned after horrid high school was gone.
“I don’t see myself wandering much anyway. Don’t want to risk it.” She sighs burying her face in her knees, “So that story I was told… was it him or is it just that… a stupid story over a stupid ghost who clearly had an attitude problem.”
“Probably for the best,” Barbara started. “There are nicer ghosts around the mansion though. Ones I’m sure you’ll like.” She walked up to her, running a cool hand along her cheek.
“He tends to keep to himself anyway. So, you should be fine.” Adam puffed himself up, a grin crossing his face. “Plus, I think I can take him.”
“Oh, Adam. Don’t even start.” They watched helplessly as she curled in on herself. “Oh, honey. I’m not sure. It sounds like him, but we can’t be sure. A lot has happened in this hellhole and it’s hard to be certain.”
“Well if it is…”
Her voice left her as she held herself even tighter. She wished that she could bring a hundred curses down upon him. Upon the woman who told her that story. But more so, herself.
She should’ve said no to the mirror and walked away. If she would’ve said no then she would still be at home, on her bed with her insufferable family. Who would’ve guessed she would actually miss them when she had no way to see them?
Lydia told herself that she wasn’t going to cry because it was pointless. Tears weren’t going to magically sent her home but she felt like crying. She sniffled, shaking her head as tears welled in her eyes. She was exhausted from it all. The place, the cleaning, The Maitlands, the idea of being trapped and then Beetlejuice. Everything drained all the fight she had left.
“Do… do you think I have time to sleep before dinner?” Lydia wasn’t hungry nor even in the mood to think about food. But it was the idea that if she tried to eat she wouldn’t have the Maitlands worried and go back to the room and wallow in self-pity.
They had spent the better part of the afternoon trying to clean the place up and make it acceptable, but it seemed that no amount of cleaning was actually going to help. If nothing else, they had been able to get her a fresh pair of sheets so she could at least sleep without all the dust so that was definitely an improvement. Everything else would come with time.
“Of course, dear. We’ll come to get you before everything is ready, okay?” Barbara smiled at her. It almost broke her heart to leave her behind. Suddenly she was faced with everything she ever wanted. Willingly leaving her behind seemed almost cruel.
Sensing her discomfort with the situation, Adam held her hand. “If you need anything, just holler. We won’t be too far.” The two disappeared, returning to the room where they spent most of their afterlives.
Beetlejuice had spent the past time alone debating if he should actually try as Barbara had suggested. He rolled his eyes, the very idea of it seeming more work than he was willing to extrude. Still…his curiosity was getting the better of him. She had his mirror. She said his name. Clearly, the girl was up to something and he was more than ready to force it out of her by any means necessary.
She had to be up to something. Why else would she be here?
With one final push, Beetlejuice appeared outside her door. He had gotten word that dinner was finished and he was certain that with all the excitement and just her general being alive-ness left her famished. If he was going to get the answers he wanted, he was going to have to play nice, regardless of how much it pained him. A chill ran down his spine as he pushed his knuckles against the door, tapping lightly.
Lydia had always been a light sleeper. She was someone who woke up in the middle of the night with the oddest sensation that someone or something was watching her. But the events of the day pulled at her mind leaving her exhausted. She honestly thought she was home, in her bed, anywhere but where she currently rested her head.
Lydia slowly sat up rubbing her eyes, yawning. Why would anyone come knocking on her door? Usually, they would yell for her or come right in.
“Come… in” she yawned out before going back to resting on her pillow
This had been a bad idea.
A horrible idea.
Beetlejuice turned and started to walk away when he could hear the sweet timbre of her voice from the other side of the door. He swayed back and forth for a moment, not entirely sure if he should actually open the door. She had gotten incredibly mad at him just a few hours ago. Maybe it would have been a better idea to give her a few more days…years to cool off before actually approaching her.
Fuck it. This was his house.
He pushed the door open, folding his arms. “Uh…hi.” He paused for a minute, realizing he hadn’t prepared literally before talking to her. This was a mistake. He rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes trailing downwards. “Look, I think we got off on tha wrong foot.”
Lydia slowly blinked the moment Beetlejuice walked into the room. She immediately woke up, her eyes frantically looking around the dirty room. This wasn’t her room. This wasn’t a dream. This was real. She wasn’t in Winter Rivers anymore.
She couldn’t hold back her startled scream as she rushed to grab the closest weapon she could find… the mirror and held it up like it were a baseball bat.
Lydia was about to scream out for the Maitlands when she finally took notice of the sheepish demeanor he had put on for himself. Not the ghost she had encountered the first time.
Still clenching the mirror, she gazed at him, hoping he didn’t have a some trick up his sleeve. She swallowed the uncertainty when she finally spoke, “You think?”
He blinked, completely taken aback by her random freak out. Trying to stifle the laugh that threatened to bubble up, he placed a finger on the mirror and pushed it downwards. “Can promise ya, that ain’t gonna do shit ta me no matter what you do with it. Best to save that in case we need it ta get ya home.”
Grabbing the mirror, he pulled it out of her hand and eyed it curiously. “Look, I’m gonna help ya, okay? Ya quite literally tossed me into the front room with no warnin’…not exactly somethin’ ya prepare for.” The mirror was definitely his. The one that old witch took the night she took the rest of his powers. He had definitely not expected to ever see it again.
His eyes trailed up to her, a crooked grin crossing his features as he handed the mirror back to her. “Ya don’t have ta be stuck in this room. So long as ya don’t bother me, I dun really care what you do ‘ere. Just…I ain’t so nice, but I’ll…try. I guess.“
Lydia pulled the mirror away from him as soon as he handed it back to her. He was being civil but it didn’t mean that she had to lower her defenses. She didn’t trust him as much as she would trust a clock who talks.
Lydia’s eyes narrowed as she stepped back from him, not wanting to be closer than she already was, “So I’ve heard… the meanest guy around, but I’m not taking any chances with you even when you say you’re going to ‘help’ me.”
His grin only grew as she swiped the mirror from him, her attitude shining through. She didn’t seem afraid of him in the least. Definitely annoyed, but not afraid.
“Oh please. Don’t flatter yerself, toots. I ain’t interested in you. Can do whatever the hell ya want.” He sighed heavily as he shrugged. “Imma figure out how ta get you out cuz I dun want ya here anymore than you wanna be here. Just may take some time.” He rubbed the back of his neck, not entirely sure how else he could convince her if that didn’t work.
Lydia did not like that grin he was giving her. It was manipulative as it was vindictive. It made her feel so uncomfortable to be around him. He could not be trusted. She staggered back a bit more, furthering the distance.
“At least we can agree on that. Just… I wanna know. How much time are you thinking? A few days? Weeks? A month?”
While he hadn’t mentioned it, he had definitely noticed her hesitant steps backward. He didn’t blame her. Just because she wasn’t afraid didn’t mean she trust him not to go at her.
He laughed at her questions. “Time doesn’t mean jack down here. For all we know, its already been weeks upstairs.” It clearly wasn’t going to be the answer she wanted, but it was the truth. “I’m gonna look into it. Get ya out of here as soon as possible, that’s fer sure.”
A random ghoul phased through the door, clearly not expecting Beetlejuice to be on the other aide. “O-oh um…Barbara wanted me to tell you that your dinner was finished.”
That outta cheer her up for a while. “Ya hungry?”
Lydia wasn’t just hungry, she was famished beyond belief. The time already spent in the Neitherworld already messing with her. What would an hour here mean back home?
But the demon standing before her didn’t help ease the nervous tension that tied stomach up in a knot. He was being… nice to her? A complete turn from earlier regardless if she unknowingly summoned him. What were the chances of this happening again? Here he was being nice to her when all she heard was what a horrible person he was. He had to have something up his striped sleeves.
Lydia set the mirror on the bed, hugging herself tightly, “Yeah… I guess I am.”