What if it All Happened Differently?

Netherworld

Lydia emerged into a big empty space with a door thing that looked like airport security ahead of her. In a panic she looked around the empty abyss but was stopped by a voice calling her name.

"Lydia!" called her dad, running through the door she'd appeared through and then it disappeared.

"Dad?" she asked, wondering why he'd followed her.

"Are you alright?" he asked

"You followed me?" asked Lydia, ignoring the question. Her father approached her and looked around.

"What is this place?"

"THIS IS THE NETHERWORLD!" said a voice and the father-daughter duo turned to see a green skinned woman with red hair appear out of nowhere. "Welcome, welcome. I am the once and forever Miss Argentina, I died with this sash, they can never take it away" Lydia raised an eyebrow and looked at her father. "Hahaha- enough off that" she took a deep breath and looked at the duo in front of her "Let's get you processed, where's your handbook? You don't have a handbook? Why don't you have a handbook? Are you trying to skip the line?"

"Line for what?" asked Lydia, voicing her father's exact thoughts.

"Did. You. Even. Read. The. Hand. Book.?" asked Miss Argentina, clapping between each word and stomping her heel impatiently on the ground. "What else do you have to do sweetie? You are dead!" she threw her hands up in frustration "I shouldn't have to explain this" mumbled the woman as she walked off.

"Actually we're alive" said Lydia, pushing past her father and talking to Miss Argentina

"Ha! Good joke" chuckled Miss Argentina "I needed a laugh"

"I'm not joking," said Lydia.

"But that's impossible-" Miss Argentina reached a green hand out and touched Lydia's cheek. "A living girl, in the world of the dead" gasped the ghost

"And her father" supplied Charles, joining his daughter

"Yeah but you have to go back before Juno see's you" said Miss Argentina with a shudder as she inspected Charles' hand.

"Juno?" questioned the man

"I'm not going back" said Lydia stubbornly "I'm gonna find-" she was cut off

"Yeah but everyone here would go back if they could" said Miss Argentina, she looked at Charles and eyed him with a raised eyebrow "I wish I was... still alive" she smirked at the man and hit her clipboard against his chest "I was hot!"

Delia looked around her kitchen. There was a green haired demon there, a couple and Otho. The demon was currently interrogating Otho and Delia laid eyes on the couple. She'd watched from the shadows as everything unfolded. She knew the woman had been in immense pain and that Lydia cared about the woman, that was all. The man had his arms wrapped around the blonde woman who was shaking.

"Hello" said Delia, looking at the man

"Hi" said the man "sorry about this, we were checking on Lydia and everything happened"

"I appreciate you checking on her, thank you" said Delia "What are your names?"
"I'm Adam, and this is Barbara" said Adam, gesturing to the woman who was still shaking.

"Is she ok?" asked Delia

"She will be" said Adam

"Are we allowed to eat?" asked Delia, glancing over at the demon

"Beetlejuice" called out Adam, the demon looked over at him

"What's up sexy?" asked the demon, dropping Otho onto the ground. Delia silently wondered why Adam was being called sexy by this demon but chose not to ask, not when the demon was listening anyway.

"Are we allowed to go places?" asked Adam "Like leave and go back home?"

"No" said Beetlejuice "You can be in this kitchen and that is all, now excuse me, I have important work to do" Beetlejuice cloned himself and walked out of the kitchen dragging Otho behind him. The clone stood in the doorway.

"There's your answer" sighed Adam, adjusting Barbara because she was slipping. Delia nodded and stood up. "So what's your name?" asked Adam

"Oh I'm Delia" said Delia, "Would you like something to eat, would Barbara like anything to make her feel better?"

"Barb?" asked Adam, looking at the woman "you want anything?"

"I'm fine" said Barbara, sitting up and looking at Delia with a weak smile "its lovely to meet you Delia, sorry about everything that's going on, from what I know, this guy runs wild and cannot be controlled"

"It's alright Barbara" said Delia "Would you like anything?"

"I'm fine thank you" said Barbara, she yawned "just a little tired"

"You sounded like you were in a lot of pain" said Delia "would you like some pain medication?"

"No thank you, I'm fine-"

"She'll have some thank you," said Adam. Barbara rolled her eyes at him. "Honey, you need them ok?"He smiled down at her. Delia grinned at them and handed Barbara some pills and a glass of water. "Thank you Delia"

"It's alright," said Delia, sitting back down and setting a glass of water in front of Adam too. The three adults then sat in silence, listening to Beetlejuice do something in the living room.

"If I knew then what I know now!" Miss Argentina finished the song in a flurry.

"Uhh, thanks?" said Lydia, she stepped towards the beauty queen ready to ask her question but was stopped by a loud beeping noise.

"All recently deceased individuals... FORM A LINE!" came an old lady's voice over the loud beeping. Everyone who had done the lovely song and dance number for them scrambled to get in place, apparently this old lady had power.

"This can't be good" mumbled Charles as he handed the dead beauty queen her clipboard and took Lydia's hand tightly, not willing to let her get away from him.

"My name is Juno!" she breathed in her cigarette and it blew out the smoke through her neck. Lydia and Charles made their way towards the line and watched as Juno explained all about her job and what she was doing. "Also! NO LIQUIDS! DRINK IT OR THROW IT OUT!" Lydia jumped.

"Is my mum in there?" asked Lydia as she watched a creepy shrunken head dude go through the gate. "She's dead"

"Anyone who's ever died is in there," said Juno. "But good luck finding her"

"I have to try" mumbled Lydia. She pushed past her dad and ran through the gate. Alarms blared. Charles looked at her daughter as Juno approached them slowly. She recruited the help of 3 dead football players.

"New meat!" yelled Juno

"Dad" Lydia fished a piece of chalk out of her dress pocket and handed it to Charles "draw a door, go home. I'm going to go find mum"

"Lydia no- wait!" Lydia sprinted off into the depths and Charles helplessly followed.

"WE GOT A RUNNER!" yelled Juno and the Netherworld burst into chaos.