Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me.

"Do I know you?" Jacob repeated, making sure that I heard him right, while his own confusion plastered every inch of his strong features.

My mouth fell slightly agape at the bizarre inquiry, as if he had decided to speak another language. Of course he knew who I was, right? This is the same guy that I sank my teeth to as a baby, the same guy I played tag with in the forest, the same guy that destiny had deemed as mine.

It was hardly an hour ago that Jacob had been trying to convince me that his past with my mother didn't mean a thing, that it was I who saved him from any misery. Now he was genuinely asking me moronic questions. The nerve of that mongrel!

Still, I couldn't easily deny the sensation in the pit of my stomach that told me something was out of place, like I was somewhere I shouldn't be. Jacob wasn't as large as he characteristically was, but definitely not in the scrawny category, and his jet-black hair was longer than I was used to. He almost appeared to be younger. But that was impossible. I couldn't be that I. . . that I was. . .

My heart dropped to my stomach, noticing the inconspicuous hurt, the raw grief clear in the velvet brown of Jacob's eyes. I had never seen him without that obvious radiance all over his face before. There was no way that this was my Jacob. He had to be a nightmare of some kind. It couldn't to be that maybe he was actually asking me if we knew each other.

. . .Back in time, before my birth?

Woah! That was a lot to take in.

I gulped when Jacob began to gaze as me like I had just lost my grip on reality (and I was inclined to agree with him for once). Ugh, maybe this is what a hangover for hybrids is supposed to be like. This was all a hallucination, I mused silently to myself as I put a hand to my forehead to stop the loud pounding in my head.

"Helloooo! Miss?" Jacob waved a hand in front of my face as an attempt to gain my attention. I suppose it wasn't obvious that he was forefront in my mind right now. Oh, well.

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's just I've heard a great deal about the infamous Jacob Black. I guess your reputation precedes you," I explained quickly in my most shaky voice, completely unintentionally. I was much too freaked out and exhausted to try and get a grip. Then again, I could slap or pinch myself, but then I might be checked into a mental facility. That wasn't an option right now.

But I'm rambling now. What was I talking about again? Right, Jacob.

Jacob nodded slowly, staring at me like I had committed a mysterious crime and I got the funny impression he wasn't buying it. "Okay."

Damn it.

I felt my stomach felt clench against my ribcage—a habit I picked up when I felt I was being unfairly judged.

"Alright," I said, shifting my eyes to the brown-white grains of sand that I had started to play with. "Thank you, Jacob, for being so kind, and you know, saving my life, but before there's another awkward silence I should get going." And so, I arose from my sitting position and stood (gracefully enough), dusting the sand off from my ruined dress.

I had to find out what was going on.

"Wait! Why-why were you out there anyway?" Jacob questioned, his movements in sync with my own.

"Well, I was a little drunk to be honest and I stupidly decided to go for a swim," I lied blatantly through my teeth, aware that I wasn't making a good first impression on this version of Jacob. "I'm still feeling out of sorts." That wasn't a lie—my head was spinning around, I could barely control the wild trembling in my knees, the rapid fluttering in my heart, and. . . I had somehow traveled back in time.

All in all, I wasn't feeling exactly peachy.

Jacob smiled at me, not quite the bright, warm he always wore, but it was more indulgent and forced. Was my mother putting him through that much pain?

I hung my head down slightly. It hurt me too much to look at him, the agony he was trying to suppress—his face scorned my soul. Comforting him, no matter how strong the urge was for me, was out of the question. . . We were strangers and there was no way I could get him to remember something that hasn't happened yet. I wasn't sure if I wanted to.

If I upset the balance of time, I could very easily erase myself from existence. On the one hand, this was Jacob's chance at living the rest of his life without me getting in the way of him finding true happiness with someone he could love all on his own. On the other, this was also my chance—my chance to learn for myself if Jacob could fall in love with me without imprinting, assuming he hasn't already done so on me already.

Could I do that, though? Pretend to be someone else and force him to love me? Not really. He deserved better than that.

"Are you okay now?" Jacob inquired. "I'd hate to leave an unstable pale-face all by herself." Hey now. . . "There's no telling what havoc you might wreak on La Push. Do you need a ride home or something, um-"

I giggled at him, which I supposed interrupted his train of thought, and I looked up. "Renes—Ren. My name is Ren Nelluc." Ew. That sounded like something you find in trashcans. "And no." Damn it. I couldn't barge in on the Cullens when they had no idea I would exist. "I ran away, kind of. I have to start looking for a place." That costs zero dollars. Of all the rotten luck! Maybe I should rethink that mental institution option. "I don't know why I'm telling you, a total stranger, this. I'm sorry."

"Do you need a place to stay?"

I blinked in confusion. "You would do that? For a reckless, teenage girl who's all wet and tipsy?" Was he stupid?

He shrugged. "Reckless, teenage girls entertain me." If that was supposed to suffice as reassurance, it needed a lot of work. "And I'm not planning on marrying you. It'd be only for the night and I'm sure Billy would find some compassion for someone who is currently homeless," Jacob continued to reply, feigning nonchalance, but was secretly shocked by his own words.

"Hang in there, Nessie. You have to hold on a little bit longer, okay?"

A gust of warm wind overwhelmed my senses all of sudden, so much that my knees gave out and fell into Jacob's arms. Everything about him was growing vague, fuzzy, just plain weird. I could see his features change back and forth between the way he was now to my Jacob.

My hand suddenly felt as if it had just burst into flames—gentle flames that caressed the skin, but when I managed to look at my hand (as it drooped down as Jacob held me) nothing was there. What was going on with me?

"Re-Ren!" I heard Jacob's harsh tone exclaim frantically before the world went black for the second time that day.

"Nessie. . ."