A/N:

I was so happy to see that you really liked the last chapter and that you agree with Bella learning to be a proper leader.

Now, this chapter will come with a couple of revelations about the prophecy Bella made!

Title: The Undecided

Author: MarieCarro

Beta Reader: Unbeta'd

Genre: Supernatural/Drama

Pairing: Bella/Edward

Rating: NC-17

Summary: Good and Evil Witches. A Prophecy. An Unfulfilled Destiny. The Promise of a Leader. And it all rests on the shoulders of a "misunderstood" teenage girl.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Word Count: 3, 413

{Chapter 17}

I quickly found out that there weren't as many Witches attending the high school as I'd first believed. The magic presence I felt so strongly didn't belong to those in the present but was actually imprints left from every single magical being who had walked around in the corridors through the decades the school had existed.

It wasn't a particularly old school; it had been built sometime in the 50s, so I could only imagine what it must feel like to stand in a school building which had been around for much longer than that. However, it was quite a relief to know that the majority of the students were mortals. It made me feel less uncomfortable about the time I'd spent there without knowing about magic.

A week passed slowly, and that feeling I initially had that there was something I was supposed to do had diminished dramatically, yet it didn't feel like I'd actually done anything of importance. I questioned my decision to return, but only to myself.

The last thing I wanted was to hear Charlie and Edward tell me that they had been right.

So I went to my classes, I did my homework, and I kept my attitude toward the mortal teachers to a minimum because as the leader of the magical community, I felt I needed to set an example.

My change of attitude didn't go unnoticed. The first time one of the teachers asked me a question, and I answered without a hint of sarcasm, the entire class gasped in shock and stared at me for so long I eventually tired of it.

"Relax will you," I mumbled, and the room started to buzz with every student talking to each other about me up until the teacher called for everyone to settle down.

When class ended, I stood up and took out my phone to text Edward when I was stopped in the hall by Rebecca.

"Hey, Bella, do you have a moment?" she asked with a hopeful expression.

I pocketed my phone again. "Sure, Rebecca, what's up?"

"I was just wondering if you'd like to join my … well, my coven for a get-together that we have this weekend?"

Surprised by the invitation, it took me a second to answer her. "Uh, yeah that'd be great."

"Great!" she said enthusiastically, but then her elation dropped a bit when she remembered something. "And I don't mean to be rude, but the invitation only includes yourself. Edward Masen isn't invited."

I was about to ask her why when she beat me to the punch.

"Just that my coven allows you to come is a great deal to them. We've all been scarred by other Witches, and you're the only one who's ever shown sympathy toward one of us. I know he's your partner, but Edward Masen doesn't have the best reputation among my kind."

"Right, well..." I momentarily hesitated because I knew how Edward would react when I told him about it, but then I wanted to roll my eyes at myself. After all, Edward wasn't the boss of me, and he could react however he wanted. It still wouldn't change my mind. "I'd still like to be there."

Rebecca gave me a small smile. "I'm glad. My parents can't wait to meet you."

She turned and left me.

I was quite amazed by the change in the girl. When I first met her, she reminded me a lot of myself. Suspicious of everything and filled to the brim with attitude and sarcasm, but now, just knowing that she had an ally in me had put a new bounce into her step, and the sight made me feel very pleased with myself.

I knew I'd done the right thing when I defended her.

The thought stopped me in my track.

Was that what my purpose had been with coming back to this school? Was it so that I could start to build bridges between those who had been previously shunned and those who shunned them?

A feeling in my gut told me it was, and I decided that unless anything happened that told me otherwise, I was just going to go with it.

§~TU~§

On the night of the get-together with Rebecca's coven, I had borrowed Charlie's car to get myself there despite Edward's protests. He said that since he wasn't invited, he at least wanted to drive me to know where I was at.

"You've gotten worse about this protective thing since the day after Samhain," I said to him without hiding my annoyance. "What happened to not being my bodyguard?"

"Can you blame me for wanting to be close by?" he asked in return.

"Actually, I can." I'd sat down on my bed. "You're spending more time here than at your own apartment; you drive me to and from school every day, and you barely leave me to be by myself in the evenings," I counted off. "Why won't you let me do anything alone anymore? What is it that you're scared of?"

"I'm not scared," he'd retorted.

"Then what?"

He cupped my face. "You, Angel, don't like to be told when you're wrong or to even admit it to yourself in the first place. Being close to you is my way of being sure you won't act impulsive and do something stupid. It's not you I'm protecting because, believe me, I know you don't need it; it's everyone else."

His answer had caused me to laugh. "Have you replaced your powers with a halo? Who promoted you to Guardian Angel?"

"I'm more of a Hell's Gate bouncer," he said with a smirk. "Both of us know that between you and me, you're the Angel."

The only thing I'd done toward that statement was to roll my eyes. Our discussion had, however, helped us to work out another bump in our relationship, and Edward promised to trust me more and that I was capable to control myself and my temper.

I was aware of my less than desirable attributes and that I needed to work on them, however, that didn't mean I enjoyed having them thrown in my face. During those moments, I often caught myself wishing back to the time when Edward was just my boyfriend.

I put my hand in the pocket of my jacket and felt the cool metal of the amulet Edward had still insisted I take with me.

"It's not for protection," he had told me. "It's actually meant to maintain control. Maybe it can help you keep your visions secure. The last thing we want is for you to have a vision when none of us are around."

Once he'd explained it to me, I'd accepted the amulet willingly because he was right, after all. The visions I had always happened without warning, but luckily I'd only predicted that one really significant prophecy so far. The other visions I'd had weren't as draining or held much importance to me. Most of them focused on the weather, but there were times when I just saw Edward's back in front of me.

The latter ones continued to confuse me because it was clear my visions tried to tell me something, but not even Edward could explain why I only saw his back.

I gave the amulet one last squeeze before I climbed out of the car and went to knock on the front door.

"Bella, come on in," Rebecca greeted when she opened the door for me. "Everyone is out back by the pool. They're really excited to meet you."

"I feel like I'm not dressed right," I told her with a nervous laugh.

Rebecca was dressed in denim shorts, and a light-weight green top that shimmered like water when the light caught it just right while I was wearing long black pants, and a simple t-shirt.

"Don't worry about it," she reassured. "Sirens don't feel cold the same way others do, and part of our rituals happen in the water, but we're not requesting you to do the same."

She led me through the house and to a beautifully lush and green pool area occupied by ten other people. A couple who were intimidatingly attractive approached us, and it was impossible to not notice the resemblance between them and Rebecca.

The woman offered me her hand sort of timidly, almost as if she expected me to flinch away from it. "Welcome to our house, Miss Alistair. I'm Rebecca's mother, Donna, and this is her father, Orion."

I gladly accepted her hand and gave her a steady handshake to establish from the beginning that I didn't share my fellow Witches view of Sirens. "It's so nice to meet you both, and, please, call me Bella."

Donna smiled gratefully, albeit a bit surprised with how I talked to her. "Rebecca was right. You are different."

I chuckled at that. "So I've heard."

Donna leaned forward somewhat and lowered her voice. "Inviting Witches to our rituals isn't the norm, so you'll have to excuse the others if they are tense around you."

"I get that and don't worry. I'll be happy to just observe. Let the others know to pretend as if I'm not even here."

She gave me a beautiful smile. "Thank you."

The family of three turned away from me to attend to their others guests while I found myself a seat in the corner of the garden and settled down to watch the Siren Coven's ritual.

An older woman no less beautiful than the others stepped forward and held out her arms as if she wanted to embrace every person in the space we occupied. "The full moon is only an hour away," she spoke in a full and mature voice. "We should start by thanking Mrs. David for acquiring tonight's sacrifice." She gestured toward a young woman on a flower-covered altar by the far side of the pool. I hadn't noticed her when I first stepped outside. Maybe because she appeared to be unconscious and made no sound.

I clearly felt my opposing sides start fighting with each other. My Good side wanted to jump up and save the woman from what was about to happen to her while my Evil side was intrigued by the ritual.

The part of me that was a perfect mix of the two of them knew that it wasn't my place to interfere. Sirens were Witches like any of the others, and their way of life wasn't something I could stop or change.

Besides, I knew that the woman would walk out of here still very much alive. The only thing that would be different would be that she'd be more obedient than before as her strong, free will would be sucked out of her by the Sirens.

There were certainly worse fates than that. After all, she'd get to return to her family and loved ones after the night was over.

Five of the men present lifted up the altar to submerge it into the pool, but the top of it remained above the surface so the girl stayed dry.

"Everybody, gather!" the older woman said and all the Sirens climbed into the pool, their clothes floating out around their bodies in the water.

As soon as they were in a circle, the night grew lighter as the full moon rose above, and the coven joined hands as they started to sing a hauntingly beautiful melody.

Let the day slip away

Velvet blue

Silent true

It embraces your heart and your soul

Never cry, never sigh

You don't have to wonder why

And the dark night will watch over you

There was a glow that emitted from the young woman's skin, making it look iridescent and she appeared to become even more relaxed, her breathing even deeper than before. And throughout, the Sirens continued their singing.

I was glad a Siren's song didn't affect other Witches because the call of the song was clear, even to me, and I could understand how humans were rendered completely powerless toward it.

The ritual was undeniably beautiful as the Sirens swayed together in the water.

The glow from the girl brightened until it left her body and separated into equal parts that embraced each Siren and they stopped their movement abruptly and bent their necks backward as if to take in the feeling completely.

Soon, the glow died down, and the Sirens dispersed. The men carried the alter out of the pool before one of them took the girl in his arms and left with her. I assumed he was taking her home as she'd given them what they wanted.

Rebecca pulled herself up out of the pool and came up to me, her clothes dripping with water, yet she didn't shiver against the freezing winds that had picked up. I noticed that her eyes were continuously flashing from her regular blue-green to violet.

"We do this once a month so that us younger Sirens can feed," she explained as she sat down. "When the younger generation can feed on their own, the rituals stop until the next young Sirens come along."

I nodded in understanding. "What would happen if you didn't feed?" I asked curiously. Nowhere in my books about Witches had there been anything in there about Sirens' fate would they stop feeding.

"Simple," Rebecca replied. "We die. Sirens aren't Sirens without our power to control the human mind. It's the way it has always been and the way it will always be. There is no other way for us to live, and we don't want to either. We're Evil creatures after all. Not at all like … Fairies." She grimaced as she said the last word, and it made me laugh.

"No, I wouldn't say that you are," I agreed. "But Fairies are your Good equal," I reminded her. "And there can never be one without the other."

She rolled her eyes. "Doesn't mean I have to like them, though."

"Of course not. I wouldn't ask you to. And I'm sure the Fairies aren't particularly fond of you, either."

We shared a laugh, but then, Rebecca gave me a frown.

"What is it like?"

"What?"

"Having both Good and Evil in you? Isn't it conflicting?"

I smiled. "Constantly. But I wouldn't change it. It's who I am; who I have always been. Sometimes, it's even relieving to know that you can see something from all perspectives and not just one."

"Sounds like a whole lot of responsibility, though," Rebecca grimaced.

"You have no idea."

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I saw that it was a text from Renee.

"Come home now! Charlie has figured out a part of the prophecy!"

A small gasp escaped me, and Rebecca gave me a curious look.

"Is there a problem?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No, everything's fine, but I'm afraid I have to go." I stood up from my seat. "Thank you for inviting me to see this. It was remarkable."

"It was our pleasure," she responded, a bit stunned at my sudden need to go. When I was just about to go, she reached out and grabbed my wrist to stop me. "If there's ever a favor I can help you with, Bella, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you," I said earnestly before I left.

Half an hour later, I walked through the front door of my home, and I was surprised when I saw that not only was Renee and Charlie in the living room but Edward as well. He'd gone home to his own place just before I left earlier. That he was back now meant that Renee had contacted him as well, but why?

"You figured out the prophecy?" I asked Charlie without conveying my confusion about Edward's presence.

"Part of it," Charlie corrected. "It's still far from being entirely decoded, but at least it's a start."

"What have you got?" I sat down on the arm of the seat Edward was occupying, and he immediately placed his hand on my thigh. We exchanged a look, and it became obvious to me that he didn't know why he was there either.

"These are theories," Charlie warned us. "But I'm fairly certain of them, also."

"Okay."

He held out the paper on which I'd written the prophecy when I first predicted it. "You said the only thing you remember from that vision is that it was obviously summer, right?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"Well, that, combined with the first part: The ones born close to when the Earth was awash with fertility and fulfillment close in on their destiny. It has me believing it refers to two people born in the summer, more specifically; close to the summer solstice." He locked his eyes onto Edward, whose jaw slackened with shock. "Your birthday is on June 20th, right?"

He nodded in stunned silence.

I was equally shocked, but my ability to speak was, fortunately, still with me. "Are you saying that this prophecy is about Edward?"

Charlie looked at me. "Could be. I'm ninety-nine percent certain it is."

I swallowed hard as I thought of another part of the prophecy. Blood must be spilt. I felt nauseous, but I forced myself to continue listening to Charlie.

"The 'stones and steel' part is easy to understand. It means it has to be fulfilled without magic. It doesn't exactly explain why, though."

Edward ran his hand through his hair agitatedly. "Who is the other person it refers to? The one, I guess, I am supposed to meet."

Charlie shrugged. "I don't know. Could be anyone who has a birthday close to your own. Does it ring a bell with you?"

"No." Edward shook his head. "The closest I've come to anyone having a birthday around my own is Heidi, but her birthday is in May. I don't think that's close enough."

"No, it's not," Charlie agreed.

Renee stood silently in the corner, and I turned to her. "What do you think, Renee?"

She startled as if I'd pulled her from a deep thought. She sighed. "I was just thinking that it sounds like a prophecy of a fight between Good and Evil. The whisper and promise of a return to the Dark, or the start of the golden age. Edward is obviously Evil, so his opponent should be someone Good."

Edward shot up from his seat, an angry scowl on his face. "So you're saying it's impossible that the prophecy could refer to me as the deliverer of 'the golden age'? You think it absolutely has to be a Good Witch that does it, right?"

"Can you blame me?" she asked calmly. "It's the way it's always been."

"But not the way it will continue to be," I disagreed with her. "It doesn't sit right with me," I mumbled as I slowly pulled Edward down into his seat again. "It's too easy and straightforward to believe it's between Good and Evil. My instincts tell me that's not what it means."

A headache was building behind my eyes and I rubbed my temples. "Do you know anything else, Charlie?"

"No, that's all I have for now, but I'm not letting this go. You have my word."

"Thank you." I stood up and looked at my companions. "I'm not feeling very well. I think I need to go to bed."

"Do you want me to stay or leave?" Edward asked me, still in his seat.

"I always want you to stay, but this time, I think you should leave. I have a feeling it's important."

He nodded. "I've accepted to never argue against your feelings anymore. Call me in the morning, Angel, okay?"

"Sure."

We kissed and then he left while I went up the stairs to my bedroom. I was positive Charlie would stay all night with the prophecy, and I was endlessly grateful for it. I also knew that Renee was worried I was favoring my Evil side too much as I'd spent a lot of my time around Evil ever since everything started.

I would reassure her tomorrow by asking her to show me what she loved the most about the Good side of magic.

A/N:

Sooooo … what did you think about that?

Most of you immediately assumed the prophecy was about Bella, but lookie, lookie, it was about Edward! Question is, who is the other person?

Do you agree with Renee? Does it have to be someone from the good side, or is it a bit more complicated than that like Bella believes?

Let me know your thoughts, and I might be able to give you chapters a bit faster!

As Always,

Stay Awesome!