Chapter Text
Spring semesters were something else entirely in universities. Depending on your location, you would either be experiencing extreme burnout, or a sense of inspiration. Once winter is over, so comes the time when students break free from their study zones and prefer to sit in the sun and on the quad. The fauna around campus begin to bloom, and the trees once again cast shadows onto the ground to allow anyone to take a peaceful nap in a cool breeze.
Yes, spring was the time for a multitude of photo-journalistic opportunities, or merely just passing the time to capture the fleeting essence of life. This was something Lydia Deetz has been doing for the past two years at Columbia University in New York City.
Four years ago, before being accepted into the New York college, Lydia was going through some strange and unusual experiences at home. Having just moved into a new home in Connecticut after her mother had only recently passed away, she soon found herself face to face with real ghosts. Barbara and Adam Maitland to be exact. Over time, there was a friendship that was bonded between the three when her father Charles was off schtupping with Delia, her now Step-mom.
But Adam and Barbara weren’t the only spirits occupying the Winter River home. There was a demon who called himself Beetlejuice. He seemed to have a shining for Lydia, and shared a similarity with her in the fact that he also felt unseen by anyone around him. They both basically shared a goal, and that was to no longer be invisible. After scaring Charles’s party guests, and Delia out of the house, Lydia and Beetlejuice had the house to themselves for three whole days. The only other people filling the empty space were the recently deceased couple hiding in the attic.
Despite the friendship that had started between Lydia and Beetlejuice, Lydia still desperately sought to see her mother once again, and abandoned the demon to find her. Leaving the demon feeling unwanted and invisible again, he became rampant and vengeful. All he wanted was to be seen, and have a friend, but then Lydia just chose to turn away. Might as well force her into a marriage then. Tricking her, Lydia was fooled into exercising Barbara when she was trying to bring back her mom. The only way to save her was the marriage agreement. But a trick fell for a trick and soon Lydia escaped into the netherworld to hide and hopefully find her mother.
Finding nothing except death and emptiness within the void of eternal suffering, Lydia was led back home by her father and found a new comfort within her family. But still Beetlejuice was waiting for her, and she was more than ready to continue with the ceremony. Arriving in a red wedding gown, the celebration began, and rings were exchanged. Beetlejuice placed a black band around her ring finger, and Lydia was given a black band by one of Beetlejuice’s skeletons to place onto his finger. Once they shared “I do”, a flash and a bang had brought Beetlejuice to life. But that wasn’t really part of the plan for the Maitlands and the Deetz’s. Driving bad art into his backside and killing him, Lydia soon ended the demon's life, causing him to become once again, recently deceased.
Carry forth something about his mom coming to collect a living girl who escaped the netherworld, and then Beetlejuice killing his mother with a sandworm. It was all very confusing, but saying goodbye was hard. Despite him being a creepy old guy, and a demon who had all the capabilities of murder, he still wanted to be seen above all.
It wasn’t long after he left that he returned, and for a good reason too. The ring that was placed around Lydia’s finger became like a binding tool. After their marriage, both of them had spiritually tied their souls together. Even if one were to be dead, and the other were to be alive, the souls stay together. That’s how marriage in the netherworld works. Except Lydia has a corporeal being, meaning she can take the ring off and leave it wherever; forcing Beetlejuice having to stay within the confines of the room she left it in. He was back, but he was like a domestic ghoul more or less.
The family that had more or less become her ghost parents and living parents were not so pleased to know that Beetlejuice was back, and basically attached to her for the rest of her life. But Lydia didn’t seem to mind. She still had lingering sympathy for the ghost, and already knew that since she had married him this was her obligation as his now cursed bride. Being sixteen and having a demon for a best friend honestly sounded like the best thing in the world for Lydia.
Mischief and Mayhem would follow them wherever they would go as long as she kept the ring on her person. She even took it to school with her so that the miss perfect Claire Brewster wouldn’t be able to be as perfect anymore. Beetlejuice could finally give Claire the karma she deserved times three. Their relationship did indeed become like inseparable friends as the years went on. But Beetlejuice was still lonely.
Not in regards of being a lonely dead guy anymore, but there was something he couldn’t do anymore now that he hung out with a teenager. He couldn’t fuck. He couldn’t have orgies. Sex was completely gone. All of the lust and drive for physical affection had begun to manifest over time and who else could he throw it at but his wife. Through the looking glass in Lydia’s vanity, he’d watch her aging body mature. He’d imagine what she’d look like once more in that wedding dress, but if it was on the floor instead. He wanted her to touch him longer when they hugged. He wanted her to kiss him. Oh god slash satan please let her kiss him.
He started to tease her and make sexual innuendos almost every day to her, but she was becoming used to it. Even when they were watching the exorcist and he would wrap his arms around her, she didn’t mind. She was too hot anyways and needed a human cooler to help her body temperature drop just a bit. In fact it helped her sleep! She was driving him insane!
Eventually it was time for her to go to college, and Lydia wanted to go to a place close to their old home. Back to New York where dead mom was buried. Charles agreed and sent her to a very prestigious school for her passion in photography and writing. Columbia University. Of course Claire Brewster ended up going to the same college, but Lydia wasn’t going to let that get her down. She also wasn’t going to leave Beetlejuice behind to torture her parents and ghost parents. If anything, during classes she’d leave the ring in a secret box in her dorm and tell him to just wait when she got back.
That’s how it has been for the past two years for Lydia and Beetlejuice on campus. Lydia would have a class, and she’d leave her black ring in a little box under her pillow in her dorm room. Beetlejuice would have to be patient and wait for her to return before they did anything on campus. In fact, the most things they did on campus besides pulling the strangest pranks on students who were walking around past midnight was take pictures.
Beetlejuice was basically Lydia’s model, and had earned her a bunch of prestige in the college of the arts. The countless poses that he was able to do while not being seen physically cause the camera to freak out and capture the blurriest and bizarre images that have been hung in the walls of the student union building. The pair walk by them everyday just to see if anyone has an explanation for them yet. Only the society of ghost hunters really have ever stared at the picture for longer than two hours.
As of this moment, it was almost class time, and Lydia was playing with her camera while Beetlejuice stared up at the clear sky. He didn’t seem bored, but merely pleased at this moment they were sharing together. Turning onto his side, he stared at her as she fixed the lens and pointed it at him.
“What are you thinking right now babes?” He asked with his raspy tone.
“About the final assignment. Everyone has already put in the group chat about how they are going to take pictures of different clubs and societies around campus, but I literally have no association with any club or society.” Putting the camera down, she huffed and began to put it back in it’s bag.
“You have me?”
“It can’t just be you Beej. It has to be a society or a whole event planned by a group. We all have to take pictures like a time lapse.”
“You ask that ghost club?” Beetlejuice offered as a suggestion.
“No. I don’t talk to them. The last time I tried, they said they saw the devil around me.” Giving off a laugh and staring right at Beetlejuice, Lydia continued. “I mean, they aren’t wrong completely, but I think they would probably freak out more if they knew I was married to the devil.”
“You don’t act like it.” Beetlejuice once again laid on his back and stared at the sky like a lump. His voice clearly said he wasn’t happy about something.
“Who peed in your coffee Beej?” Lydia asked as she stood up and wrapped her bags around her so that she could start heading to her dorm. She needed to take the ring off before getting into class mode.
“Not you, but I fucking wish you did.” Was his snarky response as he began floating behind her. She only could laugh at that remark. “Ew, no. You’d have to pay me first.” It was clearly a joke as she continued to laugh, but Beetlejuice was desperately chasing the carrot on the stick. “I don’t have money babes, but if I did, I’d pay you to just sit on my face.”
Turning around to smack him, Lydia instead bumped into something. Or someone as a matter of fact. Both people fell onto the concrete walkway and pulled themselves up to see what caused the other to fall down.
“I’m so sorry, that was completely my fault I wasn’t looking where I was going.” Lydia started, but then the other individual just put their hands up as a response. “Nope. No it’s not. It’s mine.” They stood up and brushed off their dark leather jacket and offered a hand for Lydia to get up. The person looked to be a male student. He had dark hair, and a nice tan going for him. He must have come from somewhere more tropical since the city barely got any sunny weather like this. His hair was floppy and hung a bit in his face, but was also disheveled. Like a mess, but an organized one.
“What do you mean it’s not my fault? I clearly wasn’t looking where I was going.” Lydia grabbed onto his hand and was pulled up by the student. He shook his head and then picked up the phone on the ground between them. “Nope. It’s mine. I was texting and walking like an idiot and didn’t even notice you.” He held up his phone to show it was completely cracked.
“Ha! That’s what you get you clumsy oaf! I tell yah Lyds, this is how kids your age die these days. They are always on their phone and not looking up.” Beetlejuice added as he began to observe the two interacting. Lydia clearly just ignored him as she does when she has conversations with other living people. He may be tied to her, but he can’t be seen unless she calls out his name three times. Her only reaction to him making the comment about the strangers now broken phone was a roll of her eyes.
“Woah, didn’t mean to get that kind of reaction out of you. I know I’m the clutz of the theatre department, but I don’t want to also seem like a complete waste of time.” The student looked upset at Lydia’s rolled eyes even though they weren’t directed at him. “What? I… No that wasn’t meant for you.” Was the only response she could give.
“Right… Well… I guess I say I’m sorry and then I can introduce myself?” He gave a shy grin almost like he was still trying to start up a conversation. “I don’t like him. Just keep walking. Don’t you have a class babes?” Lydia ignored Beetlejuice once again and nodded at the stranger.
“Uh… I’m Rowan Nix. Theatre major and local clumsy ass.” He offered his hand once again to shake in a friendly greeting style. Beetlejuice went to Lydia’s ear and whispered “Use your left hand to shake… It’ll be like an electric buzzer trick… but with more pain.” The left hand was the one with the ring on it, and Beetlejuice could channel some power into it through her.
Still ignoring Beetlejuice, Lydia smiled and nodded her head, and kept her hands to herself. “I’m Lydia Deetz… Visual Arts Major….”
“Woah… Deetz? Like the strange pictures in the union building, that Deetz?” Rowan's question was filled with surprise and anticipation for her answer. All Lydia could do was give a few nods. “Oh my god I absolutely love those pictures! I walk by them everyday before lunch and I always just have a little moment to think about how those pictures came out how they did. No photographer would clearly sabotage their own work, but yet it looks like the light in the image is physically interacting with the darkness. It’s like a chaotic dance or some spiraling madness.”
“Yep… Clearly a theatre major. Lyds let’s go.” Beetlejuice floated around her a little more and then began to pull on her skirt. But Lydia was frozen in place. She never really got those kinds of compliments on her pictures from anyone other than Beetlejuice, so this was a foreign feeling. Beetlejuice didn’t have the dictionary like this guy did, but he always did compliment them with passion. Not just because he was the subject of the photo, but because Lydia was still the photographer with the artistic perspective. He had always given her admiration on her pictures. Always.
Pushing her skirt down to prevent Beetlejuice from revealing too much, Lydia gave out a small laugh and blinked a few times in confusion. “You like them that much?” Rowan’s response was firm nodding. “Absolutely. Oh, hey! Can I ask you to do me a favor for the theatre department? I mean you don’t have to but I figure it might be really helpful for both parties.”
“What do you mean ‘both parties’?” Lydia asked.
“Well for our musical show this semester, we are doing the international hit that is Phantom of the Opera. But we need some promotional pictures, and we have no photographer. Well… no photographer that wants to deal with one of the supporting actresses.” Rowan seemed a bit perturbed at that moment when he mentioned the supporting actress. Who could be driving away the theatre departments photographers?
“I mean… Isn’t that show playing just down the street already?” Lydia questioned while shrugging.
“Yeah, but this will be the first time in decades that we do Phantom again. And I’m just happy to be a part of it.” Rowan added.
“Oh really? Who do you play as then Mr. Clumsy?” Lydia teased out and Beetlejuice only could add “weak insult. At least call him a waste of space.”
“Oh, I’m the title character. I’m Mr. Clumsy in a mask.” For some reason, that little joke was able to elicit a small chuckle from Lydia, and this caused Beetlejuice’s face to drop. Now he really didn’t like Rowan. Another guy making his wife laugh is a threat enough. But the fact that he was alive and not that bad to look at either was even worse!
Tapping her chin, Lydia brought up a response for Rowan. “Well Mr. Clumsy, I do have to do a project for a society or club for one of my classes. Is this a theatre society or a club? Cause already the musical is an event itself.”
Nodding, Rowan pulled up his phone and then stopped realizing that his phone was broken. “Shit.. see this is just embarrassing. I was going to show you the whole crew, but I guess that can wait till later. We’re the theatre society. Tell your Prof about us and that I wanna hook you up as our main photographer! I’ll tell Hazel, our stage manager, that I found a possible candidate.” He was walking away and heading in the direction of the theatre building. “Our rehearsals start at five!”
And like that, Rowan was in a sprint. Looking down at her own phone, she saw that it already was three fifteen, and her class starts in less than ten minutes. “Shit… No time to dorm run. Ready for a boring class Beej?” Lydia offered as she started to jog.
“Boring? Nothing is boring when I’m near you Lyds. Take me to all your classes, I’ll just sit under your desk like a dog. Maybe steal a couple of kids pencils and lunch money. The normal dog things.” Laughing as she ran to the last few comments she made it to the building in time for her class.
Already, her teacher was staring at her as she was the last one to arrive in the classroom. “S-Sorry I’m late… I…” Beetlejuice moved to her ear once again to come up with an excuse for her “You met your society! Tell them you just got out of a meeting or some shit, that might make it seem professional.” For once, Lydia agreed with the statement, and sticking to the words that had been coined into her ear, she relayed them without hesitation.
“I just ran into Rowan Nix from the Theatre society. Me and him just finished talking about the photography project and asked if I would like to do the photo shoots for their production of Phantom of the Opera.” Lydia began to move further into the classroom, approaching the professor like she owned the place. Students were staring at her like she was lucky to even find a society that sounded interesting, while others seemed to think she’d be the last girl in the world to find a group to work with.
“Fantastic Miss Deetz. And you agreed to this?” The Professor's voice was clear, and assured Lydia that what she was about to do was assign herself to the theatre department for the next couple of weeks. Reaching into a red folder, she pulled out a form and handed it to Lydia. “Give this to their director, and make sure to have everyone who is in the society sign off on it as a consent form. This is due next week to me. Okay?”
Nodding her head, Lydia took the paper and put it into her bag. She knew there was no turning back at this point. After this class she should probably head directly to the Theatre building. Rowan did say that rehearsals start at five. Sitting down and setting her desk up for note taking, Beetlejuice did as he said and crawled under her seat to basically sleep. It was funny at the time for Lydia because of the saying “Slept like the dead”. She didn’t really think that he would indeed need to sleep like the dead. But he looked content.
But plans were running through the ghoul's mind. Rowan was indeed a boy with a similar aesthetic to Lydia's. He has charm, and he can sing, but so can Beetlejuice if you ask him nicely. Sometimes he’ll just burst into song if he feels invisible or has a soliloquy in his mind. However, there was a plan being woven like spiders web inside his brain.
The idea that Phantom of the Opera would be performing on a college campus in New York City seemed bizarre enough, like an author trying to pull points together for convenience's sake. But that's besides the point. This was about the musical. That musical, not this musical. That whole story is about a girl who can sing better than the current leading soprano, and the ‘phantom’ who loves her and trained her wants her to become the new leading soprano. Another guy comes into the picture and then there is a love triangle, but basically it’s a show about romance. Not really Lydia’s kind of thing, but she would probably really dig the phantom's lair.
Tighter the webs became, even tighter into a beautiful web that created something sinister.
Imagine a real ghost in your theatre. Imagine mishappenings in your theatre. All because this girl happened to walk in. Once you pay attention to her, all things will be calm. Look away and the havoc will be reaped. You may have never heard her sing, but she sings beautifully to me. I will be the phantom of the theatre as she plays this little game called life. I will control what she does, and what she becomes. Watch my carnival of madness unfold as I turn this little photographer…. Into the lead. Then once she has their attention, I will make sure I have hers. I just need to keep… -
“Beej, class is over.” A voice awoke Beetlejuice from his nap. Everyone in the classroom was already gone, and the clock read four forty-five. She had to get to the theatre soon. “So you going to put me away before you see Mr. Opportunity?”
“No? Why? I think you’ll have a little fun in a theatre space. Right? I mean I was thinking about it too.” Lydia was laughing to herself as she started to pull her things together. “Imagine just throwing some things around, or instruments playing by themselves. They’ll be freaking out!” She was so precious when she was the one coming up with the pranks and scares. It would make any dead man's heart almost beat again.
“Lyds… I love yah. You gotta know that.”
“Sure you do. You say that all the time.” She sighed as he continued to follow her.
“But I mean it! I really do! You never seem to really think that I mean it, but you’re always like ‘no no I can’t love you, that’s icky ppphff’ and then I’m like ‘but think about my feelings woulda’, but then you respond with ‘I’m going to bed now, g'night BJ’ and then I’ll be like ‘okay goodnight I loooooove you.’” In and out of that entire conversation with himself, he kept changing the pitch of his voice to match the femininity of Lydia, and then his own pitch. Lydia was simply rolling her eyes once again and after more debate they arrived at the theatre.
At the theatre doors stood a girl with bright ginger hair, similar to Delia’s, but she also had freckles all over her face. Glasses stuck out on her nose, and her short curly hair nearly covered her eyes, but if you looked close enough you could see that they were a bright blue. Once she saw the girl dressed in black, her eyes became wide and she started to fiddle with her locks running up to her.
“Oh, you came! I was worried you wouldn’t!” Were the words that scrambled out of her voice like word vomit. “Uhhh… I’m glad I came too? Do I know you?” Lydia was surprised to see that someone was waiting for her in the first place. “Oh, I’m sorry. Rowan said he found a photographer earlier, and then he said it was you! I couldn’t believe my ears, I told him to give me your number so I could get in contact with you right away but his phone was broken so he just ran away!” She continued to ramble and Beetlejuice looked at her as if she was about to short circuit.
“Anyways! My name is Hazel Seibel! I am the director, and sometimes stage manager.” She didn’t as so much offer a handshake like Rowan did, but immediately started to shake Lydia’s hand. Pulling her hand back quickly, Lydia felt like she had already gotten herself into a mess. “Right. Nice to meet you. So Rowan told you about me already?” Hazel nodded and pulled her phone out to show Lydia pictures of her photographs in the student union. “Your photos speak to me as if they are inspired by the dark and unseen forces.”
“Unseen is one way to put it.” Beetlejuice added. “Dark just depends on how angry you make me, right Lyds?” Blinking a few times, Lydia crooked her head to the side. “Unseen forces?”
“Oh yes! Like ghosts, ghouls, demons, angels and stuff.” Hazel used her hands as a way of accentuating each type of dead noun. “Woah, she believes in the afterlife? Then how come she can’t see me?” Beetlejuice pointed out as he pointed at himself. Hazel shivered and looked around Lydia. “You believe in that stuff? Or do you think I’m just crazy?”
Lydia gave a small laugh and then remembered the first time she saw the Maitlands. They weren’t hideous and deformed, but merely dead. A normal couple that had died in their house. “I’ve seen ghosts. Even demons.” Hazel’s eyes went wide when Lydia said that. “That’s so amazing. Have you ever had contact?”
“Deep intimate contact Haze… Every night in fact when she’s sucking-”
“I’ve spoken with people who would have changed your whole perspective on death. Once it’s over, it’s over.” Lydia interrupted Beej and made a waving motion as if to swat at a fly, but instead struck him. “Ouch! Babes that hurt!”
Hazel seemed to be in complete shock. A photographer who had the same kinds of beliefs as her. It was unheard of! “I’m so happy to be working with you Miss Deetz-”
“Please just call me Lydia.” The macabe girl reached into her bag and pulled out the consent form to hand to Hazel, but then there was a shrill scream coming from inside the auditorium. It sounded familiar too. Both girls rushed into the theatre and noticed a girl on stage wearing a very pink dress, and her hair was tied up in a bun. What she was holding in her hand was a white mask, and who was standing next to her was Rowan who looked rather angry.
“Give it back Brewster… I won’t ask again.” He hissed out while reaching for it.
“Claire really, why do you need to cut rehearsals like this?” Another male voice intervened from the side of the auditorium. “Please, please can we not fight!” A brighter and cheery voice walked onto stage. “What’s going on here?” Hazel yelled out and got the cast to look at her.
“Oh my god.” Lydia said as she recognized the girl on center stage. “Oh my god!” The girl repeated like a parrot. It was shrill and coarse. Beetlejuice had only just started laughing and added “Oh this makes ruining this show so much more easier! Thank you bimbo bitch! Thank you!”
“Lydia Deetz?!” Her voice came out more shrill, and the cast looked at the blonde girl like she was crazy. “You know her?” Hazel asked Lydia. Lydia sighed heavily and handed her the consent form. “Yup… we went to school together. In the long and short of it… she’s a bitch.”
“Oh we know… But she plays a good Carlotta.” Hazel had to argue. Lydia could see it. Big daddy Brewster paying the Theatre society to put his little baby in the show, but she can’t sing and she can’t act worth shit. So the best lead role she can get for daddy’s big wallet is la Carlotta. What a power move on Hazel’s part. Lydia had to give her a nod of admiration. “Glad you don’t shit around here.” She added as she moved closer to the pit.
“Why the hell… is Lydia Deetz here?” Claire repeated. “I asked her to come, she’s going to be our photographer… right?” Rowan responded to his angry co-star, but was met with more anger. “No… I refuse to believe that. She never got my good side back at home, and she’ll make me look even worse up here, I know it!”
“Shut up Claire. We have a photographer, and she’s here for an assignment. It’s mandatory that she's here. You don’t have a say, and neither does she.” Hazel added when she read through the consent form. Raising her voice she got her cast's attention and pulled a pen from her shaggy hair. “Would all cast members please come sign this document for Lydia please. Thank you!”
Rowan moved downstairs to meet Lydia. He didn’t give a shit about his mask at this point anymore from the looks of it. “So glad you actually came. Thought I frightened you away or scared you with my clumsiness.”
“No… Merely encouraged me. It’s fun to see people fumble about with themselves. You even broke your phone, so that’s bonus points.” Lydia assured Rowan who looked pleased with himself finding a photographer, but Beetlejuice was less than pleased. “Oh yeah, you should have broken your bones. In fact, you should have broken your neck. Let’s try that collision again. Do it Lydia, hit him.”
Standing up, Rowan got off stage and began to head toward Hazel to sign the consent form. “Beej, why are you telling me to hit people?” She was crossing her arms while looking at the line that was being created. “Because he didn’t get hit hard enough the first time.”
“Are you jealous?” Lydia raised her eyebrow at him, and Beetlejuice merely stuck his tongue out. “How? He’s living, I’m dead. Sure he’s got a pulse and can move freely without being married to someone, but I still have you.” That actually caused Lydia to blush slightly when he said it. Was he trying to flirt with her. He never really said anything that sweet before unless it came with a follow up sexual innuendo. But there was none? “No, I think you’re jealous.” She finished while booping his nose.
“Am not.” He stood up and stomped across the stage. “What shall we do first kids? Shall we drop some curtains, or make the seats unfold all at once. Or how about a little light show?” Smiling at hearing his idea, Lydia winked at him giving him the okay symbol. “All of it sounds good in my head.” Grasping at his chest, he felt like he could already hear the screams. She knew what he wanted, and so here it came.
With a large stomp and a snap, the lights shut down. The theatre was dark, and everyone went silent except a few girls who started screaming from the sheer darkness. People pulled out their phones and looked around them. “A blackout?” , “Well we do live in the city.”, “It’s not possible though, the theatre has a breaker.” After that, the sound of rattling chains and shifting gears were heard all around them. Seats popped down all at once causing everyone to jump. Once the lights turned back on, all of the curtains were on the stage. Not hanging, but down on the ground and completely separated from the rafters above.
“How in the hell did that happen?” Rowan asked while jumping back up on stage. Someone behind him was swearing in another language but then quickly responded “I was under those curtains just a moment ago. I could have been crushed. Those things are so fucking heavy hun.”
“The chairs… they all…” Just as a soft voice squeaked that out, the chairs flung back into position. “Oh goodness.” She looked surprised but didn’t scream. Merely that her entire body was folding in on itself. Claire however was screaming. “Damn you Deetz! You carry your dark magic wherever you go, and it has followed me here! You have cursed my chance at being a star!”
Hazel was frozen still. She didn’t intervene when Claire started to swing at Lydia. Instead she merely looked at the mess around her and saw a twisted smile on Lydia’s face. “Dark magic?” Hazel repeated. Claire looked at Hazel and nodded angrily. “Yes, she’s cursed or something. One day at school she told me she married the devil. She’s fucking insane.”
“Yes, but correct.” Beetlejuice said while staring at the boys trying to put the curtain back on its pole. “That’s….” Lydia looked at Hazel like she was about to be thrown from the theatre. It was over, and that consent form was going to be ripped up. Goodbye deans list, sorry I have to come home dad, Beetlejuice ended up scaring an entire society of theatre kids.
“That’s perfect.” Hazel finally was able to get out.”
“What?” Both girls said simultaneously. “What do you mean? She’s bad luck for our show!” Lydia raised her eyebrows while looking from Beetlejuice to Claire. “I mean… I don’t control it, it merely does that whenever you’re doing something stupid Claire. I’ve told you that from the beginning. Honestly I haven't had an incident like that in years.” She was lying, and Beetlejuice was already floating in the air laughing.
“Y-You’re saying it’s my fault that you have Carrie tendencies? You are such a freak!”
“Shut the hell up Claire!” Rowan’s voice came back and he moved down stage. “What makes it perfect Hazel? All the lights just went to shit, and the strings on the curtains have to get tied back onto their rafter individually. What makes it perfect?”
Hazel smiled and looked at Lydia. “Well… The Phantom of the Opera’s show is all about that isn’t it? Why not have a little chaos? I mean… Lydia did say it’ll keep Claire in check. So in my opinion, all that stuff just might prevent her from taking your things Rowan, or trying on Makenzie’s dresses. The girl who was named Makenzie stood silent and then blinked a few times. “Wait, she’s been doing what?”
“You have no proof.” Claire said and she put her hands on her hips. “Yeah but I have a camera, so proof will be here if it needs to be. So you better start behaving.” Lydia added pulling out her digital camera for some stills.
Claire made a frustrated noise and pointed angrily at Lydia. “I don’t like that you’re here. I’ll deal with it. It won’t be fun for either you or me, okay. I’ll just be happier when you’re gone.”
“And i’ll be happier when you stop randomly showing up in my life.” Lydia added.
“And I’ll be happier when she stops wearing the same fucking color. When will you wear something other than pink you fucking bimbo!” Beetlejuice yelled into her ear. “Ew… its cold.” Claire added as she wiped her ear.
Hazel walked up to Lydia and handed her the signed consent form. “I think it’s all settled now. We’d like you to show up to every rehearsal now at five if you can.” Hazel showed Lydia her cellphone number on her smartphone so that Lydia could copy it down. “If you need any information at all about the cast or equipment we are using, just message me.”
“Oh! Can you please give her my number too Hazel?” Rowan said as he looked between the two exchanging numbers. Just as he said that, Hazel’s phone ran out of batteries. “What the hell? It was only at sixty five? You’re not a google phone, don’t do this to me!” Lydia looked over at Beetlejuice who shrugged innocently.
Rowan rubbing the back of his neck just leaped off the stage and crossed his arms. “See, I would give it to you… But I haven’t memorized it, and my phone is broken.”
“Pity. It would have been fun to just message you about Claire’s screaming. I’m sure you’d like to hear it.” Lydia laughed as she put the form and her phone away. Beetlejuice could already tell that this boy was interested in Lydia, and he wasn’t having it for another second. With a little toss of ghostly powers, Rowan’s legs started to carry him back to the stage.
“W-Well.. Anyway. Bye Ly-dia. See you.” And he was out of sight. Lydia turned her head to see Beetlejuice puppeteering with his fingers. “What? Listen, I wanna go home. I wanna hear more Edgar Allen Poe stories.” Lydia shook her head and began to walk up the auditorium aisles with her ghostly husband behind her.
“I have a different plan.” She said. “Let’s watch some bootlegs tonight until we pass out. I want to be able to get in the mood for this show and prepare myself to hear the same melodies everyday.” The dead man groaned as she stated their plans for the evening, but he wouldn’t argue. Merely that the shows would give him more ideas, and more plans on what to do than just play around with the cast on stage. More than put Lydia on the stage.
It’s time for a new phantom’s romance story to begin.