Thanks again for all those who read and reviewed. For those who didn't review but read my story anyway, thank you for taking the time! Here's Chapter 3!

Disclaimer: I do not own Beetlejuice. Only Lydia does. ;)

"The Reflection"

Lydia Deetz's eyes fluttered in and out of consciousness, as she sat in her English class. She was so exhausted. All of those late night homework sessions were killing her. It was close to winter vacation and she still had tons and tons of work to accomplish by then. Not to mention, worrying about….him, didn't exactly help either. All of her friends had seemed to abandon her. Her parents thought she was becoming mentally insane, do to the fact that she 'talked to herself' at night. Her step-mother actually wanted to call Otho for help. Otho, she thought. Ha! He couldn't even change a tire properly, let alone help anyone else. He couldn't even help himself. Even Adam and Barbara thought she was acting slightly strange. At least, stranger than usual.

The bell rang five minutes ago, but Lydia still remained in her seat motionless. A loud sudden tap on the desk woke her up quickly as embarrassment washed over her, realizing she was the only one present, besides Ms. Horne. Lydia quickly scurried up out of her desk seat, grabbed her bag, and started for the door. But her tracks halted abruptly, as Ms. Horne called out for her.

Uggh.. she thought. Why now? Why today?

The young woman turned to face her teacher expressionless. She knew why she was about to get chewed out. But what could her excuse be?….

Oh, there's this ghost that haunted my family and I and he hurt my two godparents, and tried to kill my father….its left me traumatized… so now I cant sleep… no big deal!… yea right. There was no way.

"Miss Deetz? I have to say. I'm awfully worried about you. You're behavior in this classroom has been none other than strange, and unacceptable. You're constantly spacing out, falling asleep in class, and when I call on you, you don't know the answer to any of the questions I ask! I don't understand. Should I set up an appointment for a parent/teacher conference?"

Great. Now she thinks I'm crazy!

"Um, no. No, that's fine. I'm sorry Ms. Horne. I really am. I know, I haven't really been trying—."

Tell her why, babes… tell her why..

"As, hard," she finished, trying to ignore the voice distracting her in her head.

"I've been really tired lately, and…things aren't exactly easy at home right now…" she half lied. The only thing she couldn't stand was her step-mother Delia.

"I can set up an appointment no problem. I just don't want you to continue to behave this way in my classroom. The next step after a parent/teacher conference is a principal/teacher conference. I don't suppose you want that do you, Miss Deetz?" her elderly teacher asked looking down at her. Lydia felt like a midget compared to Ms. Horne. The older woman was at least six feet tall. Lydia was only a short five feet and two inches.

Lydia was silent. What could she say after that horrible suggestion Ms. Horne just made? She just stared blankly into Ms. Horne's gentle green eyes. They were just the right shade of green…a jade like green… they reminded her of someone…

She's aging, she thought, switching her view from her eyes to blonde, and gray, hair. It was tied up in a messy bun. But the green eyes distracted her from the teachers' hair once more.

She looked away quickly trying to shake the obscure thoughts running through her head. After a few moments of trying to collect herself, Lydia finally spoke.

"No, no I don't. I just…need a good nights sleep. I promise! I'll be fine afterwards. You'll see. I'll be as good as new." She picked up her bag, threw it over her shoulder, and exited the room as rapidly as she could. She couldn't be in that room with that woman another minute. Those eyes! Those familiar emerald eyes! He's driving me crazy! She screamed in her head, as she continued her rapid walk out on to the school yard.

As Lydia passed through the town, her pace quickly decreased. Her mind was more at ease now, that she was out of that school and away from Ms. Horne. Despite that fact that she was some what calmer than she was earlier, Lydia she still wouldn't get any sleep tonight. At least, not any dreamless sleep.

An hour had passed before she reached the giant, white-panel farmhouse on the hill, overlooking the entire town. Lydia didn't normally walk home. Her bike was her usual and only companion and friend home. But lately, she needed more time to herself. She needed more time to think. More time to be…alone.

"Please let the house be empty. Please Gods, let the house be empty." She said to herself out loud as she approached the back door of her home.

Lydia unlocked the back door, peering inside before entering. The lights were off. It was silent. Scary silent.

"Ah, good." Lydia let out a sigh of relief as she walked into the almost empty house. Since Barbara and Adam shared the house with Lydia and her family, they never left. They really didn't have a need to. They loved their godchild, and panned to stay with her for all of their afterlife.

"Hey guys I'm home!" Lydia called up to the ghostly godparents. She carried herself and her things lazily up the stairs, and into her bedroom. When she got to her room, she threw her things over the bed, having them land perfectly on the floor and underneath her desk.

"Perfect shot!" said a sweet voice from behind. Lydia turned around startled to see Barbara smiling at her, standing there suddenly where no one was two seconds before.

"You know I don't get scared." Lydia smiled for the first time in three months. She immediately gave Barbara a hug in return.

"Then why did you jump?" Barbara teased.

"So did you have a better day today?" she asked releasing Lydia from the hug and moved the hair in her face behind her ear motherly.

"Yea, it was…ok." Lydia said, turning away from her ghostly godmother, to sit on the bed.

"Ok?"

"Yea, just ok", she lied looking down at her shoelaces.

"Lydia," Barbara said in a warning tone.

"Ok," Lydia responded annoyed.

"It was ok, but then Ms. Horne got mad, because I fell asleep in class again." She said irritated, keeping her head down.

"Again? I thought we talked about this?" Barbara said concerned, as she sat down next to her god daughter on the bed.

She placed an arm around Lydia, and wrapped her in a hug.

"Sweetheart," she said letting Lydia go.

"We already told you. He can't come back."

"How I do know? I mean, like, for sure, how do I really know?" Lydia asked now looking up at her god mother. Barbara could see the pain and fear in Lydia's eyes.

"I'm certain, ok? You just need to relax. And get some sleep soon, I don't wana hear about another complaint from your teacher ok? Adam and I are both getting very worried about you." She said motherly.

"I'm fine, I've just been…having nightmares and most of them are…about…him." She said nervously. Lydia never spoke about her problems. Adam and Barbara were the only ones she talked to. Gods knew she couldn't talk to her dad and stepmother. They both thought she was just crazy.

Who cares if you're crazy! I'm crazy! That's why you love me!

"Will you shut up! Leave me alone!" Lydia shouted at the voice in her head suddenly. Barbara just sat there, staring at her. She didn't know what to come of what just happened. But she didn't want her godchild to think she had gone insane.

"Lydia sweetie, why don't you take a nap?" Barbara suggested trying to ignore Lydia's outburst.

"I can't sleep. I just can't. If I sleep, he'll be there." Lydia turned to Barbara as if she would have answers.

"No he wont, he's g—."

"No! You don't understand! He is here! He is back!" Lydia stood up, shaking her hands in the air.

" I need peace, Barbara. For the first time in my life, I feel I have something to fear…" she stopped herself, as she sat back down on the bed.

"Oh honey, you can't keep thinking about him. If you keep him in your memory, he will, well, haunt you." She tried to reassure the young woman.

"Please, these last two years have been nothing but one, big, memory." Lydia said somberly as she laid back flat on the bed, studying the popcorns on her ceiling.

"So what did Ms. Horne say?" Barbara asked changing the subject.

"Oh nothing important." Lydia shifted, sitting up to face Barbara.

"Just that, she might need to schedule a 'parent teacher conference'." She quoted with her hands.

"Well, what are you gonna do? Do you wana talk to your dad and Delia?"

"Oh Gods no! they already think I have enough problems as it is. Telling them would just make it worse." Lydia plopped back down flat on the bed.

"Well, if you need us, you know Adam and I are here for you." Barbara leaned over, kissed her god daughter on the forehead, and headed towards the door.

"Hey Barb?" Lydia stopped Barbara in her tracks, as she sat up.

"Yes?" she said turning around.

"Thanks." Lydia smiled at her ghostly godmother, feeling slightly better than she did before.

"Your welcome darling." She started to walk out, holding the door behind her, as she suddenly reopened it.

"Get some rest." She said in a serious tone with a smile. Barbara closed the door after saying good night.

Lydia let her back return to the bed. She was so drained. But there was no possibility of sleep tonight. Not with his voice lurking in her thoughts…

Beetlejuice?..

Yes! that's it!

Your name is Beetlejuice?..

Yes! C'mon babes, say it one more time!

I don't know..

Come on kid! Just, say it!

Maybe I should talk to Barbara…

No, ya don't need ta talk ta Barbara, just say it!

…And what if I don't?…

'And what if I don't?' Look, ya want my help or not?

I wana get out, you wana get in? Say my name one more time, and you're just as good as in….just, say it!

But what about Barb—..

I said, FORGET Barbara…say my name!

No, I…no. I can't..

SAY IT!

NO!

SAAAY IIITTT!

Lydia's eyes sprung open with fear, hoping she was just dreaming once more. Luckily for her, a dream was all it was…

Lydia was jolted so abruptly from her sleep, she never noticed how quickly she sat up.

"Oh my Gods, what am I thinking." Lydia giggled out loud to herself.

"Barb's right. He's not coming back." She got up from her bed, realized her school clothes were still on, (which meant she must have slept through dinner as well) and moved towards her dresser to find something suitable for bed.

She opened up the top drawer, pulled out a long black t-shirt, and tossed it gently on the bed. Lydia undressed, placed her dirty school clothes in the pile in front of her closet door on the floor, and slipped on the night shirt.

She began crawling into bed, when a strange scratching noise made her freeze. Lydia turned slowly, scanning the room behind her, noticing nothing different that could have produced that noise.

"No. It was them." She assured herself, climbing into bed for a third time…

Lydia closed her eyes, concentrating on her sweet sleep. She hadn't had a good night's sleep in over four months. It was all his fault.

"He's not coming back. He's not coming back…".

He he he he….

Lydia's eyes flung open once more.

"Please get out of my head…Please, Please!" she rolled over on her side, hoping she would fall asleep this time…

Ms. Horne began preparing herself for bed, as she looked in the mirror to check for any flaws, one last time. Despite the fact that she lived alone, the woman was a perfectionist. I must be ready in all situations, she thought.

Ms. Horne ran the thin bristled brush through her thick brown hair, noticing each silvery strand that danced in the light of her reflection.

"Oh dear, it's time to start dying those again," she said to the woman in the mirror.

Ms. Horne returned her brush to the vanity counter, said good night to the woman with the old brown hair, and aging blue eyes, and slipped into bed silently and softly to sleep.

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