The Frankenstein Complex

The First Day

The house is cold and unfamiliar, the floorboards creaking underfoot as the movers carry the couch I'm laying on into the living room.
They set it down carefully, I remain laying on it, arms crossed over my chest.
"Hey dad, does this couch make me look dead?" I ask, he sighs in disappointment and defeat.
"Lydia, I'm not answering a question like that"
Delia comes up to me and begins talking, I zone out and go upstairs to my new room, I start unpacking my room, I finish unpacking the enlarger from my darkroom at our old house and notice my photo paper and developing supplies are missing.
"Hey, have you seen my developing supplies?!" I call down the stairs.
"Check the attic!" Delia calls back to me, I walk up the rickety steps that lead to the attic and pause before turning the doorknob.
The room is dark, the only light coming from a small window across the room, I turn on the light and look around the attic, I spot the missing box and grab it, as I look up I see a man in a striped suit looking at me with what I assume is a slight interest.
I notice two other figures peeking out at me from their poorly chosen hiding spot.
"Who the hell are you?" I ask them, shock taking over their features as the two step out from behind a bookshelf into full visibility.
The blonde woman wearing a green floral dress and the man wearing a green flannel tucked into gray pants.
"I'm Barbara, this is my husband Adam" The woman says, gesturing to the man wearing the flannel who waves at me, I give him a small wave and turn to the other man.
"I'm Lydia, who are you?" I ask the man wearing a black and white striped suit, his hair unruly and composed of different shades of green that fascinate me.
"I can't say it" he says, his voice gravely and rough, his words causing my fascination to increase, I turn to the woman and her husband, looking for an answer but after receiving no response, I give a sigh and go up to the group.
"How about a game of charades?" I ask him, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Yes, lets play it!" He says obviously excited, the couple back away a few feet in a nervous fashion.
"Beetlejuice?" I say as the game comes to a close, he nods at me excitedly.
The couple reproaching us, making small talk for a few minutes.
"Why are you up here?" I ask, Barbara and Adam look down at the floor.
"We're ghosts, we just don't like people so, we stay up here" Adam says, Barbara nodding along with his words.
"I'm a demon, waiting for a living person to say my name three times in a row so I can be free!" Beetlejuice says.
"Any of you scary? I need to scare my dad and the joke of a life coach he married." I say, they turn to Beetlejuice and I smile at him.
"How about we go somewhere and talk planning?" He says, offering me his hand.
"I need to put this in my bedroom, we can go onto the roof after I do that" I say, slowly sliding my hand into his before intertwining our fingers together.
"Ooh, a couples hand hold!" He exclaims excitedly, Barbara rolls her eyes and I laugh briefly, in the blink of an eye Beetlejuice and I are standing on the rooftop by the railing, the box no longer in my other arm.
He goes on about the things he would like to do and what he can do, I consider his offer seriously as we sit at the edge of the roof.
"He's been acting really weird lately, he's lost his mind Beetlejuice and I'm the only one acknowledging it but when I bring it up he tells me that I'm the one losing my mind, I might be overdramatic and in mourning over my dead mom but I know I'm not crazy." I say confidently, swinging my legs slightly causing them to run into his, he turns his head to look at me.
"Oh believe me babes I know crazy, you're not it. Strange and unusual definitely! But not crazy." His words weirdly reassuring me, giving me an odd feeling of comfort I haven't felt since before my mom died.
"He goes out in the middle of the night and doesn't tell anyone he's gone or where he was." I say, the sunlight washing Beetlejuice in a golden light making his deathly pale skin take on a lively glow.
"Sounds like a serial killer" he jokes.
He drapes an arm around my shoulders, I lean against his side and continue watching the sun go down.
"This is the first nice moment I've had since my mom died." I say, his hand smooths down my hair and I lean into his cool touch.
"When did she die?" He asks, a moment of silence passes before I gain the courage to speak.
"Six months ago" I say sadly, footsteps approach us as Beetlejuice begins to reply, I turn my head and see Barbara looking at us in confusion.
"Lydia, you're being called down for dinner" she says, clearly uncomfortable with interrupting us.
Beetlejuice stands up and helps me to my feet, I brush the skirt of my dress off and take a step to where Barbara stands when Beetlejuice grabs my wrist, I turn to him and give him a confused look.
"Shortcut?" He says, I nod and move closer to him, waving at Barbara before he transports us to my room.
"Lydia! Dinner!" Delia yells up the stairs, I release a sigh.
"Sorry, I'll be right there!" I shout back at her, looking up at Beetlejuice as I do so.
He sits on the edge of my bed next to what I realize is the box from the attic as he looks around my bedroom, taking in his surroundings.
"I have to go, I'll see you later?" I say, taking my hand from his.
"Oh yeah, I'm always around somewhere. Usually the roof." He says, I nod and walk out of my room, the stairs heave slightly under my feet as I make my way to the dining room.
When I enter the eerily silent dining room, my father looks up at me with a blank expression, as if he were looking through me.
I sit down at the opposite end of the table from him, Delia comes in holding a large pot and places it in the middle of the table on the waiting potholder.
She leaves the room and comes back with three plates each one with a grilled cheese sandwich on it, I thank her as she hands me a plate.
As soon as the tomato soup is served it goes silent again, after we finish eating I take the dishes and place them in the dishwasher and go back in the dining room to grab the pot of leftover soup and bring it back to the kitchen pouring the remaining soup into a Tupperware container and placing it in the fridge before washing the pot and leaving it to dry as I go upstairs to my bedroom.
As I enter my room I notice the absence of a certain green haired demon, the smell of tomato soup lingering around me causing me to grab a nightgown, I go into my bathroom and turn on the shower, stripping as I wait for the water to heat.
I step into the shower, shutting the glass door behind me as I let the hot water wash over me, I quickly wash my hair and begin to wash my body when I see movement just outside the shower, my bedroom visible through the open door.
"Is that you Beetlejuice?" I call out to whatever or whoever could be in my room, I get no answer as I rinse my body off, the movement happening once more.
I turn off the water and slide the door open, stepping out and wrapping a towel around my body as I walk into my bedroom.
"Beetlejuice?" I call out as I enter my bedroom, a glance around the room proves no one is there ghost, demon, or other.
I go back to my bathroom and get dressed, brushing my teeth and drying my hair before I go back into my room, turning the light off and shutting the bathroom door behind me, I turn on my bedside lamp and turn off the overhead light before sitting on my bed and picking up my book.
Half an hour passes, the silence I used to enjoy weighing down on me as I struggle to focus on the words as I turn the page.
"Hey babes!" I set my book down and pat the bed next to me, he sits where I offered and a couple moments of comfortable silence pass.
"Sorry if I'm being awkward, I'm not really used to having guys over let alone demons." I say with a small smile "Actually, you're the first in either category."
He chuckles as he tilts his head against the headboard.
"How'd dinner with the folks go?" he says, I let out a sharp breath and turn to him, my knees pressed against his upper thigh.
"It was silent the entire time, he looked right through me! He didn't even acknowledge my presence, not that that's a new thing but it's still frustrating." I say, his arms go around me, shifting me to be flush against him, my head resting on his chest.
"We'll make him see you." He says, stroking my hair, making me relax entirely, letting out a sigh of relief before my eyes flutter shut.