Uncasted Silver (The Witches Of Atlanta #1)

One

June 2005

Nine-year-old Natalie was confined in her upstairs bedroom, playing with her favorite dolls. Her dark brown hair was tied in pigtails that hung at her shoulders; her pink t-shirt shone with glitter forming the shape of a heart. After she grew tired of her dolls, she continued reading her Goosebumps novella. This series was one of her favorite scary books to read. Oftentimes, her mother read scary stories to her, especially ones about witches.

Out of boredom, Natalie exited the bedroom and went out onto the front yard after receiving a warning from her mother, the heat blasting onto her frame. Her friend Lena was sick during that day and couldn't come out with her, so she was left on her own.

Her intentions were to climb the tree, just to see how high she could go. But then again, the idea seemed pointless because momma would know that she would climb the tree. She had always known, but Natalie didn't know how she did. Momma said that she could read her mind without even the slightest effort.

Natalie wished that she could do so, but she thought that she couldn't. This would often leave her upset, believing that she had none of her mother's talents. Momma reassured her that she possessed a talent which was far greater than her own. She just didn't know it yet.

She took a long glance at the scar-like mark on her palm, shaped like the letter "R". Long had she wondered how this mark came to be, but Momma would always tell her that it was a symbol of her talent. However, Natalie still didn't know what it meant.

An unexpected noise erupted from the thresholds of nowhere, startling Natalie from her imagination. She scanned the yard, hoping to find some stray cat or dog—or possibly a wild lizard. She found nothing but the rustle of slim, wavy trees and bushes that encircled them. Distant horns and sirens were heard from where she was, the monotonous tune of daily Marietta.

A tingling vibration lingered on her right hand. Confusion swept across her round face as she looked at the R-shaped birthmark on her palm. There was a faint silver glow as the mark vibrated. Curious to see how it worked, Natalie brought the palm to her right cheek and the vibration expanded. Laughing at this occurrence, Natalie scanned the backyard, only to be met with the still oaks and the dancing of small trees. Her attention drifted back to the front yard as she ran back around, she thought to climb the tree, regardless of her mother's warning.

Her plan was placed on a halt when she caught the afterimage of a silver skinned woman, standing drastically still on the roof of a broken-down house across from her. The woman wore a black dress that hung to her knees. Long locks of hair hung loosely on her waist. Natalie almost didn't believe that the woman was there, watching her, showing not a single hint of movement.

Natalie froze, as if her feet were chained to the ground like a craven soldier on a battlefield. She wanted to shout, but she could not force herself to do so. All willpower had abandoned her. She remembered what she told herself—what Momma had told her whenever she encountered a ghost. Don't let fear stop you. The bad people love it when fear stops you. Keep going no matter what. Natalie tried to believe that this was what this strange ghost wanted, but she couldn't help it. 

When the eerie ghost had vanished like evaporating water, Natalie's fear had won. She shrieked as she rushed into the house, calling for her mother.

"What is it, Nattie?" she asked worriedly, standing from the couch. Tonya wore her wavy hair in a bun with a white undershirt and a pair of navy-blue jeans.

"I saw a woman on top of the house across the street. She didn't move or anything, she just stood there and disappeared."

"Oh honey," she said, brushing aside her daughter's hair. "What did she look like?"