The sun was so deeply buried behind the clouds that there was no way to tell if it had set or not. After the long flight — chasing the sun westward so that it seemed unmoving in the sky — it was especially disorienting; time seemed oddly variable. It took me by surprise when the forest gave way to the first buildings, signaling that we were nearly home.
太阳深埋在滚滚的乌云之中，分不清是否已经日落西沉了。经过长时间的飞行之后——我们一路朝西追赶着太阳，让人觉得我们在空中根本就没有移动一样——特别让人迷失方向；时间似乎出奇的善变，令我出其不意的是森林逐渐变成了建筑群，这提示着我们就快到家了。
“You’ve been very quiet,” Edward observed. “Did the plane make you sick?”
“你一路上非常安静，”爱德华察觉道，“是不是这个计划让你不舒服？”
“No, I’m okay.”
“不，我很好。”
“Are you sad to leave?”
“离开很难过吗？”
“More relieved than sad, I think.”
“我觉得与其说是难过，还不如说是解脱。”
He raised one eyebrow at me. I knew it was useless and — much as I hated to admit it — unnecessary to ask him to keep his eyes on the road.
他挑起眉毛看着我。我知道这无济于事，而且——我也同样讨厌承认这一事实——没有必要让他眼睛看着前方的路。
Edward laughed. “Your mother has a very interesting mind. Almost childlike, but very insightful. She sees things differently than other people.”
爱德华大笑起来：“你妈妈的思维很有趣，差不多像小孩子一样，但是又非常有洞察力，她看问题不同于别人。”
“Renee is so much more… perceptive than Charlie in some ways. It was making me jumpy.”
他挑起眉毛看着我。我知道这无济于事，而且——我也同样讨厌承认这一事实——没有必要让他眼睛看着前方的路。
Insightful. It was a good description of my mother — when she was paying attention. Most of the time Renee was so bewildered by her own life that she didn’t notice much else. But this weekend she’d been paying plenty of attention to me.
有洞察力，这样描述我妈妈很恰如其分——当她集中注意力的时候。大多数时候蕾妮对自己的生活已经稀里糊涂了，根本无暇他顾，但是这个周末，她一直都在密切注意着我。
In my head, I went through the conversation again…
在我脑海里，我再次仔细思索着我们的谈话……
Renee and I ambled along the sidewalk, trying to stay in the range of the infrequent palm tree shadows. Though it was early, the heat was smothering. The air was so heavy with moisture that just breathing in and out was giving my lungs a workout.
蕾妮和我沿着人行道漫无目的地散步，努力躲在稀稀拉拉的棕榈树的树荫下。尽管天色还早，热气却让人透不过气来。空气中的湿气很重，连简单的呼吸都是对我的肺部的考验。
“Bella?” my mother asked, looking out past the sand to the lightly crashing waves as she spoke.
“贝拉？”我妈妈问道，她说话的时候，眼睛看着沙滩那边轻轻碰撞的海浪。
This morning we’d gone for a walk along the beach. She wanted to show off all the beauties of her new home, still hoping, I think, that the sun might lure me away from Forks. She’d also wanted to talk with me alone, and that was easily arranged. Edward had fabricated a term paper to give himself an excuse to stay indoors during the day.
今天早上我们一起沿着海滩散步，她想要炫耀她的新家所有的迷人之处，仍然希望这里的明媚阳光会把我从福克斯诱惑过来，我是这么想的。她也想要和我单独说说话，这很好办，爱德华编了个要写学期论文的借口待在家里。
Phil was busy — the high school baseball team he coached was in the playoffs — and being alone with Edward and me had only sharpened Renee’s focus. As soon as the hugs and squeals of delight were out of the way, Renee began to watch. And as she’d watched, her wide blue eyes had become first confused and then concerned.
菲尔很忙——他当教练的高中棒球队就要打决赛了——单独与我和爱德华相处只会让蕾妮的观察力更加敏锐。欣喜快乐的拥抱和尖叫一结束，蕾妮就开始观察我们了。她观察的时候，大大的蓝眼睛起初是迷惑不解，而后又变得忧心忡忡。
“What’s wrong?” I asked, anxious at once. “What can I do?”
“出了什么事？”我立即焦急地问道，“我能做什么？”
She sighed, not meeting my gaze. “I’m worried…”
她叹了叹气，没有看我凝视着她的双眸：“我有点儿担心……”
“What is it, Mom?”
“什么事？妈妈？”
“It’s not me.” She shook her head. “I’m worried about you… and Edward.”
“不是我的事情，”她摇头说，“我很担心你……和爱德华。”
Renee finally looked at me when she said his name, her face apologetic.
蕾妮说着他的名字时终于看着我了，她脸上写满抱歉的表情。
“You two are more serious than I’d been thinking,” she went on.
“你们俩比我想象的要认真得多。”她继续说。
“Oh,” I mumbled, fixing my eyes on a pair of joggers as they passed us, drenched with sweat.
“哦。”我咕哝道，眼睛注视着从我们身边经过的一对在慢跑的人，他们浑身都被汗浸湿了。
I frowned, quickly reviewing the last two days in my head. Edward and I had barely touched — in front of her, at least. I wondered if Renee was about to give me a lecture on responsibility, too. I didn’t mind that the way I had with Charlie. It wasn’t embarrassing with my mom. After all, I’d been the one giving her that lecture time and time again in the last ten years.
我皱起眉头，迅速地在脑海中回顾过去的两天。爱德华和我几乎没有接触过——至少，在她面前，我不知道蕾妮是否也会给我上一堂有关责任的课。我不介意我和查理那样的谈话，跟妈妈说起来不会令人尴尬。毕竟，在过去十年中，我一直是那个时不时地被她说教的人。
“There’s something… strange about the way you two are together,” she murmured, her forehead creasing over her troubled eyes. “The way he watches you — it’s so… protective. Like he’s about to throw himself in front of a bullet to save you or something.”
“你们俩在一起的时候，有些……奇怪，”她低声说道，眼神忧郁，前额微皱，“他看你的眼神——是那么……充满保护，好像他要冲到你面前为你挡子弹来救你或者怎么样一样。”
“I think you’re imagining things, Mom,” I said quickly, struggling to keep my voice light. There was a flutter in my stomach. I’d forgotten how much my mother saw. Something about her simple view of the world cut through all the distractions and pierced right to the truth of things. This had never been a problem before. Until now, there had never been a secret I couldn’t tell her.
“我想这都是您的想象，妈妈。”我马上说，努力保持轻松的语气。我心里有些焦急，我不知道我妈妈看透了多少。她看待世界简单的方式使她看穿了许多细枝末节，直接洞悉到事物的本质。这以前从来都不会有问题，直到现在，我什么秘密都不能告诉她。
“No.” She frowned as she struggled for the words. “It’s just different. He’s very intense about you… and very careful. I feel like I don’t really understand your relationship. Like there’s some secret I’m missing…”
“不。”她想找到合适的词语的时候皱起了眉头，“只是不一样。他很关注你……非常小心翼翼。我觉得我并不十分了解你们的关系，好像我错过了什么秘密一样……”
I laughed, though I was still not able to meet her gaze. “That’s a bad thing?”
我大笑起来，尽管我还不能看着她的眼神：“这是坏事吗？”
“It’s not just him.” She set her lips defensively. “I wish you could see how you move around him.”
“也不仅仅是他，”她双唇紧绷，防御性地说，“我希望你能看见自己是怎样绕着他转的。”
“What do you mean?”
“您是什么意思？”
“The way you move — you orient yourself around him without even thinking about it. When he moves, even a little bit, you adjust your position at the same time. Like magnets… or gravity. You’re like a… satellite, or something. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“你行为的方式——你甚至想都没想就围绕着他调整自己。他动的时候，哪怕只动一点点，你同时也会调整自己的位置。好像磁铁……或地球引力一样。你们就像……卫星，或类似的事物一样，我从未见过这样的事情。”
Renee flushed a delicate pink. “That’s beside the point.”
蕾妮的脸上涌现出一抹柔和的粉红色：“那和此事无关。”
For half a second I couldn’t answer. Renee was so easily swayed. Sometimes it was a good thing, because not all of her ideas were practical. But it pained me to see how quickly she caved in to my trivializing, especially since she was dead right this time.
有半秒钟我无言以对，蕾妮很容易被动摇。有时候这是好事，因为并不是她所有的想法都是切合实际的，但是她那么快就被我提到的无关痛痒的琐事打败了，特别是因为这一次她又极其正确，看见她这样让我心痛不已。
I wiped my hand dramatically across my forehead, and then pretended to wring my hair out.
我夸张地用手擦了一把额头，接着假装揪住头发。
She pursed her lips and stared down.
她嘟起嘴巴，盯着地面。
“Don’t tell me,” I teased, forcing a smile. “You’re reading mysteries again, aren’t you? Or is it sci-fi this time?”
“别告诉我，”我挤出一个微笑，打趣道，“您又读神话故事了，是不是？或者这回是科幻小说？”
“You should stick to romance, Mom. You know how you freak yourself out.”
“妈妈，您不应该迷恋言情小说，您知道您吓坏自己了。”
“Found anything good?”
“找到什么好书没？”
She laughed and then gestured grandly toward the white sands stretching to the blue water.
她大笑起来，然后骄傲地指向延伸到蓝色的海水边上的白色沙滩。
She looked up, and I controlled my expression.
她抬起头看着我，我则控制住自己的表情。
“And all this isn’t enough to get you to move back in with your silly mom?” she asked.
“难道这一切都不足以使你搬回来和你的蠢妈妈一起住吗？”她问。
“Not silly — just being a mom.”
“并不傻——只是在尽做妈妈的责任。”
Her lips turned up at the corners. “I’m being silly, aren’t I?”
她扬起嘴角说道：“我很蠢，是不是？”
“Well, there was one — but that doesn’t matter. We’re talking about you right now.”
“噢，有那么一本——但是那无关紧要，我们现在在讨论你的事情。”
She elbowed me playfully and then took my hand as we walked back to her car.
她开玩笑地用胳膊肘顶了顶我，接着牵着我的手向她的车走去。
I sighed. Of course Charlie was waiting to pounce.
我叹了叹气，查理当然在翘首以待了。
“We’re home, Sleeping Beauty. Time to awake.”
“我们到家了，睡美人，是该醒来的时候了。”
“How bad?” I asked.
“情况有多么糟？”我问道。
Edward’s icy fingers brushed my cheek. I looked up, blinking, coming back to the present.
爱德华冰冷的手指划过我的脸颊。我抬头看着他，眨了眨眼睛，回到了现在。
“You get used to the humidity,” she promised.
“你习惯了潮湿的环境。”她断言道。
“You can get used to rain, too,” I countered.
“您也会习惯雨水的。”我反驳道。
We were stopped in front of Charlie’s house. The porch light was on and the cruiser was parked in the driveway. As I examined the house, I saw the curtain twitch in the living room window, flashing a line of yellow light across the dark lawn.
我们在查理的房子前面停了下来。走廊的灯还亮着，巡逻车停在车道上。我仔细查看房子的时候，看见起居室窗户上的窗帘猛地拉了一下，映出一缕淡黄色的光，照在黑黢黢的草坪上。
Other than her worries about me, she seemed happy enough. Content. She still looked at Phil with goo-goo eyes, and that was comforting. Surely her life was full and satisfying. Surely she didn’t miss me that much, even now…
她不再担心，我现在看起来心情足够好，而且心满意足。她仍然含情脉脉地看着菲尔，这让人感到欣慰。她的生活当然很充实，也很令人满意。她当然不会那么想念我，即使是现在……
Edward must have been thinking the same thing, because his expression was stiff and his eyes remote as he came to get my door for me.
爱德华肯定和我想的一样，因为他过去帮我开门的时候，表情僵硬，眼神冷漠。
He leaned down and kissed my forehead.
他倾身吻我的额头。
“Impressive,” I whispered in his ear.
“真感动。”我在他耳边低声说。
Charlie’s eyes flickered unwillingly to Edward. “Did you have a nice time?”
查理的眼神很不情愿地瞟到爱德华身上：“你玩得开心吗？”
“Yes,” Edward answered in a serene voice. “Renee was very hospitable.”
“很开心，”爱德华平静地回答道，“蕾妮非常好客。”
“Moist. And buggy.”
“很潮湿，也有很多臭虫。”
“Welcome home, kid!” Charlie shouted like he really meant it. “How was Jacksonville?”
“欢迎回家，孩子！”查理叫喊的样子好像他确实是这么想的一样，“杰克逊维尔怎么样？”
“So Renee didn’t sell you on the University of Florida?”
“那么蕾妮没有怂恿你去上佛罗里达大学？”
“She tried. But I’d rather drink water than inhale it.”
“她试过，但是我宁愿喝水而不是吸水。”
My eyes narrowed in doubt. If that was the case, then why was Edward tensed as if for a battle?
我犹疑地眯起双眼，如果是这样的话，那么为什么爱德华紧张得好像要奔赴战场一般？
“Charlie’s not going to be difficult,” Edward promised, his voice level with no hint of humor. “He missed you.”
“查理不会为难你的，”爱德华保证道，他的音调没有幽默的迹象，“他想念你了。”
My bag was small, but he insisted on carrying it into the house. Charlie held the door open for us.
我的行李袋很小，但是他坚持要帮我拿到屋里去。查理把门打开，撑着门让我们进来。
“That’s… um, good. Glad you had fun.” Charlie turned away from Edward and pulled me in for an unexpected hug.
“那样……哦，很好，很高兴你玩得开心。”查理转过身背对着爱德华，出其不意地拥抱了我一下，然后把我拖了进来。
He rumbled a laugh. “I really missed you, Bells. The food around here sucks when you’re gone.”
他低沉地笑了一声：“我真的很想你，贝儿，你不在的时候这里的食物简直糟糕透顶了。”
“I’ll get on it,” I said as he let me go.
“我马上做饭。”我说话的时候他放开了我。
“Would you call Jacob first? He’s been bugging me every five minutes since six o’clock this morning. I promised I’d have you call him before you even unpacked.”
“你要不要先给雅各布打个电话？今天早上六点钟以后他每五分钟就打电话来烦我，我答应他在你还没放好行装之前我就会让你给他回电话。”
I didn’t have to look at Edward to feel that he was too still, too cold beside me. So this was the cause of his tension.
我没必要看爱德华就知道他在我身边一动不动，冷冰冰的，那么这才是他紧张的原因。
“Jacob wants to talk to me?”
“雅各布想跟我说话吗？”
“Pretty bad, I’d say. He wouldn’t tell me what it was about — just said it was important.”
“非常想，我不得不这么说。他不愿意告诉我是什么事——只是说很重要。”
“That’s him again, I’d bet my next paycheck,” Charlie muttered.
“又是他，我愿意拿我下个月的工资打赌。”查理低声说道。
The phone rang then, shrill and demanding.
就在那时电话铃响了起来，发出的声音让人颤动，似乎也很紧急。
His familiar husky voice sent a wave of wistfulness through me. A thousand memories spun in my head, tangling together — a rocky beach strewn with driftwood trees, a garage made of plastic sheds, warm sodas in a paper bag, a tiny room with one too-small shabby loveseat. The laughter in his deep-set black eyes, the feverish heat of his big hand around mine, the flash of his white teeth against his dark skin, his face stretching into the wide smile that had always been like a key to a secret door where only kindred spirits could enter.
他那熟悉而沙哑的声音让我心中涌起一股思念的感觉，涌遍我的全身。数不清的记忆在我脑海里旋转，乱作一团——布满鹅卵石的沙滩上，零零星星地漂着的浮木树，塑料棚搭成的车库，纸袋里面温暖的汽水，一间微型卧室里的小得可怜的破烂沙发。他深邃的黑色眼眸里满含着笑意，环绕在我身边的热得发烫的大手，洁白的牙齿和黝黑的皮肤形成鲜明的对比，他的脸上总是挂着一抹开心的笑容，好像是通往神秘之门的钥匙一样，而那扇门只有同类的灵魂才能进入。
“I got it.” I hurried to the kitchen.
“我知道了。”我边说边匆匆忙忙地跑进厨房。
Edward followed after me while Charlie disappeared into the living room.
爱德华跟在我身后，而查理则跑进了起居室。
I grabbed the phone mid-ring, and twisted around so that I was facing the wall. “Hello?”
铃声响了一半我就一把抓起电话，然后转过身面对着墙，说：“喂？”
“You’re back,” Jacob said.
“你回来了。”雅各布说。
His angry tone instantly got my back up. “Because I’ve been in the house for exactly four seconds and your call interrupted Charlie telling me that you’d called.”
他生气的语气立即让我望而却步了，我赶忙解释道：“因为我刚踏进家门不到四秒钟，查理还没来得及说完你打过电话，你的电话就打断了他。”
There was a short pause. “You going to school tomorrow?”
他暂停了片刻，问道：“明天你去上学吗？”
“Why didn’t you call me?” Jacob demanded.
“你为什么不给我打电话？”雅各布追问道。
“Oh. Sorry.”
“噢，对不起。”
Another pause.
然后又是停顿。
I cleared the lump from my throat. “Yes,” I answered.
我清了清嗓子，扫去激动的心情，“是的。”我回答说。
It felt sort of like homesickness, this longing for the place and person who had sheltered me through my darkest night.
感觉就像思乡一样，这种对某个地方、某个人的想念保护着我不必害怕漆黑的深夜。
I frowned to myself, unable to make sense of this question. “Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I?”
我皱了皱眉头，没法弄清楚他问这个问题是什么意思：“当然去啦，为什么不去呢？”
“I dunno. Just curious.”
“我不知道，只是好奇。”
“Yeah, I figured out that part all by myself. Go ahead.”
“是的，我自己也想到这一点了，说吧。”
“I need to talk to you.”
“我要和你谈一谈。”
“So what did you want to talk about, Jake?”
“那么你到底想要说什么，雅各布？”
“Yeah, I know. I’m so glad you called me, Jake. I…” But I didn’t know what more to say. I wanted to tell him I was on my way to La Push right now. And I couldn’t tell him that.
“是的，我知道。我很高兴你打电话给我，杰克，我……”但是我不知道我还能说什么。我想告诉他我现在在去拉普西的路上，但是我不能告诉他。
“Sure. Now, why are you harassing Charlie?”
“没事，那么，你为什么要骚扰查理？”
“I have to go,” he said abruptly.
“我得挂电话了。”他突然说道。
He hesitated. “Nothing really, I guess. I… wanted to hear your voice.”
他有些犹豫：“没什么，真的，我想，我……想听听你的声音。”
“Is everything all right?” Edward asked. His voice was low and careful.
“一切都好吗？”爱德华问道。他的声音很低，也很小心。
“Mmm,” I murmured. That was true. I knew Jake inside and out. It shouldn’t be that complicated to figure out his motivations.
“哦。”我咕哝了一声，这倒是真的。我对杰克了如指掌，要弄清楚他的动机并不是件复杂的事情。
“Your guess is probably better than mine,” Edward said, the hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“你的猜测可能比我的要准确。”爱德华说道，他的嘴角隐隐约约闪过一抹苦笑。
I turned slowly to face him. His expression was perfectly smooth — impossible to read.
我慢慢地转身面对他，他的表情十分坦然——难以读懂。
“I don’t know. I wonder what that was about.” It didn’t make sense that Jacob had been hounding Charlie all day just to ask me if I was going to school. And if he’d wanted to hear my voice, then why did he hang up so quickly?
“我不知道，我想知道他有什么事。”雅各布骚扰查理一整天就是为了问我去不去上学，这简直毫无意义。如果他想听到我的声音，那么他为什么这么快挂电话？
“What?”
“什么？”
“That was short,” I muttered.
“真短。”我不满地嘀咕道。
“I’ll talk to you soon, okay?”
“我很快就会给你打电话的，好吗？”
He was already gone. I listened to the dial tone with disbelief.
他已经挂了，我难以置信地听着挂断的声音。
“But Jake –“
“但是杰克……”
With my thoughts miles away — about fifteen miles away, up the road to La Push — I started combing through the fridge, assembling ingredients for Charlie’s dinner. Edward leaned against the counter, and I was distantly aware that his eyes were on my face, but too preoccupied to worry about what he saw there.
我的思绪飘到几英里之外——大概离这里十五英里的地方，在往拉普西去的路上——我开始在冰箱里翻来翻去，找到一些给查理做晚饭的材料。爱德华斜靠着灶台，我远远地就知道他的眼睛注视着我的脸，但是他看得如此入神，根本顾不上担心他在我脸上所看到的一切。
I tried to think about it in a logical way. So, if I hadn’t been going to school tomorrow, what would be the problem with that, from Jacob’s perspective? Charlie had given me a little grief about missing a day of school so close to finals, but I’d convinced him that one Friday wasn’t going to derail my studies. Jake would hardly care about that.
我努力合乎逻辑地思考这个问题。那么，要是我明天不去学校，对雅各布而言会有什么问题呢？期末考试临近，我却逃了一天课，查理已经让我很难应付了，但是我说服了他，一个星期五不会让我的学习脱轨的，杰克基本上就不会在乎这些。
Why would my attendance record matter to him, though?
那么，为什么他会关心我的出勤记录呢？
What could have changed in the past three days that was so important that Jacob would break his long streak of refusing to answer my phone calls and contact me? What difference could three days make?
过去三天里究竟发生了什么样的改变，这个改变是那么重要，居然会让雅各布打破长期以来拒绝接听我的电话与我联系的僵局呢？三天又会有什么样的不同呢？
The school thing seemed like the key to me. That was the only real question Jake had asked. And he had to be after an answer to something, or he wouldn’t have been bugging Charlie so persistently.
关于学校的话题对我而言就好像一把钥匙一样。那是杰克问我的唯一的问题，而且他在寻找某种东西的答案，否则他不会如此锲而不舍地骚扰查理。
My brain refused to come up with any brilliant insights. Maybe I was missing some vital piece of information.
我的大脑想不出有见地的点子，或许我错过了一些至关重要的信息。
I froze in the middle of the kitchen. The package of icy hamburger in my hands slipped through my numb fingers. It took me a slow second to miss the thud it should have made against the floor.
我笔直地站在厨房中央，手中的一包冰冻汉堡包从麻木的指缝中滑了下去。我过了好一会儿才反应过来，来不及阻止它砰的一声落在地上。
Three days could change everything.
三天可以改变一切。
Hadn’t I just been thinking about how impossible college was? How I couldn’t be anywhere near people after I’d gone through the painful three-day conversion that would set me free from mortality, so that I could spend eternity with Edward? The conversion that would make me forever a prisoner to my own thirst…
难道刚才我不是一直在想上大学是多么不可能的事情吗？在刚刚发生使我的生命得以永恒的转变，这样我就可以与爱德华永远厮守在一起了，同时还要经历痛苦不堪的头三天，在这之后，我又怎么可能到任何靠近人群的地方呢？这种转变会使我永远成为饥渴的囚徒……
Edward had caught it and thrown it onto the counter. His arms were already around me, his lips at my ear. “What’s wrong?”
爱德华一把接住了它，然后把它扔在灶台上，此时他的双臂已经环抱着我，嘴唇贴近我的耳朵呢喃道：“怎么啦？”
Had Charlie told Billy that I’d vanished for three days? Had Billy jumped to conclusions? Had Jacob really been asking me if I was still human? Making sure that the werewolves’ treaty was unbroken — that none of the Cullens had dared to bite a human… bite, not kill…
查理跟比利说过我消失了三天吗？比利得出结论了吗？雅各布实际上是在问我还是不是人类吗？他是在确认没有人违背狼人的条约，即卡伦家族没有人敢咬人……只是咬，而不是杀人……
I shook my head, dazed.
我摇了摇头，有些晕头转向。
Edward shook me. “Bella?” he asked, truly anxious now.
爱德华摇了摇我的身体，“贝拉？”他问道，现在他真的有些焦急。
Edward stiffened, and a low hiss sounded in my ear.
爱德华的身体变得僵硬起来，我的耳边响起一阵低沉的咝咝声。
But did he honestly think I would come home to Charlie if that was the case?
但是他真的认为假如那样的话，我会回家见查理吗？
“I think… I think he was checking,” I mumbled. “Checking to make sure. That I’m human, I mean.”
“我想……我想他是在查看，”我低声说道，“查看以确保——我的意思是，我还是人类。”
His arms tightened around me. “I know.”
他用双臂紧紧地抱着我，说道：“我知道。”
“No, that’s okay, I’m already started.”
“不，没关系，我已经开始做了。”
“We’ll have to leave,” I whispered. “Before. So that it doesn’t break the treaty. We won’t ever be able to come back.”
“我们得离开，”我轻声说道，“在此之前，那样的话就不会违背条约。我们再也不能回来了。”
“If you don’t want to make dinner, I can call for a pizza,” Charlie hinted.
“如果你不想做晚饭，我可以叫个比萨。”查理提醒说。
I jumped, and then pulled free of Edward’s arms, my face getting hot. Edward leaned back against the counter. His eyes were tight. I could see worry in them, and anger.
我跳了起来，一把推开爱德华的胳膊，脸涨得发热。爱德华靠在灶台上，流露出严厉的眼色。我能看见他眼中的担忧，还有愤怒。
“Ahem.” Charlie cleared his voice loudly behind us.
“啊哼！”查理在我们身后大声地清理嗓子。
“Okay,” Charlie said. He propped himself against the doorframe, folding his arms.
“好吧。”查理说道。他双手抱胸，让自己倚靠在门框上。
I sighed and got to work, trying to ignore my audience.
我叹了叹气，开始做饭，试图忽略我的观众。
“If I asked you to do something, would you trust me?” Edward asked, an edge to his soft voice.
“如果我要你做什么，你会信任我吗？”爱德华问道，他温柔的声音里有些热切。
We were almost to school. Edward had been relaxed and joking just a moment ago, and now suddenly his hands were clenched tight on the steering wheel, his knuckles straining in an effort not to snap it into pieces.
我们差不多快要到学校了。爱德华刚才还很放松，一路上和我开着玩笑呢，现在他的双手突然紧紧地抓住方向盘，手关节捏得很紧，竭力避免把它撕成碎片。
I stared at his anxious expression — his eyes were far away, like he was listening to distant voices.
我注视着他焦虑的神情——他的目光看得很遥远，就好像他在倾听远方的声音一样。
My pulse sped in response to his stress, but I answered carefully. “That depends.”
他的紧张令我的脉搏条件反射般地加速跳动起来，不过，我还是小心翼翼地回答道：“那要看是什么事了。”
We pulled into the school lot.
我们把车开到了学校停车场。
“I was afraid you would say that.”
“我就担心你会这么说。”
“I want you to stay in the car.” He pulled into his usual spot and turned the engine off as he spoke. “I want you to wait here until I come back for you.”
“我想要你待在车里，”他把车停在了老地方，一边熄火一边说道，“我想要你在我回来找你之前一直待在这里等我。”
“What do you want me to do, Edward?”
“你想要我做什么，爱德华？”
That was when I saw him. He would have been hard to miss, towering over the students the way he did, even if he hadn’t been leaning against his black motorcycle, parked illegally on the sidewalk.
就在那时我看见了他。即使他没有靠在黑色的摩托车上，违规地把车停在人行道上，人们也很难忽视他，因为他的个头比其他学生高出一大截。
“Oh.”
“哦。”
I’d forgotten how much this face bothered me. Though I’d gotten to know Sam pretty well before the Cullens had come back — to like him, even — I’d never been able to completely shake the resentment I felt when Jacob mimicked Sam’s expression. It was a stranger’s face. He wasn’t my Jacob when he wore it.
我已经忘记了这张脸曾让我多么困扰。尽管我在卡伦一家回来之前已经开始了解山姆了——即使，当雅各布装出他的表情时，我会不由自主地讨厌山姆，这使我永远无法完全抖掉对他的厌恶之情——但我还是开始逐渐喜欢他了。那是一张陌生人的脸庞，一旦他戴上这副面具后，就不是我的雅各布了。
“But… why?”
“但是……为什么？”
Jacob’s face was a calm mask that I recognized well. It was the face he used when he was determined to keep his emotions in check, to keep himself under control. It made him look like Sam, the oldest of the wolves, the leader of the Quileute pack. But Jacob could never quite manage the perfect serenity Sam always exuded.
雅各布的脸上戴着一张平静的面具，这我一眼就能看穿。这种表情是他下定决心控制住自己的感情，控制住自己的时候才有的。这让他看起来和山姆——最年长的那个狼人，也是奎鲁特狼人帮的酋长——一样，但是雅各布从来都没做到山姆身上散发出来的从容不迫。
So I’d misinterpreted Jacob’s motives last night. Missing information, that was the problem. Information like why in the world Jacob would want to talk to Edward.
那么昨天晚上我对雅各布的动机判断失误，错过了某些信息，这才是问题所在。比如，雅各布到底为什么想要和爱德华谈一谈。
“You jumped to the wrong conclusion last night,” Edward murmured. “He asked about school because he knew that I would be where you were. He was looking for a safe place to talk to me. A place with witnesses.”
“昨天晚上你过早地作出了错误的结论，”爱德华低声说道，“他询问学校的事情是因他知道我会在你所在的地方。他在寻找一个有目击证人的安全的地方和我谈一谈。”
Jacob’s face hardened as we walked toward him, hand in hand.
我们手挽手朝他走去的时候，雅各布的脸变得僵硬起来。
“I’m not staying in the car,” I said.
“我不会待在车里的。”我说道。
I noticed other faces, too — the faces of my classmates. I noticed how their eyes widened as they took in all six foot seven inches of Jacob’s long body, muscled up the way no normal sixteen-and-a-half-year-old ever had been. I saw those eyes rake over his tight black t-shirt — short-sleeved, though the day was unseasonably cool — his ragged, grease-smeared jeans, and the glossy black bike he leaned against. Their eyes didn’t linger on his face — something about his expression had them glancing quickly away. And I noticed the wide berth everyone gave him, the bubble of space that no one dared to encroach on.
我也注意到其他的脸——我那些同学的脸。我注意到当他们注视着雅各布时——他的身躯长达六英尺七英寸，肌肉发达的程度不是正常的十六岁半的少年应该有的——个个都瞪大了双眼。我看见那些眼睛打量着他身上的黑色紧身T恤衫——还是短袖的，尽管现在天气一反常态的凉爽——还有那条全是窟窿、沾满油渍的牛仔裤，以及那台他斜靠在上面的闪闪发亮的摩托车。他们的眼睛没有停留在他的脸上——他的表情流露出来的信息令他们飞快地把眼神移到别处去了。我也注意到每个人和他保持着足够宽的安全距离，没有人敢侵犯这个幻想出来的空间。
Edward groaned quietly. “Of course not. Well, let’s get this over with.”
爱德华轻轻地呻吟道：“当然不会了，好吧，让我们去面对这一切吧。”
With a sense of astonishment, I realized that Jacob looked dangerous to them. How odd.
我突然感到震惊不已，我意识到雅各布在他们看来是个危险分子，这是多么奇怪的事情啊！
“You could have reached me at Bella’s house, of course.”
“你本来可以在贝拉家找到我的，那是当然的。”
Jacob’s jaw flexed, and his brows pulled together. He didn’t answer.
雅各布收紧下巴，眉毛拧到一块儿，没有回答。
“You could have called us,” Edward said in a steel-hard voice.
“你本来可以叫我们的。”爱德华说话时的语气犹如钢铁那么生硬。
“This is hardly the place, Jacob. Could we discuss this later?”
“这个地方根本就不合适，雅各布，我们可以稍后再谈吗？”
Edward stopped a few yards away from Jacob, and I could tell that he was uncomfortable having me so close to a werewolf. He drew his hand back slightly, pulling me halfway behind his body.
爱德华在离雅各布几码远的地方停了下来，我敢说让我离狼人那么近，他感到非常不安。他不着痕迹地把手朝后移了移，把我拉到略微靠在他身后的地方。
Edward looked around pointedly, his eyes resting on the witnesses who were just barely out of hearing range. A few people were hesitating on the sidewalk, their eyes bright with expectation. Like they were hoping a fight might break out to alleviate the tedium of another Monday morning. I saw Tyler Crowley nudge Austin Marks, and they both paused on their way to class.
爱德华严厉地看了看周围，他的眼睛停留在那些几乎不在听力范围之内的目击证人身上。有几个人在人行道上不知道如何是好，他们的眼睛闪闪发光，充满期待，就好像他们希望一场斗殴能够缓解星期一早上沉闷乏味的气氛一样。我看到泰勒？克劳雷用肘轻轻地推了推奥斯汀？马克斯，他们两个都在去上课的路上停了下来。
“Sure, sure. I’ll stop by your crypt after school.” Jacob snorted. “What’s wrong with now?”
“当然，当然。放学后我会在你家附近的地穴里等你，”雅各布不屑地说，“现在有什么问题吗？”
“Sorry,” Jacob answered, his face twisting into a sneer. “I don’t have any leeches on my speed dial.”
“不好意思，”雅各布回答说，他的脸此刻变成了讥讽的表情，“我的快速拨号簿里没有蚂蟥。”
“Emmett and Paul?” I whispered. Paul was Jacob’s most volatile pack brother. He was the one who’d lost control that day in the woods — the memory of the snarling gray wolf was suddenly vivid in my head. “What happened? Were they fighting?” My voice strained higher in panic. “Why? Did Paul get hurt?”
“埃美特和保罗？”我低声问道。保罗是雅各布的狼人兄弟中最冲动的一个。他是那天在树林里失控的那个——咆哮着的灰熊的记忆突然自己栩栩如生地出现在我的脑海中。“发生了什么事？他们打架了吗？”我的声音由于惊慌不由得变得尖锐起来，“为什么？保罗受伤了吗？”
“Warned?” I asked blankly. “What are you talking about?”
“警告？”我茫然地问道，“你们在说什么？”
“Please drop it, Jacob,” Edward said in an even voice.
“请你放弃这个提议，雅各布。”爱德华声音平静地说道。
“You didn’t tell her?” Jacob asked, his eyes widening with disbelief. “What, were you afraid she’d take our side?”
“你没有告诉她？”雅各布问道，他瞪大双眼，露出难以置信的表情，“什么，你害怕她会站在我们这一边？”
“Why?” Jacob challenged.
“为什么？”雅各布质问道。
Edward glanced down at me for a fleeting second with worried eyes.
爱德华眼神忧虑，飞快地向下扫了我一眼。
I frowned in confusion. “What don’t I know? Edward?”
我疑惑不解地皱起眉头，问道：“我不知道为什么。爱德华？”
“Jake?”
“杰克？”
Jacob was fuming visibly. His hands trembled. He shook his head and sucked in two deep lungfuls of air.
雅各布的愤怒一目了然，他的双手颤抖起来。他摇了摇头，深深地吸了满满两口气。
Jacob raised his eyebrow at me. “He didn’t tell you that his big… brother crossed the line Saturday night?” he asked, his tone thickly layered with sarcasm. Then his eyes flickered back to Edward. “Paul was totally justified in –“
雅各布朝我挑起眉毛，“他难道没有告诉你他的兄……兄弟星期六晚上越界了？”他问道，语气中充满浓厚的讽刺意味。接着他的眼神忽地转回到爱德华身上，“保罗完全有理由在——”
Edward just glared at Jacob as if he hadn’t heard me.
爱德华只是愤怒地盯着雅各布，好像他没听见我的话一样。
“It was no-man’s land!” Edward hissed.
“那是一片无人之地！”爱德华嘘声说道。
“Was not!”
“那不是！”
“I already know what you came to say,” Edward reminded Jacob in voice so low that I could barely make it out. “Message delivered. Consider us warned.”
“我已经知道你来这儿要说什么了。”爱德华提醒雅各布的声音非常小，我几乎没办法领会它的意思，“信息已经收到了，想要警告我们。”
“No one fought,” Edward said quietly, only to me. “No one got hurt. Don’t be anxious.”
“没有人打架，”爱德华只是对着我，平静地说道，“没有人受伤，别着急。”
In the dead silence, all the details suddenly fell into place for me with a burst of intuition.
在这死一般的沉寂里，所有的细节随着我直觉的迸发，突然浮现了。
“Leave now.” Edward cut him off mid-sentence, and his face was abruptly frightening — truly frightening. For a second, he looked like… like a vampire. He glared at Jacob with vicious, unveiled loathing.
“现在就走吧。”爱德华只等他说了一半就打断了他，他的脸突然间变得非常吓人——真的很吓人。有那么一会儿，他看起来就像……就像吸血鬼。他毫不掩饰心中的邪恶，怒气冲冲地盯着雅各布。
Jacob was staring at us with incredulous eyes. “You didn’t tell her anything at all, did you? Is that why you took her away? So she wouldn’t know that –“
雅各布用怀疑的眼神盯着我说：“你根本什么都没告诉她，是不是？那就是你把她带走的原因吗？这样她就不会知道那——？”
Jacob raised his eyebrows, but made no other move. “Why haven’t you told her?”
雅各布挑起眉毛，却一动不动：“为什么你不告诉她？”
They faced each other in silence for a long moment. More students gathered behind Tyler and Austin. I saw Mike next to Ben — Mike had one hand on Ben’s shoulder, like he was holding him in place.
他们一言不发地对视着彼此，看了很久很久。越来越多的学生聚集到泰勒和奥斯汀身后，我看见迈克站在本的旁边——迈克的一只手搭在本的肩膀上，好像要抓紧他让他待在原地一样。
Something Edward didn’t want me to know.
一些爱德华不想让我知道的事情。
Something that had the Cullens and the wolves both in the woods, moving in hazardous proximity to each other.
一些卡伦家族和狼人都出现在树林里危险地彼此靠近的事情。
Something that Jacob wouldn’t have kept from me.
一些雅各布不会隐瞒我的事情。
Something I’d been waiting for anyway. Something I knew would happen again, as much as I might wish it never would. It was never going to end, was it?
一些我无论如何都在等待的事情。一些我知道会再次发生的事情，其程度不亚于我可能希望它们不要发生。这永远都不会结束，不是吗？
Something that would cause Edward to insist that I fly across the country.
一些令爱德华无论如何也坚持让我飞越这个国度的事情。
I heard the quick gasp, gasp, gasp, gasp of the air dragging through my lips, but I couldn’t stop it. It looked like the school was shaking, like there was an earthquake, but I knew it was my own trembling that caused the illusion.
我听见穿过我的嘴唇的空气，急促地发出“呵，呵，呵，呵”的声音，但是我无法让它停下来，就好像学校在震动一般，好像发生了地震一样，但是我知道是我自己在颤抖才造成了这种错觉的。
“She came back for me,” I choked out.
“她回来找我了。”我咽下一口气才挤出这几个字。
Victoria was never going to give up till I was dead. She would keep repeating the same pattern — feint and run, feint and run — until she found a hole through my defenders.
维多利亚在我死之前决不会收手的。她会使同样的事情一再发生——佯攻，逃跑，佯攻，逃跑——直到发现我的保护者防护中的缺口。
Maybe I’d get lucky. Maybe the Volturi would come for me first — they’d kill me quicker, at least.
或许我会很走运，或许沃尔图里家族会先来找我——至少，他们杀死我的速度会更快。
Edward held me tight to his side, angling his body so that he was still between me and Jacob, and stroked my face with anxious hands. “It’s fine,” he whispered to me. “It’s fine. I’ll never let her get close to you, it’s fine.”
爱德华紧紧地把我搂在他身侧，身体弯曲着，这样他就正好挡在我和雅各布之间，他双手焦虑地轻抚我的脸，“没事的，”他轻声对我说，“没事的。我决不会让她靠近你的，没事的。”
Something that Alice had seen in a vision last week — a vision Edward had lied to me about.
一些爱丽丝上个星期就预见到的事情——爱德华为此对我撒谎了。
“She’s tougher than you think,” Jacob said. “And she’s been through worse.”
“她比你想象的要坚强，”雅各布说，“而且她经历过比这更糟糕的事情。”
Then he glared at Jacob. “Does that answer your question, mongrel?”
接着他愤怒地瞪着雅各布，说道：“这回答了你的问题吗，杂种狗？”
“You don’t think Bella has a right to know?” Jacob challenged. “It’s her life.”
“你认为贝拉没有权利知道此事？”雅各布争辩道，“这是她的生活。”
“Better frightened than lied to.”
“与其被人欺骗，不如担惊受怕。”
Edward kept his voice muted; even Tyler, edging forward by inches, would be unable to hear. “Why should she be frightened when she was never in danger?”
爱德华压低了他的声音；即使泰勒朝前走了几英寸，还是听不见他所说的话：“在她绝不会有危险的情况下，为什么要她担惊受怕？”
Edward wiped the tears from my cheek with his fingertips.
爱德华用指尖擦干我脸颊上的眼泪。
“Do you really think hurting her is better than protecting her?” he murmured.
“你真的认为让她受伤害比保护她更好？”爱德华低声问道。
I tried to pull myself together, but my eyes were swimming in moisture. I could see it behind my lids — I could see Victoria’s face, her lips pulled back over her teeth, her crimson eyes glowing with the obsession of her vendetta; she held Edward responsible for the demise of her love, James. She wouldn’t stop until his love was taken from him, too.
我努力让自己振作起来，但是泪水在我的眼中打转，在我的眼睑后面我能看见——我能看见维多利亚的脸，她的嘴唇拉扯到牙齿后面，深红色的眼睛里闪烁着挥之不去的深仇大恨；她把她的情人——詹姆斯的死归咎于爱德华。不把他心爱的人也从他身边抢走的话，她是绝不会善罢甘休的。
Abruptly, Jacob’s expression shifted, and he was staring at Edward with an odd, speculative expression. His eyes narrowed like he was trying to do a difficult math problem in his head.
突然，雅各布的表情发生了变化，他心怀叵测、奇怪地盯着爱德华。他眯着眼睛，好像他在脑中解答数学难题一样。
I glanced, wide-eyed, from Edward’s grimace to Jacob’s sneer.
我瞪大眼睛，眼神从爱德华的痛苦不堪扫视到雅各布的冷嘲热讽。
Edward winced, but smoothed his expression with a little effort. He couldn’t quite hide the agony in his eyes.
爱德华突然一惊，不过他颇为费劲地使自己的表情平复下来，他无法完全掩饰起眼中的痛苦。
The memory snapped me out of my near hysteria and put everything in perspective. Because I’d rather Victoria killed me a hundred times over than watch Edward suffer that way again.
记忆让我立即从近乎歇斯底里的状态中清醒过来，令所有的一切都在我脑海中清晰明了起来。因为我宁愿维多利亚杀死我一百次，也不愿意看见爱德华再受那样的罪。
I felt Edward cringe. I glanced up at him, and his face was contorted in what could only be pain. For one ghastly moment, I was reminded of our afternoon in Italy, in the macabre tower room of the Volturi, where Jane had tortured Edward with her malignant gift, burning him with her thoughts alone…
我感到爱德华退却了。我朝上瞟了他一眼，他的脸因为痛苦而非其他的原因而扭曲了。在宛如死亡般的瞬间里，这让我想起我们在意大利的那个下午，沃尔图里那令人毛骨悚然、城堡式的房间里，就是在那里简用她的致命天赋折磨着爱德华，只是用她的思想使他痛苦不堪，饱受煎熬……
“That’s funny,” Jacob said, laughing as he watched Edward’s face.
“这倒是很有趣。”雅各布一边说着，一边大笑着看着爱德华的脸。
Jacob grinned, and Edward winced again.
雅各布咧开嘴巴笑了起来，爱德华又突然警觉起来。
“What are you doing to him?” I demanded.
“你对他做了什么？”我问道。
“Stop it! Whatever you’re doing.”
“快停下来！不管你在做什么！”
“It’s nothing, Bella,” Edward told me quietly. “Jacob just has a good memory, that’s all.”
“没什么，贝拉，”爱德华平静地告诉我，“只不过雅各布的记忆力很好罢了，没关系。”
“Sure, if you want.” Jacob shrugged. “It’s his own fault if he doesn’t like the things I remember, though.”
“当然啦，只要你想的话，”雅各布耸了耸肩膀，“不过，要是他不喜欢我记得的事情的话，那是他自己的错。”
“The principal’s on his way to discourage loitering on school property,” Edward murmured to me. “Let’s get to English, Bella, so you’re not involved.”
“校长在路上，他要规劝大家别在校园里闲逛，”爱德华轻声对我说道，“我们去上英语课吧，贝拉，这样你就不会牵连进来。”
I glared at him, and he smiled back impishly — like a kid caught doing something he knows he shouldn’t by someone who he knows won’t punish him.
我气愤地盯着他，他则顽童似的对我笑了笑——就好像小孩子在做他明白不应该做的事情，而被那个他知道不会惩罚他的人发现了一样。
Edward glowered, and his lips pulled back from his teeth ever so slightly.
爱德华怒目而视，嘴唇轻微地露出他的牙齿。
“Shut up, Jake,” I said.
“闭嘴，杰克！”我说道。
Jacob laughed. “That sounds like a no. Hey, if you ever feel like having a life again, you could come see me. I’ve still got your motorcycle in my garage.”
雅各布大笑起来：“那听起来像是在说‘是的’。嘿，要是你还想生活中有些乐趣的话，你可以来见我，我的车库里还放着你的摩托车呢。”
This news distracted me. “You were supposed to sell that. You promised Charlie you would.” If I hadn’t begged on Jake’s behalf — after all, he’d put weeks of labor into both motorcycles, and he deserved some kind of payback — Charlie would have thrown my bike in a Dumpster. And possibly set that Dumpster on fire.
这个消息分散了我的注意力：“你应该卖掉它的，你答应过查理你会卖的。”要是我没代表雅各布求情的话——毕竟，他为了两辆摩托车花费了好几个星期的精力，他也应该得到回报——查理肯定会把我那辆摩托车扔进邓普斯特尔垃圾罐的，或许他还会一把火烧掉垃圾罐呢。
“Overprotective, isn’t he?” Jacob said, talking just to me. “A little trouble makes life fun. Let me guess, you’re not allowed to have fun, are you?”
“他保护得有些过头了，是不是这样？”雅各布问道，不过他只是对我在讲话而已，“小麻烦会让生活更有趣。让我猜一猜，你玩得开心却没有得到批准，对不对？”
“Yeah, right. Like I would do that. It belongs to you, not me. Anyway, I’ll hold on to it until you want it back.”
“是的，对。好像我会那样做一样，它属于你而不是我。不管怎么样，我会一直留着它，直到你想把它要回去。”
A tiny hint of the smile I remembered was suddenly playing around the edges of his lips.
我记忆中的一抹微笑突然在他的嘴角闪动起来。
I was vividly conscious of Edward, his arms still wrapped protectively around me, motionless as a stone. I shot a look at his face — it was calm, patient.
我意识到爱德华就在眼前，他的胳膊仍然保护性地环抱着我，像石头一样一动不动。我朝他看了一眼——他表情平静，耐心地等待着。
“Jake…”
“杰克……”
He leaned forward, his face earnest now, the bitter sarcasm fading. “I think I might have been wrong before, you know, about not being able to be friends. Maybe we could manage it, on my side of the line. Come see me.”
他身体向前倾，神情变得真诚起来，挖苦嘲讽悄然隐退：“我想以前我可能做错了，你知道，就是关于不能够做朋友的事情。或许，我们能够做到，在我这一边，过来见我吧。”
“I, er, don’t know about that, Jake.”
“我，呃，不知道，杰克。”
“I know and I’m sorry, Jake, I just…”
“我知道，而且我很抱歉，杰克，我只是……”
He shook his head, and sighed. “I know. Doesn’t matter, right? I guess I’ll survive or something. Who needs friends?” He grimaced, trying to cover the pain with a thin attempt at bravado.
他摇了摇头，叹气道：“我知道。没关系，对吗？我想我会度过，或者诸如此类的。谁需要朋友？”他扮了个鬼脸，有些故作勇敢地想掩饰住自己的痛苦。
Jacob dropped the antagonistic facade completely. It was like he’d forgotten Edward was there, or at least he was determined to act that way. “I miss you every day, Bella. It’s not the same without you.”
雅各布一下子放下了他那种对抗性的伪装，好像爱德华根本不在场一样，或者至少决心这么做：“我每天都很想念你，贝拉。没有你，生活完全不一样。”
Jacob’s suffering had always triggered my protective side. It was not entirely rational — Jacob was hardly in need of any physical protection I could offer. But my arms, pinned beneath Edward’s, yearned to reach out to him. To wrap around his big, warm waist in a silent promise of acceptance and comfort.
雅各布的痛苦总是激起我的保护欲。这并不完全合理——雅各布几乎不需要我提供任何身体上的保护。但是，我的胳膊夹在爱德华的胳膊下面，急切地想伸向他。环抱住他宽大、温暖的腰，在默默无言中表示接纳与安慰。
Edward’s shielding arms had become restraints.
爱德华护着我的手臂变成了一种束缚。
“Get to school, Jake,” I whispered, anxious as soon as I recognized the principal’s voice. Jacob went to the Quileute school, but he might still get in trouble for trespassing or the equivalent.
“去上学，杰克。”我轻声说道，一听出那是校长的声音我就焦急不安起来。雅各布上的是奎鲁特学校，但是仍然可能会因为违纪或类似的事情而卷入麻烦。
“I mean it,” he was threatening. “Detention for anyone who’s still standing here when I turn around again.”
“我是认真的，”他威胁着说，“我再转身过来发现谁还留在这里的话，就关那个人的禁闭。”
“Okay, get to class,” a stern voice sounded behind us. “Move along, Mr. Crowley.”
“好了，去上课吧，”一个严厉的声音在我们身后响起，“赶快走，克劳雷先生。”
“Ah, Mr. Cullen. Do we have a problem here?”
“啊，卡伦先生，你在这儿还有事情吗？”
Edward released me, taking just my hand and pulling me behind his body again.
爱德华松开了我，只是牵着我的手，又把我拉到他的身后。
The audience melted away before he was finished with his sentence.
他话还没说完人群就散开了。
Mr. Greene pushed through the circle of spectators, his brows pressing down like ominous storm clouds over his small eyes.
格林先生从围观的人群中挤了过来，他的眉间愁云密布，仿佛他那双小眼睛已经预见到不祥的暴风雨。
“Then I suggest you remove yourself from school property at once, young man, before I call the police.”
“那么，我建议你，在我叫警察之前，马上从校园里离开，年轻人。”
“Not at all, Mr. Greene. We were just on our way to class.”
“没有，格林先生，我们只是在去上课的路上。”
Mr. Greene gnashed his teeth together while he watched the performance. “Mr. Cullen, I expect you to ask your friend to refrain from trespassing again.”
格林先生看到这一幕时咬牙切齿地说道：“卡伦先生，我希望你让你的朋友不要再出现在这里了。”
“Nope,” Jacob answered, half a smirk on his broad lips.
“不是。”雅各布回答道，一抹假笑浮现在他宽厚的嘴唇上。
Mr. Greene’s eyes scrutinized Jacob, and I could see that he’d come to the same conclusion everyone else had: dangerous. A troublemaker.
格林先生的眼睛打量着雅各布，我能看见他得出的结论和其他人一样：危险。制造麻烦的人。
“Excellent. I don’t seem to recognize your friend.” Mr. Greene turned his glower on Jacob. “Are you a new student here?”
“很好。我好像不认识你的朋友。”格林先生把严厉的目光转到雅各布身上，“你是这里的新生吗？”
Jacob’s little smirk became a full-blown grin, and I knew he was picturing Charlie showing up to arrest him. This grin was too bitter, too full of mocking to satisfy me. This wasn’t the smile I’d been waiting to see.
雅各布的假笑变成了露齿而笑，而且我知道他正想象着查理出现在这里逮捕他呢。这样的笑容苦不堪言，太戏谑而无法让我感到开心，这不是我一直等待着想要见到的笑。
Jacob said, “Yes, sir,” and snapped a military salute before he climbed on his bike and kicked it to a start right there on the sidewalk. The engine snarled and then the tires squealed as he spun it sharply around. In a matter of seconds, Jacob raced out of sight.
雅各布说道：“是的，先生。”接着快速地敬了个军礼，然后爬上车，在人行道上发动了摩托车。引擎咆哮起来，接着当他猛地掉头时轮胎发出一阵刺耳的声音，几秒钟之后，雅各布就消失不见了。
“Do you feel well enough to go to class?” he whispered when we were past the principal.
“你身体还好，可以去上课吗？”我们从校长身边走过后，他低声问我。
“I hope that’s correct. Well, then. On to class. You, too, Miss Swan.”
“我希望你是对的。那么，好吧，上课去吧，你也是，斯旺小姐。”
“Yes,” I whispered back, not quite sure if this was a lie.
“是的。”我小声回答说，并不十分确定我是否在说谎。
We got to class a little late and took our seats quickly. Mr. Berty was reciting a Frost poem.
我们到教室的时候，稍微有些迟到，所以马上坐了下来。贝尔蒂先生正在背诵弗罗斯特的诗。
Mr. Greene pursed his lips. Edward’s perfect grades and spotless record were clearly a factor in Mr. Greene’s assessment of the incident. “I see. If you’re worried about any trouble, I’d be happy to –“
格林先生嘟起嘴巴，很显然，爱德华十全十美的成绩以及完美无瑕的记录是格林先生评估此事的因素之一：“我明白了。如果你担心任何麻烦，我会很乐意……”
He ignored our entrance, refusing to let us break his rhythm.
他对我们的晚到视而不见，拒绝让我们打断他的节奏。
Whether I felt well or not was hardly the most important consideration. I needed to talk to Edward right away, and English class wasn’t the ideal place for the conversation I had in mind.
我感觉舒不舒服并不是最重要的考量，我需要立即和爱德华谈一谈，而英语课堂决不是我心中谈话的理想之地。
Edward nodded, and pulled me quickly along toward the English building.
爱德华点点头，迅速地把我拉向英语楼。
But with Mr. Greene right behind us, there weren’t a lot of other options.
但是格林先生就在我们身后，没有其他的选择。
“There’s nothing to worry about, Mr. Greene. There won’t be any trouble.”
“没有什么好担心的，格林先生，不会有任何麻烦。”
“He’s no friend of mine, Mr. Greene, but I’ll pass along the warning.”
“他不是我的朋友，格林先生，但是我会把您的警告转告给他的。”
I yanked a blank page out of my notebook and started writing, my handwriting more illegible than normal thanks to my agitation.
我从笔记本上撕下一页纸，开始写起来，由于急躁，我的字迹比我们正常情况下更加难以辨认。
What happened? Tell me everything. And screw the protecting me crap, please.
发生了什么事？告诉我一切。说说保护我的事情，求你了。
I shoved the note at Edward. He sighed, and then began writing. It took him less time than me, though he wrote an entire paragraph in his own personal calligraphy before he slipped the paper back.
我把纸条推到爱德华面前。他叹了叹气，接着开始写。他花的时间没有我多，尽管如此，在他把纸片推到我面前之前，他已经用自己独特的书法写了整整一段。
Alice saw that Victoria was coming back. I took you out of town merely as a precaution — there was never a chance that she would have gotten anywhere close to you. Emmett and Jasper very nearly had her, but Victoria seems to have some instinct for evasion. She escaped right down the Quileute boundary line as if she were reading it from a map. It didn’t help that Alice’s abilities were nullified by the Quileutes’ involvement. To be fair, the Quileutes might have had her, too, if we hadn’t gotten in the way. The big gray one thought Emmett was over the line, and he got defensive. Of course Rosalie reacted to that, and everyone left the chase to protect their companions. Carlisle and Jasper got things calmed down before it got out of hand. But by then, Victoria had slipped away. That’s everything.
爱丽丝看见维多利亚回来了。我把你带出小镇只不过是为安全起见——她根本没有机会在任何地方接近你。埃美特和贾斯帕差不多都已经抓住她了，但是维多利亚似乎有某种躲避的本能。她径直逃到奎鲁特的边界上去了，好像她从地图上读到这一点一样。爱丽丝的预见力由于奎鲁特的卷入起不了作用。公平地说，奎鲁特人可能也会抓到她的，要是我们没有妨碍他们的话。那个大灰熊以为埃美特越界了，就开始抵抗了。当然，罗莎莉对此作出了反应，每个人结果都丢开追赶的对象，保护自己的同伴了。卡莱尔和贾斯帕在事情失控之前让事情平息下来，但是，到那时之前，维多利亚就已经逃跑了。这就是全部。
What about Charlie? She could have been after him.
查理呢？她很可能也找过他。
Carefully, I scrubbed out the entire paragraph with my eraser and then I wrote over the top:
小心翼翼地，我用橡皮擦掉整段话，接着在上面写道：
I wasn’t about to send you off alone. With your luck, not even the black box would survive.
我没打算把你一个人送走。由于你的好运气，连黑匣子都无法幸存。
Edward was shaking his head before I finished, obviously going to downplay any danger on Charlie’s behalf. He held a hand out, but I ignored that and started again.
爱德华在我还没写完之前就开始摇头了，很显然他想要弱化查理所面临的危险。他伸出一只手，但是我对此视而不见，又开始写道：
You can’t know that she wasn’t thinking that, because you weren’t here. Florida was a bad idea.
你不可能知道她没有想到这一点，因为你不在这里，去佛罗里达不是个好点子。
He took the paper from underneath my hand.
他从我手底下把字条拉过去。
I frowned at the letters on the page. All of them had been in on it — Emmett, Jasper, Alice, Rosalie, and Carlisle. Maybe even Esme, though he hadn’t mentioned her. And then Paul and the rest of the Quileute pack. It might so easily have turned into a fight, pitting my future family and my old friends against each other. Any one of them could have been hurt. I imagined the wolves would be in the most danger, but picturing tiny Alice next to one of the huge werewolves, fighting… I shuddered.
我看着纸面上的字母皱了皱眉头。所有的人都在上面——埃美特、贾斯帕、罗莎莉，还有卡莱尔。或许还有埃斯梅，尽管他没有提到她。还有保罗以及其他的奎鲁特狼人团体。要演变成一场战争，使我未来的家人和老朋友们互相为敌，很可能是一件极其容易的事情，他们当中的任何一个都可能会受伤。我想象着狼人可能遭遇到最大的危险，而一想到爱丽丝站在巨大的狼人附近搏斗……我就感到浑身战栗。
I stared at him wordlessly.
我无言以对地盯着他。
Why is the plane crashing?
为什么飞机要坠毁？
I scrubbed out the disconcerting conversation and wrote one more line.
我擦掉这段令人惊惶不已的对话，又写了一行：
He was trying to hide a smile now.
他现在正试图掩饰自己的微笑呢。
Both engines have exploded and we’re falling in a death spiral toward the earth.
两个引擎都爆炸了，死神跟我们一起飞快地朝地球坠落。
Easy. I’d fly the plane.
那很简单，我会开飞机。
I’d wait till we were close enough to the ground, get a good grip on you, kick out the wall, and jump. Then I’d run you back to the scene of the accident, and we’d stumble around like the two luckiest survivors in history.
我会一直等到我们就要落地之时再紧紧地抓住你，然后踢开机舱，往下跳。接着我会带着你跑回事发地点，踉踉跄跄地走出来就好像我们是历史最幸运的两个幸存者一样。
You will tell me next time.
下次你再告诉我。
Of course. I pursed my lips and tried again.
当然了。我嘟起嘴巴，不打算就此作罢。
“What?” he whispered.
“怎么啦？”他小声问道。
So let’s say my bad luck did crash the plane. What exactly were you going to do about it?
那么，比如我的霉运的确让飞机坠毁了，那么你又该怎么办呢？
The pilots are passed out drunk.
飞行员醉死了。
I shook my head in awe. “Nothing,” I mouthed.
我害怕地摇了摇头，“没什么，”我说。
That wasn’t what I’d meant at all; I hadn’t thought of going without him. I’d meant that we should have stayed here together. But I was sidetracked by his response, and a little miffed. Like I couldn’t fly cross country without bringing the plane down. Very funny.
那根本就不是我的本意，我从来都没有想过不让他和我一起去。我的意思是我们本应该一起待在这儿的。但是我的注意力被他的反应转移了，还有些恼羞成怒，好像我飞越祖国而没能让飞机着陆一样。非常有趣。
Thanks.
谢谢。
“Yeah,” Mike whispered. “Did you see the size of that Jacob kid? I think he could take Cullen down.” Mike sounded pleased by the idea.
“是的，”迈克小声说道，“你看见那个叫雅各布的小孩子的个头了吗？我想他可以扳倒卡伦。”听起来迈克对这想法感到很高兴。
It was later, in Calculus — my one class without Edward — that I heard the gossip.
正是在稍晚些的时候，上微积分课时——唯一一堂爱德华不和我一起上的课——我听到了流言飞语。
Mr. Berty scanned the notes — no doubt a perfect transcription of his lecture — and then walked away frowning.
贝尔蒂先生扫了一眼笔记——毫无疑问，上面一字不漏地记下了他讲的课——然后，皱着眉头走开了。
Edward stared into my eyes for a long moment. I wondered what my face looked like — it felt cold, so the blood hadn’t returned to my cheeks. My eyelashes were still wet.
爱德华久久地凝视着我的双眼，我想知道我的脸色看起来怎么样——感觉很冰冷，那么血液还没有回到我的脸颊上来，我的眉毛仍然是湿的。
He sighed and then nodded once.
他叹了叹气，点了点头。
I knew there would be a next time. The pattern would continue until someone lost.
我知道还会有下一次的，这种规律一直会持续直到失去某个人。
The paper disappeared from under my hand. I looked up, blinking in surprise, just as Mr. Berty came down the aisle. “Is that something you’d like to share there, Mr. Cullen?”
纸条突然从我手下消失了。我抬起头，惊讶地眨了眨眼睛，贝尔蒂先生正好走到过道这里。“有什么事情你想要和大家分享吗，卡伦先生？”
“My money’s on the big Indian,” someone was saying.
“我把钱押在那个大个子印第安人身上。”有人如是说。
Edward looked up innocently and held out the sheet of paper on top of his folder. “My notes?” he asked, sounding confused.
爱德华无辜地抬起头，伸手拿过文件夹上面的一沓纸，“我的笔记？”他问道，听起来有些迷惑不解。
I peeked up to see that Tyler, Mike, Austin, and Ben had their heads bent together, deep in conversation.
我抬头匆匆地瞥了一眼，看见泰勒、迈克、奥斯汀和本的头簇拥在一起，他们沉浸在谈论之中。
“Ten on Edward,” Ben agreed.
“我赌爱德华，十美元。”本附和说。
“Have you been down to La Push lately?” Mike asked. “Lauren and I went to the beach a couple of weeks ago, and believe me, Jacob’s friends are all just as big as he is.”
“你最近去过拉普西吗？”迈克问道，“劳伦和我一两个星期前去海滩边，相信我，雅各布的朋友们和他一样高大。”
“I still say Jacob,” Mike muttered under his breath.
“我还是赌雅各布。”迈克压低声音咕哝道。
Mike grinned. “Anyone in the mood for a bet?”
迈克张开嘴巴笑着说：“有人有兴趣打赌吗？”
“It didn’t look over to me,” Austin said. “Maybe we’ll get to see.”
“在我看来，这事还没结，”奥斯汀说道，“或许，我们得等着瞧。”
“Ten on Cullen,” Tyler chimed in.
“我赌卡伦，十美元。”泰勒也跟着说。
“Ten on Jacob,” Austin said at once.
“我赌雅各布，十美元。”奥斯汀马上应和道。
“Jacob,” Mike said.
“雅各布，”迈克说道。
“Huh,” Tyler said. “Too bad it didn’t turn into anything. Guess we’ll never know how it would have turned out.”
“哈，”泰勒说道，“这事没闹大，真是糟糕。瞧，我们永远没法弄清楚到底结局会怎样。”
“I’m with Ben,” Tyler agreed. “Besides, if that other kid messed Edward up, you know those big brothers of his would get involved.”
“我站在本这边，”泰勒认同道，“此外，要是那个小孩狠狠地揍了爱德华，你知道他的那些兄弟肯定会帮忙的。”
“I can guess,” Mike said, and then he shot a glance at me at the same time that Ben and Tyler did.
“我猜得到。”迈克说道，接着他和本、泰勒同时朝我看了一眼。
“Hey, do you guys know what it was about?” Austin wondered. “That might affect the odds.”
“嘿，你们知道这是什么原因吗？”奥斯汀好奇地问，“那可能会影响双方的机会。”
“I don’t think so,” Ben disagreed. “There’s something about Edward. He’s always so… confident. I have a feeling he can take care of himself.”
“我不这么看，”本不认可他的看法，说道，“爱德华身上有种力量。他总是如此……自信，我有种感觉他会保护好自己的。”
From their expressions, none of them had realized I was in easy hearing distance. They all looked away quickly, shuffling the papers on their desks.
从他们的表情判断，他们当中没有人意识到我听得见他们所说的话，他们全部迅速地看向别处去，煞有介事地在课桌上胡乱地翻课本。
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