Somebody's on the Roof (Beetlejuice fanfic)

Box

Lydia heard the distant shouting of the adults as she ran, clutching the box in her arms as tightly as she could. She could hear them chasing after her, two more pairs of footsteps in the grass. She reached the woods behind the house and began darting through the trees as fast as her legs could take her.
It was a new level of dark outside. The glow from the box was not nearly enough, and the trees blocked out the moon. She relied on the vague shadows of the trees, one arm out in front of her to stop her from ramming right into one. A couple of times, she stumbled over rocks or branches, and her stomach would lurch every time.
The whole time, there were eyes on her. The watchful gaze of a demon. She felt it.
Eventually, she came to a stop, pressing her back against the rough bark of a tree. Her chest felt tight, and she struggled to catch her breath. She sank to the ground, gripping the box. It was surprisingly light, and a slight warmth emitted from it.
"Lydia!" Her father called after her, and Lydia could hear his footsteps getting closer. She felt her hands-no, her whole body,-trembling.
"Lydia, what are you doing?" They finally reached her, keeping their distance. Her father looked furious. "No more games! Give that thing back. We'll handle this on our own."
Lydia stared at them for a couple seconds, still breathing heavily. After a pause, she laughed.
"Oh, my God, are you serious?" She exclaimed. "You thought I was really gonna give it back?"
Delia audibly gasped. She looked like she'd been slapped in the face. "Lydia, sweetheart-"
"You think I'd play around when there's a demon in the house?" She held up the box. "I wouldn't betray someone like that. I'm just getting rid of the threat."
"You said we could trust you!" Delia snapped. "What were you even thinking, doing this in the first place? Did you think at all?"
"I'm not the only one to blame here!" Lydia furrowed her brow. "It's been ten days, guys," she said in a low voice. "Why didn't you come back for me?"
The two of them were silent, and Lydia saw them exchange a glance. Her father began to storm towards her, his eyes on the box.
"Beetlejuice!" Lydia called out without thinking, hoping he could stop what was about to happen. Sure enough, he appeared right between them, scaring the hell out of her father.
"Hey, buddy!" Beetlejuice grinned. "It's been a while. Been about a week and a half, actually. The hell's up with that?"
"Lydia, you don't need to do this!" Delia piped up. "I can explain everything to you, if you just give me the box and give this up!"
"It shouldn't take long to explain why you didn't care enough about me to come back!" Lydia didn't plan on being this angry at them, but she hadn't realized how long it had actually been. Especially for a parent.
"Lydia. Kid. Buddy." Beetlejuice turned and slung an arm around her shoulder. "Does all that really matter now? Let's finish this. Make 'em pay for taking so long."
"Don't act all buddy-buddy with her!"
He turned his head so his mouth was close to her ear. "You know what happens if you say no," he muttered. "I'm trying to be on your side. Let me help."
Lydia wanted so badly to side with her friend. She wanted to take his hand and scare the daylights out of her dad and Delia. She wanted to run back to the house and collapse on the couch laughing with him. She yearned for it.
But her chest still ached from where he pinned her down. She remembered how quickly he had turned on her, threatening everything she had just because she'd tried to leave.
She couldn't ignore the bad.
She frowned. "He's..he's the best buddy I've every had," she said, breaking away from his grip and giving him a light shove. "Finish it."
At least that was the truth.
"Perfect." He took a step forward, his back to her. "Lights!"
The forest got darker than it already was, and Lydia looked down to see nothing below her. She was in the bad place again- this place devoid of light, of sound and life and normalcy. She could see the adults clearly now, as well as Beetlejuice.
"Showtime, kid." He smiled at her over his shoulder, cracking his knuckles. "Follow my lead."
She felt a slight wind begin to blow, starting out as a light breeze but quickly picking up until it was all she heard, whipping her hair across her face and rushing through her ears. It was enough force to send her sprawling to the ground. She heard shouting, but she couldn't make out any words. She held the box tightly, squinting her eyes open to make sure his back was turned.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
And she opened the lid.
The wind stopped abruptly, like someone had pressed a pause button. In a blink, the forest returned, and she felt the dirt and sticks poking her skin from underneath her. The adults stumbled, thankful to see solid ground once again.
But the demon was still there. There was a look of pure confusion on his face as he gazed down at his hands, then back towards Lydia. He stared at the box. Then at her. Then the box.
Then he disappeared into a puff of purple smoke. It lingered in the air for a short time, but then it sped towards Lydia at an alarming speed. She braced herself, squeezing her eyes shut.
She felt something hit the box, pushing it forward into her gut, and the lid audibly slammed shut.
He was gone.
There was an eerie silence left behind, the only sound coming from Lydia's staggered breathing. She curled into herself, reaching out to push the box away from her.
"Take it," she said. "Take it before I open it back up."
Delia was the first one to step forward, kneeling down to pick up the box. She stayed close to the ground, placing a hand on Lydia's shoulder.
"It's okay, darling," she said softly. "It's gone."
Lydia's face crumpled as she began to cry. She heard Delia sigh, and the heavy footsteps of her father approached the two of them. He bent down, lifting her into his arms like she weighed nothing. She practically did, at this point; she'd been too distracted to eat.
She leaned her head against his chest. "I can't believe I did that to him," she sobbed. "He was..he was so-"
"You did the right thing," her father replied. "You did the right thing."
Lydia squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the image she saw right before he disappeared. The look on his face when he saw what she'd done.
He looked hurt. He looked so hurt.