He smiled my favorite smile. “Hurry back to me.”
他的脸上带着我最爱的笑容。“赶紧回到我身边。”
“Yes, a few last-minute things…” I responded just as casually.
“是的，一些…… 善后工作……”我回答得很随便。
“Always.”
“一如既往。”
“Headed out?” Edward asked, his tone nonchalant. There was a sort of forced composure about his expression. He hugged Renesmee just a little bit tighter to his chest.
“你要外出吗？”爱德华假装漫不经心的问道。他的语气中有一种被迫伪装出的镇定。他举起蕾妮斯梅，紧紧的搂在怀中。
I took his Volvo again, wondering if he’d read the odometer after my last errand. How much had he pieced together? That I had a secret, absolutely. Would he have deduced the reason why I didn’t confide in him? Did he guess that Aro might soon know everything he knew? I thought Edward could have come to that conclusion, which explained why he had demanded no reasons from me. I guessed he was trying not to speculate too much, trying to keep my behavior off his mind. Had he put this together with my odd performance the morning after Alice left, burning my book in the fire? I didn’t know if he could have made that leap.
我再次选择他的沃尔沃，猜测着他有没有注意到我上次外出的里程表数字。他猜出了多少？很显然，我有一个秘密。他推断出我对他保密的原因了吗？他猜到阿罗会很快会知道他所知道的一切了吗？我想爱德华能很快得出结论，这也就解释了为什么他没有对我进行任何追问。我猜他正试着忽视我的举动，把我的所作所为排除在脑海之外。他把我在爱丽丝离开后的那个早上的奇怪举动——我看着我的书在炉火中燃烧——也排除在外了吗？我不知道他的思维能否跳过这个场景。
It was a dreary afternoon, already dark as dusk. I sped through the gloom, my eyes on the heavy clouds. Would it snow tonight? Enough to layer the ground and create the scene from Alice’s vision?
天色沉闷，阴沉的天空看上去像是已经黄昏。我勉强打起精神，看着天边浓重的云层。今晚会有暴雪吗？雪会大到覆盖一切，就像爱丽丝已经预见的那样？
As I headed through the darkening forest, I considered my last trip to Seattle. I thought I knew Alice’s purpose in sending me to the dilapidated drop point where J. Jenks referred his shadier clients. If I’d gone to one of his other, more legitimate offices, would I have ever known what to ask for? If I’d met him as Jason Jenks or Jason Scott, legitimate lawyer, would I ever have unearthed J. Jenks, purveyor of illegal documents? I’d had to go the route that made it clear I was up to no good. That was my clue.
当我驱车穿过幽暗的森林，我在思索我上一次的西雅图之行。我想明白了爱丽丝指引我去J。詹克斯那个破陋的郊区办事处的用意。如果我去的是他的某个合法的律师事务所中间的一个，我会知道自己该对J。詹克斯说些什么吗？我会见到杰森詹克斯或者杰森斯科特——一个光明正大的律师，然后请他为我伪造非法的身份证明文件吗？在确定目标之前我必须走一些弯路，去寻找我的线索。
Edward estimated that we had about two more days. Then we would set ourselves in the clearing, drawing the Volturi to our chosen place.
爱德华估计，我们大概还有两天多一点的时间。然后我们会到那片空地上，等待沃尔图里的到来。
It was black when I pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant a few minutes early, ignoring the eager valets by the entrance. I popped in my contacts and then went to wait for J inside the restaurant. Though I was in a hurry to be done with this depressing necessity and back with my family, J seemed careful to keep himself untainted by his baser associations; I had a feeling a handoff in the dark parking lot would offend his sensibilities.
当我把车停在餐厅停车场时，天已经很黑了，门童用热切的目光盯着我，我假装没有看见。我像一位常客一样径直走进餐厅等候J的到来。虽然我急切的想尽快办完这件事然后回去家里，但是J看上去却像是在心小心翼翼的保持他交易记录上不要留下一个污点；我可以感觉到，如果如我所希望的在黑暗的停车场交易可能会伤害他的感情。
For one half second, I wondered what it would feel like to put my hand in the fire. What it would feel like when I burned…
有那么一会儿，我想试试把手放到火中是什么感觉。会有我转变时那种灼热的感觉吗？
I stood by the fire to wait, holding my fingers close to the flame to warm them a little before the inevitable handshake. Not that J wasn’t obviously aware that there was something up with the Cullens, but it was still a good habit to practice.
我站在壁炉旁等待，让我的手指靠近炉火，试着在不可避免的握手前让它们变得温暖一点。我想不是J没有意识到卡伦家族的异样，只是握手是他的职业习惯而已。
I gave the name Jenks at the podium, and the obsequious maitre d’ led me upstairs to a small private room with a fire crackling in a stone hearth. He took the calf-length ivory trench coat I’d worn to disguise the fact that I was wearing Alice’s idea of appropriate attire, and gasped quietly at my oyster satin cocktail dress. I couldn’t help being a little flattered; I still wasn’t used to being beautiful to everyone rather than just Edward. The maitre d’ stuttered half-formed compliments as he backed unsteadily from the room.
我得知前台的侍者名叫詹克斯，他点头哈腰的引着我来到楼上一个配有壁炉的雅间。他接过我的象牙色的防雨大衣——这是爱丽丝为我准备的盛装中我认为还可以穿出门的一件——呼吸急促的盯着我欧斯特绸的晚礼服。我还是忍不住一阵懊恼；我永远都不会习惯做众人眼中的美人——除了爱德华。那个侍者步履不稳的走出房间时，口中还在结结巴巴的叨念着对我外表的溢美之词。
J’s entrance distracted my morbidity. The maitre d’ took his coat, too, and it was evident that I was not the only one who had dressed up for this meeting.
J的到来打断了我病态的尝试念头。侍者正拿着他的大衣，很明显我不是唯一一个盛装赴会的人。
“You look stunning, if I may be so bold, Mrs. Cullen.”
“你看上去美极了，请恕我无礼，卡伦女士。”
“No, you’re exactly on time.”
“不，你很准时。”
“Really? I’ve always found Jasper to have a very soothing presence.”
“真的吗？我总觉的如果在贾斯帕场我只会更加安心。”
He held out his hand, and as we shook I could feel that his fingers were still quite noticeably warmer than mine. It didn’t seem to bother him.
他向我伸出手，当我们的手握在一起时我能感觉到他的手指的温度明显高于我的。我希望这不会使他不安。
“Thank you, J. Please, call me Bella.”
“谢谢，J，请叫我贝拉。”
J shook his head as if he could shake away the disturbing thoughts. “Won’t you have a seat, Bella?”
J摇摇头，像是想把烦恼甩掉。“你不坐下吗，贝拉？”
His eyebrows pulled together. “Is that so?” he murmured politely while clearly still in disagreement. How odd. What had Jasper done to this man?
他的眉头纠结在一起。“是这样吗？”他低声自语，很明显难以认同我的意见。很古怪，到底贾斯帕对这个男人做了什么？
“I must say, it’s a different experience working with you than it is with Mr. Jasper. Much less… unsettling.” He smiled hesitantly.
“我必须说，和您交往的感觉和与Mr。贾斯帕交往的感觉是如此不同。我很少……感到不安了。”
“Have you known Jasper long?”
“您认识贾斯帕很久了吗？”
He sighed, looking uncomfortable. “I’ve been working with Mr. Jasper for more than twenty years, and my old partner knew him for fifteen years before that… He never changes.” J cringed delicately.
他叹了口气，看上去更加不安了。“我已经为Mr。贾斯帕工作超过20年了，而我的合伙人在此之前已经认识他超过15年了……但是，他从未改变过。”J巧妙的赞美着。
“Yeah, Jasper’s kind of funny that way.”
“是的，这方面贾斯帕的情况比较少见。”
“I’m so sorry I’m late,” J said as soon as we were alone.
抱歉我来晚了，”当我们单独面对时他立刻说。
“About?” I asked curiously.
“那么？”我有点好奇。
“Actually, I’m in a bit of a hurry. I’ve got a long drive home.” As I spoke, I took the thick white envelope with his bonus from my bag and handed it to him.
“事实上，我的时间很紧。我要开很长一段路才能回家。”我一边说，一边把装着他的额外报酬的白色信封递给他。
“Oh,” he said, a little catch of disappointment in his voice. He tucked the envelope into an inside pocket of his jacket without bothering to check the amount. “I was hoping we could speak for just a moment.”
“哦，”他的语气有点失望。他没有点数，直接把信封放进外套里面的口袋“我以为我们可以多聊一会儿的。”
“Well, let me get you your items first. I want to make sure you’re satisfied.”
“好吧，先谈正事。我想您会满意的。”
He turned, placed his briefcase on the table, and popped the latches. He took out a legal — sized manila envelope.
他把他的公文包放在桌上，打开锁扣。取出一个法律公文专用的马尼拉信封。
Though I had no idea what I should be looking for, I opened the envelope and gave the contents a cursory glance. J had flipped Jacob’s picture and changed the coloring so that it wasn’t immediately evident that it was the same picture on both his passport and driver’s license. Both looked perfectly sound to me, but that meant little. I glanced at the picture on Vanessa Wolfe’s passport for a fraction of a second, and then looked away quickly, a lump rising in my throat.
我对即将看到的东西一无所知，我打开信封，粗略的看了一眼。J为雅各布的照片更换了背景，使它看上去和雅各布护照和驾照上的照片一样。在我看来这一切伪造的如此完美。我迅速的看了一眼凡妮莎沃尔夫的护照照片，我感觉到喉头哽住了。
“Married to his brother,” I clarified, wondering where this was leading.
“嫁给了他的兄弟，”我更正道，揣测着他的用意。
His eyes narrowed slightly, and I felt he was disappointed that my examination was not more thorough.
他的眼睛眯起，我感到他对于我平淡无奇的反应感到很失望。
“It’s been my pleasure, Bella. In the future, feel free to come to me for anything the Cullen family needs.”
“这是我的荣幸，贝拉。今后我可以毫无拘束的为卡伦家族提供服务了。”
“Thank you,” I told him.
“谢谢你，”我对他说。
“You would be Mr. Edward’s bride, then?”
“那么您是Mr。爱德华的新娘？”
“I’m sure they are. I truly appreciate what you’ve done for me, J.”
“我相信你。我真的非常感激你为我所做的一切，J。”
“Er, yes. It’s a bit delicate…” He gestured to the stone hearth with a questioning expression. I sat on the edge of the stone, and he sat beside me. Sweat was dewing up on his forehead again, and he pulled a blue silk handkerchief from his pocket and began mopping.
“呃，是的。一点小事……。”他对着壁炉做了个询问的手势。这时我和他分别站在壁炉的两边。汗水再次从他的额头冒了出来，他掏出一块蓝色的丝帕开始擦汗。
“You are the sister of Mr. Jasper’s wife? Or married to his brother?” he asked.
“您是Mr。贾斯帕的妻妹？或者嫁给了他的兄弟？”他询问道。
“I can assure you every piece is perfect. All will pass the most rigorous scrutiny by experts.”
“我敢对你担保，这些证件没有一点瑕疵。都可以专家的严格检验下蒙混过关。”
“There was something you wanted to discuss?”
“那有什么疑问吗？”
He didn’t even hint at it really, but this sounded like an invitation for me to take over Jasper’s place as liaison.
他没有明确暗示什么，但听上去像是邀请我取代贾斯帕成为此类事务的联系人。
“Oh,” I said, stunned. It took me a minute to understand the erroneous conclusion he’d drawn. “Oh no. It’s nothing like that at all.” I smiled weakly, trying to reassure him. “I’m simply preparing a safe place for her in case something were to happen to my husband and me.”
“哦，”我不由大吃一惊。我用了几秒钟才理解他为什么会对我的行为做出如此离谱的理解。“哦，不。根本不是这样。”我无力的一笑，试着让他能够相信我。“我只是打算她呆在一个更安全的地方，因为我丈夫和我遇到了一点麻烦。”
His eyes narrowed. “Are you expecting something to happen?” He blushed, then apologized. “Not that it’s any of my business.”
他的眼睛眨了眨。“那么是您意外怀孕了吗？”他的脸突然红了，然后马上道歉。“当然这不属于我的业务范围。”
He took another breath and then mumbled quickly, slurring the words together.
他又深吸了一口气，然后一股脑的说出来。
“J, please just say whatever you need to.”
“J，有话请直说。”
“If you could just assure me that you are not planning to kidnap the little girl from her father, I would sleep better tonight.”
“如果你能让我相信你没有计划把这个小女孩从他父亲身边拐走，那么我今晚就能睡个好觉了。”
“Yes.”
“是的。”
“Thank you very much.”
“非常感谢。”
He paused, dabbing at the sweat. “Over the years, you might imagine that I’ve developed a very healthy level of respect for Mr. Jasper and the entire family.”
他停顿了一下，继续擦汗。“您可能注意到，许多年以来我在不断提高我为Mr。贾斯帕和他的家族服务的水平。”
I nodded cautiously.
我沉吟着点头。
He smiled apologetically. “I’ve seen all the names many times, you see. My belated congratulations. It’s nice that Mr. Edward has found such a lovely partner after all this time.”
他抱歉的笑了。“我曾多次见到过这些名字。请接受我迟到的祝福。过了这么久，Mr。爱德华终于找到了如此动人的伴侣，这真是太好了。”
He took a deep breath and then exhaled without speaking.
他做了几次深呼吸，没有说话。
My transparent sincerity seemed to ease a bit of his tension.
我显而易见的诚恳让他稍微打消了一点顾虑。
“You never know.” I sighed.
“你不需要知道原因。”我叹气道。
“Very good,” he said. “And I can’t prevail upon you to stay for dinner?”
“那就太好了，”他说。“看来我不能说服您留下来共进晚餐对吗？”
“Thank you, J.”
“谢谢你，J。”
“Of course you should tell him immediately. I’d like nothing better than to have Mr. Jasper fully aware of our entire transaction.”
“你当然可以立即告诉他。没有什么方式比让Mr。贾斯帕了解整个交易更好的了。”
I watched the red flush spread behind the delicate membrane of his skin and was glad — as I often was — that I was not the average newborn. J seemed a nice enough man, criminal behavior aside, and it would have been a shame to kill him.
我盯着他血液流动的泛红的脸庞，我很高兴——就像我经常做到的那样——我不是一般的吸血鬼新生儿。如果不算上他的非法业务，那么J应该算是个好人了，杀掉他会令人遗憾的。
I left with my contraband, glancing back to see that J was staring after me, his expression a mixture of anxiety and regret.
我带着我的假证件离开，眼角的余光看到J一直盯着我的背影，脸上的表情混杂着焦虑和惋惜。
He frowned. “May I wish you the best of luck, then. And please don’t be put out with me, my dear, but… if Mr. Jasper should come to me and ask what names I put on these documents…”
他皱起眉头。“那么我会祝您好运。同时，请不要泄露我的事，亲爱的，但是……如果Mr。贾斯帕来问我证件上的名字……”
“I’m sorry, J. I’m short on time at present.”
“我很抱歉，J。我时间有限。”
“Then, again, my best wishes for your health and happiness. Anything at all the Cullen family needs, please don’t hesitate to call on me, Bella.”
“那么，下次吧，衷心的祝您健康幸福。当然如果卡伦家族有什么需要，请您立即打给我，贝拉。”
Only Kate and Garrett were in the front room, arguing playfully about the nutritional value of animal blood. I inferred that Garrett had attempted a hunting trip vegetarian — style and found it difficult.
只有凯特和加勒特还呆在客厅，开玩笑的争论哪种动物的血液最有营养。（觉得凯特和加勒特好像有戏哦）我猜加勒特曾经试图尝试素食主义者的生活方式，结果却发现那样做很难。
When I got back to the house, most of the cars, including Alice’s Porsche and my Ferrari, were missing.
但我到家时，我发现所有的车都不见了，包括爱丽丝的保时捷和我的法拉利。
The return trip took me less time. The night was black, and so I turned off my headlights and floored it.
回程没用多少时间。天色足够黑了，我关掉车前灯，将油门踩到底。
Which basically gave me the house to myself, and I was quick to take advantage.
这房子基本上就剩下我自己了。
The traditional vampires were going as far away as possible to satiate their thirst. I tried not to think of their hunting in the night, cringing at the mental picture of their victims.
按照惯例，吸血鬼们会尽量远离此地狩猎以解决他们的饥渴。我尽量不去想象他们今晚的捕猎，不去想象受害者的血腥场面。
I could smell that I was the first one to enter Alice and Jasper’s room in a long while, maybe the first since the night they’d left us. I rooted silently through their huge closet until I found the right sort of bag. It must have been Alice’s; it was a small black leather backpack, the kind that was usually used as a purse, little enough that even Renesmee could carry it without looking out of place. Then I raided their petty cash, taking about twice the yearly income for the average American household. I guessed my theft would be less noticeable here than anywhere else in the house, since this room made everyone sad. The envelope with the fake passports and IDs went into the bag on top of the money. Then I sat on the edge of Alice and Jasper’s bed and looked at the pitifully insignificant package that was all I could give my daughter and my best friend to help save their lives. I slumped against the bedpost, feeling helpless.
我可以闻得出来，在爱丽丝和贾斯帕那晚离开后，我是第一个进入他们的房间的人。我在他们巨大的衣柜中认真翻找，终于找到了我要找的东西。这是一个黑色皮质的背包，应该属于爱丽丝，通常用来放现金，样式非常小巧精致，甚至蕾妮斯梅用它也不会不合适。包里面的现金是普通美国中产阶级家庭两年的平均收入。我猜我这个房间盗窃比在这个家里任何其他房间被发现的几率都要小，在他们离开之后，这里是最让全家难过的地方。我把假证件放在现今的上面，然后我坐在爱丽丝和贾斯帕的床边，盯着那个包发呆——这是我唯一能帮助我的女儿和我最好的朋友幸免于难的方法了。我背靠在床头上，感到如此无助。
Edward must have taken Renesmee home to sleep. Jacob, no doubt, was in the woods close by the cottage. The rest of my family must have been hunting as well. Perhaps they were out with the other Denalis.
爱德华一定是带蕾妮斯梅回家睡觉了，而雅各布，毫无疑问，这会儿肯定正在别墅周围的森林里巡逻。我们家其他人肯定也在打猎。也许他们和其他德纳利斯人出去了。
I sat there for several minutes with my head bowed before the inkling of a good idea came to me.
我呆坐在床上过了好久，绞尽脑汁思考着，直到一个好点子自己冒出来。
If I was to assume that Jacob and Renesmee were going to escape, then that included the assumption that Demetri would be dead. That gave any survivors a little breathing room, Alice and Jasper included.
假如雅各布和蕾妮斯梅已经到达安全地带，再假如德米特里意外身亡，这会给所有人一个喘口气的机会，包括爱丽丝和贾斯帕。
If…
假如……
But what else could I do?
但是我还能做些什么呢？
So why couldn’t Alice and Jasper help Jacob and Renesmee? If they were reunited, Renesmee would have the best protection imaginable. There was no reason why this couldn’t happen, except for the fact that Jake and Renesmee both were blind spots for Alice. How would she begin to look for them?
那么爱丽丝和贾斯帕为什么不能亲自帮助和蕾妮斯梅呢？如果他们归来，蕾妮斯梅将会获得最好的保护。这是理所当然不会发生的，因为现实是如果雅各布和蕾妮斯梅在一起，那爱丽丝根本看不到他们，那么爱丽丝怎么照顾他们呢？
Then I stared at the blank ivory page for a full five minutes, concentrating on my decision. Alice might not be able to see Jacob or Renesmee, but she could see me. I visualized her seeing this moment, hoping desperately that she wasn’t too busy to pay attention.
然后，我盯着象牙色的纸张将近五分钟，认真考虑着我的决定。爱丽丝或许不能看见雅各布或蕾妮斯梅，但她能看到我。我希望她现在没有那么忙碌，能够恰好看到我在干什么。
I deliberated for a moment, then left the room, crossing the hall to Carlisle and Esme’s suite. As usual, Esme’s desk was stacked with plans and blueprints, everything neatly laid out in tall piles. The desk had a slew of pigeonholes above the work surface; in one was a box of stationery. I took a fresh sheet of paper and a pen.
我深思熟虑了好久，然后离开那个房间，穿过走廊来到卡莱尔和埃斯梅的卧室。像往常一样，埃斯梅的书桌上堆满了设计图，所有的东西歪歪扭扭的摞在一起。桌角有一个文件柜，其中一格放着信纸。我拿了几张信纸和一支笔。
We’d been headed south anyway. Now it would be Jacob’s, and hopefully Alice’s, job to search for the legends.
南美的故事将与我们无关。今后，将会是雅各布或者更可能是爱丽丝，在那片土地谱写新的传奇。
Slowly, deliberately, I wrote the words RIO DE JANEIRO in all caps across the page.
一字一顿，我故意慢慢的写下那个地址，里约热内卢，全部用大写字母。
I bowed my head again against a sudden urge to sob, clenching my teeth together. It was better that Renesmee go on without me. But I already missed her so much I could barely stand it.
我已经紧咬牙关，却仍突然撑住额头再次痛哭失声。即使没有我在身边，这对蕾妮斯梅来说已经是好的结局了。但是我现在就已经开始思念她了。
Rio seemed the best place to send them: It was far away from here, Alice and Jasper were already in South America at last report, and it wasn’t like our old problems had ceased to exist just because we had worse problems now. There was still the mystery of Renesmee’s future, the terror of her racing age.
里约应该是最好的选择了，距离这里足够遥远，而爱丽丝和贾斯帕最后的踪迹出现在南美。这并不意味着我的旧麻烦已经解决，只不过我有新的更严重的问题要面对而已。蕾妮斯梅以非正常的速度飞速成长，她的未来仍然是个谜，这仍令我焦虑。
I crossed my fingers that — since it was unlikely that his high school offered Portuguese — Jake had at least taken Spanish as his language elective. There was nothing left now but waiting.
我双手合十开始祈祷——虽然这有点不可能，但愿雅各布的高中有葡萄牙语的课程——不过杰克至少选修过西班牙语课。
For two days, Edward and Carlisle stayed in the clearing where Alice had seen the Volturi arrive. It was the same killing field where Victoria’s newborns had attacked last summer. I wondered if it felt repetitive to Carlisle, like deja vu. For me, it would be all new. This time Edward and I would stand with our family.
现在只剩下等待了。两天后，爱德华和卡莱尔会再次身处爱丽丝曾预见沃尔图里到来的那块空地。那里也是去年夏天对Victoria的新生儿们展开杀戮的战场。我想那场景会让卡莱尔觉得似曾相识。但是这种感觉对我而言是全新的。这一次，我会和爱德华，和我的家族并肩战斗。
I took a deep breath and put the note at the bottom of the duffel bag, where Jacob would find it soon enough.
我深吸了一口气，把便条放在了包里最里面的夹层，相信雅各布一定能发现它。
We could only imagine that the Volturi would be tracking either Edward or Carlisle. I wondered if it would surprise them that their prey didn’t run. Would that make them wary? I couldn’t imagine the Volturi ever feeling a need for caution.
我们唯一能确定的是沃尔图里会把爱德华或者卡莱尔作为追踪的目标。我猜如果沃尔图里发现他们的猎物没有逃走，会感到很惊讶的。这会令他们疑虑重重吗？我很难想象沃尔图里会感觉需要警告。
Edward and I had not had a last grand scene of farewell, nor did I plan one. To speak the word was to make it final. It would be the same as typing the words The End on the last page of a manuscript. So we did not say our goodbyes, and we stayed very close to each other, always touching. Whatever end found us, it would not find us separated.
爱德华和我没有为即将到来的永别举行一个特殊的仪式，我也从没这样计划过。那个单词应当留到最后再说，就像“TheEnd”这个词总是出现在故事的末尾一样。我们不会说再见，我们比以前更紧密的相守在一起。无论大限何时到来，都不会让我们感到焦虑。
Though I was — hopefully — invisible to Demetri, I stayed with Edward. Of course. We only had a few hours left to be together.
虽然对于德米特里来说我是隐形的，但是我还是会留在爱德华身边。显然我们能相守的时间已经不多了。
We set up a tent for Renesmee a few yards back into the protective forest, and then there was more deja vu as we found ourselves camping in the cold again with Jacob. It was almost impossible to believe how much things had changed since last June. Seven months ago, our triangular relationship seemed impossible, three different kinds of heartbreak that could not be avoided. Now everything was in perfect balance. It seemed hideously ironic that the puzzle pieces would fit together just in time for all of them to be destroyed.
我们在那片空地后面的安全地带为蕾妮斯梅支起了一顶帐篷，这让我们再次想起了和雅各布一起度过的那个寒冷的暴风雨之夜。这也让我们难以置信感觉到，自从去年六月以来，几乎所有的一切都发生了改变。七个月以来，我们之间令人难以忍受的三角关系消失了，伴随着不可避免的不同性质的肝肠寸断。而现在，一切关系达到了完美的平衡。就在死亡来临之前，所有令人费解的拼图碎片及时的拼合在一起了，这听上去是个可怕地讽刺。
It started to snow again the night before New Year’s Eve. This time, the tiny flakes did not dissolve into the stony ground of the clearing. While Renesmee and Jacob slept — Jacob snoring so loudly I wondered how Renesmee didn’t wake — the snow made first a thin icing over the earth, then built into thicker drifts.
新年到来的前夜，天上开始飘下雪花。这一次，雪花没有在坠落在地之前消融。蕾妮斯梅和雅各布都睡着了——雅各布鼾声如雷，我很奇怪怎么着没能吵醒蕾妮斯梅——积雪渐渐变成一张薄薄的霜被，覆盖了大地，然后，逐渐累积，变成厚厚的白色绒毯。
By the time the sun rose, the scene from Alice’s vision was complete. Edward and I held hands as we stared across the glittering white field, and neither of us spoke.
当太阳再次升起，爱丽丝预见过的所有场景都以成为现实。爱德华和我手挽着手穿过闪着耀眼银光的白色田野。我们默默无语。
Edward and Carlisle were arraying the others into a loose formation, our witnesses to the sides like galleries.
爱德华和卡莱尔将其余人安排成一个松散的编队，我们的证人们呈半个圆弧站在两侧。
Through the early morning, the others gathered, their eyes bearing mute evidence of their preparations — some light gold, some rich crimson. Soon after we all were together, we could hear the wolves moving in the woods. Jacob emerged from the tent, leaving Renesmee still sleeping, to join them.
清晨，所有的吸血鬼们聚集在一起，即将到来的挑战在他们的眼睛中燃烧，有的颜色金黄，有的火红。当我们很快集合在一起，我们能听见狼群在森林里集结。雅各布离开帐篷加入到他们中间，蕾妮斯梅则仍在安睡。
I watched from a distance, waiting by the tent for Renesmee to wake. When she did, I helped her dress in the clothes I’d carefully picked out two days before. Clothes that looked frilly and feminine but that were actually sturdy enough to not show any wear — even if a person wore them while riding a giant werewolf through a couple of states.
我在远处眺望这一切，等着蕾妮斯梅从酣睡中醒来，我帮她穿上两天前就挑选好的衣服。她的衣服镶满花边，看上去充满小女孩的稚气，但事实上它们非常耐磨——甚至可以穿着它们骑在一匹狼的背上穿越美洲大陆一个来回都不会变样。
Over her jacket I put on the black leather backpack with the documents, the money, the clue, and my love notes for her and Jacob, Charlie and Renee. She was strong enough that it was no burden to her.
在她的外套外，我帮她背上了那个装着身份证明文件的旅行背包，里面有现金，地址和我给她和雅各布、查理还有勒妮的信。她已经足够承受这个背包的重量了。
Her eyes were huge as she read the agony on my face. But she had guessed enough not to ask me what I was doing.
当她发现我脸上的痛苦表情时，她瞪大了眼睛。但她却立即猜出不能询问我在干什么。
“I love you,” I told her. “More than anything.”
“我爱你，”我告诉她说。“胜过所有的一切。”
“I love you, too, Momma,” she answered. She touched the locket at her neck, which now held a tiny photo of her, Edward, and me. “We’ll always be together.”
“我也爱你，妈妈，”她回答。她碰了碰那个项坠，现在里面已经放上了一张照片，爱德华和我的。“我们会永远在一起的。”
“In our hearts we’ll always be together,” I corrected in a whisper as quiet as a breath. “But when the time comes today, you have to leave me.”
“在我内心深处，我们会永远在一起，”我低声纠正，就像无声的叹息。“但是今天，到时候，你必须离开我们。”
She pressed her fingers harder to my face. Why?
她迟疑的加大了手指碰触的力度。为什么？
Her eyes widened, and she touched her hand to my cheek. The silent no was louder than if she’d shouted it.
她忽闪着眼睛，用她的手碰触我的脖子。她的沉默的寂静比大声喊叫更让我心痛。
“I can’t tell you,” I whispered. “But you’ll understand soon. I promise.” In my head, I saw Jacob’s face.
“现在我不能告诉你原因，”我低语道。“但是你会马上明白的，我保证。”在我的脑中，出现了雅各布的脸庞。
I fought to swallow; my throat felt swollen. “Will you do it for me? Please?”
我艰难的吞咽了一下；我的咽喉哽住了。“为了我，请你一定按我说的做，好吗？”
I nodded, then pulled her fingers away. “Don’t think of it,” I breathed into her ear. “Don’t tell Jacob until I tell you to run, okay?”
我点点头，然后拿开她的手指。“不必担心，”我在她耳边轻声说。“但是在我告诉你离开之前，不要告诉雅各布，好吗？”
I took from my pocket one last detail.
我想起了最后一个细节。
This she understood. She nodded, too.
这样她就明白了，然后她又点了点头。
“Pretty,” Renesmee whispered. Then she wrapped her arms like a vise around my neck. I squeezed her against my chest. Interlocked this way, I carried her out of the tent and to the clearing.
“很美，”蕾妮斯梅低声说着，搂住了我的脖子。我紧紧的拥抱着她，带她来到林间空地上。
While packing Renesmee’s things, an unexpected sparkle of color had caught my eye. A chance ray of sun through the skylight had hit the jewels on the ancient precious box stuffed high overhead on a shelf in an untouched corner. I considered it for a moment and then shrugged. After putting together Alice’s clues, I couldn’t hope that the coming confrontation would be resolved peacefully. But why not try to start things out as friendly as possible? I asked myself. What could it hurt? So I guess I must have had some hope left after all — blind, senseless hope — because I’d scaled the shelves and retrieved Aro’s wedding present to me.
当我收拾蕾妮斯梅的东西的时候，一抹意外闪亮的色彩引起了我的注意。破晓的晨光，照耀着这枚古老的首饰的每一个难以触摸的角落，发出夺目的光芒。我思忖片刻，无力的耸耸肩。在得到爱丽丝的预言之后，我对和平解决即将到来的争端已经不抱希望。但是为什么不试着尽可能友好的开始呢？我问我自己。所以我猜想我毕竟还残存一丝希望——盲目的，愚蠢的希望——我找回了曾被我束之高阁的阿罗送给我的结婚礼物。
Now I fastened the thick gold rope around my neck and felt the weight of the enormous diamond nestle into the hollow of my throat.
现在，我的脖子上带着那条粗重的金项链，我可以感觉到那颗巨大的钻石正贴着我锁骨的凹处……
Zafrina was rigid and fierce, with Senna almost a mirror image at her side. Benjamin sat on the ground, his palms pressed to the dirt, and muttered quietly about fault lines. Last night, he’d strewn piles of boulders in natural-looking, now snow-covered heaps all along the back of the meadow. They weren’t enough to injure a vampire, but hopefully enough to distract one.
查弗丽娜看上去僵硬，而且凶狠，旁边的森纳几乎是她的完美写照。本杰明坐在地上，掌中满是污泥，正抱怨把他编排到第二道防线上。昨夜，他在这里布满了粉碎的巨石块，并且把它们伪装的像自然形成的一样，而现在，大雪覆盖了一切。这难不倒吸血鬼们，但是会让他们多费一点心。
Edward cocked one eyebrow as I approached, but otherwise did not remark on my accessory or Renesmee’s. He just put his arms tight around us both for one long moment and then, with a deep sigh, let us go. I couldn’t see a goodbye anywhere in his eyes. Maybe he had more hope for something after this life than he’d let on.
当我出现的时候，爱德华扬起了眉毛，但他对我或者蕾妮斯梅附属物未作任何评价。他只是给了我们一个长长的拥抱，然后，他深深的吸了一口气，让我们走到一边。我几乎无法在他的眼眸中找到“再见”的蛛丝马迹。也许这辈子他对某件事的希望比他所希望的要大。（Maybe he had more hope for something after this life than he’d let on 这句不会翻，应该是类似此情可待或者依依不舍信念永存之类的意思。）
We took our place, Renesmee climbing agilely onto my back to leave my hands free. I stood a few feet behind the front line made up by Carlisle, Edward, Emmett, Rosalie, Tanya, Kate, and Eleazar. Close beside me were Benjamin and Zafrina; it was my job to protect them as long as I was able. They were our best offensive weapons. If the Volturi were the ones who could not see, even for a few moments, that would change everything.
我们各就各位，蕾妮斯梅攀到了我的背上，好让我腾出双手。我站在由卡莱尔，爱德华，埃美特，罗莎莉，坦尼娅，凯特，和以利亚撒组成的第一条战线的后面。我旁边是本杰明和查弗丽娜；我的任务是尽可能久的为他们提供防护。他们是我们最好的进攻性武器。如果沃尔图里他们出现视觉幻象，即使是几分钟，也将会改变一切。
In the woods behind us, the invisible wolves were still and ready; we could only hear their heavy panting, their beating hearts.
在我们身后的森林里，狼群已经做好准备；我们只能听到他们粗重的呼吸和强壮的心跳。
The clouds rolled in, diffusing the light so that it could have been morning or afternoon. Edward’s eyes tightened as he scrutinized the view, and I was sure he was seeing this exact scene for the second time — the first time being Alice’s vision. It would look just the same when the Volturi arrived. We only had minutes or seconds left now.
天边云层滚滚而来，遮天蔽日，以致难以分清这是清晨还是下午。爱德华的眼睛收紧，他仔细察看着，我可以确信这是他第二次查看这个现场了——第一次是在爱丽丝的幻境中。当到沃尔图里来，这两个场景就一致了。现在剩下的时间已经不多了。
All our family and allies braced themselves.
我的家人和我们的盟军都做好了准备。
The witnesses clustered to our left and right, some nearer than others — those who had declared themselves were the closest. I noticed Siobhan rubbing her temples, her eyes closed in concentration; was she humoring Carlisle? Trying to visualize a diplomatic resolution?
证人们分列在我们的左右两边，远近不一——那些已经声明站在我们这边的吸血鬼们离得更近一些。我注意到西博汉正揉着她的太阳穴的部位，闭目凝思；她会听从卡莱尔的建议吗？她会试着设想通过外交途径解决？
From the forest, the huge russet Alpha wolf came forward to stand at my side; it must have been too hard for him to keep his distance from Renesmee when she was in such immediate danger.
一匹巨大的头狼走出森林，走到我的身边站好；看到蕾妮斯梅处于如此近在咫尺的巨大危险中，对他来说应该是个艰难的挑战。
Renesmee reached out to twine her fingers in the fur over his massive shoulder, and her body relaxed a little bit. She was calmer with Jacob close. I felt a tiny bit better, too. As long Jacob was with Renesmee, she would be all right.
蕾妮斯梅伸出小手，去抚摸他那巨大的肩膀，她的身体因为兴奋而有一点颤抖。当雅各布靠近的时候，她就会很平静。我的感觉也稍微好了一点。只要有雅各布在身边，蕾妮斯梅会一切安好。
Without risking a glance behind, Edward reached back to me. I stretched my arm forward so that I could grip his hand. He squeezed my fingers.
甚至没有先往后瞥一眼，爱德华出现在我的身边。我伸出手去与他的相握。他用力攥住我的手指。
And then Edward stiffened and hissed low between his clenched teeth. His eyes focused on the forest due north of where we stood.
然后，爱德华绷紧了身体，从咬紧的牙关中发出嘶嘶的吼声。他的目光聚焦到预期中的我们北面的森林。
We stared where he did, and waited as the last seconds passed.
我们盯着他目光的方向，等待最后一刻的到来。
Another minute ticked by, and I found myself straining to hear some sound of approach.
片刻之后，我被触动了，我听到了什么东西正向我们接近。
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