Alice dropped me off in the morning, in keeping with the slumber party charade. It wouldn’t be long until Edward showed up, officially returning from his “hiking” trip. All of the pretenses were starting to wear on me. I wouldn’t miss this part of being human.
清晨，爱丽丝顺便过来看我，以便与睡衣晚会的借口保持一致。过不了多久爱德华就会出现了，正式从他的“徒步”之旅返回。所有的伪装开始令我烦躁不安，我不会怀念作为人类的这段经历的。
“Did you have fun?” Charlie asked.
“你玩得开心吗？”查理问道。
I carried my stuff in, dumped it all at the foot of the stairs, and wandered into the kitchen to look for a snack.
我把我的东西拎进来统统扔在楼梯脚下，然后不紧不慢地走进厨房找吃的。
Charlie peeked through the front window when he heard me slam the car door. He waved to Alice, and then went to get the door for me.
查理听见我砰地关上车门的声音时从前门的窗户朝外看着我们，他向爱丽丝挥挥手，接着走过去给我开门。
He said he didn’t mean it, and that he’s sorry. He wants you to call him. Be nice and give him a break. He sounded upset.
他说他不是那个意思，而且他很抱歉，他要你给他回电话。友善一点，给他点儿时间，他听起来很难过。
Jacob called, Charlie had written.
雅各布打过电话，查理写道：
On the kitchen counter, the phone message pad was propped up conspicuously against a saucepan.
在厨房的灶台上，电话留言簿显眼地靠在炖锅上。
“You’ve got a message,” Charlie called after me.
“你有一条留言。”查理在我身后叫道。
“Sure, it was great. Very… girlie.”
“当然，棒极了。非常…有女孩子气。”
Jacob could just go ahead and be upset. I didn’t want to talk to him. Last I’d heard, they weren’t big on allowing phone calls from the other side. If Jacob preferred me dead, then maybe he should get used to the silence.
雅各布可以继续这样难过，我不想和他说话。最后我听到的是，他们没有慷慨到允许敌方打电话给他们。如果雅各布宁愿我死的话，那么或许他应该习惯这种沉默。
I grimaced. Charlie didn’t usually editorialize on my messages.
我做了个鬼脸，查理通常不会对我的留言发表评论。
“Aren’t you going to call Jacob?” Charlie asked. He was leaning around the living room wall, watching me pick up.
“难道你不打算给雅各布打电话吗？”查理问道。他靠在起居室的墙壁上，看着我拾起东西。
My appetite evaporated. I turned an about-face and went to put my things away.
我的胃口消失不见了，我改变主意，走过去把我的东西收拾起来。
“No.”
“不。”
I started up the stairs.
我开始爬楼梯。
“That’s not very attractive behavior, Bella,” he said. “Forgiveness is divine.”
“那可不是什么有魅力的行为，贝拉，”他说，“宽恕才是大善。”
I knew the laundry was building up, so after I put my toothpaste away and threw my dirty clothes in the hamper, I went to strip Charlie’s bed. I left his sheets in a pile at the top of the stairs and went to get mine.
我知道该洗的衣服又积攒了起来，所以我把牙膏收拾好，把我的脏衣服扔进了洗衣篮之后，过去扯下查理的床单，然后把它们堆成一团放在楼梯顶部后去拿我的。
I paused beside the bed, cocking my head to the side.
我在床边停了下来，抬起头看着另一侧。
“Mind your own business,” I muttered under my breath, much too low for him to hear.
“不关你的事。”我低声地嘀咕道，声音很低他根本听不见。
Where was my pillow? I turned in a circle, scanning the room. No pillow. I noticed that my room looked oddly tidy. Hadn’t my gray sweatshirt been draped over the low bedpost on the footboard? And I would swear there had been a pair of dirty socks behind the rocking chair, along with the red blouse I’d tried on two mornings ago, but decided was too dressy for school, hanging over the arm… I spun around again. My hamper wasn’t empty, but it wasn’t overflowing, the way I thought it had been.
我的枕头去哪里了？我转了个圈，环视着房间，没有枕头，我注意到我的房间整齐得有些古怪。难道我的灰色运动衫不是挂在踏脚板上的低床柱上面吗？而且我可以发誓摇椅后面有一对脏袜子，还有两天前我试穿过的红衬衣，但是我觉得上学穿红衬衣太招摇了，所以挂在把手上了…我又转了个圈。我的洗衣篮不是空的，但也没有塞得满满的，我原本以为会有满满一篮子的。
“I haven’t been in there.”
“我没进去过。”
“No, I got it. Were you looking for something in my room?”
“没有，知道了，您在我房间里找过东西吗？”
“I can’t find… a shirt…”
“我找不到…一件衬衣…”
“No. Why?”
“没有，怎么啦？”
“Um, no,” he shouted back, sounding guilty. “Did you want me to?”
“嗯，没有，”他叫着回答，听起来有些内疚，“你要我开了吗？”
“Dad, did you start the wash?” I shouted out my door.
“爸爸，您开洗衣机了吗？”我从我的房门口大声叫道。
But that red shirt really wasn’t dirty, so I went to save it from the hamper.
但是那件红色的衬衣真的不脏，所以我走到洗衣篮那边去找。
I expected to find it near the top, but it wasn’t there. I dug through the whole pile and still couldn’t find it. I knew I was probably getting paranoid, but it seemed like something else was missing, or maybe more than one something. I didn’t even have half a load here.
我期望在里面的一堆衣服顶上找到它，但是没有，我再扒开一整堆衣服还是没有找到。我知道现在我可能有点儿太偏执，但是就好像有什么东西不见了一样，或许不止一件，这里要洗的东西还不到半篮子。
And then I remembered that Alice had been here to get my pajamas. I hadn’t noticed that she’d borrowed my pillow, too — probably since I’d avoided the bed. It looked like she had cleaned while she was passing through. I blushed for my slovenly ways.
接着我想起来爱丽丝到这里来拿过我的睡衣，我没注意到她也借用了我的枕头——或许是这样，因为我一直没睡在床上。看起来好像她经过的时候还打扫了一番，我为自己懒散的作风感到羞愧。
Was Charlie doing laundry? That was out of character.
是不是查理正在洗衣服？那可不像他的性格。
I ripped my sheets off and headed for the laundry closet, grabbing Charlie’s on the way. The washing machine was empty. I checked the dryer, too, half-expecting to find a washed load waiting for me, courtesy of Alice. Nothing. I frowned, mystified.
我扯下我的床单，径直走向洗衣机，路上顺手拿上查理的床单，洗衣机是空的。我也检查了甩干机，有些期望发现等待我的是一堆已经洗好的衣服，爱丽丝想得很周到，但空无一物。我皱紧眉头，感到迷惑不解。
I went back upstairs to search under my bed. Nothing but dust bunnies. I started to dig through my dresser. Maybe I’d put the red shirt away and forgotten.
我又折回楼上在床底下搜索，除了一堆布满灰尘的小兔子什么都没有，我开始翻遍梳妆台。或许我把红衬衣收起来了，但我自己却忘记了。
I pulled the door open with a big smile on my face.
我一把拉开门，脸上挂着一个大大的微笑。
“Edward?” My voice was sharp with shock as I read his expression. “What –“
“爱德华？”我揣摸着他的表情，音调因为恐惧变得尖锐起来，“什么——”
“Don’t strain yourself, Dad.”
“别让自己太紧张，爸爸。”
“Door,” Charlie informed me from the couch as I skipped past him.
“开门。”我从他身边跳过去的时候，他在睡椅上告诉我。
He put his finger to my lips. “Give me two seconds,” he whispered. “Don’t move.”
他把手指放在我的嘴唇上，“给我几秒钟的时间，”他轻声说道，“不要动。”
Edward’s golden eyes were wide, his nostrils flared, his lips pulled back over his teeth.
爱德华的金色眼睛睁得很大，他张开鼻孔，嘴角向后缩露出牙齿。
I gave up when the doorbell rang. That would be Edward.
门铃响的时候我停了下来，应该是爱德华。
Before I could compose myself enough to count to two, he was back. He put his arm around my waist and pulled me swiftly toward the kitchen. His eyes darted around the room, and he held me against his body as if he were shielding me from something. I threw a glance toward Charlie on the couch, but he was studiously ignoring us.
我还没来得及数到二让自己镇定下来，他就回来了。他搂着我的腰，迅速地把我拉进厨房。他的眼睛在屋子里扫视，紧紧地抱住我好像正保护我免受什么东西的攻击一样。我瞟了一眼睡椅上的查理，但是他故意对我们视而不见。
I stood frozen on the doorstep and he… disappeared. He moved so quickly that Charlie wouldn’t even have seen him pass.
我僵立在门阶上，而他…消失不见了。他跑得如此之快，查理根本没看见他经过。
“Not yet.”
“还没有。”
“Did you find what you were looking for?” Charlie yelled.
“你找到你在找的东西了吗？”查理大声喊道。
I felt green. A vampire had been in the house looking for me while Charlie slept. Panic overwhelmed me, closed my throat. I couldn’t answer, I just stared at him in horror.
我惊慌失措，查理在睡觉的时候有个吸血鬼跑到我家里寻找我。恐慌淹没了我，堵住了我的喉咙。我无法回答，只是惊恐万分地盯着他。
“Not one of them,” he interrupted me quickly, shaking his head. “One of us.”
“不是他们中的人，”他迅速地打断我，摇着头说，“是我们当中的。”
He didn’t answer. His body was frozen, a statue.
他没有回答，身体定在那里，像一具雕像。
“It’s not a scent I recognize.”
“不是我认识的气味。”
“I swear that no werewolves –” I started to say.
“我发誓没有狼人——”我开口说道。
“That’s why I think it must have been them — it wasn’t long ago, early this morning while Charlie was sleeping. And whoever it was didn’t touch him, so there must have been another purpose.”
“那就是为什么我想一定是他们——不是很久以前，清晨查理还在睡觉的时候。无论是谁，他都没有碰过查理，那么一定别有用心。”
“Someone’s been here,” he murmured in my ear after he pulled me to the back of the kitchen. His voice was strained; it was difficult to hear him over the thumping of the washing machine.
“有人来过这里。”他把我拉到厨房之后轻声在我耳边说。他的声音很紧张，洗衣机发出嘈杂的轰轰声，很难听清楚他在说什么。
“When?”
“什么时候？”
“One of the Volturi,” I guessed.
“是沃尔图里来的人。”我猜。
I felt the blood empty from my face. “Victoria?” I choked.
我感到我已经大惊失色了，“是维多利亚吗？”我像喉咙被卡住了似的挤出她的名字。
“Looking for me.”
“寻找我。”
“What are you two hissing about in here?” Charlie asked suspiciously, rounding the corner with an empty popcorn bowl in his hands.
“你们两个人在那里窃窃私语什么啊？”查理怀疑地问道，他手里拿着一个空了的爆米花碗站在角落里。
His tone made it clear that he didn’t mean a member of his family.
他的语气表明他指的不是他的家人。
“Probably.”
“很可能。”
“Let’s go,” Edward said in a low hard voice.
“我们走吧。”爱德华说道，声音低沉而坚定。
“But Charlie!” The fear was squeezing my chest, making it hard to breathe.
“但是查理呢？”恐惧涌进我的心房，使我难以呼吸。
He deliberated for a short second, and then his phone was in his hand.
他思考了片刻，接着手里就握着电话了。
Still grinning, he put his bowl in the sink and sauntered out of the room.
他还是满脸笑容地把碗放进水槽，从容不迫地走了出去。
“Emmett,” he muttered into the receiver. He began talking so fast that I couldn’t understand the words. It was over in half a minute. He started pulling me toward the door.
“埃美特。”他对着听筒低声说道。他开始说得很快，我根本无法理解他的话，不到半分钟通话就结束了，他开始牵着我朝门口走去。
Charlie’s expression changed. Abruptly, he was grinning. “If you two are having a fight… well, don’t let me interrupt.”
查理的表情发生了改变，突然，他又笑着说：“如果你们两个人正在吵架…好吧，别让我掺和进来。”
“Emmett and Jasper are on their way,” he whispered when he felt my resistance. “They’ll sweep the woods. Charlie is fine.”
“埃美特和贾斯帕已经在来的路上了，”感觉到我在抗拒的时候他低声说，“他们会巡视森林，查理会很安全的。”
“We’re going to talk to Alice,” he told me, his volume normal but his voice bleak.
“我们要和爱丽丝谈一谈。”他告诉我，他的音量很正常但是语气却很忧郁。
“Where are we going?” I couldn’t stop whispering, even after we were in the car.
“我们要去哪儿？”我情不自禁地低声问道，即使现在我们已经上了车。
I let him drag me along then, too panicked to think clearly. Charlie met my frightened eyes with a smug grin, which suddenly turned to confusion. Edward had me out the door before Charlie could say anything.
接着我就让他拖着我，我太恐慌了，根本无法清楚地思考。查理带着沾沾自喜的笑容遇见我恐惧的眼神，接着他的笑突然变得迷惑不解起来。查理还没来得及说什么，爱德华就把我拖出了门外。
“I would have seen that.”
“要是还在的话，我会看得见的。”
They were waiting for us, on alert after Edward’s call. It was like walking into a museum, everyone still as statues in various poses of stress.
他们在等我们，爱德华打过电话后他们都很警觉。就好像走进博物馆一样，每个人都一动不动地站在那里，身体摆出各式各样紧张的姿势。
“How is that possible.” he hissed.
“那怎么可能？”他嘘声说道。
“Edward,” I said, a quiet reproof. I didn’t like him talking to Alice this way.
“爱德华。”我说道，语气中带着平静的不满，我不喜欢他这样跟爱丽丝说话。
Alice stood with her arms folded tight across her chest. Only her lips moved. “I have no idea. I didn’t see anything.”
爱丽丝站立着，双臂交叉地放在胸前，只有她的嘴唇在动：“我不知道。我没看见任何东西。”
Alice’s voice was cold when she answered. “You’ve already got me watching the Volturis’ decisions, watching for Victoria’s return, watching Bella’s every step. You want to add another? Do I just have to watch Charlie, or Bella’s room, or the house, or the whole street, too? Edward, if I try to do too much, things are going to start slipping through the cracks.”
爱丽丝回答的时候语气很冷漠：你已经让我留心沃尔图里家族的决定，沃尔图里家族什么时候会来，注意贝拉的一举一动。你还想再加一个？我是不是还要注意查理，或者贝拉的妈妈，或者他们的房子，或者整条街道？爱德华，如果我一下子做太多，有些事情就会从缝隙中溜走的。
“What happened?” Edward demanded as soon as we were through the door. I was shocked to see that he was glowering at Alice, his hands fisted in anger.
“发生了什么事？”爱德华一走进门就询问道。我惊恐地看见他愤怒地盯着爱丽丝，手生气地握成了拳头。
Carlisle interrupted in a calming voice. “It’s not an exact science, Edward.”
卡莱尔镇定自若地打断我们：这并不是精确的科学，爱德华。
He stared at the road through narrowed eyes. “Maybe.”
他眯着眼睛盯着前方的路：“或许。”
“You think maybe she saw something?”
“你认为她或许看见什么了？”
Edward threw his hands up in exasperation. “Really? You’re sure?”
爱德华气急败坏地猛地挥动手臂：真的吗？你确定吗？
“He was in her room, Alice. He could have still been there — waiting for her.”
“他到过她的房间，爱丽丝，他可能还在那里——等她。”
“It looks like they already are,” Edward snapped.
“看起来已经这样了。”爱德华打断她。
I shuddered.
我战栗了。
“Stop it, Edward,” I whispered.
“别说了，爱德华。”我轻声说道。
Everyone seemed to thaw out at once. Alice relaxed and leaned against the back of the couch. Carlisle walked slowly toward her, his eyes far away. Esme sat on the sofa in front of Alice, curling her legs up on the seat. Only Rosalie remained unmoving, her back to us, staring out the glass wall.
每个人立刻解冻了，爱丽丝放松下来，靠在睡椅背上。卡莱尔从容不迫地朝她走过来，他的眼睛凝视着远处。埃斯梅坐在爱丽丝前面的沙发上，腿弯曲地放在椅子上。只有罗莎莉没有动，她背对着我们，凝视着玻璃墙的外面。
“If you’re watching Italy, why didn’t you see them send –“
“如果你在关注意大利，那么你为什么没看见他们派——”
“I don’t know,” Alice said.
“我不知道。”爱丽丝说。
“Who else would leave Charlie alive?”
“那么谁又会让查理活着呢？”
“She was never in any danger. There was nothing to see.”
“她从来就没有危险，没什么要看的。”
“I understand,” Alice assured him. “I’m not happy about it, either.”
“我理解，”爱丽丝安慰他说，“我也因此不开心。”
He turned on me, his face still livid, his teeth clenched together. He glared at me for half a second, and then, suddenly, he exhaled. His eyes widened and his jaw relaxed.
他转身看着我，脸色还是铁青的，牙齿咬得咯吱咯吱地响。他气愤地盯着我看了一会儿，接着突然他大口呼起气来，眼睛睁得大大的，下巴也松弛了。
“You’re right, Bella. I’m sorry.” He looked at Alice. “Forgive me, Alice. I shouldn’t be taking this out on you. That was inexcusable.”
“你是对的，贝拉，对不起，”他看着爱丽丝说道，原谅我，爱丽丝。我不应该因此冲你发脾气的，这简直不可原谅。
Edward took a deep breath. “Okay, let’s look at this logically. What are the possibilities?”
爱德华深深地吸了一口气：“好吧，我们来符合逻辑地分析一下，有哪些可能性？”
“I don’t think it’s them,” Alice insisted. “I would have seen that.”
“我认为不是他们，”爱丽丝坚持道，“我看得见这一点。”
“Helpful.”
“真有帮助。”
Edward’s head snapped up. “You’re watching for an official command.”
爱德华猛地抬起头：你正在注意正式的命令。
I cringed at my father’s name.
听见我父亲的名字我不寒而栗。
Edward shook his head. “No. I didn’t know the scent. He might have been from the Volturi, someone I’ve never met…”
爱德华摇摇头：“不是，我不认识这个味道。这个人很可能从沃尔图里来，某个我从未见过的人…”
“Caius’s idea,” Edward suggested, his face tightening again.
“凯厄斯的主意。”爱德华暗示道，他的脸又紧绷起来。
“You think someone’s acting on their own? Why?”
“你认为某个人单独行动了？为什么？”
Edward scowled. “And the motivation.”
爱德华板着脸说：“动机呢？”
“But what was the point then?” Carlisle mused.
“那么这究竟是为什么呢？”卡莱尔沉思道。
“Victoria?” Carlisle asked.
“是不是维多利亚？”卡莱尔问道。
“It doesn’t make sense, though,” Esme said. “If whoever it was meant to wait for Bella, Alice would have seen that. He — or she — had no intention of hurting Bella. Or Charlie, for that matter.”
“不过，这没有意义，”埃斯梅说道，“不管是谁在等待贝拉，爱丽丝都看得见的。他——或者是她——没有伤害贝拉的意图，或者查理，到目前为止。”
“Or Jane’s…” Alice said. “They both have the resources to send an unfamiliar face…”
“或者是简的主意…”爱丽丝说，“他们两个人都有办法派遣不熟悉的面孔过来…”
“It’s going to be fine, Bella,” Esme murmured, smoothing my hair.
“会没事的，贝拉。”埃斯梅抚摸着我的头发轻声说道。
Edward pulled me to the sofa and I sat next to Esme, who shifted to put her arm around me. He held one of my hands tightly in both of his.
爱德华把我拉到沙发上，我坐在埃斯梅旁边，她动了动把手臂放在我肩上。他双手握着我的一只手。
Alice shook her head. “Aro hasn’t asked anyone to look for her yet. I will see that. I’m waiting for it.”
爱丽丝摇摇头：“阿罗还没有派人来找她，我会看见这一点的，我正在等待。”
Emmett burst through the kitchen door, Jasper right behind him.
埃美特突然从厨房的门钻了进来，贾斯帕就在他身后。
“Possible,” Carlisle said.
“很可能。”卡莱尔说。
“Checking to see if I’m still human?” I guessed.
“查一查我是不是还是人类？”我猜测。
“Long gone, hours ago,” Emmett announced, disappointed. “The trail went East, then South, and disappeared on a side road. Had a car waiting.”
“几个小时以前，”埃美特失望地大声宣布道，“踪迹朝东，接着朝南，然后在一条支路上消失了，有一辆车在那儿等着。”
Rosalie breathed out a sigh, loud enough for me to hear. She’d unfrozen, and her face was turned expectantly toward the kitchen. Edward, on the other hand, looked discouraged.
罗莎莉舒了口气，声音大得我都听见了。她现在没有僵立在那里，满心期望地看着厨房，爱德华则看起来很沮丧。
Jasper looked at Carlisle. “Neither of us recognized him. But here.” He held out something green and crumpled. Carlisle took it from him and held it to his face. I saw, as it exchanged hands, that it was a broken fern frond. “Maybe you know the scent.”
贾斯帕看着卡莱尔：“我们两个人都不认识他，但是这里——”他拿出一个绿色的，皱皱巴巴的东西来，卡莱尔从他手中接过来，让那东西凑近他的脸，那个东西在不同人手里传递的时候我看见那是片破碎的海藻叶子，“或许你认识这个气味。”
“That’s bad luck,” Edward muttered. “If he’d gone west… well, it would be nice for those dogs to make themselves useful.”
“真不走运，”爱德华咕哝道，“如果他往西边去了…好吧，那倒是会让那些狗派上用场。”
“Perhaps we’re looking at this the wrong way. Maybe it’s a coincidence…” Esme began, but stopped when she saw everyone else’s incredulous expressions. “I don’t mean a coincidence that a stranger happened to pick Bella’s house to visit at random. I meant that maybe someone was just curious. Our scent is all around her. Was he wondering what draws us there?”
“或许我们分析的角度不对，或许这只是个巧合…”埃斯梅开始说，但是当她看见其他人不相信的表情时就打住了，我不是说碰巧有个陌生人选择了贝拉家，偶然地摆放了一下，我的意思是或许有人只是很好奇。我们的气味一直围绕着她，他会不会想知道是什么把我们吸引到那里去的？
I winced, and Esme rubbed my shoulder.
我不禁退缩了，埃斯梅拍拍我的肩膀。
“No,” Carlisle said. “Not familiar. No one I’ve ever met.”
“不认识，”卡莱尔说，“不熟悉，不是我见过的人。”
“You would,” Esme said with a sudden, fond smile. “The rest of us aren’t always so direct. Our family is very large — he or she might be frightened. But Charlie wasn’t harmed. This doesn’t have to be an enemy.”
“你会，”埃斯梅突然露出一个可爱的笑容说道，“我们其他人不会总是这么直接，我们的家族很大——他或是她可能感到害怕，但是查理没有受到伤害，这不一定是敌人。”
The shrouded future sent a shiver down my spine.
这种不得不靠掩饰而生存的前景令我全身一阵战栗。
“Why wouldn’t he just come here then? If he was curious?” Emmett demanded.
“那么他为什么不到这里来呢？如果他只是好奇的话？”埃美特追问道。
I was slowly realizing that vampires were much bigger participants in this world than I’d once thought. How many times did the average human cross paths with them, completely unaware? How many deaths, obliviously reported as crimes and accidents, were really due to their thirst? How crowded would this new world be when I finally joined it?
我逐渐意识到吸血鬼在这个世界上为数众多，比我曾经以为的还要多得多。多少次普通人从他们身边经过而完全不自知呢？多少死亡被不知情地报道为死于犯罪和事故，实际上都归结于他们的饥渴？当我最终加入其中之后这个新世界会变得多么拥挤？
Just curious. Like James and Victoria had been curious, in the beginning? The thought of Victoria made me tremble, though the one thing they seemed certain of was that it had not been her. Not this time. She would stick to her obsessed pattern. This was just someone else, a stranger.
只是好奇，就像詹姆斯和维多利亚他们开始那样？一想到维多利亚就让我颤抖起来，尽管有一件事情他们似乎很确定——那个人不是她，这一次不是，她会坚持她一贯的迷惑招式的。这次是别人，一个陌生人。
The Cullens pondered Esme’s words with varying expressions. I could see that Edward did not accept her theory, and that Carlisle very much wanted to.
卡伦家族的人表情各异地思考着埃斯梅的话，我看得出爱德华没有接受她的观点，而卡莱尔则非常想相信。
Alice pursed her lips. “I don’t think so. The timing of it was too perfect… This visitor was so careful to make no contact. Almost like he or she knew that I would see…”
爱丽丝嘟起嘴巴说：“我不这么认为，时间掐算得太完美了…这个来访者如此谨慎而没有留下任何痕迹，差不多就像他或她知道我能看见…”
“Does it really matter who it was?” I asked. “Just the chance that someone was looking for me… isn’t that reason enough? We shouldn’t wait for graduation.”
“这个人是谁真的很重要吗？”我问道，“只不过可能有人寻找过我，这难道不是充分的理由吗？我们不应该等到毕业。”
“No, Bella,” Edward said quickly. “It’s not that bad. If you’re really in danger, we’ll know.”
“不，贝拉，”爱德华迅速地说道，“事情还没那么糟糕。如果你真的有危险，我们会知道的。”
“He could have other reasons for not making contact,” Esme reminded her.
“他很可能有其他不留下痕迹的理由。”埃斯梅提醒她说。
“More careful?” I repeated in disbelief.
“更加小心？”我不信任地重复道。
“Think of Charlie,” Carlisle reminded me. “Think of how it would hurt him if you disappeared.”
“想一想查理，”卡莱尔提醒我，“想一想如果你消失不见了他会多么伤心。”
“I am thinking of Charlie! He’s the one I’m worried about! What if my little guest had happened to be thirsty last night? As long as I’m around Charlie, he’s a target, too. If anything happened to him, it would be all my fault!”
“我现在考虑的正是查理！他才是那个我担心的人！要是那个房客昨晚正好很饥渴会发生什么样的事情？只要我和查理在一起，他也会成为目标的。如果他发生了什么事，全都是我的错！”
“Hardly, Bella,” Esme said, patting my hair again. “And nothing will happen to Charlie. We’re just going to have to be more careful.”
“不太可能，贝拉，”埃斯梅说，她又拍了拍我的头发，“查理不会有事的。我们只是要更加小心一点儿。”
“It’s all going to be fine, Bella,” Alice promised; Edward squeezed my hand.
“一切都会好起来的，贝拉。”爱丽丝保证。爱德华则捏了捏我的手。
Edward gave me a sour look. “Hilarious, Bella.”
爱德华苦恼地看了我一眼：“别胡闹，贝拉。”
I sighed. “This is ridiculous. They’ll get so bored, they’ll have to kill me themselves, just for something to do.”
我叹气说：“这很滑稽，他们如此无聊，非得亲手杀了我，为的就是找些事情做。”
And I could see, looking at all of their beautiful faces one by one, that nothing I could say was going to change their minds.
而且我看得出，依次看看这些美丽的脸庞，我能说的话根本无法改变他们的决心。
It was a quiet ride home. I was frustrated. Against my better judgment, I was still human.
开车回家的路上很安静，我很沮丧，尽管我自己有更好的见解，我依然还是人类。
Charlie was in a good mood when we got back. He could see the tension between me and Edward, and he was misinterpreting it. He watched me throw together his dinner with a smug smile on his face. Edward had excused himself for a moment, to do some surveillance, I assumed, but Charlie waited till he was back to pass on my messages.
我们回来的时候查理心情不错。他看得出爱德华和我之间的紧张气氛，不过他意会错了。他脸上带着沾沾自喜的表情看着我把他的晚饭摆在一起，爱德华则失陪了一会儿，我猜他是去侦察了。但是查理一直等他回来之后，才把留言转达给我。
“You won’t be alone for a second,” Edward promised as he drove me to Charlie’s. “Someone will always be there. Emmett, Alice, Jasper…”
“你不会单独待一秒钟的，”爱德华把车开到查理家的时候向我保证，有人一直都在四周的，埃美特、爱丽丝、贾斯帕…
“Jacob called again,” Charlie said as soon as Edward was in the room. I kept my face empty as I set the plate in front of him.
“雅各布又打电话了。”爱德华一进门，查理就说道。在把盘子放在他面前的时候，我保持着一脸茫然的样子。
“Is that a fact?”
“那是事实吗？”
Charlie frowned. “Don’t be petty, Bella. He sounded really low.”
查理皱了皱眉头：“别小心眼儿，贝拉，他听起来真的很没精神。”
My life was feeling a lot like a game of dice right now — would the next roll come up snake eyes? What if something did happen to me? It seemed worse than petty to leave Jacob feeling guilty about what he’d said.
我的生命现在很像赌博用的骰子——下一圈会是蛇的眼睛吗？要是我真的出事了呢？就这样小心眼儿地让雅各布为他所说的话感到内疚似乎真的更坏。
Though he didn’t realize it, he’d found his mark.
尽管他没意识到这一点，他还是一语道破了天机。
So I would wait for the morning. I most likely wasn’t going to die tonight, after all, and it wouldn’t hurt him to feel guilty for twelve more hours. It might even be good for him.
所以我要等到早上。我今天晚上不会死，这是最有可能的事，毕竟，让他再内疚十二个小时不会让他受伤，甚至对他有好处。
“Is Jacob paying you for all the P. R., or are you a volunteer?”
“雅各布给您付了做公关的钱了吗？或者您是自愿的？”
Charlie grumbled incoherently at me until the food cut off his garbled complaint.
查理不连贯地对我咕哝了一会儿，直到食物打断了他那含混不清的抱怨。
But I didn’t want to talk to him with Charlie around, to have to watch my every word so I didn’t let the wrong thing slip. Thinking about this made me jealous of Jacob and Billy’s relationship. How easy it must be when you had no secrets from the person you lived with.
但是我不想查理在旁边的时候跟他讲话，我得注意我的一字一句以免说漏了嘴，一想到这儿就让我嫉妒雅各布和比利之间的关系。当你和与自己朝夕相处的人之间没有秘密时，那是多么舒服的事情啊。
When Edward officially left for the evening, I wondered who was out in the downpour, keeping an eye on Charlie and me. I felt awful for Alice or whoever else it might be, but still comforted. I had to admit it was nice, knowing I wasn’t alone. And Edward was back in record time.
爱德华晚上正式离开时，我不知道倾盆大雨中的那个人到底是谁，他一直监视着查理和我。不管是爱丽丝或是其他人，我都感到很难受，不过还是觉得很欣慰。我不得不承认这种感觉很好，知道我并不是孤立无援的。爱德华很快就回来了，他的速度可以破纪录。
He sang me to sleep again and — aware even in unconsciousness that he was there — I slept free of nightmares.
他又唱着歌哄我入睡——哪怕在无意识之中我也知道他就在我身边——我睡着了，没做噩梦。
“I knew you’d forgive him,” he said with an easy smile. “Holding grudges is not one of your many talents.”
“我知道你会原谅他的，”他轻松地笑道，“耿耿于怀可不是你诸多才能之一。”
“I’m going to let Jacob off the hook,” I warned Edward after I’d eaten breakfast.
“我打算让雅各布解脱。”吃完早餐后我提醒爱德华。
I rolled my eyes, but I was pleased. It seemed like Edward really was over the whole anti-werewolf thing.
我眼睛骨碌碌一转，不过很开心，爱德华似乎真的克服了对狼人的反感。
“Hello?” a dull voice said.
“哈罗？”一个沙哑的声音说道。
I didn’t look at the clock until after I’d dialed. It was a little early for calls, and I worried that I would wake Billy and Jake, but someone picked up before the second ring, so he couldn’t have been too far from the phone.
直到拨了电话号码我才看了一下钟，打电话略显过早，我担心会吵醒比利或杰克，但是电话铃还没响完第二声，就有人接电话了，他不可能离电话机太远。
“Bella!” he exclaimed. “Oh, Bella, I’m so sorry!” he tripped over the words as he hurried to get them out. “I swear I didn’t mean it. I was just being stupid. I was angry — but that’s no excuse. It was the stupidest thing I’ve ever said in my life and I’m sorry. Don’t be mad at me, please? Please. Lifetime of servitude up for grabs — all you have to do is forgive me.”
“贝拉！”他欢呼着喊道，“噢，贝拉，我非常抱歉！”他急于说出这些话的时候有些结巴，“我发誓我不是那个意思，我只是太愚蠢了。我很生气——但是那不是借口。这是我一生中说过最愚蠢的话，对不起。不要生我的气，好吗？求你了。抓住终生供你使唤的机会——你所需要做的只是原谅我。”
“Jacob?”
“雅各布吗？”
In the morning, Charlie left to go fishing with Deputy Mark before I was up. I decided to use this lack of supervision to be divine.
早上查理在我起床之前就和马克副警长出去钓鱼了，我决定利用这段没有监视的时间做做大善事。
He laughed, exuberant with relief. “Come down to see me,” he begged. “I want to make it up to you.”
他大笑起来，烦恼解除后就变得兴高采烈了，“过来见我吧，”他乞求道，“我想补偿你。”
“I’ll keep you safe,” he promised. “No matter what you want to do.”
“我会保证你的安全的，”他保证道，“不管你想做什么。”
“He’s not thrilled with me, is he?” Jacob’s voice was ashamed, rather than bitter, for once.
“他会因为我感到不高兴，是不是？”这一次，雅各布的声音有些羞愧，而不是怀恨在心。
“That’s not the problem. There’s… well, there’s this other problem that’s slightly more worrisome than a bratty teenage werewolf…” I tried to keep my tone joking, but I didn’t fool him.
“这不是问题所在。有…好吧，有其他的问题比乳臭未干的狼人更令人担忧一些…”我努力保持开玩笑的口吻，但是我没骗过他。
“Oh, there’s a brilliant idea.”
“噢，那可是个聪明的主意啊。”
“Um.” I wasn’t sure what I should tell him.
“呃。”我不确定是否应该告诉他。
“What’s wrong?” he demanded.
“出什么事了？”他追问道。
I glanced at Edward. His face was very calm, but I was sure this was not the time.
我瞟了一眼爱德华，他的脸很平静，但是我知道现在不是时候。
“Anything you want. Cliff diving,” he suggested, laughing again.
“你想要什么都可以，比如说悬崖跳水。”他建议道，又哈哈大笑起来。
Edward held his hand out for the phone. I looked at his face carefully. He seemed calm enough.
爱德华伸手要电话，我端详着他的脸，他看起来平静得很。
“Bella?” Jacob asked.
“贝拉？”雅各布问道。
Edward sighed, holding his hand closer.
爱德华叹了叹气，手抓得更紧了。
“Thank you,” he breathed fervently. “I can’t believe I was such a jerk.”
“谢谢你，”他猛烈地吸着气，“我简直不敢相信我是这么个大笨蛋！”
I frowned. “How?”
我皱了皱眉头：“怎么补偿？”
“Not right now.”
“现在不行。”
“Don’t worry about that — I’m used to it.”
“别担心——我习惯了。”
“I’m not mad. You’re forgiven.”
“我没有生气，你被宽恕了。”
“Okay,” Jacob finally agreed. “This should be interesting.”
“好吧，”雅各布终于同意了，这应该很有趣。
“Someone was here — not a scent I know,” Edward explained. “Has your pack come across anything new?”
“有人来过这里——不是我认识的气味，”爱德华解释道，“你们的狼人团有没有遇见新东西？”
“You might be right –” Edward began, but Jacob was arguing again. Neither of them sounded angry, at least.
“你可能是对的——”爱德华开始说，但是雅各布又争论起来。他们两个人听起来都没生气，至少是这样。
I handed the phone to Edward; I hoped he could read the warning in my eyes.
我把电话递给爱德华，我希望他能读懂我眼中的警告。
“Hello, Jacob,” Edward said, perfectly polite.
“哈罗，雅各布。”爱德华说道，他非常有礼貌。
“Here’s the crux, Jacob. I won’t be letting Bella out of my sight till I get this taken care of. It’s nothing personal –“
“这才是关键，雅各布。我不想让贝拉离开我的视线，直到我处理妥当这一切。这根本无关个人——”
There was a silence. I bit my lip, trying to guess how Jacob would answer.
沉默了片刻。我咬紧嘴唇，想猜猜雅各布会怎么回答。
Another pause, while Edward nodded to himself, unsurprised.
又停顿了，爱德华自顾自地点点头，一点儿也不惊讶。
Jacob interrupted him then, and I could hear the buzz of his voice from the receiver. Whatever he was saying, he was more intense than before. I tried unsuccessfully to make out the words.
雅各布打断了他，我能听见从听筒那里传来的他说话的嗡嗡声。不管他说的是什么，他比之前更加紧张了。我想弄清楚他们在讲什么，但是没成功。
“Do you mind speaking to Edward?” I asked apprehensively. “He wants to talk to you.”
“你介意跟爱德华说话吗？”我害怕地问道，“他想跟你说话。”
“That’s an interesting suggestion. We’re quite willing to renegotiate. If Sam is amenable.”
“这个建议挺有意思，我们非常愿意重新谈判，如果山姆愿意服从的话。”
There was a long pause.
停顿了很久。
“That’s not a half-bad idea. When?… No, that’s fine. I’d like a chance to follow the trail personally, anyway. Ten minutes… Certainly,” Edward said. He held the phone out to me. “Bella?”
“那不完全是个坏主意，什么时候…？不，很好。我想要这个机会自己跟踪，不管怎样。十分钟…当然。”爱德华说，他把电话递给我，贝拉？
“Thank you,” Edward replied.
“谢谢。”爱德华回答道。
Jacob’s voice was quieter now. I started chewing on my thumbnail as I tried to read Edward’s expression.
雅各布的声音现在更轻了，我一边努力参透爱德华的表情，一边开始咬大拇指的指甲。
“I’d planned to go alone, actually,” Edward said, answering the unexpected question. “And leave her with the others.”
“实际上我本打算自己去的，”爱德华试着回答这个意料之外的问题，“然后让其他人看着她。”
“A truce, I think. Hey, do me a favor,” Jacob suggested. “Try to convince your bloodsucker that the safest place for you to be — especially when he leaves — is on the reservation. We’re well able to handle anything.”
“休战协定，我想。嘿，帮我个忙，”雅各布提议道，“试图说服你的吸血鬼，你要去的最安全的地方——特别是他不在的时候——就是在保留地，我们足以应付一切。”
The pause was shorter this time.
这一次停顿的时间要短一些。
Jacob’s voice rose in pitch, and it sounded to me like he was trying to be persuasive.
雅各布的音调升高了，我听起来觉得他在努力更具有说服力。
Then Jacob said something that caused a surprised expression to flicker across Edward’s face.
接着雅各布说了些什么，使一抹惊讶的表情在爱德华的脸上掠过。
“I’ll try to consider it objectively,” Edward promised. “As objectively as I’m capable of.”
“我会尽量客观地考虑此事的，”爱德华保证道，“尽我所能地客观。”
“What was that all about?” I asked Jacob, my voice peeved. I knew it was juvenile, but I felt excluded.
“这到底是怎么回事？”我问雅各布，声音有些懊恼，我知道这很幼稚，但是我感觉自己被排斥了。
I took it slowly, feeling confused.
我缓慢地接过电话，感到迷惑不解。
“Just rearranging some boundaries, so we can catch anyone who gets too near Forks. I’m not sure if Sam will go for it, but until he comes around, I’ll keep an eye on things.”
“只是重新圈定边界，这样我们就可以抓住离福克斯太近的任何人。我不确定山姆是否赞同，但是直到他过来，我会密切关注一切的。”
I sighed.
我叹了叹气。
“Yeah. I’m going to get the scent of your visitor so we can track him if he comes back.”
“是的，我要取得你的拜访者的气味，这样要是他来了的话，我们就能追踪他。”
“Get Billy on it,” I agreed. I hated that I was putting Charlie within the range of the crosshairs that always seemed to be centered on me. “What else?”
“让比利也来，”我同意，我讨厌自己老是让查理身陷险境，而事情似乎都是因我而起的，“还有什么？”
“You’re coming up?”
“你要过来？”
“I mean that if you see a wolf running around your house, don’t shoot at it.”
“我的意思是，如果你看见有狼在你家周围转悠，不要朝他开枪。”
“Of course not. You really shouldn’t do anything… risky, though.”
“当然不会，不过你真的不应该做任何…冒险的事。”
“See you in a few,” Jacob said.
“待会儿见。”雅各布说。
“Yes. It makes sense. Charlie’s probably better off here, too. As much as possible.”
“是的，这是有道理的。查理在这里也可能会更好，再好不过了。”
“Is that what you were trying to sell him?”
“这就是你想要向他兜售的东西？”
“I also tried to convince him to let you visit. He’s prejudiced, so don’t let him give you any crap about safety. He knows as well as I do that you’d be safe here.”
“我也试图说服他让你过来，他有偏见，所以别听他对你说起安全之类的事情，他和我一样清楚你在这里会很安全。”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“我会记住这一点的。”
He snorted. “Don’t be stupid. I can take care of myself.”
他嗤之以鼻：“别傻了，我会照顾好自己的。”
“Jake, I really don’t like the idea of you tracking –“
“杰克，我真的不喜欢你去追踪他的这个主意——”
“Oh please, Bella,” he interrupted. Jacob laughed, and then hung up.
“哦，求你了，贝拉。”他打断我。雅各布大笑起来，接着挂了电话。
“What do you mean by ‘keep an eye on things’?”
“‘密切关注一切’是什么意思？”
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