Disclaimer: I don't own Disney's Z-o-m-b-i-e-s obviously. I do own Diana though.
(A/n: Obviously this is my first time/attempt writing anything in this fandom before. So...fingers crossed it turned out okay. )
Prologue
The oldest stories ever told are written in the stars, the same can be said of Seabrook.
A perfectly planned community, so they say. They all have perfect homes, perfect clothes (pretty much anything pastel goes), pretty much the perfect little lives. Again, so they say. I mean I'm not usually one to cast judgement, but if I had to go day-to-day seeing that same hideous shade of pink, well...let's just say it wouldn't be nearly as pretty for me.
Anyway, back to Seabrook where everything was just peachy-keen perfect...up until it wasn't.
If there was ever a more valid argument for humans being the cause of their own demise, it's the one where a single human's lime soda sets off the apocalypse! Like, come on. Seriously? Somehow 'I told you so' just doesn't cut it.
The people of Seabrook seemed to have a penchant for bringing all kinds of misfortune upon themselves. Trust me I'd know, my people were here long before the first settlers arrived-they helped fend off things like, say, the werewolves. That's a story for another time though.
My name is Diana, better known to some simply as 'Di', and I'm something of an oddball out in these parts.
Yeah, maybe I should start a bit at the beginning for more understanding…
~/~
"Earth be thy body as water is thy blood; Air fill our lungs so that we may sing your praises forevermore, let our spirits burn like the hottest of fires.
O great goddess, we beseech thee, show us the way. Grant us your guidance so that we may go about our purpose to serve our blessed earth.
Lead us to prosperity!"
Silence permeated the small little wood-forged cottage. A single figure knelt down on the ground, with their hands clasped together and their head bowed in oblation. Short, curled strands of blonde falling out from underneath their hood as they slowly raised their head, doing a quick sweep of the room before letting out an irritated huff, standing, throwing off their hood and giving out a groan.
"Unbelievable! Nothing, I get nothing." They muttered, throwing their hands up in a mild show of frustration.
Outside the raging storm rang out like an opera across the darkened clouds; Heavy streaks of lightning and thunder dancing across the blackened night sky, like a ferocious beast determined to be heard. Torrential sheets of rain falling like a watery veil of gunfire, relentlessly pounding on the witches home.
The house had modelled itself on the surrounding greenery's interlocking roots, taking on the appearance of a woven tree. With it's entrance a bold green leaf, larger than the opening to keep out the drafts and the windows had the appearance of leaf skeletons. Inside were rows upon rows of dustless jars labelled in the same neat script with even strokes of the quill, every label facing forwards. On closer inspection they were categorized according to the content and then alphabetized within their categories. Brooms, cloths and feather dusters patrolled the room as if propelled by invisible arms, sweeping, dusting, wiping.
"Perhaps I got the incantation wrong?" The blonde-haired witch muttered to herself while side-stepping one of the sweeping brooms roaming around. "Or maybe I didn't use a big enough fire?"
"Think Clarissa, think!" She murmured to herself, starting to pace. "Maybe if I gather some soil from the-ack!" At the mention of dust one of the floating rags flung itself towards her, smothering her face under the notion it had missed a spot. "Would you stop that!?" She glowered, blasting away the dusting rag and blowing a single strand of blonde from her eyes as it fell, limp and lifeless, to the wooden floorboards.
The surrounding brooms and other cleaning supplies seemed to stop and turn their attention to the fallen linen. Clarissa stomped the floor a moment later, now seething. "What? You all have something to say!?" They flung themselves back into work.
Just then the door swung open. The harsh winds from outside sweep a few scattered wet eaves about. The newcomers carefully plucking the few that seemed to have woven themselves into the thick, cascading curls before shaking their head while slowly removing their black cloak.
"Dear Lady Rose, I-I was not expecting you so soon and at this late hour." Clarissa greeted, offering a bow ignoring the drop of several brooms and mops behind her as she did so.
Rose's black hair lies long and loose, obscuring the open back of her dress, yet allowing glimpses of honeyed skin beneath. Her complexion flawless with soft, delicate features and a kind of aristocratic beauty not commonly found among people to begin with. Her lips pulled up into a gentle smile offering a polite greeting of her own, "Clarissa, there is no need for such formalities."
A beat of silence passed between them in which Clarissa exhaled a breath she didn't know she was still holding.
"Is young Aurora not back yet?" Rose inquired, looking around the spacious home for a moment.
"N-no, she is not. She left a few hours ago as well," Clarissa confessed. "She said she thought she saw light in the distance going along the shoreline and was worried that perhaps it was a sign of fire spreading somewhere.
"Fire? But who could have-"
"It must have been the mortals that arrived here just the other day. They could have summoned more of them, already they've begun chopping down trees and sparking flames where they do not belong."
Rose looked contemplative while Clarissa's temper flared some more.
"I can hear Mother Gaia's cries, those humans are hurting our land! And that's not all.."
"What do you mean?" Rose asked, brows knitting together in a show of concern.
"The wolves and Vampires are becoming restless, I overheard the leader of the Vampire coven say they were going to attack the human settlers. Tonight! 'Drive them from this land', he said."
"The humans would be massacred…" Rose murmured, horrified by the thought.
"Yes, I-I was just praying, asking the Great One for guidance-"
"There is no need. It is clear that we must act now to spare any further bloodshed between races. On my way here I could feel it on the howling winds, the wolves are out for blood." Rose said, a grim expression settling on her face. " Clarissa, I will go and deal with the vampires and you will go search for young Aurora. We are stronger together then we are apart."
Clarissa nodded. "B-but, the vampires are vicious how will you-"
"I will use the stone." Rose cut in, brushing back a few locks of dark curls to reveal a brilliant pinkish glowing gem hanging around her neck with a half-oval sharpened crescent moon on either side and two sets of three stones a little further up, each carved with a different symbol in them. "Vampires respect power just as we respect Mother Earth."
Clarissa didn't look too convinced, but lacked the courage to speak elder, dark-haired witch turning, heading back out into the raging storm without looking back. Clarissa soon follows after, hoping to find their missing comrade.
~/~
Legend goes that the wolves managed to kill one of the witches that night, with the vampires killing another. Sparking a huge conflict They say it was the last witch who was able to draw upon some mysterious power and split the very earth apart, creating a huge divide between the two races, bringing the long-raging dispute to a dramatic close.
After doing so, the wolves went on to attack the human settlers trespassing on their lands. And the vampires disappeared. No one knows what happened to them or the last remaining witch.
The story survived on the wind's breath, getting passed around among the surviving humans. Each telling became more distorted overtime until eventually, few remained who remembered there were even any witches at all. The wolves barricading themselves in the woods, and the vampires, well….who can say? Maybe they're out there. Somewhere. Just waiting for someone to come strolling on by like a tasty little snack, or...maybe it's like others say and they're patiently waiting to take their revenge blah, blah, blah. All that fun stuff.
Point is, Seabrook survived and, believe it or not, somehow thrived. Though moving from one shade of pink or blue to the next is hardly classified as 'thriving' in my book, apparently history books disagree. Probably another reason I don't like school.
Their big solution to the Zombie outbreak? Build a wall, and that's literally it. Well okay, afterwards it gave scientists the chance to come up with a much better, more 'humane' solution-the 'Z' band. A nifty little device that sends soothing electric impulses to the brain so Zombies no longer want to eat people. Of course, even with the band they still get slammed.
Who knew the perfect people of Seabrook could hold a grudge. But like I said, no more flesh-eating zombies. And in a show of good faith, zombies are finally being allowed to attend human high school. Huh, makes me think things will actually be interesting.
...Or maybe not.
~/~
"Do I have to go to school?" Diana asked around another mouthful of fruit. "Aunt Sera?" Her attention split between the maze on the back of her cereal box and her aunt seated across from her. Hearing the older woman let out a deep, somewhat frustrated sigh.
"Sweetie you ask that everyday, and everyday I say yes, don't I?" Sera responded, trying her hardest to keep the irritation from seeping into her words.
"Let me rephrase that then; Do I have to go to a normal school?"
Diana's aunt set down her eating utensils, each carefully crafted from wood. Catching the small fleeting glimpse of exasperation as her aunt fixed her emerald-green eyes directly on her. And in a remarkably calm voice responded with, "they have zombies attending. Normal schools don't have those."
Diana's eyes narrowed shrewdly acknowledging her aunt had a point. But still…
"Ha...they're probably not as fun with their stupid Z-bands." Diana mumbled under her breath, shoving in another mouthful of wheat cereal, chewing slowly. "Not to mention, I think we both know those zombies won't be treated as equals."
"Regardless, this is the only school that will take you. One of the very few left in which you have not broken, demolished or submerged anything or anyone. It's a chance for a fresh start."
Diana laughed at the subtle reminder of what she did to a group of mean girls at her last school. Recalling how funny they looked when one of them opened their locker and wound up flooding the whole school. Diana was in a more merciful mood than the time someone called her a freak in the cafeteria and sent food hurtling towards her.
She hated school. And hated people. Come to think of it, there were few things she liked.
"Or another chance at being charged with attempted murder." Diana remarked, an almost cynical sneer in place.
"You should be around kids your own age, Diana. You spend too much of your time in here, brewing potions or coming up with punishing hexes-"
"Cuz it's fun!"
"The point is, I want to see you make at least one friend. Can you do that for me?" Her aunt pleaded.
"I don't want to see you turn out like your father."
Diana stilled, her frown becoming more prominent. Her father was usually a taboo subject, her aunt rarely talking about him even when Diana begged. Something in Diana's heart ached when she thought of all the times she'd asked about him or her mother.
It was pretty much the same with her mother too. Asking only to be met with a tense kind of silence and a somewhat pained look Diana herself thought she might never fully understand. Then Sera would smile-a terribly fake one at that-and simply say, "a story for another time, I'm afraid."
Whatever that meant. It wasn't long before Diana caught on that asking about her parents was a lost cause. Overtime she began to assume it was because they simply didn't want her and so Aunt Sera offered to take her in rather than the other two simply getting rid of her.
To Diana it made almost perfect sense really, no school wanted her. Kids her own age rarely gave her the time of day. And misfortune followed her like a dark cloud on the horizon.
She sighed, leaning back with her arms folded. "Fine. Whatever."
"Who knows, you might like it more than you think. They have a cheerleading team, you know?"
"Ew, aunt Sera no." Diana was quick to shoot the suggestion down. The thought of her in some frilly skirt waving pom-poms making her shudder.
"Also, Diana, I know I've said this before but...in this day and age. Witches don't exist. Especially to the town of Seabrook, anything different is, well, considered bad and...What I'm asking is that you don't start any unnecessary trouble. Please?"
Diana frowned. Her aunt's words striking a familiar chord in her. They were outsiders; Freaks.
At least with Zombies they had the Z-band to help them blend in. There was nothing that could separate a witches magic from them, it was granted by the earth all around them after all, or at least that was what Diana remembered her aunt always saying. And as proud as Diana was of her heritage, a smaller part kept crying out for someone other than dear ol' auntie to talk to.
"Right. No magic, consider it done." Diana remarked with a slow drawl careful not to show how nervous she felt.
"I doubt I'll even need it. I mean, like, with Zombies there...clearly the people of Seabrook are more open-minded than we thought. So it only took about, what? 300 years? Pfft, big deal."
"A little progress is still progress, right?"
Diana watched her aunt's mouth crack into a smile at the younger girl's show of enthusiasm, however forced it was.
Surely a bunch of people who grew up in some perfect paradise of a place couldn't be all bad, could they?
"Anyway I uh, I better get going." Diana said, reaching for her bag, well it was really more of a satchel if she were being quite honest. Neither her nor her aunt thought it worth the trip into town just to buy a backpack.
"With any luck maybe I'll get hit by a bus-I-I mean make a new friend along the way!" She quickly amended, throwing one last faux smile her aunt's way and bolting out the door. She turned as she walked, giving a wave to both the house and the surrounding trees, a gentle breeze blowing through the forest making it appear as though the greenery was waving back.
"Yep, this is gonna be my year. Totally." She said aloud, almost like she was trying to convince herself more than anything.
Her next destination was Seabrook High.
Review.
Casting:
Diana-Chrissy Costanza
So, there we go! Hope you enjoyed so far, and uh I'm actually not 100% sure on who might be a good love interest for Diana just yet. So if you would like to see her wind up with someone I guess, leave it in a review maybe?