The Whole Being Alive Thing

Betelgeuse's First Day of School

The afternoon turned to evening, then the evening turned to night. But the entirety of the Maitland-Deetz household couldn't get the fact that Juno, Betelgeuse's mom, was the one that made Betelgeuse human in the first place. Well, they kinda guessed it but they didn't think to ask until earlier that day.

And it was a fact that had been plaguing Betelgeuse for most of the night. Again, he couldn't bring himself to go to sleep. He kept tossing and turning in his bed for the second night in a row, and, no matter how much he tried, sleep seemed to be failing him. He tried replacing the thoughts that were currently running through his mind with thoughts about the Maitlands but even that seemed to not be working.

And, sure enough, the Maitlands teleported into his room with worried looks on both of their faces. Barbara sat on the edge of Betelgeuse's bed, looking over towards him. "Did you have another nightmare? Or can you not sleep?"

"Can't sleep," Betelgeuse repeated, his tone of voice annoyed.

Barbara turned her head and glanced over at Adam before her attention turned back over towards Betelgeuse. "Do you want the both of us to stay in here with you until you manage to fall asleep or until it's time for you, like Lydia, to get up for school in the morning?"

"Dunno..." Betelgeuse mumbled.

By the time morning rolled around, Barbara and Adam felt their eyes open. When had they been asleep? Betelgeuse was still in bed, but his blankets were strewn all over the floor and around his bed. Barbara teleported off Betelgeuse's bed, now standing over near where her husband was sat.

And that, in turn, awoke Betelgeuse.

Betelgeuse sat up in bed, looked over at the alarm clock across from his bed, noticed that the time shown on it was half past five in the morning. But before he could lay back down and get some more sleep, Barbara let him know to get out of bed. And he did. Adam and Barbara teleported out of Betelgeuse's bedroom and downstairs, joining the Deetzes for breakfast that morning.

When Betelgeuse didn't show downstairs twenty five minutes before he and Lydia had to go to school, that got all four adults worried. Adam and Barbara teleported back upstairs to find Betelgeuse laying on his back on the floor unable to get his stripy suit jacket on.

"If I was still a demon, this would've been a lot easier," he grumbled in annoyance as he looked up at the Maitlands.

Barbara helped Betelgeuse up off the floor, moving him over towards his bed and sitting him down on it. "Want either of us to help you?"

"I... guess."

Barbara nodded in response, snapping her fingers and making Betelgeuse's stripy suit jacket appear on him.

"Thanks."

Downstairs, none of them were quite expecting the kitchen to be thrown in disarray. Things were strewn about, the kitchen counter was a mess, and the Maitland-Deetz adults were all currently in the middle of trying to keep Lydia and Betelgeuse from causing chaos. But all of their attempts seemed to not work.

They were currently standing on the couch, using pillows as shields for whatever reason.

Adam, Barbara, Charles, and Delia all stood at the opposite end of the living room, looking over at Lydia and Betelgeuse with concerned, but stern looks on their faces.

"Are you guys going to keep that up or are you going to school?" Barbara arched an eyebrow and folded her arms. At that Lydia and Betelgeuse looked at one another and then back over at them.

"We don't have school today," Lydia lied. "It's a day off. A holiday."

Barbara shared a look with Adam, Charles, and Delia, then the four of them looked back at Lydia and Betelgeuse. Soon, it was time for Lydia and for Betelgeuse to leave for school - the two of them grabbing their backpacks and following Charles and Delia out the door and to one of the cars. Charles's.