When they appeared, striding out from between the trees, they weren’t what I was expecting. I’d gotten the image of the wolves stuck in my head. These were just four really big half-naked boys.
当他们从树丛中大步走出来的时候，并不是我想象中的样子。巨狼的形象深深刻在我的脑海中，而眼前只是四个身材高大，上身赤裸的男孩儿。
Again, they reminded me of brothers, quadruplets. Something about the way they moved almost in synchronization to stand across the road from us, the way they all had the same long, round muscles under the same red-brown skin, the same cropped black hair, and the way their expressions altered at exactly the same moment.
我又一次联想的四胞胎兄弟。他们步伐整齐地走出森林，站在路的另一边。清一色的红棕色皮肤下是一块块结实的肌肉，黑色的头发剪得短短的，就连脸上的表情也如出一辙。
I cowered into Jacob’s side, My eyes scanning the forest for the other werewolves.
我缩在雅各布身后，目不转睛地盯着森林，等待其他狼人出现。
Sam was still the biggest, though Jacob was getting close to catching up with him. Sam didn’t really count as a boy. His face was older — not in the sense of lines or signs of aging, but in the matunry, the patience of his expression.
山姆仍是他们中最魁梧的一个，尽管雅各布就快要和他差不多了。山姆其实不算是男孩儿，他看上去更成熟——倒不是指他脸上刻有岁月的痕迹，而是他的神色中带有几分稳重和镇静。
One of the others, one I didn’t recognize — Jared or Paul — thrust past Sam and spoke before Jacob could defend himself.
其中一个人我没认出是谁——杰瑞德或者保罗——从山姆身边冒出来，没等雅各布开口解释就嚷了起来。
“What have you done, Jacob?” he demanded.
“你都做了什么，雅各布？”他质问道。
They started out curious and cautious. When they saw me there, half-hidden beside Jacob, they all became furious in the same second.
他们行动时小心翼翼，一看到躲在雅各布身后的我，他们一下子全都变的怒气冲冲。
“Jeez, Paul,” one of the other boys — probably Jared — muttered. “Get a grip.”
“天哪，保罗，”另一个男孩儿——好像是杰瑞德——嘟哝道，“管好你自己。”
“Right, protect her!” Paul roared in outrage. Another shudder, a convulsion, heaved through his body. He threw his head back, a real growl tearing from between his teeth.
“好啊，你护着她！！”保罗狂吼道，身子跟着一颤，像痉挛一样抽搐着。他仰着头，对着天空一声长啸。
“Help!” the angry boy shouted. His arms begin to quiver. “Oh, that’s likely! I’m sure the leech-lover is just dying to help us out!”
“帮助我们！”愤慨的男孩儿叫道，他的臂膀有些颤抖，“噢，太对了！我相信吸血鬼的情人宁死都要帮助我们！”
That did it.
战争终于爆发了。
“She can help,” Jacob said quietly.
“她能帮助我们。”雅各布平静地说。
Paul shook his head back and forth, not in defiance, but as though he were trying to concentrate.
保罗不停地摇着头，不是反抗山姆的命令，而是在努力使自己集中精神。
“Why can’t you just follow the rules, Jacob?” he yelled, throwing his arms in the air. “What the hell are you thinking? Is she more important than everything — than the whole tribe? Than the people getting killed?”
“你为什么不守规矩，雅各布？”他喊道，抬起双臂举到空中，“你到底怎么想的？难道她比一切都重要——比整个部族都重要吗？比那些无辜的死者更重要吗？”
Paul twisted his head toward Jared, his lips curling back in irritation. Then he shifted his glare in my direction. Jacob took a step to put himself in front of me.
保罗朝杰瑞德扭过头去，愤怒地咬着嘴唇，接着，他又把视线转回到我这边。雅各布向前走了一步，挡在我身前。
A shudder rippled through the other boy, along his shoulders and down his spine.
那男孩儿像被电击中了一样，从肩膀顺着脊柱浑身抖动。
“Don’t talk about her like that!” Jacob shouted back, stung by the boy’s criticism.
“不许你这样说她！”雅各布被他的话激怒，也大声叫了起来。
“Paul! Relax!” Sam commanded.
“保罗！放松！”山姆命令道。
Dark silver fur blew out from the boy, coalescing into a shape more than five-times his size — a massive, crouched shape, ready to spring.
银灰色的软毛从他的身上冒出来，他的体形一下子比刚才增大了五倍多——变成了一个巨大的蹲伏着的形状，似乎正准备一跃而起。
Paul seemed to fall forward, vibrating violently. Halfway to the ground, there was a loud ripping noise, and the boy exploded.
保罗像是要扑倒在地，身体剧烈地颤动，快要着地的时候，传来响亮的爆裂声，他变身了。
The wolf’s muzzle wrinkled back over his teeth, and another growl rolled through his colossal chest. His dark, enraged eyes focused on me.
他的牙齿外面长出了狼的嘴鼻，又一声长啸从宽大的胸膛里咆哮而出，那双黑色的杀气腾腾的眼睛死死地盯着我。
“Paul!” Sam and Jacob shouted together.
“保罗！”山姆和雅各布同时叫道。
With another sharp tearing sound, Jacob exploded, too. He burst out of his skin — shreds of black and white cloth blasted up into the air. It happened so quickly that if I’d blinked, I’d have missed the entire transformation. One second it was Jacob diving into the air, and then it was the gigantic, russet brown wolf — so enormous that I couldn’t make sense of its mass somehow fitting inside Jacob — charging the crouched silver beast.
又传来了一声刺耳的爆裂，雅各布也变身了。他的皮肤一寸寸裂开——黑色和白色的衣服碎片散落在空中。他的转变太快了，似乎我眨眨眼就会错过这一切。前一秒钟他还是奔跑着的雅各布，现在却变成了一匹巨大的红棕色的狼——我实在搞不清雅各布的身体里怎么可能容下这样一个庞然大物——他和那匹蹲伏着的灰狼相互对峙。
In the same second, Jacob was running across the road straight for the monster.
就在这时，雅各布向道路另一边的怪兽狂奔过去。
“Jacob!” I screamed.
“雅各布！”我尖叫出来。
Mid-stride, a long tremor shivered down Jacob’s spine. He leaped forward, diving headfirst into the empty air.
雅各布浑身颤抖，他迅速地朝前跃起，头朝下俯冲过去。
“Take her to Emily’s,” Sam shouted toward the other boys, who were watching the conflict with rapt expressions. Jacob had successfully shoved the gray wolf off the road, and they were disappearing into the forest, though the sound of their snarls was still loud. Sam ran after them, kicking off his shoes on the way. As he darted into the trees, he was quivering from head to toe.
“带她去艾米丽那儿。”山姆朝另两个男孩儿叫道，他们正出神地看着眼前的搏斗。雅各布成功地将灰狼推进森林，他们消失在树丛之中，但愤怒的咆哮声依然清晰。山姆踢掉脚上的鞋，跟着他们跑了进去。奔入树林的那一刻，他从头到脚都在颤抖。
“Stay where you are, Bella,” Sam ordered. It was hard to hear him over the roar of the fighting wolves. They were snapping and tearing at each other, their sharp teeth flashing toward each other’s throats. The Jacob-wolf seemed to have the upper hand — he was visibly bigger than the other wolf, and it looked like le was stronger, too. He rammed his shoulder against the gray wolf again and again, knocking him back toward the trees.
“站在那儿别动，贝拉。”山姆命令道。在两只狼的搏斗下，我几乎听不清他在说什么。他们互相咬扯，锋利的牙齿直冲对方的颈项咬去。雅各布变成的那只狼似乎占了上风——他比起另一只狼来更高大，看上去也更壮实。他不断用肩胛猛撞那只灰狼，想把对手撞进森林里。
The black and white scraps — the remains of Jacob’s clothes — fluttered to the ground where he’d disappeared.
黑色和白色的碎片——雅各布的撑破的衣服——飘落在他变身时的那块地上。
Jacob met the other werewolf’s attack head-on. Their angry snarls echoed like thunder off the trees.
雅各布正面迎击另一个狼人的进攻，他们凶狠的嚎叫似雷鸣一样在森林里回荡。
“Jacob!” I screamed again, staggering forward.
“雅各布！“我又尖叫起来，蹒跚前行。
The growling and snapping was fading into the distance. Suddenly, the sound cut off and it was very quiet on the road.
咆哮和咬扯的声音逐渐远去，突然，所有杂声戛然而止，路上又恢复了平静。
One of the boys started laughing.
一个男孩儿笑了起来。
“I do,” the other boy, Jared, grumbled. “Every single day.”
“我能，”另一个男孩儿杰瑞德说道，“每天都能看到。”
I turned to stare at him — my wide eyes felt frozen, like I couldn’t even blink them.
我回过头盯着他——我的眼睛瞪得圆圆的，一下都不敢眨。
“Totally shredded,” Jared said. “Billy said this was the last pair he could afford — guess Jacob’s going barefoot now.”
“完全撑破了，”杰瑞德说，“比利说过他再也买不起新鞋——看来雅各布从此要光着脚了。”
Jared started collecting various pieces of fabric from the dirt. “Get Sam’s shoes, will you? All the rest of this is headed for the trash.”
杰瑞德收拾着散落在地上的碎布：“拿上山姆的鞋，好吗？剩下的这些都扔进垃圾箱。”
The boy seemed to be laughing at my expression. “Well, there’s something you don’t see every day,” he snickered. His face was vaguely familiar — thinner than the others… Embry Call.
他好像是因为我脸上的表情发笑。“瞧瞧，这可不是你每天都能看到的好戏。”他傻笑着。他的脸有些熟悉——比其他人更瘦削……恩布里·卡勒。
“Aw, Paul doesn’t lose his temper every day,” Embry disagreed, still grinning. “Maybe two out of three.”
“哦，保罗可不是每天都会发脾气，”恩布里笑着表示反对，“也许隔三差五吧。”
Jared stopped to pick something white up off the ground. He held it up toward Embry; it dangled in limp strips from his hand.
杰瑞德从地上捡起一块白色的东西，递到恩布里面前，那东西从他手上软塌塌地悬吊下来。
“This one survived,” Embry said, holding up a white sneaker. “Jake can hop,” he added with a laugh.
“这里还幸存一只，”恩布里说道，捡起一只白色帆布运动鞋，“杰克可以单脚跳着走路。”他边笑边补充道。
“He shouldn’t have brought his girlfriend into this. What did he expect?”
“他不应该把女朋友牵扯进来，他想做什么呢？”
Embry and Jared guffawed.
恩布里和杰瑞德哄然大笑。
“Well, the wolf’s out of the bag now.” Embry sighed. “Way to go, Jake.”
“咳，狼人的秘密被泄露了，”恩布里叹了口气，“你干的好事，杰克。”
“Jake should have warned us,” Embry complained.
“杰克应该提前跟我们说一声。”恩布里抱怨道。
He looked at me carefully, assessing.
他仔细打量着我。
Embry grabbed the shoes and then jogged into the trees where Sam had disappeared. He was back in a few seconds with a pair of cut-off jeans draped over his arm. Jared gathered the torn remnants of Jacob’s and Paul’s clothes and wadded them into a ball. Suddenly, he seemed to remember me.
恩布里抓起鞋子，一路小跑进了森林，山姆刚才就是在那一带消失的。过了一会儿，他跑了出来，手臂上搭着一条运动牛仔裤。杰瑞德拾起雅各布和保罗的碎衣服，把它们揉成了团。突然间，他似乎意识到我还站在一旁。
I raised my head to glare at the two boys who seemed to be taking this all so lightly. “Aren’t you worried about them at all?” I demanded.
我抬起头盯着这两个男孩儿，他们似乎对刚才发生的一切漠不关心，“你们难道不担心他们吗？”我问道。
“Okay,” I mumbled. For the second time in one morning, I put my head between my knees.
“好的。”我有气无力地说道。这是我今天上午第二次把头放在两个膝盖之间。
“You don’t look so good. Maybe you should sit down.”
“你好像不大舒服，也许你应该坐下来。”
Embry blinked once in surprise “Worried? Why?”
恩布里惊奇地眨了眨眼：“担心？为什么？”
“I don’t think so,” I gasped.
“我想不会。”我喘着粗气。
“Hey, you’re not going to faint or puke or anything?” he demanded.
“嘿，你不会昏倒或者呕吐吧？”他问道。
“They could hurt each other!”
“他们会伤害到对方！”
“I hope Paul gets a mouthful of him,” Jared said. “Teach him a lesson.”
“我希望恩布里咬他一口，”杰瑞德说，“给他点教训。”
I blanched.
我吓得脸色发白。
“Paul’s been fighting longer. I’ll bet you ten bucks he leaves a mark.”
“可是保罗经验更丰富，我和你赌十美元，保罗赢。”
“You’re on. Jake’s a natural. Paul doesn’t have a prayer.”
“就这么定了。杰克是个天才，保罗一点希望也没有。”
“No problem,” I choked.
“没问题。”我慢吞吞地说。
They shook hands, grinning.
他们握了握手，怪笑着。
“Yeah, right!” Embry disagreed. “Did you see Jake? Even Sam couldn’t have phased on the fly like that. He saw Paul losing it, and it took him, what, half a second to attack? The boy’s got a gift.”
“那可不一定！”恩布里反对道，“你刚才没看见吗？就连山姆那不可能像杰克那样飞跃起来。他看出保罗必败无疑，还击不过是一瞬间的事情，不是吗？他有天赋。”
I tried to comfort myself with their lack of concern, but I couldn’t drive the brutal image of the fighting werewolves from my head. My stomach churned, sore and empty, my head ached with worry.
我想借他们轻松的谈话安慰自己，但是狼人搏斗时的残忍场面始终缠绕在我心头，空荡荡的胃和昏沉沉的脑袋都疼得厉害。
“Good idea. Where are the keys?” Embry asked me.
“好主意，钥匙在哪里？”恩布里问我。
Jared raised one eyebrow. “Maybe you’d better drive, Embry. She still looks like she might hurl.”
杰瑞德翘起一边的眉毛，“还是你来开车吧，恩布里。她看上去像是要吐的样子。”
“Let’s go see Emily. You know she’ll have food waiting.” Embry looked down at me. “Mind giving us a ride?”
“我们去艾米丽那儿吧，她肯定做了好吃的东西。”恩布里低头看着我，“不介意开车过去吧？”
“Ignition.”
“在点火开关上。”
Embry opened the passenger-side door. “In you go,” he said cheerfully, hauling me up from the ground with one hand and stuffing me into my seat. He appraised the available space. “You’ll have to ride in the back,” he told Jared.
恩布里拉开靠近副驾驶座位的车门。“进去吧。”他愉快地说道，一只手把我从地上拉起来，塞进车里。他看了看车里剩下的空间，“你得坐在后面的拖车板上了。”他对杰瑞德说道。
“Oh, that,” I said, remembering Jacob trying to choke out the truth to me last night. “He didn’t. I guessed right.”
“哦，原来是这件事，”我说道，想起来雅各布昨晚欲言又止，吞吞吐吐地模样，“他没有泄密，是我自己猜到的。”
“Five bucks?” Jared asked.
“五美元？”杰瑞德问道。
“Hey, how did Jake get around the injunction anyway?”
“嘿，杰克为什么会违背禁令呢？”
Embry pursed his lips, looking surprised. “Hmm. S’pose that would work.”
恩布里撅起嘴，看上去有点儿吃惊：“恩，似乎有道理。”
“I bet she’s tougher than that. She runs with vampires.”
“我赌她不会吐，她可是和吸血鬼待在一起的人。”
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“我们现在去哪儿？”我问道。
“The… what?”
“什么……令？”
Embry drove us back toward the village.
恩布里带着我们朝村庄开去。
“Emily’s house. She’s Sam’s girlfriend… no, fiancee, now, I guess. They’ll meet us back there after Sam gives it to them for what just happened. And after Paul and Jake scrounge up some new clothes, if Paul even has any left.”
“艾米丽家，他是山姆的女朋友不，现在应该是未婚妻了。等山姆解决好那两个小子的问题，等保罗和杰克找到新衣服穿上，如果保罗那家伙还有新衣服的话，他们会到艾米丽家同我们会合。”
“Okay,” I whispered.
“好的。”我轻声地回答。
“Er, the order. You know, to not spill the beans. How did he tell you about this?”
“恩，禁令，就是，不能散播我们的秘密。他怎么会对你说起呢？”
“Done. I feel guilty, taking your money like this.”
“一言为定。就要拿走你的钱了，我深感惭愧。”
Embry got in and started the engine while Jared leapt agilely into the bed. As soon as his door was closed, Embry muttered to me, “Don’t throw up, okay? I’ve only got a ten, and if Paul got his teeth into Jacob…”
恩布里上了车，发动引擎，杰瑞德也敏捷地跳上拖车板。刚关上车门，恩布里就悄声对我说：“别吐，好吗？我刚赌了十美金，如果保罗真的咬了雅各布……”
“That’s fine. I got a weak stomach. I don’t want to be in there when she blows.”
“没关系。我可不想坐在前面看着她吐，我会受不了的。”
I frowned at him. “Why would I stare?”
我朝他皱了皱眉：“我为什么要盯着她看？”
“Yeah. And hey, don’t stare at her. That bugs Sam.”
“知道，对了，别盯着她看，山姆会不高兴的。”
“Does Emily know about…?”
“艾米丽知不知道……？”
“Oh, yeah, Jake told me about the treaty once, a long time ago. Why would killing Laurent break the treaty?”
“哦，是的，杰克很早以前向我提起过条约这回事，为什么杀死劳伦特就违反了条约呢？”
Embry looked uncomfortable. “Like you saw just now, hanging out around werewolves has its risks.” He changed the subject quickly. “Hey, are you okay about the whole thing with the black-haired bloodsucker in the meadow? It didn’t look like he was a friend of yours, but…” Embry shrugged.
恩布里显得有些心神不宁：“你刚才也看到了，和狼人待在一起是非常危险的。”他很快转换了话题，“嘿，你不会在意我们把草地上那个黑发吸血鬼除掉吧？他看上去不像是你的朋友，但是”恩布里耸了耸肩。
“No, he wasn’t my friend.”
“不是，他不是我的朋友。”
“That’s good. We didn’t want to start anything, break the treaty, you know.”
“那太好了。我们不想惹任何麻烦，不想违反条约。”
“How would they go about breaking the treaty?”
“那他们怎么做算是违反了条约呢？”
“If they bite a human. Jake wasn’t so keen on the idea of letting it go that far.”
“如果他们伤害了人类，就违反了条约，杰克可没那份耐心等着他先违约。”
“Laurent,” he repeated, snorting, like he was amused the vampire had had a name. “Well, we were technically on Cullen turf. We’re not allowed to attack any of them, the Cullens, at least, off our land — unless they break the treaty first. We didn’t know if the black-haired one was a relative of theirs or something. Looked like you knew him.”
“劳伦特，”他哼着鼻子重复道，好像觉得吸血鬼也有名字是件好玩的事，“我们杀死他的时候其实是在卡伦家的地盘上。我们不可以在不属于自己的地盘上攻击别人，至少不能攻击卡伦一家——除非是他们首先违反条约。我们不知道那个黑发吸血鬼是不是他们家的亲戚或者别的什么。你好像认识他。”
They climbed up the one step and entered the house without knocking. I followed timidly after them.
他们跨上门口的一层台阶，没有敲门就走了进去，我怯生生地跟在他们后面。
“That’s okay. I won’t forget.”
“没关系，我不会忘记的。”
Embry opened the truck door and inhaled. “Mmm, Emily’s cooking.”
恩布里推开车门，深深吸了口气：“恩，艾米丽在做饭。”
At the end of the lane was a tiny house that had once been gray. There was only one narrow window beside the weathered blue door, but the window box under it was filled with bright orange and yellow marigolds, giving the whole place a cheerful look.
泥路的尽头是一所小房子，房屋上灰色的油漆几乎脱落殆尽。褪了色的蓝色大门旁有一扇窄窄的窗户，窗台下种了一排鲜艳的橘黄色金盏花，花给这个地方添了些明亮的色彩。
“Our pleasure.” He sounded like he meant that in a literal sense.
“不用谢。”他略带自豪地说道。
“Oh. Um, thanks. I’m glad you didn’t wait.”
“哦。谢谢，幸亏你们没有多等。”
Jared jumped out of the back of the truck and headed for the door, but Embry stopped him with one hand on his chest. He looked at me meaningfully, and cleared his throat.
杰瑞德跳下车，朝大门走去。恩布里用一只手拦在他胸前，意味深长地看着我，清了清嗓子。
“I don’t have my wallet on me,” Jared said.
“我没带钱包。”杰瑞德说道。
“Sorry.”
“抱歉。”
Embry drove past the easternmost house on the highway before turning off onto a narrow dirt road. “Your truck is slow,” he noted.
恩布里开过大陆最东面的房子，转弯绕进一条狭窄的泥路。“你的卡车真慢。”他说道。
The front room, like Billy’s house, was mostly kitchen. A young woman with satiny copper skin and long, straight, crow-black hair was standing at the counter by the sink, popping big muffins out of a tin and placing them on a paper plate. For one second, I thought the reason Embry had told me not to stare was because the girl was so beautiful.
这房子和比利家的差不多，客厅几乎是当厨房用。一个年轻女子站在水槽旁的餐桌边，取出罐子里松饼，把它们一个个摆在纸盘子上。她的铜色的皮肤光滑细腻，乌黑的长发柔顺自然。我顿时明白了恩布里为什么不让我盯着她看，因为这个女孩儿实在太漂亮了。
The right side of her face was scarred from hairline to chin by three thick, red lines, livid in color though they were long healed. One line pulled down the corner of her dark, almond-shaped right eye, another twisted the right side of her mouth into a permanent grimace.
右边的脸蛋上，从前额到下巴，有三道深深的红色疤痕。尽管伤口早已愈合，印记看上去还是很刺眼。其中一道伤痕从她那杏仁般的黑色眼睛边划下来，另一道扯住右边的嘴角，使她的右脸永远都是一副苦相。
And then she asked “You guys hungry?” in a melodic voice, and she turned to face us full on, a smile on half of her face.
“你们饿了吗？”她的声音温柔动人。她转过身正对着我们，只有左边的脸蛋上挂着笑容。
Thankful for Embry’s warning, I quickly turned my eyes to the muffins in her hands. They smelled wonderful — like fresh blueberries.
好在有恩布里事先的警告，我赶紧把目光转移到她手中的松饼上。松饼的问道闻上去棒极了——就像是新鲜草莓的香味。
“Leave it to Jacob to find a way around,” Emily murmured. She stared at me, and neither half of her once-beautiful face was friendly. “So, you’re the vampire girl.”
“一定是雅各布泄露了秘密。”艾米丽自言自语道。她盯着我，曾经楚楚动人的脸上没有丝毫友善，“那么，你是那个吸血鬼女孩儿。”
“Bella Swan,” Jared told her, shrugging. Apparently, I’d been a topic of conversation before. “Who else?”
“贝拉·斯旺，”杰瑞德告诉她，耸了耸肩。很显然，他们曾经谈论过我，“还能有谁？”
I looked up, trying to focus on the left half of her face.
我看着她，尽量把视线集中在她左边脸蛋上。
“Oh,” Emily said, surprised. “Who’s this?”
“噢，”艾米丽吃惊地问，“这位是谁？”
She laughed, as did Embry and Jared. The left half of her face warmed. “I guess I am.” She turned to Jared. “Where’s Sam?”
她笑了起来，恩布里和杰瑞德也笑了。她的左脸蛋看上去友好了许多。“我想我是的。”她转过身对着杰瑞德，“山姆呢？”
I stiffened. “Yes. Are you the wolf girl?”
我直起身子：“是的，你是巨狼女孩儿吗？”
“Save some for your brothers,” Emily chastised him, hitting him on the head with a wooden spoon. The word surprised me, but the others thought nothing of it.
“给你的兄弟们留一些。”艾米丽责怪道，她用木勺把儿敲了一下他的脑袋。她的话让我有些惊讶，但其他人都不以为然。
Emily rolled her good eye. “Ah, Paul,” she sighed. “Do you think they’ll be long? I was just about to start the eggs.”
艾米丽转了转她那双漂亮的眼睛。“啊，保罗，”她叹了口气，“你觉得他们还要都久才回来？我真准备煎鸡蛋。”
“Pig,” Jared commented.
“真是头猪。”杰德瑞责骂道。
Emily chuckled, and then opened the refrigerator. “No doubt,” she agreed. “Bella, are you hungry? Go ahead and help yourself to a muffin.”
艾米丽咯咯笑着，打开了冰箱。“毫无疑问，”她赞同道，“贝拉，你饿了吗？去吃点松饼吧。”
“Don’t worry,” Embry told her. “If they’re late, we won’t let anything go to waste.”
“别担心，”恩布里安慰她，“如果他们赶不上吃饭，我们也不会浪费任何粮食。”
“Bella, er, surprised Paul this morning.”
“贝拉，恩，刚才让保罗受惊了。”
“Thanks.” I took one from the plate and started nibbling around the edges. It was delicious, and it felt good in my tender stomach. Embry picked up his third and shoved it into his mouth whole.
“谢谢。”我从纸盘子上拿起一块松饼，一点点地吃起来。松饼的味道好极了，我那虚弱的胃立马恢复了元气。恩布里一口气吃掉了两个松饼，他又拿起了一个，整个吞了下去。
I leaned against the counter and watched the three of them banter like a family. Emily’s kitchen was a friendly place, bright with white cupboards and pale wooden floorboards.
我靠在餐桌边，看着他们三个人像一家人一样互相逗弄。艾米丽的厨房很温馨，白色的橱柜和浅色的地板将这个地方映衬得亮堂堂。
On the little round table, a cracked blue-and-white china pitcher was overflowing with wildflowers. Embry and Jared seemed entirely at ease here.
小小的圆桌上摆着一个带裂纹的蓝白相间的的瓷水罐，罐子里插满了五颜六色的野花，恩布里和杰瑞德在这里显得特别自在。
“Hey, none of that,” Jared complained. “I’m eating.”
“嘿，别这样，”杰瑞德抱怨道，“我在吃东西呢。”
Emily was mixing a humongous batch of eggs, several dozen, in a big yellow bowl. She had the sleeves of her lavender shirt pushed up, and I could see that the scars extended all the way down her arm to the back of her right hand. Hanging out with werewolves truly did have its risks, just as Embry had said.
艾米丽将好几打鸡蛋在一个黄色的大碗里捣碎。她卷起淡紫色衬衣的袖子，我这才看到那几道伤痕一直从她的胳膊延伸到她的右手手背上。和狼人待在一起是非常危险的，恩布里说的太对了。
The front door opened, and Sam stepped through.
大门打开了，山姆走了进来。
“Ugh,” Embry groaned.
“诶哟。”恩布里叫道。
“Emily,” he said, and so much love saturated his voice that I felt embarrassed, intrusive, as I watched him cross the room in one stride and take her face in his wide hands. He leaned down and kissed the dark scars on her right cheek before he kissed her lips.
“艾米丽，”她唤道，声音里满是浓浓的爱意我看着他大步穿过客厅，用宽厚的手掌捧起了她的脸，我感到有些尴尬，觉得自己似乎打扰到他们的二人世界。他弯下身子，亲吻了她右脸上的伤痕，又吻了吻她的唇。
“Then shut up and eat,” Sam suggested, kissing Emily’s ruined mouth again.
“那就闭上嘴好好吃。”山姆回应道，又吻了吻艾米丽受伤的嘴唇。
This was worse than any romantic movie; this was so real that it sang out loud with joy and life and true love. I put my muffin down and folded my arms across my empty chest. I stared at the flowers, trying to ignore the utter peace of their moment, and the wretched throbbing of my wounds.
这一切比任何爱情电影里的情节都完美，它是如此真实，充满了快乐、生命和真爱。我放下手中的松饼，在胸前抱着双臂。我盯着桌子上的野花，不去在意他们正在享受的安宁，也不去理会胸口难忍的疼痛。
“Don’t worry, I’m okay. Good muffins.” I picked mine back up and started nibbhrg again. My chest felt better as soon as Jacob was beside me.
“别担心，我很好，这松饼的味道不错。”我拿起我的那块松饼，又一点点地咬起来。有雅各布在身边，我的胸口不再那么痛。
Jacob scanned the room, his eyes stopping when he found me leaning, awkward and out of place, against the counter in the far corner of the kitchen.
雅各布将屋里扫视了一番，他的视线停在我身上。我笨拙地靠在厨房一角的餐桌边，同周围的气氛格格不入。
“Hey, Bells,” he greeted me cheerfully. He grabbed two muffins as he passed the table and came to stand beside me. “Sorry about before,” he muttered under his breath. “How are you holding up.'”
“嘿，贝儿，”他很高兴地向我打招呼，从桌上抓起两个松饼，走到我的身边，“刚才真抱歉，”他轻声地说，“你还好吧？”
I looked up, and he and Embry were examining a fading pink line on Paul’s forearm. Embry was grinning, exultant.
我朝他那边看去，他和恩布里正在察看保罗前臂上的一道红印。恩布里得意扬扬地笑了起来。
I was grateful for the distraction when Jacob and Paul came through the door, and then shocked when I saw that they were laughing. While I watched, Paul punched Jacob on the shoulder and Jacob went for a kidney jab in return. They laughed again. They both appeared to be in one piece.
我很庆幸雅各布和保罗走了进来分散了我的注意力，让我震惊的是他们俩竟然有说有笑。我看到保罗朝雅各布的肩上打了一拳，雅各布朝他腰上回击了一拳，两人开心的笑起来，好像什么事也没发生过。
“Oh, man!” Jared wailed, interrupting us.
“噢，天哪！”杰瑞德喊了起来，打断了我们的谈话。
“Did you do that?” I whispered to Jacob, remembering the bet.
“是你干的吗？”我低声地问雅各布，记起了恩布里和杰瑞德的赌注。
“Fifteen dollars,” he crowed.
“十五美元。”他欢叫道。
“I barely touched him. He’ll be perfect by sundown.”
“只是轻轻地碰了他一下，日落时伤口就会愈合。”
“And?” Jared asked.
“什么事？”杰瑞德问道。
“You okay?” I asked him under my breath.
“你没事吧？”我轻声地问他。
“Not a scratch on me.” His expression was smug.
“一点伤也没有。”他得意地答道。
“By sundown?” I looked at the line on Paul’s arm. Odd, but it looked weeks old.
“日落时？”我看着保罗的手臂。奇怪的是，这伤口似乎已经好得差不多了。
“I know what the redhead wants.” Jacob directed his words toward Jared and Embry. “That’s what I was trying to tell you before.” He kicked the leg of the chair Paul had settled into.
“我知道那个红头发的家伙想要什么。”雅各布冲着杰瑞德和恩布里说道，“这正是我刚才想要告诉你们的事情。”他踢了踢保罗坐着的椅子。
“Hey, guys,” Sam said in a loud voice, interrupting all the conversations going on in the small room.
“嘿，小伙子们，”山姆高声喊道，打断了屋子里所有人的谈话。
I nodded, trying to not look weirded out.
我点点头，尽量不让自己显出大惊小怪的样子。
Emily was at the stove, scraping the egg mixture around a big skillet, but Sam still had one hand touching the small of her back, an unconscious gesture. “Jacob has information for us.”
艾米丽站在炉子旁，将捣碎的鸡蛋倒在平底锅里，山姆的一只手自然地抚摸着她的后背，“雅各布有事情对我们说。”
Paul looked unsurprised. Jacob must have explained this to him and Sam already. Or… they’d just heard his thoughts.
保罗看上去一点儿也不吃惊。雅各布肯定已经对他和山姆解释过了，或者他们听到了雅各布内心的想法。
“Wolf thing,” Jacob whispered.
“这也是狼群的特性。”雅各布低语道。
Jacob’s face got serious. “She is trying to avenge her mate — only it wasn’t the black-haired leech we killed. The Cullens got her mate last year, and she’s after Bella now.”
雅各布的脸色变得十分严肃：“她正想法设法替他的爱人报仇——但不是我们杀死的那个黑发吸血鬼。去年，卡伦一家除掉了她的爱人，所以他现在想要的是贝拉。”
“She’s just a girl,” Embry protested.
“她只是个小女孩儿。”恩布里抗议道。
This wasn’t news to me, but I still shivered.
这对我来的说已经不是什么新鲜事了，但我还是忍不住一阵颤抖。
Jared, Embry, and Emily stared at me with open-mouthed surprise.
杰瑞德、恩布里和艾米丽张大了嘴巴，惊讶地盯着我。
With stunning speed, Jacob yanked a can opener from the counter and launched it at Jared’s head. Jared’s hand flicked up faster than I would have thought possible, and he snagged the tool just before it hit his face.
雅各布极其迅速地拿起餐桌上的开罐器，朝杰瑞德扔过去。杰瑞德的反应速度简直超乎我的想象，他抬起手，在开罐器快要打到他脸上的那一刻一把抓住了它。
“Bella is not bait.”
“贝拉不是诱饵。”
“So we’ll be changing oar patterns,” Sam said, ignoring their squabble. “We’ll try leaving a few holes, and see if she falls for it. We’ll have to split up, and I don’t like that. But if she’s really after Bella, she probably won’t try to take advantage of our divided numbers.”
“所以我们得改变方式，”山姆没有理睬他们的争吵，“我们可以在地上挖些陷阱，也许她会掉进去。我们不得不分头行动，虽然我不太喜欢这个主意。但是，如果她的真正目标是贝拉，她也许不会趁机袭击我们。”
“Excellent,” Jared finally said, a smile beginning to pull up the corners of his mouth. “We’ve got bait.”
“太好了，”杰瑞德终于开口说话，嘴角渐渐露出一丝笑容，“我们现在有诱饵了。”
“I didn’t say it made sense. But that’s why the bloodsucker’s been trying to get past us. She’s been heading for Forks.”
“我知道有些不可理喻，但这正是那个吸血鬼不断避开我们的原因，她的目的是福克斯。”
“You know what I mean,” Jared said, unabashed.
“你知道我是什么意思。”杰瑞德镇定地说。
They continued to stare at me, mouths still hanging open, for a long moment. I ducked my head.
他们张大嘴巴盯着我看了好久，我低下了头。
“Quit’s got to be close to joining us,” Embry murmured. “Then we’ll be able to split evenly.”
“奎尔就快要加入我们了，”恩布里低声说，“这样我们就能均分成两队。”
Everyone looked down. I glanced at Jacob’s face, and it was hopeless, like it had been yesterday afternoon, outside his house. No matter how comfortable they seemed to be with their fate, here in this happy kitchen, none of these werewolves wanted the same fate for their friend.
所有人都低下了头。我憋了一眼雅各布，他的脸上露出绝望的神情，就跟昨天在他家门口时一个样。在幸福、融洽的厨房里，这群狼人乐观、豁达地接受命运的安排，但是无论如何，他们都不希望自己的朋友也变成狼人。
“Well, we won’t count on that,” Sam said in a low voice, and then continued at his regular volume. “Paul, Jared, and Embry will take the outer perimeter, and Jacob and I will take the inner. We’ll collapse in when we’ve got her trapped.”
“算了，我们先不要这样想。”山姆压低嗓门说道，接着，他又恢复了平常的声音，“保罗、杰瑞德的恩布里负责外围防守，雅各布和我负责内线。如果她落入陷阱，我们就马上回合。”
Sam caught my eye. “Jacob thinks it would be best if you spent as much time as possible here in La Push. She won’t know where to find you so easily, just in case.”
山姆发现了我的不安：“雅各布认为你最好大部分时间都待在拉普西。虽然她不会这么容易就找到你，但我们得做好防范，以防万一。”
“What about Charlie?” I demanded.
“查理怎么办？”我问道。
I noticed that Emily didn’t particularly like that Sam would be in the smaller grouping. Her worry had me glancing up at Jacob, worrying, too.
我注意到艾米丽不太愿意山姆待在更加危险的内线，她担心的样子让我也着急地朝雅各布看了一眼。
“March Madness is still going,” Jacob said. “I think Billy and Harry can manage to keep Charlie down here when he’s not at work.”
“森林里的疯狂搜捕仍在继续，”雅各布说道，“我想比利和哈利有办法让查理下班后待在我们这里。”
Sam acted as if he hadn’t heard him speak. “If there was somewhere else you felt safe…”
山姆就好像没听见他说的话：“如果你觉得有其他更安全的地方……”
“Wait,” Sam said, holding one hand up. His glance flickered to Emily and then back to me. “That’s what Jacob thinks is best, but you need to decide for yourself. You should weigh the risks of both options very seriously. You saw this morning how easily things can get dangerous here, how quickly they get out of hand. If you choose to stay with us, I can’t make any guarantees about your safety.”
“等待？”山姆抬起一只手，他看了看艾米丽又看看我，“这是雅各布认为最好的办法，但是你必须自己做决定，你应该认真地衡量两种选择的危险性。你上午也看到了，待在这里也很危险，他们很容易就失去控制。如果你选择和我们在一起，我不能保证你百分之百安全。”
I bit my lip. Where could I go that wouldn’t put someone else in danger? I recoiled again from the idea of bringing Renee into this — pulling her into the circle of the target I wore…”I don’t want to lead Victoria anywhere else,” I whispered.
我咬着嘴唇。我去哪里才不会是任何人卷入危险之中呢？一想到蕾妮会牵扯进来，我就打了个冷战——把她拽进我所在的目标圈内……“我不想把维多利亚引到其他任何地方。”我轻声说。
Sam nodded. “That’s true. It’s better to have her here, where we can end this.”
山姆点点头：“的确如此，最好让她待在这里，我们就地了结。”
“I won’t hurt her,” Jacob mumbled, looking down.
“我不会伤害她。”雅各布嘟哝道，他埋下脑袋。
I flinched. I didn’t want Jacob or any of the rest of them trying to end Victoria. I glanced at Jake’s face; it was relaxed, almost the same as I remembered it from before the onset of the wolf thing, and utterly unconcerned by the idea of hunting vampires.
我又被吓得一阵颤抖。我不希望雅各布或者他们中的任何一个去同维多利亚作了结！我看了一眼杰克，他一脸轻松的样子，似乎又回到了那个变成狼人之前的雅各布，他对于追捕吸血鬼一点也不担心、不害怕。
“You’ll be careful, right?” I asked, an audible lump in my throat.
“你会小心的，对吗？”我声音哽咽地问道。
The boys burst into loud hoots of amusement. Everyone laughed at me — except Emily. She met my eyes, and I could suddenly see the symmetry underlying her deformity. Her face was still beautiful, and alive with a concern even more fierce than mine. I had to look away, before the love behind that concern could start me aching again.
这群男孩儿哄堂大笑，每个人都在笑我——除了艾米丽。她和我四目相对，我突然看到她毁容的那半儿脸的真实面貌。她的脸是那么美，脸上流露出的不安和焦虑甚至比我更强烈。我逼自己移开视线，因为那种不安和焦虑所掩盖的爱意已经让我的伤口隐隐作痛。
“Food’s ready,” she announced then, and the strategic conversation was history. The guys hurried to surround the table — which looked tiny and in danger of being crushed by them — and devoured the buffet-sized pan of eggs Emily placed in their midst in record time. Emily ate leaning against the counter like me — avoiding the bedlam at the table — and watched them with affectionate eyes. Her expression clearly stated that this was her family.
开饭啦。”她叫了一声，关于作战方案的讨论就此打住。男孩儿们都快速地围坐在餐桌边——餐桌显得太小了，似乎要被他们压垮——大口地吃着艾米丽放在他们中间的一大锅煎蛋。艾米丽和我靠在炉台边上吃——避开餐桌上的混战——她神情地看着他们，那表情分明在说这些男孩儿就是她的家人。
All in all, it wasn’t exactly what I’d been expecting from a pack of werewolves.
总的说来，我从没料想过狼人的生活是这个样子的。
I spent the day in La Push, the majority of it in Billy’s house. He left a message on Charlie’s phone and at the station, and Charlie showed up around dinnertime with two pizzas. It was good he brought two larges; Jacob ate one all by himself.
我在拉普西待了一天，大部分时间是在比利家。他给查理的电话和警局留言，查理在晚饭时间带来了两个比萨饼，幸好他买的是尺寸最大的比萨饼，雅各布一个人就吃下了一个。
I had no hope at all that she might just give up. I didn’t have that kind of luck.
我根本就不指望她打消进攻的念头，我没这么好运。
I knew that as soon as Charlie and I were headed home, Jacob would take off — off to run around as a wolf, as he had done intermittently through the entire day. He and his brothers of sorts kept up a constant watch, looking for some sign of Victoria’s return. But since they’d chased her away from the hot springs last night — chased her halfway to Canada, according to Jacob — she’d yet to make another foray.
我知道我和查理一回家，雅各布就会开始行动——变成一匹狼，在周围奔跑，他在白天偶尔也会这样。他和他的兄弟们毫不松懈的监视四周的动静，寻找维多利亚的蛛丝马迹。昨天晚上，他们已经把她赶出了温泉区——雅各布说把她赶往了加拿大——她还没开始新一轮的突然袭击。
“Don’t be afraid tonight,” Jacob said, while Charlie pretended to be having trouble with his seat belt. “We’ll be out there, watching.”
“今晚别害怕。”雅各布说道，查理还没发动他的车，假装安全带出了问题，“我们会在那儿，守着。”
“You’re silly. Hunting vampires is fun. It’s the best part of this whole mess.”
“你真傻。追捕吸血鬼是件乐事，这可是一顿乱摊子中最顺人心意的一部分了。”
Jacob walked me to my truck after dinner and lingered by the window, waiting for Charlie to drive away first.
晚饭后，雅各布送我上了我那辆小卡车，他在车窗边迟迟不肯离去，等查理把车开走。
I saw Charlie eyeing the two of us suspiciously all night, especially the much-changed Jacob. He asked about the hair; Jacob shrugged and told him it was just more convenient.
查理整晚都在用怀疑的眼光看着我们俩，特别是变化明显的雅各布。他问了问头发的事，雅各布耸了耸肩，告诉他这种发型更易于打理。
“I won’t worry about myself,” I promised.
“我不会为我自己担心的。”我承诺道。
“I’ll try.”
“我会的。”
Charlie honked his horn impatiently.
查理不耐烦地按了按喇叭。
I shook my head. “If I’m silly, then you’re dangerously unbalanced.”
我摇了摇头：“如果我傻，那你就头脑不正常。”
“See you tomorrow,” Jacob said. “Come down first thing.”
“明天见，”雅各布说，“明天一大早就过来。”
His face changed. “I hadn’t heard that he and Emily had made it official. That’s nice. Poor girl.”
他变了脸色：“我倒没听说他和艾米丽订婚的事，真是件喜事，那女孩儿太可怜了。”
“I don’t know — who can understand teenage boys? They’re a mystery. But I met Sam Uley and his fiancee, Emily. The seemed pretty nice to me.” I shrugged. “Must have all been a misunderstanding.”
“我不知道——谁能了解这些小男孩儿呢？他们总是神秘兮兮的。我今天见到山姆？乌利和他的未婚妻艾米丽，他们对我很好，”我耸耸肩，“以前的事也许都是些误会吧。”
Charlie followed me home. I paid scant attention to the lights in my rearview mirror. Instead, I wondered where Sam and Jared and Embry and Paul were, out running in the night. I wondered if Jacob had joined them yet.
查理开车跟在我后面，他的车灯照在我的后视镜上，我却没留意到。我心里想的是山姆、杰瑞德、恩布里、保罗他们晚上会在哪里，雅各布会不会同他们在一起。
“What’s going on, Bella?” he demanded before I could escape. “I thought Jacob was part of a gang and you two were fighting.”
“发生了什么事，贝拉？”他在我逃开之前问道，“我以为雅各布参加了什么帮派，你们两个为此吵的很凶。”
“We made up.”
“我们和好了。”
“And the gang?”
“那个帮派是怎么回事？”
When we got home, I hurried for the stairs, but Charlie was right behind me.
一回到家里，我就匆匆朝楼梯走去，但查理紧跟在我身后。
He chuckled. “Get some rest, Bella, honey. You look exhausted.”
他咯咯笑了起来：“好好休息，贝拉，亲爱的，你看上去精疲力竭。”
“I will.”
“知道了。”
“Do you know what happened to her?”
“你知道发生了什么事吗？”
That night, I lay awake for a long time trying to sort through the day. I worked my way backward through dinner with Billy, Jacob, and C harlie, to the long afternoon in the Blacks’ house, waiting anxiously to hear something from Jacob, to Emily’s kitchen, to the horror of the werewolf fight, to talking with Jacob on the beach.
那天夜里，我躺在床上久久不能入睡。我想着白天发生的事情：和比利、雅各布、查理共进晚餐，在布莱克家焦急等待雅各布的漫长午后，艾米丽家的厨房，可怕的狼人之战，与雅各布在海滩边的谈话。
“That’s horrible,” I echoed. More than a year ago. I’d bet that meant it had happened when there was just one werewolf in La Push. I shuddered at the thought of how Sam must have felt every time he looked at Emily’s face.
“太恐怖了。”我重复道。一年多以前，我敢说那时候拉普西只有一个狼人。一想到山姆每次看到艾米丽的心情，我就不寒而栗。
“Mauled by a bear, up north, during salmon spawning season — horrible accident It was more than a year ago now. I heard Sam was really messed up over it.”
“她被一头熊抓伤，在靠北面的地方，那时正是马哈鱼产卵的季节——恐怖的意外事故。到现在差不多一年多了，我听说山姆为了这事心情一团糟。”
I thought about what Jacob had said early this morning, about hypocrisy. I thought about that for a long time. I didn’t like to think that I was a hypocrite, only what was the point of lying to myself?
我想起了雅各布早上所说的话，关于伪君子的那部分，我想了好久，我不愿意把自己认作伪君子，可是，对自己说谎又有什么意义呢？
I curled into a tight ball. No, Edward wasn’t a killer. Even in his darker past, he’d never been a murderer of innocents, at least.
我蜷缩成一团。不，爱德华不是杀人凶手，即使他有着灰暗的过去，他至少从不伤及无辜。
But what if he had been? What if, during the time I that I’d known him, he’d been just like any other vampire? What if people had been disappearing from the woods, just like now? Would that have kept me away from him?
但是，如果他曾经伤及无辜，我会怎么办？如果我和他一起的那段时间里，他和其他吸血鬼一样杀人不眨眼，我会怎么办？我会因为这些原因离他而去吗？
I shook my head sadly. Love is irrational, I reminded myself. The more you loved someone, the less sense anything made.
我伤心地摇摇头。爱是没有理智的，我提醒自己。你越爱一个人，你就越缺乏理智。
I rolled over and tried to think of something else — and I thought of Jacob and his brothers, out running in the darkness. I fell asleep imagining the wolves, invisible in the night, guarding me from danger. When I dreamed, I stood in the forest again, but I didn’t wander. I was holding Emily’s scarred hand as we faced into the shadows and waited anxiously for our werewolves to come home.
我翻了个身，试着想想其他事情——我想到雅各布和他的兄弟们正在黑暗中奔跑，我想象隐匿在夜色中的狼群正在守护着我，我渐渐入睡。梦里，我又一次来到了森林中，但这一次我没有走动，而是静静地站在那里。我牵着艾米丽那只伤痕累累的手，我们眼望着面前阴郁的森林。焦急地等待着我们的狼人归家。
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