M I S T A K E N

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, or any of the characters.

I don't have much to say – except that it's in Ari's point of view. Okay, then. Bon appetite! Now, please direct your attention to the politically incorrect chapter title and fasten your seat belts…

5) there once was a little black Indian )

I had to take two steps for every one of his just to keep up. I felt like I had been walking for miles before Jacob finally stopped. I let out a sigh. I could feel Jacob watching me.

"Could I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What does your name mean?"

"Arinola means in the midst of wealth. Duduyemi means being black suits me." I laughed. "What a coincidence."

Jacob smiled, walking into the surf. I followed him, splashing him and shrieking as he turned to me, launching a handful of wet sand at my back. I dove headfirst into the water to escape flying seashells and dirt clods. Jacob laughed, chasing me and pulling me out of the water, his hands on my waist as he spun me. I didn't know where time had went, but I soon found myself drying in the sand beside him. He was staring at me; his eyes distant yet focused. I wondered if he was sleeping with his eyes open, but he suddenly stood up and held his hand out to me.

"Time for the party."

I followed Jacob, watching my feet. I had ditched my tennis shoes when he told me the party was going to be at the beach. I bowed my head silently as we approached the fire. A large group surrounded it. Once they saw Jacob, many of them jumped up and proceeded towards us.

"Welcome back!"

"You owe me five bucks, Brady."

"Are you okay, Jacob? I mean – you're over it, right?"

"Who's that?"

Jacob stepped to the side when he realized I had been hiding behind him. He grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the bonfire. I raised my head and gave a shy smile as everyone took their seat, gazing at me with interested eyes.

"Guys, this is Ari Dudyemi. Ari, this is everyone."

I stared at him incredulously. "You can say Duduyemi, but you can't say Arinola? It's not that hard…"

His lips puckered and his face became thoughtful. He shrugged.

"Nice to meet you, Ari."

I smiled to each person as they introduced themselves. I clasped my hands behind my back when I was introduced to the elders. I asked them if any of them had heard of Elijah Moon. Old Quil looked surprised.

"Wasn't that the name of Harry's uncle? He left years ago. Went into gene therapy, I heard."

Billy snorted. "As if being a werewolf is a disease."

"Elijah was my Grandfather," I mumbled, a bit angry that people could talk about him in such a way.

Quil grinned, clapping his hands. "I get it now! So – you're a black Indian."

"Way to be politically incorrect, Quil," Leah mumbled dryly. She gave me a polite nod. "I guess that makes us cousins, or something. Nice to meet you, cousin."

I waved shyly, all to aware of my messed up hair and bandaged hand. Jacob had wrapped it in gauze before we left his house. I took a seat beside him, watching the mesmerizing dance of the orange and red flames. I raised my eyes to watch the waves crashing onto the shore. My eye caught sight of Emily. I suppressed a shudder. She gave me a smile, catching my glance. I smiled slightly, lowering my eyes almost immediately.

"Sam did that," Jacob said, his voice barely a breath. I looked up at him, surprised. His face was hard, his eyes guarded. "Getting involved with werewolves is dangerous. Sometimes, we just can't help ourselves, even if we love someone, even if we've imprinted on him or her. They tend to get hurt the most."

I nodded, my mind quickly becoming lost in thought. There was that word again – imprinting. I drew my knees to my chest and rested my chin on them. I shuddered as a breeze sent the ocean mist onto our gathering. Jacob put his arm around my shoulder and drew me close to him. I rested my head against his shoulder, narrowing my eyes as Old Quil started to speak. My head ached immensely.

"… He left years ago. Went into gene therapy, I heard."

"As if being a werewolf is a disease."

"Elijah was my Grandfather."

I blinked rapidly, hoping to clear the haze that had covered my vision. I wiped my eyes, enraged at myself. Had anyone else noticed the tears?

"Never go to La Push, no matter what. I know kids tend to want to learn about their heritage and whatnot-"

"Daddy took Aki and I to Nigeria last summer."

"I bet it was a nice trip. Just don't…Don't try."

"Why not, Grandpa? Werewolves aren't real. They can't hurt me."

I sniffed, aware of Jacob staring at me. I noticed he had changed position, so that I couldn't see over his shoulder. I couldn't see the others staring at me, wondering about me. For that I was grateful.

I listened to the tale, aware of the change of voices. I imagined it all in my head, smiling slightly at the name Taha Aki. Aki… I frowned, thinking of my brother. No wonder Grandpa had liked him best. He didn't carry the burden of his forgotten life. Aki would never be a part of this.

The words of the story and the voices of the elders swirled through my ears, as if above me. I tried my best to follow them, and found myself barely grasping anything. I couldn't feel anything, I couldn't see, I just felt the bitter anger at my Grandfather. Why had he done this to me? Why had he left me with so many questions? How was I supposed to find the answers when such a large part of my life was hidden from me?

"Ari," I heard Jacob whisper once the tale was over. "Are you okay?"

I groaned softly, shaking my head.

"Are you hurt?"

"Hurting," I gasped, pressing my hands against my head. "I feel like my head's about to explode."

"Um, okay," He lifted me, scooping me up in his arms. I buried my face in his chest, my sobs muffled. "Dad, Ari's not feeling well, I'm taking her back to the house."

"What's wrong?" I could barely make out Sam's voice.

"She said her head's going to explode."

I growled, mad at myself for causing a scene and mad at myself for crying. I imagined I looked like a baby in Jacob's arms. I could hear some of the others mumbling among themselves. Soon, the sounds grew distant. I could no longer hear the cackling of the fire. I felt myself bouncing as Jacob ran.

"What's happening to me?" I whispered angrily, turning to look up at him. I couldn't see him, exactly. I could see the shape of his face, just blurred colors. I tore at my eyes angrily, wiping away my tears. Jacob smiled sadly.

"It's too much for you to handle. It's okay, you-"

"No!" I shouted, beating my good hand against his chest. "No, it's not okay! Don't tell me I can't handle it! If I couldn't handle it, then why am I here? Why did you get in the Volvo? Why did you let me bring you back? My damn Grandpa thought I couldn't handle it! Look at where I am now! I'm not a baby, Jacob!" I sobbed, my voice breaking, my body falling into a series of convulsive shudders. "I-I'm not a baby, I just…"

"Ari?" Jacob shook me, worry in his voice. "Ari, wake up."

"I'm not asleep, you damn dog," I growled, tears falling from my eyes no matter how hard I tried to stop them. "I'm sorry, it's just my head…"

"It's okay. You're right, you're not a baby. Are you cold?"

"No," I muttered. "How can I be cold? You've like, a million degrees."

He laughed, opening the door. I frowned when I realized we had reached his house. I hit his shoulder. "I can walk, it's okay."

"If you're sure…" He lowered me. I took a few steps, then found myself on the floor. Jacob picked me up with a sigh. He laid me on the couch and brought me a blanket. I wasn't sure when I fell asleep, but I was aware of Jacob mumbling softly, his hand on my forehead – as if he could tell I had a temperature. I heard another voice – Billy's.

"One hundred and seven."

"It went up three degrees."

"Is she awake?"

"Her eyes are open. Ari, can you hear me?"

"No," I mumbled, rolling over. I landed on the floor, letting out a groan.

"Sheesh," Jacob mumbled, lifting me and placing me on the couch. I let out a huff, hoping that my glare was in his direction.

"I'm blind!" I gasped, sitting up suddenly.

"It could be a side effect," I heard Billy mumble. "Her body's not used to the heat yet."

"Ari, have you had any growth spurts?"

I laughed, my head rocking back. I stared at the source of the voice. "About four inches in three weeks. It's crazy…"

"It's not unusual. Leah's a werewolf, and Embry's a werewolf… It's interesting, though."

"Dad, she's sick! Don't talk like she's some mixed breed in a dog contest."

"I'm not!" Billy snapped back. "I'm just thinking… Elijah was crazy if he thought he could stop this from happening. He's denied Ari of any knowledge of this event, and now-"

"Don't talk about my Grandfather like that," I growled, lunging forward, my hands extended. I felt them brush against Billy's throat. I started to squeeze. Jacob pulled me away, gathering me in his arms. I felt smothered against his chest. I gasped.

"Jacob, she can't breathe."

"She needs to calm down. Ari, you need to calm down."

"Let me go! He can't talk about my Grandpa that way, whether he's dead or not!"

"Dad, maybe if you apologize…"

"He was crazy. Should I apologize for the truth?"

"Dad," Jacob sighed, his arms tighter around me. "Dad, she's shaking."

"Ari, I'm sorry. It was disrespectful of me to say such things."

I started to answer when a howl cut me off. Jacob released me. I sat down on the couch, listening to him shuffle about. "Dad, could you-"

"I'll watch her."

"What's going on? I don't need to be watched. Let me come with you!"

"I'll be back before you know it," I heard the door close after him. I huddled up, wrapping the blanket around me. I continued to stare at nothing until my vision finally returned. Billy looked worriedly at me. He was on the other side of the room. I grinned sheepishly, sure he was afraid of me attempting to choke him again.

He nodded off after a few minutes of staring at each other. As soon as he was asleep, I grabbed my shoes and ran out of the house.

"Jacob!" My voice was hoarse from hours of using it. It was too dark for me to see and I stumbled about blindly, my hands brushing against tree bark and leaves. I knew I was close by the tension in the air. It was as if my hair was actually standing on end, it was so strong.

"We don't know when it happens, and most of it is a blur, because you are around. But we know the Volturi are coming-"

"Jacob?" I could make out six figures. I almost vomited at the stench. My body was shaking. It wasn't an actual shudder from the cold, but from within myself. I knew the smell before anyone told me. I could see now, the cloud that had once obscured the moon was drifting away. I saw Sam flinch, and could feel Quil's nervousness.

Then he stepped forward, the others with him. Pale, white faces studied me.

Vampires.

"You've imprinted," The one with copper hair mused.

"Jacob…Jacob…" I brought my shaking hands to my face.

"Get her out of here!" Sam barked. I couldn't follow their movements as Jacob scooped me into his arms and took off. I could hear Sam and Quil soon after.

"What's happening?" I whispered, scared out of my mind. "Jacob, what's happening to me?"

I didn't have to ask because I already knew. I knew that when I woke up, I'd be a different being.

----------------------------------------------------

Ari, can you hear me?

Jacob! Wait… Oh. My. God.

Guess she figured it out on her own.

I raised a hand. I blinked, shaking my head. I didn't have hands. I had paws. No hands, no fingers, but paws and claws. I tried to talk, but a confused whimper escaped me. The human inside started to curse, instructing my wolf self to go charging; frightened into a maddened run.

Ari, calm down.

Sam! Sam – I have no hands! My, God, what was that? I have a tail?!

Ari, you have a tail. Stop running – you'll cross the border and the leeches will get you. We don't have a week for you to run this out of your system. You need to calm down, now.

Sam, she's confused. No need to be so harsh.

You'll wish I were harsh when she bolts into the big one and he takes her head off.

Sam!

The russet wolf lumbered over to me, growling at the black wolf over his shoulder. I knew the smell immediately.

Jake?

He sat beside me and pressed his muzzle against my shoulder. Impulsively, I licked his cheek.

It's me. Are you calm?

I have a tail…

Jacob barked in laughter, the human equivalent vibrated in my head. It's a cute tail.

My ears bent back, a submissive stance. How do I change back?

That's tough to explain. Thank of something human.

I thought hard of my mother and father, or Aki. I closed my eyes, waiting for something to happen. Jacob nudged me. Odd emotions filled my thoughts. Servitude, caring, friendship, and something else too strong and too deep to describe. I saw a picture of myself playing in the surf. I remembered Jacob and I playing in the ocean before the party. Totally juvenile.

Think about that.

I couldn't look at anything else but the image Jacob sent me. I was laughing, foam from the sea splattered on my jeans. Sand was in my windblown hair and my wet shirt clung to my body, salt shining on my arms.

I want you to be that. For me.

I felt him leave me. Quil and Sam dropped some clothes before me, and they left too.

The forest floor was cold against my skin. I was tiny and insignificant. I felt alone and totally at peace. I was part of something, yet felt meaningless.

I was a werewolf.

WHOA buddy… Over 500 hits… Amazing. Suuuure, I only have fourteen reviews…((grumbles softly)) but thanks to everyone who does review! And those of you who read it, or accidentally click it, or read a bit of it or whatever, thanks for reading/looking anyway! Reviews are appreciated! Lookie – I updated on the same day! Bwahaha! Maybe I'll update again tonight or tomorrow, or before the New Year. Once again, if not, Happy New Year!