It's A Wonderful Afterlife (Sequel to 'A New Life')

Chapter 4: Planning and Leaving

Sandy immediately lurched down and began lapping at Betelgeuse's face, as she often did. As she dropped her head, she smelt the water streaks down his face, purred, and buried her head in Betelgeuse's arms.

"Oh, Sandy!" exclaims the demon. Sandy seemed to detect Betelgeuse's sadness and purred gently in a mournful tone. Sandy's weight became heavier in his arms, as she made another strange sound. "Do you- heh. I don't know about you, I don't have friends. With the exception of Remus. Everything has been absolutely ruined by me. I've placed their lives in jeopardy again again; I need to stop Mom, but I'm going to die. I wouldn't mind if it weren't for the fact that I can't abandon Remus. He's been through a lot. too much for a teenager to be able to deal with" The demon was immediately on his knees, still clutching the sandworm's head in his arms, when his voice snapped. "Aw, Sandy, my mum was right. She was just spot on with everything." His brow pushed against Sandy's as he spoke. Betelgeuse threw his arms around her head in an embrace, holding her even closer to him, unaware of how much he desired anything to grip. Sandy responded with a melancholy grunt, and the demon hiccuped, shook his shoulders, and shouted. It's what he refers to as shouting. Anyone else may characterise it as crying or wailing. He shrieked and screamed, his face pressed against the sandworm's. Sandy didn't seem bothered, pressing her body against Betelgeuse like a big blanket. He had no idea how long he had been yelling, but he was fatigued when Sandy shifted in his arms. She wound him firmly in a makeshift hug, wrapping her tail around his waist. She then softly lapped at his face, lulling him into a state of relaxation. It wasn't long before he was dozing off in her coils. When he felt pressure at the left side of his chest, he awoke. "Girl, what are you doing there?" Since he had just recently awoken, his speech sounded harsh and lifeless. Sandy was sniffing around Betelgeuse's jacket, looking for something. With his palm on her nose, the demon pulled her aside, allowing him to see what she sought. He took a little sandworm friendship bracelet from the inner pocket, which she was digging through. "Do you think it's good?" With his hand up, he enquired. As though she agreed, Sandy opened her mouth and bopped it with her littler head. "It does appear to be a little replica of you, doesn't it?" It has some fantastic stripes on it. It was given to me by...Scarecrow." His smile faded as he held it in his palm. The demon sniffled, his eyes closed hard. He rubbed his sleeve under his nose and eyes to try to wipe the tears and snot away. He couldn't go on like this for much longer. He needed to go back and save them as well, but they wouldn't understand. This was something he was well aware of. After opening his eyes and placing the bracelet back into his pocket, Betelgeuse stood up. To make himself look more acceptable, he lifted himself up and smoothed his blazer and adjusted every small detail that made him look scruffy . He huffed and ran his hand through his hair as he finished. "Sandy, ol' gal, it's all about keeping up appearances." He patted her nose and muttered before walking to the door. "This demon must reconnect with a certain household. I'll catch up with you later. "Go grab a bite to eat." As he drew a chalk door on the wall, he said this. He knocked twice, paused, and then turned back to face the sandworm. "Hey, Sandy? Love you Sandy!" He knocked a third time, and as soon as the door opened, he stepped inside.

He returned to his room and closed the portal, making sure it was completely secured. He inhaled deeply and examined himself in the mirror. That is to say, he cloned himself and utilised it to observe if it looked like he was sobbing. The red swollen eyes were nothing he couldn't hide by pretending to have been sleeping. He went down the steps, leaping the final three like he always did. Remus had just placed his glass of ribena on top of the fireplace. Betelgeuse grinned and rushed between Remus's legs, pulling him onto his shoulders. It scared him, but he knew he wouldn't drop him. On his shoulders, the demon sent him soaring through the house. In essence, the two were acting like small children on a sugar crash. Remus was yanked off Betelgeuse's shoulders and tossed over his right shoulder, the youngster laughing his head off as he struck Betelgeuse in the shoulder. This only served to make Betelgeuse tickle Remus with an unexpected third hand.