chapter one: before the disaster
PRE-SEASON ONE

Time seems to slow when the house fires of Hales and Castellan happened six years ago.

You might have noticed it through the stillness as time moved forward while everyone around you aged, yet the town of Beacon Hills remained unchanged. The same routines followed each day from sunrise to sunset. In truth, nothing had changed in six years. Since the fires and the fall of her coven, Sage and her cousin had been abandoned by their family and ancestors. Everything had stayed the same.

At least that's what Sage kept telling herself.

Or perhaps she hoped that nothing would change because she believed changes meant evolving, and she lacked both the time and patience for such evolution. Maybe she feared that evolution would tear her apart, leaving her as nothing more than a collection of women she was expected to become after her girlhood was stolen from her, just like her grandmother and coven were taken from her because of an Argent. Sage often reflected on this, knowing that Kate would ruin everything once Kate's predatory gaze locked onto Derek, as if he were prey, and she was every huntress Gerard had taught her to be. The Argents seem to strip away everything from those with any supernatural abilities, never facing the consequences. Yet, anyone seeking justice against them ends up dead.

Maybe one day she wou-

"Are you alright?" A voice questioned, snapping Sage back into reality. Her doe eyes snapped from the light up screen of words she barely remembered typing, and her eyes met Alan Deaton's concerned gaze.

She couldn't recall a time when his dark eyes hadn't been filled with concern whenever they were directed at her. Perhaps it was due to a promise he had made to her grandmother to keep an eye on Sage and her cousin, Max, if she couldn't be there for them. Or maybe he felt the same guilt that had been dragging her into a pit of darkness. Regardless, he refused to leave even when she practically begged and screamed at him to leave her. She wanted to protect him from the darkness that seemed to follow Sage wherever she went.

Death seems to follow Sage, and perhaps it won't stop until it takes her.

Sage hummed and switched her gaze back to the computer screen, analyzing numbers that just made her want to scream. "Wouldn't be here if I wasn't."

Alan let out a hum. "True. Regardless, you would have come in if you weren't...alright."

She let out a fake chuckle and rolled her eyes, unwilling to confront the man. She feared that if he looked at her for even a moment, he would see all the secrets she kept hidden, revealing that she wasn't truly okay. She hadn't been alright for six years, and she doubted she would be until Death came to hold her hand and take her to who knows where.

"Doc... you're starting to sound like my therapist."

Alan let out a hum as he reached over to the counter and read over his files. "If you actually attend sessions, instead of ditching it at the last minute."

Sage pauses her typing, widening her eyes that shoot to Deaton, who just stood casually near her desk, reading the reports for his next client. "I'm sorry, what? Since when are you keeping tabs on me?"

"Since Shelia mentioned you haven't attended the last seven sessions?"

The woman seemed to stare at the elder blankly, "Since when have been first name bases with my therapist?" Sage questioned, eyebrows raised to her hairline as she stared at her boss (and the closest thing she has to a father, not that she would admit that to herself). She watched as Alan closed the file, and his dark eyes met her lighter ones. "When she delivered her infamous blueberry biscuits as a thanks for saving her cats."

Sage squinted her eyes, looking at the man. "You know what?" She shook her head, focusing more on the screen of the computer, and started to type out a report. "I'm not going to ask."

Alan let out a hum before a moment of silence filled the space, with the only noise of Sage clicking the keyboard and Alan going through pages before she finally caved in. "Seriously, my therapist."

He shrugs, "What? She's lovely." He answered with a smile as the doors of the office opened with an older male and his son coming in. "Ah... the Matthews right on time. Follow me."

She watched as the three of them, along with their pet cat, walked towards the examination room, leaving Sage alone with her thoughts and the report that was supposed to be finished a couple of days ago. She let out a sigh, tilting her head forward as she rubbed her eyes in annoyance. Perhaps she had stopped attending the sessions when they began to feel too personal, or maybe it was when Sheila asked, 'What are you afraid of?' Being herself, she had decided to respond with 'children.'

Taking her fingers away from her eyes, and no doubt probably ruined her mascara, she fixed her gaze from the keyboard to the calendar. Her eyes focused on the date, her grams' birthday coming up. She could almost feel the tears coming down, but she softly closed them and let out a deep breath. "1, 2, and 3." She softly muttered the numbers as if it could calm her down.

Opening her eyes, she focused on the screen and started typing.

Sage honestly didn't know why she found herself here.

Again.

Her eyes were fixed on the graves that held no bodies. She continued to stare, feeling a deep sense of hopelessness. Maybe they weren't dead—her coven, her family. The thought of them still being alive, forced to face the fate that every witch fears—being burned alive—crossed her mind. But she knew the truth: they were gone, and they were never coming back. If she concentrated hard enough, she could sense the magic they had left behind. Any other witch would have claimed that magic for herself, but she simply left it alone. Her gaze shifted to her home—or what used to be her home. Now, it was a tomb where lost souls resided. The vibrant blue house that once stood proudly was now a decaying structure, its bright colors replaced by shades of black and gray. The windows were shattered, and the building was collapsing in on itself.

Sage couldn't tell how long she stayed, sitting on batches of grass and dirt, simply staring at what used to be her home. One moment, the sun is setting, and the next, the moon is up in the sky with the stars.

She began to trace the dirt, creating little designs she could never see in the dark, "Hey Grams. I..." she stopped and let out a deep breath. She could feel tears starting to gather up and her throat tightening. "I miss you." She whispered, feeling the tears running down her cheeks.

"You know your birthday is coming up," she whispered, continuing to stare at the ruins of her home. "I mean... you do know that." Her grandmother, Ramonda Castellan, would have been in her seventies, and she probably would have looked younger than her age. When her grandmother was alive, Sage often forgot how old she was because she always appeared younger than she was. Foolishly, young Sage wished her grandmother were immortal so she wouldn't have to face the reality of not having her there anymore.

But Sage was foolish for thinking that.

Instead of expressing all the things Sage wanted to say, she simply sat there in the darkness. She began to hum a tune she hadn't dared to use in over six years. Tears streamed down her freckled cheeks as she continued to hum, lost in the rhythm. If she focused hard enough, she could almost feel the distant magic of her ancestors. However, she pushed that magic away, determined to keep it from connecting to her. The magic she had once wished for had vanished the day her family burned to death. Yet, that magic lingered in the background; everyone else sighed in relief because Sage was the eldest between her cousin Max and herself. She had to be the one to keep the Castellan magic alive. She was expected to be the unofficial convent supreme, but that didn't mean she wanted to take on that role.

Perhaps her hatred for covens is rooted because her own died.

Before she continued to hum, her thoughts were interrupted by the awful ringing of the phone she set for her cousin. She probably should have changed the ringtone, but she was too lazy to think about it. Reaching for her bag, she pulled out her cell phone. Her eyes focused on the contact that was ringing: Max. Truthfully, she hadn't bothered to talk to Max since he left the moment, he turned eighteen and never returned. Sure, he would send birthday and holiday messages, along with the occasional phone call, but those were mostly about cooking pasta or doing laundry. The last she heard, he decided that the witch's council in England was better company than she was. Okay, maybe some part of her resented him for leaving. Maybe she also blamed a certain Hale for everything wrong in her life because it was easier to direct her frustration at him.

After watching her phone ring a bit and suddenly stop, she continues to watch until a text message pops the screen:

Max: Call me back. It's an emergency.

Letting out a scoff, "It's always an emergency with you."

Her gaze snapped toward the tomb, and for a moment, time seemed to freeze as she continued to watch her home. Everything stood still until a soft breeze swept through, and that was when she could feel it—almost like nature was calling out to her. Sage could sense every little thing surrounding her, every life in the forest reaching out to her. That's when Sage decided she had enough. In a swift motion, she stood up, grabbed her bag, and began walking further and further away from the call of her home.

"The fuck happen to you?"

Silence graced the apartment; neither woman spoke until a tired sigh came from the youngest, and she dropped her weight on their jaded green couch. "Life fucking happens, Josi."

"So, in other words, Josh... No, wait, was it Jake? Or was it Joshua?" The dark-haired woman asked with a playful smile as she adjusted her glasses. Her focus shifted from the laptop on her lap to her roommate.

Sage turned to glare at the woman. "You know his name is Jonah."

"And..."

"And... nothing. It's just, you know, the universe deciding I need some drama in my life," Sage said, reaching for Jodi's cup of wine. She ignored Jodi's pouts and whines about it being her special cup and continued to drink the red wine. Overlooking the bitter taste, Sage turned her head to look at her oldest living friend. "What's the story this time?"

As soon as the question came, Josi seemed to brighten; her eyes began to shine, and she took her glasses off and placed them on the pillow as she shut the laptop. "Hear me out?"

"Already regretting asking."

"No, listen, I could be writing about the car accidents that happen every other business day but...what if...listen to the animal shelters needing more adoption," Josi stated with a proud smile and eyes shining, ignoring the obvious fact that she's a crime reporter; she reports crime. It was silent before Sage let out a sigh. "Your news leak broke up with you, didn't he?" She questioned with a teasing smile as she continued drinking from Josi's wine. As she watched the woman let out a noise of frustration, she leaned more into the coach that desperately needs replacing. "Okay...one, he's not my noise leak, and two, we're just taking a break."

The Castellan let out a hum, staring at her roommate, "By break, you mean..."

"Transferring... he's moving to another county because being a deputy and a news reporter doesn't go over well," Josi complained, adjusting her round glasses and pouting as she looked at her dear friend. Sage, trying to suppress her teasing smile, took a sip of wine. "I mean, it wouldn't be frowned upon at all if you weren't, you know, using him for information."

"But it was good information. Now I'm going to be just like every other reporter in this town."

Like Sage, Josi doesn't mourn over her relationships. However, unlike Sage, Josi uses her relationships to gather information. It's not that she's heartless; in fact, she's warm and passionate. The reason for her behavior is that she tends to shut herself off when things get serious. Josi attributes this to her obvious daddy issues, but she often finds that the men in her life have hurt her more than her father ever could.

Sage let out a sigh. "We're going to have a serious conversation," she thought to herself, jumping slightly when she felt her familiar's small body land on her lap. She looked down, seeing her grey cat's hazel eyes. Rolling her eyes, she began to pet the soft grey fur. "Look... I'm sure there will be another deputy who falls for your charms. But for now, you're 23 years old. It's okay not to be a big hotshot," Sage said, trailing off. She interrupted Josi before she could argue, adding, "Especially since you're a child genius who skipped grades."

"You're right." Josi nodded.

"I usually am."

It was quiet until Josi turned to Sage with a wide grin and said, "So you're saying I need to find another news leak to get the information?" Sage shook her head and replied, "That's not what I'm saying at all."

The doorbell suddenly cuts them off. Josi takes her pillow and laptop off her lap and stands up. "It's the pizza I ordered!" She examines and grabs her wallet from the coffee table. Josi walks towards their loft door and pays for the pizza.

Looking down at her lap, "What am I going to do with her, huh?"

Time passed between when Sage feeding her cat, Salem, and when Josi and Sage started eating their pizza at the small round table near the kitchen. They chatted and laughed as they enjoyed their meal. After a while, Josi suddenly stopped and said, "I forgot, you would never guess who's back in town."

"Who?"

"Laura Hale."

Hailey speaks!

OH MY FUCKING GOD THIS TOOK DAYS TO WRITE!! But here's the first chapter of Lady Lazarus; and I'm not sure if I like it or not but what are your thoughts?? Going to be honest; I didn't know where to start. I was originally gonna start from episode 1 of season 1, but I decided I want the three chapters of this book to be before season one, so here we are.

I've been thinking about something: How did everyone recognize Derek Hale but not identify Laura until episode three? I understand that it takes time to identify bodies, but Laura was in town for a long time before she was killed. She probably tried to get answers from the police department before her death. Additionally, Laura is only mentioned in a few episodes, and there's not much discussion about her. Other than using her as a plot device in season one.
Since I'm someone who loves to explore characters, I felt the need to include her in the book before she's killed off. By the way, the face claim for Laura in this book is Camila Morrone, even though she only appears in two chapters.

Anyways, don't be a ghost reader, VOTE OR COMMENT!! It's not hard.