This kiss frightened me. There was too much tension, too strong an edge to the way his lips crushed mine — like he was afraid we only had so much time left to us.
这个吻令我感到害怕。他的唇与我的吻合在一起的时候那种渴望太紧张，太用力了——就好像他很害怕我们只剩下这么一点儿时间一样。
“Bella?”
“贝拉？”
Edward’s soft voice came from behind me. I turned to see him spring lightly up the porch steps, his hair windblown from running. He pulled me into his arms at once, just like he had in the parking lot, and kissed me again.
爱德华温柔的声音从我身后传来。我转过身看见他敏捷地从门廊台阶上一跃而下，他的头发迎风飘扬起来。他立刻把我揽人怀中，就像他在停车场那样，再次亲吻我。
“Let’s get this stupid party over with,” I mumbled, not meeting his eyes.
“让我们熬过这个愚蠢的派对吧。”我咕哝着道，没看他的眼睛。
I couldn’t let myself think about that. Not if I was going to have to act human for the next several hours. I pulled away from him.
我无法让自己思考那些，不去想我是否只剩下几个小时当人类了。我挣脱他。
He put his hands on either side of my face, waiting until I looked up. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
他双手捧着我的脸，一直等到我抬起头看着他：“我不会让任何事发生在你身上的。”
I touched his lips with the fingers of my good hand. “I’m not worried about myself so much.”
我用没受伤的那只手的手指抚摸着他的嘴唇：“我对自己并不是那么担心。”
“Why am I not surprised by that?” he muttered to himself. He took a deep breath, and then he smiled slightly. “Ready to celebrate?” he asked.
“为什么我对此没那么吃惊呢？”他自言自语地咕哝道，深深吸了一口气，然后轻松地笑了起来，“准备好庆祝了吗？”他问道。
He held the door for me, keeping his arm securely around my waist. I stood frozen there for a minute, then I slowly shook my head. “Unbelievable.”
他为我打开门，牢牢地搂住我的腰。我呆呆地站在那里许久，然后才慢慢地摇头：简直不敢相信。”
I groaned.
我呻吟起来。
Edward shrugged. “Alice will be Alice.”
爱德华耸耸肩：“爱丽丝就是爱丽丝。”
“You’ll do,” Alice amended.
“你会的。”爱丽丝更正道。
The interior of the Cullens’ home had been transformed into a nightclub — the kind that didn’t often exist in real life, only on TV.
卡伦家的内部被改装成了夜总会——在现实世界里不经常存在，只有电视里才有的那种。
“Keep it comforting,” Edward recommended. “You can only lead the horse to water.”
“放一些舒缓的吧，”爱德华建议道，“牵马到河易，强马饮水难。”
“Thanks.” I sighed. “Do you really think people will come?” Anyone could hear the hope in my voice. Alice made a face at me.
“谢谢，”我叹气道，“你真的认为人们会来吗？”谁都可以听出我语气中的希望。爱丽丝冲我扮了个鬼脸。
Alice nodded seriously, and started throwing the educational CDs into a box. I noticed that she had changed into a sequined tank top and red leather pants. Her bare skin reacted oddly to the pulsing red and purple lights.
爱丽丝认真地点点头，开始把教育型的CD唱片装进盒子里。我注意到她换上一条装饰着小圆金属片的上衣，红色的皮裤。裸露在外面的皮肤在跳动的红绿灯影下产生一种奇特的效果。
“Edward!” Alice called from beside a gigantic speaker. “I need your advice.” She gestured toward a towering stack of CDs. “Should we give them familiar and comforting? Or” — she gestured to a different pile — “educate their taste in music?”
“爱德华！”爱丽丝在巨型的扬声器旁边叫道，“我需要你的建议。”她指着堆集如塔一样的一堆CD唱片，“我们应该让他们听一些熟悉的，舒缓的？还是——”她指着另外一堆，对他们进行品味音乐的教育？”
“Everyone will come,” Edward answered. “They’re all dying to see the inside of the reclusive Cullens’ mystery house.”
“每个人都会来，”爱德华回答道，“他们都迫不及待地想要看一看隐居的卡伦家族神秘的房子内部呢。”
“I think I’m underdressed.”
“我想我穿得有些不太得体。”
“You’re perfect,” Edward disagreed.
“你好极了。”爱德华不认同地说道。
“Fabulous,” I moaned.
“真是特别令人高兴啊！”我呻吟道。
There wasn’t anything I could do to help. I doubted that — even after I didn’t need sleep and moved at a much faster speed — I would ever be able to get things done the way Alice did.
没有什么事情我帮得上忙的。我怀疑——即使在我不需要睡眠之后，能以更快的速度行动——我是否能像爱丽丝那样把事情打理得井井有条。
Edward refused to let me go for a second, dragging me along with him as he hunted up Jasper and then Carlisle to tell them of my epiphany. I listened with quiet horror as they discussed their attack on the army in Seattle. I could tell that Jasper was not pleased with the way the numbers stood, but they’d been unable to contact anyone besides Tanya’s unwilling family. Jasper didn’t try to hide his desperation the way Edward would have. It was easy to see that he didn’t like gambling with stakes this high.
爱德华不让我离开一小会儿，把我拖在他身边和他一起去找贾斯帕，然后是卡莱尔，告诉他们我对那件事情的领悟。我听他们讨论如何袭击西雅图的军队时，暗自感到害怕。我敢说贾斯帕对人数方面不是很满意，但是他们又不能联系不愿意帮忙的坦妮娅家族以外的其他人。贾斯帕并没有试图掩饰他的绝望，爱德华之前也有过这样的反应。很容易看出来他不喜欢下风险如此高的赌注。
I couldn’t stay behind, waiting and hoping for them to come home. I wouldn’t. I would go mad.
我不能袖手旁观，等待着，希望他们回家。我不会，我会疯掉的。
All at once, everything was surreally normal. A perfect smile, genuine and warm, replaced the stress on Carlisle’s face. Alice turned the volume of the music up, and then danced to get the door.
顷刻间，所有的一切都变得离奇的正常了，完美的微笑、真诚而温暖取代了卡莱尔脸上的紧张。爱丽丝调高了音乐的音量，接着轻快地跑去开门。
The doorbell rang.
这时候门铃响了。
It was a Suburban load of my friends, either too nervous or too intimidated to arrive on their own. Jessica was the first one in the door, with Mike right behind her. Tyler, Conner, Austin, Lee, Samantha… even Lauren trailing in last, her critical eyes alight with curiosity. They all were curious, and then overwhelmed as they took in the huge room decked out like a chic rave. The room wasn’t empty; all the Cullens had taken their places, ready to put on their usual perfect human charade. Tonight I felt like I was acting every bit as much as they were.
是一群我郊区的朋友，他们要么是因为紧张，要么是因为害怕不敢单独过来。杰西卡第一个出现在门口，迈克站在她右边，泰勒、科纳、奥斯汀、李、萨曼塔……就连劳伦也跟在最后面，她挑剔的眼睛里绽放着好奇的目光。他们全都很好奇，接着当装扮得像别致的卡车围墙一样的巨大房间尽收眼底时，他们全都变得感叹万分起来。房子里不是空的，所有卡伦家的人都各就各位，准备上演他们平时就伪装得尽善尽美的表演。今夜，我感觉自己也和他们一样在演戏。
I didn’t get another chance to panic. I had to talk to everyone, concentrate on being upbeat, a hostess. Though the party had been billed as a joint event for Alice, Edward, and me, there was no denying that I was the most popular target for congratulations and thanks. Maybe because the Cullens looked just slightly wrong under Alice’s party lights. Maybe because those lights left the room dim and mysterious. Not an atmosphere to make your average human feel relaxed when standing next to someone like Emmett. I saw Emmett grin at Mike over the food table, the red lights gleaming off his teeth, and watched Mike take an automatic step back.
我根本没有机会感到恐慌。我得跟大家说话，全身心地保持欢乐的心情，像女主人一样。尽管这场派对宣传的时候是为爱丽丝、爱德华和我一起开的，不可否认，大家都纷纷向我表示祝贺和感谢，一时间我成了众人瞩目的焦点。或许是因为卡伦家的人在爱丽丝准备的派对灯光下显得略微有些不对劲儿吧。这种灯光使得普通人站在像埃美特这样的人身旁时很难感到放松。我看见埃美特在餐桌对面朝迈克露齿一笑，红色的灯光在他的牙齿上闪烁，我注意到迈克不假思索地往后退了一步。
I went to greet Jess and Mike, hoping the edge in my voice sounded like the right kind of excitement. Before I could get to anyone else, the bell rang again. I let Angela and Ben in, leaving the door wide, because Eric and Katie were just reaching the steps.
我走过去欢迎杰西和迈克，希望我声音中的热情听起来是恰如其分的兴奋。我还没招呼好其他人，门铃又响了。我请安吉拉和本进来，让门敞开着，因为埃里克和凯蒂正好在上台阶。
Probably Alice had done this on purpose, to force me into the center of attention — a place she thought I should enjoy more. She was forever trying to make me be human the way she thought humans should be.
可能爱丽丝是故意这么做的，逼我成为大家注意力的中心——她以为我应该会更加享受这个位置的。她总是乐此不疲地使我成为她眼中的人类的样子。
The party was a clear success, despite the instinctive edginess cause by the Cullens’ presence — or maybe that simply added a thrill to the atmosphere. The music was infectious, the lights almost hypnotic. From the way the food disappeared, that must have been good, too. The room was soon crowded, though never claustrophobic. The entire senior class seemed to be there, along with most of the juniors. Bodies swayed to the beat that rumbled under the soles of their feet, the party constantly on the edge of breaking into a dance.
派对显然很成功，尽管他们因为卡伦家的人在场本能地感到不安——或许那恰恰使气氛变得更加刺激了。音乐现在变得很有感染力了，灯光也差不多产生了催眠的效果。从食物消失的速度来看，那肯定也不错。整个房间都人头攒动，不过，一点儿也不会因为挤在这封闭的空间里感到不舒服。整个毕业班似乎都到了，还有一些二年级的学生。他们伴随着脚下音乐的节拍摆动着身体，派对一直处在一种就要开始翩翩起舞的气氛之中。
It wasn’t as hard as I’d thought it would be. I followed Alice’s lead, mingling and chatting for a minute with everyone. They seemed easy enough to please. I was sure this party was far cooler than anything the town of Forks had experienced before. Alice was almost purring — no one here would forget this night.
一切并没有我想的那样难以应付，我跟着爱丽丝融入进去和大家聊天。让他们感到高兴似乎很容易，我确定这场派对比福克斯镇上所举办的任何派对都要酷得多。爱丽丝几乎得意洋洋起来——没有人会忘记今晚的。
I’d circled the room once, and was back to Jessica. She babbled excitedly, and it was not necessary to pay strict attention, because the odds were she wouldn’t need a response from me anytime soon. Edward was at my side — still refusing to let go of me. He kept one hand securely at my waist, pulling me closer now and then in response to thoughts I probably didn’t want to hear.
我已经绕着屋子走了一圈，又回到杰西卡这里了。她兴奋不已地叽叽喳喳说个不停，没有必要特别注意，因为最可能的是她在短时间内不需要我做出什么反应。爱德华一直陪在我身边——还是不愿意放开我。他一只手紧紧地搂住我的腰，当我可能不想听见别人的想法的时候，他会时不时地把我拉得离他更近一些。
So I was immediately suspicious when he dropped his arm and edged away from me.
所以当他松开胳膊，从我身边缓缓走开的时候我立即心生疑窦。
He passed gracefully through the crowd without seeming to touch any of the close-packed bodies, gone too quickly for me to ask why he was leaving. I stared after him with narrowed eyes while Jessica shouted over the music eagerly, hanging on to my elbow, oblivious to my distraction.
他优雅地穿过人群，似乎没有碰到紧紧挨在一起的人群一样，他离开得很快，我根本来不及问他为什么离开。我眯着眼睛盯着他，而杰西卡则和着音乐热切地大声嚷嚷着，她紧紧抓住我的胳膊，没注意到我走神。
“Stay here,” he murmured in my ear. “I’ll be right back.”
“待在这儿，”他在我耳边低语道，“我马上就回来。”
I watched him as he reached the dark shadow beside the kitchen doorway, where the lights only shone intermittently. He was leaning over someone, but I couldn’t see past all the heads between us.
我看着他走进厨房门口的黑色阴影里，那里只是断断续续地闪烁着灯光。他斜倚在谁身上，但是中间挡着很多人头，我看不清楚。
I stretched up on my toes, craning my neck. Right then, a red light flashed across his back and glinted off the red sequins of Alice’s shirt. The light only touched her face for half a second, but it was enough.
我踮起脚，伸长脖子。就在那时，一道红色的光线掠过他的脸，从爱丽丝衬衫上的红色圆形饰物上闪过。灯光只在她脸上停了半秒钟，但是这就足够了。
“Excuse me for a minute, Jess,” I mumbled, pulling my arm away. I didn’t pause for her reaction, even to see if I’d hurt her feelings with my abruptness.
“失陪一会儿，杰西。”我低声说道，推开她走过去。我也没停下来看她的反应，甚至没有来得及看我唐突的反应是否伤害到她的感情。
I ducked my way through the bodies, getting shoved around a bit. A few people were dancing now. I hurried to the kitchen door.
我弯着腰穿过人群，还得时不时地推一下他们。现在有几个人开始跳起舞来，我匆忙地赶到厨房门口。
Edward was gone, but Alice was still there in the dark, her face blank — the kind of expressionless look you see on the face of someone who has just witnessed a horrible accident. One of her hands gripped the door frame, like she needed the support.
爱德华已经不在那儿了，但是爱丽丝还藏在黑暗中，她一脸茫然不知所措——那种面无表情的神色常常出现在刚刚目睹过一场可怕的事故的人脸上。她一只手抓紧门框，好像她需要支撑一样。
“What, Alice, what? What did you see?” My hands were clutched in front of me — begging.
“怎么啦，爱丽丝，怎么啦？你看见什么啦？”我双手紧紧地握在胸前——哀求她。
She didn’t look at me, she was staring away. I followed her gaze and watched as she caught Edward’s eye across the room. His face was empty as a stone. He turned and disappeared into the shadows under the stair.
她没有看我，眼睛盯着别的地方。我跟随她的目光，注意到她看见爱德华的眼睛扫过房间。他的脸像石头一样空洞，他转过身，消失在楼梯下面的阴影里。
The doorbell rang just then, hours after the last time, and Alice looked up with a puzzled expression that quickly turned into one of disgust.
就在那时门铃响了，离上次门铃响已经过了几个小时了，爱丽丝满脸疑惑地抬起头，忽然她的脸色变成了讨厌的神情。
“Who invited the werewolf?” she griped at me.
“谁邀请了狼人？”她向我抱怨道。
I knew this was it. Alice had seen what she’d been waiting for, and I honestly didn’t feel I could stand the suspense long enough to answer the door. The doorbell peeled again, too long, someone holding down the button. I turned my back toward the door resolutely, and scanned the darkened room for Alice.
我知道就是这样。爱丽丝看见了她一直在等待的事情，老实说我并不觉得自己能忍受这样的悬念，有足够的勇气去开门。门铃又响了起来，响得很久，有人一直按住按钮了。我坚决地转过身朝门口走去，在黑黢黢的屋子里扫视着爱丽丝的身影。
Jacob’s deep voice caught a lull in the music, and I looked up in spite of myself at the sound of my name.
雅各布深沉的声音使音乐顿时停顿下来，听见有人喊我的名字我不由自主地抬起了头。
I made a face.
我扮了个鬼脸。
“No, Alice, wait!” I tried to reach for her arm, but she was gone and my hand clutched the empty air.
“不，爱丽丝，等一等！”我想拉住她的胳膊，但是她已经走了，我的手只抓住一团空气。
I couldn’t see anything. I started pushing for the stairs.
我什么也看不见，开始摸索楼梯。
It wasn’t just one werewolf, it was three. Jacob had let himself in, flanked on either side by Quil and Embry. The two of them looked terribly tense, their eyes flickering around the room like they’d just walked into a haunted crypt. Embry’s trembling hand still held the door, his body half-turned to run for it.
可不只是一个狼人，有三个。雅各布让自己进来，左右两边分别是吉尔和安布里，他们两个人看起来都非常紧张，他们的眼睛在屋子里扫来扫去，就好像他们刚刚走进一座闹鬼的教堂地下室一样。安布里颤抖的手仍然放在门上，他半转过身去拉住门。
I’d thought I’d rescinded that invitation — not that I’d ever dreamed Jacob would come here, regardless.
我以为我已经收回了邀请——不管怎样，我怎么也没想到稚各布会来这儿。
“Hey, Bella!”
“嘿，贝拉！”
“Well, you go take care of it, then. I have to talk to Carlisle.”
“好吧，那么你去处理这一切，我得跟卡莱尔谈一谈。”
I scowled. “Guilty.”
我低声吼道：“很抱歉。”
“Damn it!” I grumbled.
“该死！”我嘟嚷着说。
He came out of nowhere, his hand on my shoulder pulling me back toward the shadow by the kitchen. I ducked under his grip, but he grabbed my good wrist and yanked me from the crowd.
他不知道从哪里冒出来的，一把拉住我的肩膀把我拖回到厨房旁边的阴影里。我被他拉着弯下腰，但是他把我的手腕拉得紧紧地，一把把我拖出人群。
Jacob was waving at me, calmer than the others, though his nose was wrinkled in disgust. I waved back — waved goodbye — and turned to look for Alice. I squeezed through a space between Conner’s and Lauren’s backs.
雅各布朝我挥挥手，比其他人要平静一些，尽管他的鼻子因为厌恶皱了起来。我也向他挥挥手——向他挥手道别——然后转身去找爱丽丝。我在科纳和劳伦背后的空间里眯着眼睛四处寻找。
“Friendly reception,” he noted.
“真是友好的接待啊。”他强调道。
I pulled my hand free and scowled at him. “What are you doing here?”
我抽出我的手，对他吼道：“你到这里来干什么？”
“In case my right hook was too subtle for you, let me translate: that was me uninviting you.”
“在你无法理解我的本意的情况下，容我解释一下：那是我不邀请你的意思。”
“You invited me, remember?”
“你邀请我了，还记得吗？”
I folded my arms across my chest. I didn’t want to fight with Jacob right now. I wanted to know what Alice had seen and what Edward and Carlisle were saying about it. I craned my head around Jacob, searching for them.
我双臂抱在胸前，现在不想和雅各布吵架。我想知道爱丽丝看见了什么，爱德华和卡莱尔对此会说些什么。我从雅各布旁边探出头，寻找他们。
“Take it back to the store, Jake. I’ve got to do something…”
“退给商店，杰克，我现在要做点事……”
“Don’t be a poor sport. I brought you a graduation present and everything.”
“别那么不讨人喜欢，我给你带来了毕业礼物，就是为这个才来的。”
He stepped into my line of sight, demanding my attention.
他走过来挡住我的视线，逼着我看着他。
“Oh, c’mon, Bell. Don’t pretend like I’m not here!”
“噢，别这样，贝拉，别假装我不在这儿！”
I jerked away from his touch. “Keep your hands to yourself, Jacob,” I hissed.
我猛地挣脱他的触碰，“手离我远一点，雅各布。”我嘘声道。
He put his hand under my chin and pulled my face up. “Could I please have just a few seconds of your undivided attention, Miss Swan?”
他用一只手托住我的下巴，抬起我的头。“我能请你不要走神，集中注意力一会儿吗，斯旺小姐？”
“Fine. Apology accepted. Now, if you’ll just excuse me for a moment…”
“好吧，道歉接受了。现在，如果我可以失陪一下的话……”
“I’m not.” I couldn’t see them anywhere. “Look, Jake, I’ve got a lot on my mind right now.”
“我没有，”我到处都没看见他们，“瞧，杰克，现在我脑子里千头万绪。”
“Sorry!” he said at once, holding his hands up in surrender. “I really am sorry. About the other day, I mean, too. I shouldn’t have kissed you like that. It was wrong. I guess… well, I guess I deluded myself into thinking you wanted me to.”
“对不起！”他立即举起手投降道，“我真的很抱歉。我的意思是，为前几天的事情。我不应该像那样吻你的，那样不对。我猜……好吧，我自欺欺人地以为你想我那么做的。”
“Be nice. You could accept my apology, you know.”
“友好一点，你知道，你可以接受我的道歉的。”
“Okay,” he mumbled, and his voice was so different from before that I stoppd searching for Alice and scrutinized his face. He was staring at the floor, hiding his eyes. His lower lip jutted out just a little bit.
“好吧。”他嘟哝道，他的声音跟之前完全不一样，我停止寻找爱丽丝去端详他的脸。他盯着地板，掩饰自己的眼神，他的下嘴唇有些突了出来。
I leaned around him again, but I couldn’t see any of the Cullens. Where had they gone? My eyes scanned the darkened room.
我又从他旁边探出身子，但是没看见卡伦家的人。他们去哪里了？我的眼睛在暗下来的房间里搜寻。
“Deluded — what a perfect description!”
“自欺欺人——多么完美的描述啊！”
“I can’t take it back. I didn’t get it from the store — I made it myself. Took a really long time, too.”
“我不能退回。我不是从商店里买的——我自己做的，而且也花了很长时间。”
I had some trouble with the strings. He sighed again and took it from me, sliding the ties open with one easy tug of the right cord. I held my hand out for it, but he turned the bag upside down and shook something silver into my hand. Metal links clinked quietly against each other.
我解不开绳子，他又叹了叹气，从我手中拿过来，轻松地拉下右边的绳子解开了袋子。我伸出手要他给我，但是他让袋子口朝下，摇晃一下，一个银色的东西落在我手上，金属链子轻轻地彼此碰撞发出清脆的叮当声。
“Oh.”
“哦。”
“Right,” he grumbled sarcastically. But he also reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a small bag of a loose-woven, multi-colored fabric. It was tied shut with leather drawstrings. He set it on my palm.
“好吧。”他挖苦地嘟囔道，但是他也伸出手在牛仔裤的后口袋里拉出一个小袋子，编织得很松散但却五彩斑斓，紧紧地系在一根皮质细绳上，他把它放在我的手掌上。
“You should. ” I leaned forward, peering up, trying to look into his eyes. He looked up then, over my head, avoiding my gaze.
“你有。”我探身过去，眯着眼睛抬头想要看透他的眼神。他在我上方抬起头，躲避我的眼神。
He refused to look at me.
他不想看我。
I groaned. “Aw, Jake, you know that’s not fair.”
我抱怨道：“啊，杰克，你知道这样说不公平。”
“Hey, you said you made me something, right?” I asked. “Was that just talk? Where’s my present?” My attempt to fake enthusiasm was pretty sad, but it worked. He rolled his eyes and then grimaced at me.
“嘿，你说你给我做了个东西，是不是？”我问道，“是不是只是随便说说的？我的礼物在哪里？”我假装热情的努力非常悲哀，但是却很有用。他转动一下眼睛，接着冲我扮了个鬼脸。
I kept up the lame pretense, holding my hand open in front of me. “I’m waiting.”
我继续笨拙地假装，伸出手：“我等着呢。”
He sighed. “The present is inside, Bella.”
他叹气道：“礼物在里面，贝拉。”
“Hey, that’s pretty, Jake. Thanks!”
“嗨，很漂亮，杰克，谢谢！”
“Jake?”
“杰克？”
“Do I?”
“我有吗？”
“I guess you’d rather be with your real friends,” he said in the same defeated tone. “I get it.”
“我猜你宁愿和你真正的朋友们在一起，”他用同样挫败的El吻说道，“我明白了。”
Fastened to one of the links of the silver bracelet was a tiny wooden carving. I held it between my fingers to look at it closer. It was amazing the amount of detail involved in the little figurine — the miniature wolf was utterly realistic. It was even carved out of some red-brown wood that matched the color of his skin.
一个小小的木雕紧紧地系在银色手链的一根链子上。我用两个手指头捏住，想靠近一点把它看清楚。这个小雕像上浮现出诸多细节让人惊叹不已——这个小型的狼十分逼真，它甚至是用跟它的肤色相匹配的红棕色木头雕刻而成的。
He smiled, happily at first, but then the expression soured. “Well, I figured that maybe it would make you remember me once in a while. You know how it is, out of sight, out of mind.”
他微笑起来，和刚开始一样开心，接着他的表情又变得酸溜溜的：“好吧，我猜或许这会令你偶尔想起我。你知道这是怎么回事，眼不见，心不烦。”
“It’s beautiful,” I whispered. “You made this? How?”
“很漂亮，”我轻声说，“你做的这个？怎么做的？”
“I didn’t make the bracelet,” he admitted. “Just the charm.”
“手链不是我做的，”他承认道，“我只做了装饰品。”
“That’s hard to believe,” I murmured, turning the tiny wolf around and around in my fingers.
“难以置信。”我低声咕哝道，用手指转动着这只微型狼。
He shrugged. “It’s something Billy taught me. He’s better at it than I am.”
他耸耸肩：“是比利教给我的，他比我更擅长这种活计。”
“Do you really like it?”
“你真的很喜欢？”
I ignored the attitude. “Here, help me put it on.”
我对他的态度视而不见：“过来，帮我戴上。”
“Yes! It’s unbelievable, Jake.”
“是的！这简直不可思议，杰克。”
I held out my left wrist, since the right was stuck in the brace. He fastened the catch easily, though it looked too delicate for his big fingers to manage.
我伸出左手腕，因为右手已经戴上链子了。他轻松地系上搭扣，尽管它看起来那么精致，他那大大的手指很难做到。
“It’s nothing,” I lied, trying to concentrate. “Thanks for the present, really. I love it.”
“没什么，”我撒谎道，努力集中注意力，“谢谢你的礼物，真的，我很喜欢。”
Understanding lit his expression. “The psychic saw something.”
理解在他的脸上闪亮起来：“那个变态看见什么了？”
He grinned at me — it was the happy smile that I loved to see him wear.
他朝我露齿一笑——我喜欢看见他脸上挂着的开心笑容。
He was probably right; the wolves would certainly be interested in what was happening. Only I wasn’t sure what that was yet. I wouldn’t know for sure until I found Alice.
他或许是对的，狼人们肯定也会对正在发生的事情感兴趣的。我只是还不确定到底发生了什么事，在我找到爱丽丝之前我肯定是无法得知的。
“Jake, I… no, there’s nothing.”
“杰克，我……不，没什么。”
I returned it for a moment, but then my eyes shot reflexively around the room again, anxiously scanning the crowd for some sign of Edward or Alice.
我也冲他笑了笑，但是接着我的眼睛又条件反射地看向房间，焦急不安地在人群中寻找爱德华或爱丽丝的踪影。
“Of course I will.”
“我当然会戴。”
“Don’t lie to me, you suck at lying. You should tell me what’s going on. We want to know these things,” he said, slipping into the plural at the end.
“不要对我撒谎，你不擅长说谎。你应该告诉我发生了什么事，我们想要知道这些事情。”他说道，最后“我”变成了“我们”。
“Bella?” His brows pulled together, throwing his eyes deep into their shadow. “Something’s going on, isn’t it?”
“贝拉？”他的眉毛紧皱在一起，．眼睛深深地藏在眼窝里，“发生了什么事，是不是？”
“Jacob, I will tell you. Just let me figure out what’s happening, okay? I need to talk to Alice.”
“雅各布，我会告诉你的。只不过让我弄清楚发生了什么事，好吗？我得跟爱丽丝谈一谈。”
“Why’re you so distracted?” Jacob wondered.
“你为什么注意力这么不集中啊？”雅各布好奇地问道。
“You’ll wear it?” he asked.
“你会戴吗？”他问道。
“It’s related,” I admitted.
“是有关系的。”我承认道。
Jacob stared at me for one short moment, and then turned to catch his pack brothers’ eyes where they stood in the entry, awkward and uncomfortable. When they took in his expression, they started moving, weaving their way agilely through the partiers, almost like they were dancing, too. In half a minute, they stood on either side of Jacob, towering over me.
雅各布盯着我看了一会儿，接着转身直视他的狼人兄弟们的眼神，他们站在门口既笨拙又不安。当他们领会了他的表情后就开始行动起来，他们行动敏捷，迂回地穿过参加派对的人群，就像他们也在跳舞一样。半分钟后，他们又站在雅各布的两旁，矗立在我面前。
“What you do know, then.”
“那么，你确实知道什么。”
What was the point in lying again? He knew me too well. “Yes.”
撒谎又有什么意义呢？他太了解我了：“是的。”
“Is this about the bloodsucker in your room?” he murmured, pitching his voice below the thrum of the music.
“是不是与到过你房间的那个吸血鬼有关？”他低声说道，他在单调的音乐声中提高了音量。
“Now. Explain,” Jacob demanded.
“现在，解释一下。”雅各布追问道。
Embry and Quil looked back and forth between our faces, confused and wary.
安布里和吉尔来回看了看我们俩的脸，既迷惑又警惕。
“Jacob, I don’t know everything.” I kept searching the room, now for a rescue. They had me backed into a corner in every sense.
“雅各布，我知道的不完整。”我继续搜索房间，现在则是为了找救援。在各种意义上而言，他们现在都把我逼进了死角。
They all folded their arms across their chests at exactly the same moment. It was a little bit funny, but mostly menacing.
他们三个同时把胳膊抱在了胸前，这有些有趣，不过更具威胁性。
“Yes, just when you showed up.”
“是的。正好在你出现的时候。”
He processed that for a minute, leaning his head to one side while he read my face. “You know something you’re not telling me… something big.”
他思考了一会儿，头偏向一边，读着我的表情：“你知道你没告诉我的事情……是非常重要的事情。”
Alice stared up at him, eyes wide and incredulous. “Excuse me?”
爱丽丝抬头盯着他，眼睛瞪得大大的，眼里充满难以置信的表情：“对不起？”
She looked right at me as soon as I called her name, despite the thudding bass that should have drowned my voice. I waved eagerly, and watched her face as she took in the three werewolves leaning over me. Her eyes narrowed.
我叫她的名字时她正好看见了我，尽管雷鸣般的低音贝司本应该湮没我的声音的。我急切地挥挥手，注视着她的脸色，她看见三个狼人挡在我面前时，眯起了眼睛。
“I need to talk to you,” she murmured into my ear.
“我要跟你谈一谈。”她在我耳边轻声说道。
Jacob threw his long arm out to block our way, bracing his hand against the wall. “Hey, not so fast.”
雅各布伸出长长的胳膊挡住我们的路，用手臂撑着墙壁：“嘿，别那么快。”
Jasper appeared quite literally out of nowhere. One second it was just Alice and me against the wall, Jacob blocking our exit, and then Jasper was standing on the other side of Jake’s arm, his expression terrifying.
突然，贾斯帕不知从哪里冒了出来。一瞬问，只有我和爱丽丝靠在墙上，雅各布拦住了我们的去路，接着贾斯帕站在杰克胳膊的另一边，表情狰狞恐怖。
“Tell us what’s going on,” he demanded in a growl.
“告诉我们发生了什么事？”他低吼着逼问道。
Jacob, Quil, and Embry all leaned away from her with uneasy expressions. She put her arm around my waist.
看到她脸上不安的表情，雅各布、吉尔、安布里都和她保持一定距离，她伸出双臂搂住我的腰。
“Alice!” I squeaked in relief.
“爱丽丝！”我如释重负地尖叫道。
But, before that reaction, her face was full of stress and fear. I bit my lip as she skipped to my side.
但是，在此反应之前，她的脸紧张而害怕，她跳到我身旁的时候我咬住嘴唇。
“Er, Jake, I’ll see you later…” I mumbled as we eased around them.
“呃，杰克，我们待会儿见……”我边说边从他们身边轻松地经过。
And then I caught sight of Alice descending the stairs, her white skin glowing in the purple light.
接着我看见爱丽丝从楼梯上走下来，白皙的皮肤在紫色的灯光下闪闪发光。
Jacob slowly pulled his arm back. It seemed like the best move, going with the assumption that he wanted to keep that arm.
雅各布慢慢地抽回胳膊——考虑到他还想留住那条胳膊，似乎这才是最佳策略。
I felt the color drain out of my face. My stomach lurched. “They’re coming here,” I choked out.
我感到我顿时变得面无血色，心中一阵难受，“他们正往这里来。”我哽咽着挤出这几个字。
“The decision’s been made.”
“决定已经作好了。”
She stared at Jacob for one second, and then turned to me, evidently having chosen to let them hear.
她盯着雅各布看了一会儿，接着看着我，很明显她选择让他们听见。
I was sure the suspense was going to make my head explode in about one second. “What did you see, Alice?”
我很确定，这种悬念会让我的头顷刻间爆炸的：“你看见什么了，爱丽丝？”
“It’s okay, Jasper. He actually has a point.”
“好了，贾斯帕，实际上他说得有道理。”
“We have a right to know,” Jacob muttered, still glaring at Alice.
“我们有权知道。”雅各布低声说，仍然怒气冲冲地看着爱丽丝。
The Quileute boys watched silently, reading every unconscious play of emotion on our faces. They were rooted in place, and yet not completely still. All three pairs of hands were trembling.
奎鲁特男孩们默默地注视着我们，想读懂我们脸上不自觉的情绪变化。他们立在原地，并没有完全一动不动，三双手都在颤抖。
Nobody paid any attention to me. Jacob glared at Alice while Jasper glowered at Jacob.
没有人注意我说的话，雅各布愤怒地盯着爱丽丝，贾斯帕则愤怒地盯着雅各布。
Alice’s face was suddenly thoughtful.
爱丽丝的脸突然变得若有所思起来。
“Hey, hey,” I said, adding a slightly hysterical chuckle. “This is a party, remember?”
“嘿，嘿”，我说道，轻柔的语气中多了些许歇斯底里，“这是个派对，还记得吗？”
“You’re going to Seattle?”
“你们要去西雅图吗？”
“No.”
“不。”
Jasper stepped in between them, and the three werewolves braced themselves.
贾斯帕插进他们中间，三个狼人立即振作起精神来。
Jasper did not relax his position.
贾斯帕没有放松他的立场。
“I know,” Alice said, her face suddenly desolate. “But it doesn’t matter where we stop them. There still won’t be enough of us, and some of them will come here to search.”
“我知道，”爱丽丝说道，她的脸色突然变得很难看，“但是我们在哪里阻止他们并不重要。我们还是人手不够，他们当中的一些会来这里搜索的。”
“Then I have to go to meet them!” If my voice hadn’t been so hoarse and strained, it might have been a shriek. “If they find what they’re looking for, maybe they’ll go away and not hurt anyone else!”
“那么我得去面对他们！”如果我的声音没有这么沙哑，这么紧张，肯定会是尖叫声的，“如果他们找到他们在寻找的东西，或许他们会离开，不会伤害其他人！”
“Yes.”
“是的。”
“To Forks,” I whispered.
“往福克斯。”我轻声说道。
She nodded, understanding my question. “One carried your red shirt.”
她点点头，明白我的问题：“有个人拿着你的红色衬衫。”
I tried to swallow.
我努力咽下口水。
The noise of the party overwhelmed the sound of my denial. All around us, my friends and neighbors and petty enemies ate and laughed and swayed to the music, oblivious to the fact that they were about to face horror, danger, maybe death. Because of me.
派对的噪音盖过了我否定的声音。我们周围的所有人，我的朋友、邻居、小敌人们吃着东西，大笑着，和着音乐翩翩起舞，不知道他们将要面对恐惧，危险，或许还有死亡。因为我。
“No!” I whispered.
“不！”我轻声喊道。
“Yes.”
“是的。”
“Alice,” I mouthed her name. “I have to go, I have to get away from here.”
“爱丽丝，”我吃力地说出她的名字，“我得走，我得离开这里。”
“For?”
“为了？”
Jasper’s expression was disapproving. I could tell he didn’t like discussing this in front of the werewolves, but he had something he needed to say. “We can’t let them come that far. There aren’t enough of us to protect the town.”
贾斯帕脸上满是不置可否的表情。我敢说他不喜欢在狼人面前讨论此事，但是他有事情必须要说：“我们不能让他们肆元忌惮，我们没有那么多人保护镇子。”
“That won’t help. It’s not like we’re dealing with a tracker. They’ll still come looking here first.”
“那不起作用。这和我们面对一个跟踪者不一样，他们还是会首先来这里的。”
“For Bella. That’s all we know.”
“为了贝拉，这是我们知道的一切。”
“Excellent!” Alice hissed.
“好极了！”爱丽丝嘘声道。
“Why?”
“为什么？”
“Wait, wait, wait, wait,” I interrupted them.
“等等，等等，等等，等等。”我打断他们。
“We’ll have to coordinate,” Jacob said. “It won’t be easy for us. Still, this is our job more than yours.”
“我们得互相协作，”雅各布说，“对我们不会很容易。不过，这更是我们的责任，而不是你们的。”
I stared, still frozen in horror, at Alice’s new expression. Her face was alive with exultation, all the despair wiped clean from her perfect features.
我盯着爱丽丝的新表情，仍然惊恐得动弹不得。她的脸因为欣喜若狂而容光焕发起来，所有的绝望从她那完美的面容上一扫而空。
Alice turned her icy gaze on him. “Our kind. Lots of them.”
爱丽丝冷冰冰地盯着他：“我们的族类，很多。”
“Bella!” Alice protested.
“贝拉！”爱丽丝反对道。
“Hold it,” Jacob ordered in a low, forceful voice. “What is coming?”
“等等，”雅各布低沉有力地命令道，“什么东西来了？”
“No,” Jacob said, and a strange, fierce half-smile spread across his face. “It won’t be even.”
“不，”雅各布说道，一抹似笑非笑、奇怪而激烈的表情在他脸上舒展开来，“不会势均力敌。”
She grinned at Jacob, and he grinned back.
她对雅各布露齿一笑，他也回她一个笑容。
“Everything just disappeared, of course,” she told him in a smug voice. “That’s inconvenient, but, all things considered, I’ll take it.”
“一切都消失了，当然”’她沾沾自喜地告诉他，“那不方便，但是，考虑到所有的事情，我会接受的。”
Jasper bridled. “We have a few advantages, dog. It will be an even fight.”
贾斯帕怒斥道：“我们有自己的优势，狗，这会是一场势均力敌的战斗。”
Alice was on her toes, Jacob leaning down toward her, both of their faces lit up with excitement, both of their noses wrinkled against the smell. They looked at me impatiently.
爱丽丝踮着脚尖，雅各伯向她俯下身去，两人的脸都兴奋地亮了起来，两个鼻子都因气味而皱起。他们不耐烦地看着我。
“There are too many for you?” he asked.
“对你们来说数目太多了？”他问道。
“I wouldn’t go that far, but we need the help. We aren’t going to be picky.”
“我们不会想那么多，但是我们需要帮助，我们不打算挑剔。”
“No!” I shouted.
“不！”我大叫道。
“No!” I moaned.
“不要！”我呜咽着说。
“You are staying out of this!”
“你们别插手此事！”
“Alice — tell them no!” I insisted. “They’ll get killed!”
“爱丽丝——告诉他们不行！”我坚持说道，“他们会被杀死的！”
Jacob, Quil, and Embry all laughed out loud.
雅各布、吉尔还有安布里都大声地笑了起来。
The wolves all made a disgruntled face at the last part.
狼人们对最后一部分露出不屑一顾的表情。
“It’ll be no problem,” Jacob finished her sentence. Quil laughed again.
“就不会有问题。”雅各布接着说完了她的话，吉尔又大笑起来。
“You didn’t honestly think you were going to keep us out of this?” Jacob asked.
“你们并不是真的打算把我们排斥在外吧？”雅各布问道。
“Later tonight?” Jacob pushed.
“今晚晚些时候？”雅各布催促道。
“This will be odd,” Jasper said thoughtfully. “I never considered working together. This has to be a first.”
“这会很别扭，”贾斯帕若有所思地说道，“我从来没考虑过和你们一起合作，这可是头一遭啊。”
“Why?” Jacob asked, curious.
“为什么？”雅各布好奇地问道。
“Yes,” Jasper answered him. “We were already planning a… strategic meeting. If you’re going to fight with us, you’ll need some instruction.”
“是的”，贾斯帕回答了他们的问题，“我们已经打算……开个战略会议。如果你们要和我们一起战斗，你们就需要一些培训。”
“Long story,” Alice said, suddenly looking around the room. “And this isn’t the place for it.”
“说来话长，”爱丽丝说道，突然环顾了一下房间，“此地不宜谈话。”
“Bella,” Alice said, her voice soothing, placating, “separately we all could get killed. Together –“
“贝拉，”爱丽丝语气缓和地宽慰我道，“分开的话，我们都会被杀死。一起的话——”
“Your psychic doesn’t think so.”
“你的变态可不这么认为。”
“How many?” Quil asked eagerly.
“有多少？”吉尔急切地问道。
Alice didn’t even look at me. “It changes — twenty-one today, but the numbers are going down.”
爱丽丝甚至看都没看我一眼：“事情有所改变——今天有二十一个，但是数量会下降。”
“Coordinate?” I repeated through my teeth.
“协作？”我从牙缝中挤出这个词。
“No doubt about that,” Jacob agreed. He was in a hurry now. “We’ve got to get back to Sam. What time?”
“毫无疑问是这样。”雅各布也这么认为，他现在着急地说道，“我们得赶回去与山姆会合。几点钟？”
All three rolled their eyes. “What time?” Jacob repeated.
三个人都转动了一下眼珠子，“几点？”雅各布又问道。
“Wait, Jake!” I called after him. “Please! Don’t do this!”
“等等，杰克！”我在他身后喊道，“求你！别这样做！”
“No!” I shouted again. The sound of an electric guitar drowned my cry.
“不！”我又大声叫道，我的声音湮没在电吉他的声音里。
They turned to leave.
他们转身离开了。
He didn’t respond; he hurried to catch up with his friends, who were already gone. I watched helplessly as Jacob disappeared.
他不为所动，没有回应，急忙跑过去赶上他的朋友，他们已经不见了。我眼睁睁地看着雅各布在我的视线中消失。
“About ten miles due north of the Hoh Forest ranger station. Come at it from the west and you’ll be able to follow our scent in.”
“离霍哈森林巡逻站正北方大约十英里的地方。从西北过来，你们能跟随我们的气味找到我们的。”
“Where?”
“哪里？”
“What’s too late for you?”
“几点对你们而言会太晚？”
“Three o’clock?”
“三点钟？”
“We’ll be there.”
“我们会到的。”
He paused, turning back to grin at me, while Quil and Embry headed impatiently for the door. “Don’t be ridiculous, Bells. You’re giving me a much better gift than the one I gave you.”
他停了下来，转过身对我笑了笑，吉尔和安布里则急不可耐地朝门口走去：“别胡闹，贝尔，你给我的礼物比我给你的要好得多。”
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