Betelgeuse-A Beetlejuice Novel

Chapter 4: Claire and Lydia?

Disclaimer: I do not own Beetlejuice or related characters, he belongs to Tim Burton. I do not own Beetlegeuse. I don't own Betelgeuse? I don't own any of the weird spellings for his name.

Betelgeuse?

Written By: Melanie Ray

Chapter Four: Claire and Lydia? 

Neitherworld/BJ's Roadhouse...

Beetlejuice grumbled as he went to bed. How was he supposed to stay in contact with Lydia? "This is not fair," he said for the 100 millionth time. How dare anyone keep him from his best friend. He would figure out something one day, he would. He scratched his back through his beetle pajamas and started to climb into his bed. "They can't keep me away from her." He said one more time before he finally started to fall asleep.

Beetlejuice woke up some time later. He mumbled and turned on his bed. Only, his bed was very cold? That strange feeling woke him up. He yawned and looked around. He did a double take as he realized he wasn't in his bed anymore. He stood up in a daze and looked around. His vision seemed blurry for some reason. In fact, he himself felt very weak. "What's . . ." What's going on here? Even his voice felt really scratchy. He stumbled around a few seconds. This is a weird dream . . . He raised his hand to feel his head, just to scratch it in wonder. Instead, he felt his hand being cold? "Huh?" He looked at his hand and saw a strange glove made of metal rings interlocking together. He looked down his arm and realized his whole arm was covered in chain mail. This is a really weird dream! He looked down at himself. He was covered from head to foot in chainmail armor. He even saw something more interesting. There was a sword?

Beetlejuice fumbled for the sword. He turned it around and looked at it. It definitely wasn't modern. He was about to put it back when he saw something very strange. On the hilt of the sword, it had a name. A strange name. "Bedalgeuze?"

"Betelgeuse! Betelgeuse! Betelgeuse! Betelgeuse!"

Beetlejuice kept hearing his name being called. It was strange, having his name said over and over. Three times was always magical for Lydia to transport him over, he was used to that. It was constant though, like a chanting of some sort. He started to travel down the strange place he was found in and saw ancient gold steps in front of him. I've gotta lay off the midnight snacks. He started to step up on them one by one.

"Betelgeuse! Betelgeuse! Betelgeuse! Betelgeuse!"

Beetlejuice still heard his name being chanted over and over again. "Hold your horses!" he yelled at them ahead. His voice still felt scratchy but it was getting better. This is too weird. I need to wake up. He finally reached the top of the stairs and looked around. Everyone chanting for him was gone. Except one.

Beetlejuice watched him come closer to him. He had a strange grin on his face.

"Do something. Anything," the man grinned. "Let me see."

Beetlejuice just looked confused. He scratched his head. What was wrong with him tonight? "That's it. I don't know what Ginger had in the goodies that I stole, but I'm not doing it again." A piece of paper titled Things Never To Do Again appeared out of thin air alongside a pen. Beetlejuice started to write. "No more stealing stuff from Ginger when she isn't looking." As soon as he was done, the paper and pen disappeared.

The man was grinning from ear to ear at Beetlejuice. "Beetlejuice, I am a part of your conscience. I am here to tell you that in order to get Lydia back, you must play nice with the WDP's. They sent her away because of missing information. Find that information, and she'll come back."

"Yeah? Yeah," Beetlejuice grinned. That made sense. Okay, weird dream but there was something good that came out of it. "I'll figure out whatever they want to know," he snorted. "Can't be that hard, right?" Shortly afterwards, he started to feel tired. Tired in his dream, add that to things that didn't make sense. Before he knew it he was already asleep again. Maybe this time he'd dream about something less weird.

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Netherworld/BJ's Roadhouse...

He stretched and yawned as he woke back up. He scratched his back through his beetle pajamas and slowly made his way out of bed. Knowing he couldn't stay in the Roadhouse all day long without Jacques or Ginger bugging him, he got dressed in his usual striped outfit. He started to leave but was distracted by Jacques and Ginger's strange look. "What?"

"Where have you been?" Ginger had to ask.

Beetlejuice snorted. It was morning time and he was getting out of bed obviously. Were they actually trying to be funny?

Neither Ginger nor Jacques looked like they were making any kind of joke.

"Did you go and see your caseworker again?" Jacques asked.

Beetlejuice looked at him strangely. "I already did that, you guys know that." He didn't like the looks they were giving him. "I just went to bed and I woke up."

Ginger and Jacques both shared a strange look before looking back at Beetlejuice.

"You haven't been around for over two months," Ginger informed Beetlejuice. "The mayor has been so happy, he even threw a No More Beetlejuice parade."

"No more me?" Beetlejuice slapped his hand on his forehead. "It's been two months? I've been sleeping for two months." He tried to put everything in perspective. "Oh, Lydia would know what was going on. Ah, I need to reach her!" He looked at Jacques and Ginger one more time. Yep, they weren't faking anything.

As he flew through the streets he could hear tons of groaning from every direction and heard a few grumbled words about him returning in an unwelcoming manner. He wouldn't waste any more time, he had to reach Lydia. "Two months? How could I have been asleep that long? Babe, are you alright?" He yelled in worry. Two months. Was she in trouble? Was she okay?

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Living World/Deetz' bathroom

"Lydia?" Charles spoke softly as he entered his daughter's room. "Honey?"

"Oh. Dad, I am like way too old to be called Honey," Lydia scoffed. "That should be something my boyfriends call me." Lydia was busy powdering her nose in the bathroom. "This is so not my color, I don't care what Claire says." She set the makeup down. "This is so not working." She picked up the cell phone out of her pink purse and dialed 3. "Oh good, you picked up. Yeah, like anyway, that color Claire gave didn't work at all and I think-"

Charles started to leave the room. Lydia was on the phone now and she would be for awhile. He started to walk down the hall slowly. He thought back to before she ran off. She had been gone for over a month and just showed back up at the door. She kept saying she couldn't remember what happened. Even Delia insisted on a psychiatrist to help. I miss Lydia. His little pumpkin. He missed the Lydia who smiled at him sweetly. He missed the Lydia who never talked back. He missed the girl who loved spiders and creepy things . . . that was his Lydia.

Delia saw her husband coming and gave him a comforting smile. "How are you today, Charles?"

"I can't call her Honey," Charles said softly. "Only her boyfriends should call her that."

Delia could feel the hurt coming from him. It was written all over in his eyes. Ever since Lydia had came back from wherever she had went, she had changed. Completely. Instead of scary spiders and horror films she was into sexy guys and parties. As much as she wanted to say it was a phase she was passing through, it just didn't feel that way.

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"Yeah, maybe a creamier color." Lydia was still on the cellphone in the bathroom as she was going through her makeup that was scattered all about. "Huh? Oh fer sure, you know I'll be there." Lydia had found a color she was about ready to apply until she heard something on the phone she had to respond to. "Who's gonna be there? Bertha and Prudence, those rejects? How come they are gonna be at the party? Well, if they are going I'm not going. They're weird and geeky, and I totally don't like them anymore. Yeah, you'll tell them no? Fine then, I'll be there. Date? Oh, I'll pick someone. Okay, ciao." Lydia hung up the phone and started to work on her face again. "I am way too white. It's just a freaky white," she said bitterly as she tried to bring some color into her face.

Charles didn't even get a chance to see her as Lydia rushed out of the bathroom and out the door.

"Total party tonight at Claire's! I'll be home whenever I want!" Lydia shouted as she rushed down the stairs without even asking for approval.

"You'll be home by ten!" Delia tried to discipline her, but Lydia was already out the door. She sighed and looked over at her poor husband. "Another party?"

"Why stop her? Why even bother trying to?" Charles put his hands in his pockets miserably. "Whenever we do, she just sneaks out or hates us even more."

"It's a phase," Delia told him encouragingly. "Whatever happened to her, she's just trying to deal with in her own way." She tried to comfort her husband. "Charles? Lydia's going to be okay."

Charles didn't answer. He didn't know what to say.

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Living World/Claire Brewster's House

"Hello?" Lydia scoffed at the boy next to her as she drank her punch. "Hey, I want more punch."

"Sure," The guy smiled at Lydia and started to take off for more punch.

"So like, how's the party?" Claire came by and smiled politely at Lydia.

Lydia smiled back. "Well, like, the beverages could be better, but other than that, it's pretty boss." She glared at her date as he came back with her punch. "Finally, I'm so thirsty. Don't take so long." She grabbed the punch roughly from him and started to drink. "You made sure those losers weren't gonna show up, right?"

"Oh, yeah," Claire replied. "I totally never invited them, but they just called me and said like they demanded to come! My mother answered and uhh! So, yeah, but I'm sure they won't 'cause I called them back and told them off."

"Actually, we are here anyway."

Claire turned around and saw Bertha and Prudence behind her. Bertha had just spoke to her with her arms crossed.

"Uh! Geek alert." Lydia scowled at them. "What do you want?"

"You're just as weird! I mean, you're just like us," Prudence spoke up. "You used to be like us."

"Well, I'm not anymore so just shoo." Lydia waved her hand at them in a shooing manner. "Go back to your doghouses."

"You're mean," Bertha yelled at Lydia. "You used to be so nice! Then, you just quit being friends with us and you're hanging out with Claire and her mean friends!"

"Well, I grew up. Try it." Lydia took her punch and poured it onto Bertha's dress.

Claire and everyone at the party laughed at Bertha's humiliation.

"We just wanted to talk," Prudence protested. "We gave you a break because you'd been missing for a month, and-and something must have happened to you but . . . now we really see you'll never be the same Lydia Deetz again!"

Lydia just shrugged her comment off like it meant nothing.

"Just get out you losers," Claire yelled at them. "No one wants you here!"

Some guys at the party that were wrapped around Claire's finger realized what she wanted. They started to make Bertha and Prudence leave.

"And after all we ever did for you," Bertha started. "We even went through some séance to summon some guy who lived in your house! Ummm . . . Beetlejuice!"

Lydia suddenly became very white even through her makeup. "Don't say that name again, get out!"

"I will say it again," Bertha said angrily. "Beetlejuice!"

Lydia quickly started to run to the door where Bertha was being dragged out.

Bertha was out the door though and she didn't want to continue. She stomped off with Prudence. Forget Lydia! She was gone, long gone!

"Such nerds." Claire frowned as she watched the duo leave.

"Yeah! Like, I can't believe I ever used to be that way," Lydia commented. She looked over at her nameless boyfriend again. "Hello. Like, Steve. More punch, I just spilled mine."

"It's Barry," The nameless boyfriend frowned.

"Whatever, just get me more punch," Lydia grumbled at him.