Josie Sands

'''"We are preceptors, beholders, chroniclers of all that which man does not understand."

- Josie Sands '''

Josie Sands was a Men of Letters initiate. She became possessed by the demon Abaddon before she could be inducted, and was forced to destroy the very organization she had been preparing to join. Despite Josie's body being destroyed by Sam Winchester, Abaddon restored at least her body to continue using Josie as her vessel until her death at the hands of Dean Winchester.

Early life
As Josie appeared to be in her 20's or 30's, she was likely born in either the 1920's or 1930's.

Josie attended Catholic school. Her time there was so negative that it caused her to develop a lifelong hatred of nuns.

Men of Letters
Josie became an initiate for the Men of Letters. She was close friends with fellow initiate Henry Winchester, whom she worked with even up to their final test prior to their initiation to become full-fledged Men of Letters. Josie was in love with Henry, but could not pursue him because he was already married to Millie Winchester. Furthermore, Abaddon later told Josie that Henry only loved her as a sister.

In March of 1957, Josie was in St. Louis, Missouri, participating in experiments to "cure" demons by magically restoring their humanity through a new ritual. She filmed the efforts of Fathers Max Thompson and Simon as they tried to cure a demon on March 8. However, the cure made the host die abruptly and violently, and allowed the demon to escape. Josie was surprised and confused by the experiment's results, but stopped filming at Father Thompson's demand. The event, labeled Case 1138 by the Men of Letters, was classified as a Type 5 Infernal Event and Josie's film was filed away in Room 7B (the dungeon area) of the Men-of-Letters Bunker. By August 3, 1958, Josie had stopped attending Father Thompson's experiments, and so was not present to film his successful curing of a demon. When Abaddon attacked and killed him two days later, he gave up information to her under torture on Josie.

Within the week of Father Thompson's death, Josie and Henry went on their "last assignment" before their official induction into the Men of Letters. Claiming to be members of the Inquisition, they traveled to St. Bonaventure Convent in Milton, Illinois to investigate the circumstances surrounding Sister Mary Catherine's double-murder and suicide, suspecting paranormal involvement. There, they discovered that demons stealing people's souls. While they managed to exorcise two of the demons and save Sister Julia Wilkinson, they were overpowered by the demons' leader, Abaddon, who was immune to their attempt to exorcise her. Josie revealed to Abaddon that she and Henry were Men of Letters. When Abaddon was about to possess the unconscious Henry, Josie pleaded with the demon to spare him and take her instead, trying to persuade the Knight by saying that she would be useful because people would underestimate Abaddon in a woman's body as opposed to a man's. Amused by Josie's love for Henry, Abaddon gave into Josie's pleas and possessed her, planning to use her to study the Men of Letters up-close and then destroy them once and for all.

Josie subsequently lost all control of her body to Abaddon, who masqueraded as her in order to fool everyone who knew Josie and to keep the Men of Letters from suspecting that Josie had become possessed. The only person aware of what had happened was Sister Wilkinson, who did not say anything after Abaddon threatened her.

Possession and death
On the day of Josie's initiation, she was forced by Abaddon to go in and slaughter the Elders of the Men of Letters who were supposed to induct her. Abaddon then forced her to attack Henry, as Abaddon wanted the key to the bunker he had been entrusted, and brought Josie into the future, the year 2013, to keep pursuing him. Henry tried to appeal to his friend to resist the possession, but Abaddon stated that Josie was "indisposed"; if Josie was conscious to hear Henry's pleas, she was evidently unable to reclaim control from Abaddon.

Both Josie and Abaddon at once were stabbed in the back by Dean Winchester with the demon-killing knife, but they survived, Abaddon because she was too powerful to be killed by it and Josie because she remained possessed. As Abaddon likely had to leave Josie's body to possess Larry Ganem's wife, it is possible that Josie died of the stab wound at that point, as a host can only die of fatal wounds once the demon leaves her body. If true, Abaddon then returned to Josie's body, regardless of whether or not Josie was still alive, once she acquired the information she needed from Larry and the hostage she wanted in the form of Sam Winchester. If Josie was indeed still alive, she was forced to kill Henry before falling victim to the same fate as Abaddon: a bullet in the head, her body chopped up and buried, and stuck inside her own mind for weeks, if not months.

Josie's body parts were later (mostly, as they left off her hands) stitched back together by Sam and Dean so that they could cure Abaddon to complete the third trial. Before they could, however, Abaddon seized an opportunity to escape by controlling one of Josie's severed hands and making it pull out the devil's trap bullet incapacitating her. She then reattached Josie's hands to her wrists herself. However, Josie's body was destroyed beyond even Abaddon's ability to repair and use when she was burned alive in holy fire by Sam Winchester. If Josie had not died from being stabbed with the demon-killing knife, she died from the holy fire at this point.

Restoration and Abaddon's crusade
Josie's body was later restored with a ritual to act as Abaddon's vessel once more though it is unclear if Josie was resurrected by the ritual or not. Abaddon continued to use Josie in her efforts to take over Hell as she considered Josie a "worthy" vessel until she confronts Dean and the First Blade. Dean kills Abaddon with the First Blade in their final confrontation and if she was resurrected, Josie was killed again too. Dean, in the rage the Mark of Cain brings on, mutilates Abaddon and thus Josie's body until Sam stops him. Josie's body is last seen on the ground mutilated and with her eyes burned out.

Appearances

 * Season 8
 * As Time Goes By (possessed by Abaddon only)
 * Clip Show (herself in a film reel and as Abaddon in the present)
 * Sacrifice (possessed by Abaddon only)
 * Season 9
 * Devil May Care (possessed by Abaddon only)
 * Heaven Can't Wait (possessed by Abaddon only)
 * Road Trip (possessed by Abaddon only)
 * Mother's Little Helper (herself and possessed by Abaddon)
 * King of the Damned (possessed by Abaddon only)