The Cullens’ enormous house was more crowded with guests than anyone would assume could possibly be comfortable. It only worked out because none of the visitors slept. Mealtimes were dicey, though. Our company cooperated as best they could. They gave Forks and La Push a wide berth, only hunting out of state; Edward was a gracious host, lending out his cars as needed without so much as a wince. The compromise made me very uncomfortable, though I tried to tell myself that they’d all be hunting somewhere in the world, regardless.
卡伦一家如此巨大的房子里已经被塞到拥挤不堪了，一反往日的舒适，就因为这些客人们，虽然吃饭时间不固定，但他们从不睡觉。我们的团体尽其所能的团结着，并且给了福克斯和拉普什优越的待遇，只在这范围外捕食，爱德华是个称职的亲切和蔼的主人，无私地毫不犹豫将自己的车外借给客人们。这些妥协让我有些不舒服，虽然我尽力说服自己，无论如何，就算不在这里，他们也会在世界上其他地方捕猎的。
Jacob was even more upset. The werewolves existed to prevent the loss of human life, and here was rampant murder being condoned barely outside the packs’ borders. But under these circumstances, with Renesmee in acute danger, he kept his mouth shut and glared at the floor rather than the vampires.
雅各布甚至更加恼火。狼人的存在就是为了保护人类生命，现在却不得不对管辖区域外猖狂的捕杀睁一只眼闭一只眼。但就现下来说，蕾妮斯梅正处在急速迫近的危险中，他也只有闭上嘴巴，像瞪吸血鬼似的等着地板。
I was amazed at the easy acceptance the visiting vampires had for Jacob; the problems Edward had anticipated had never materialized. Jacob seemed more or less invisible to them, not quite a person, but also not food, either. They treated him the way people who are not animal-lovers treat the pets of their friends.
我因这些吸血鬼们对雅各布如此轻易的接受感到惊讶，爱德华之前预想过的问题从没发生过。雅各布对他们来说就像是可有可无的，并不是人，也不是食物，干脆就像是对待好朋友家的一只宠物。
Leah, Seth, Quil, and Embry were assigned to run with Sam for now, and Jacob would have happily joined them, except that he couldn’t stand to be away from Renesmee, and Renesmee was busy fascinating the strange collection of Carlisle’s friends.
Lean，塞思，奎尔和恩布里现在被派去跟着山姆了。雅各布也会很高兴地加入他们，不过只是在见不到蕾妮斯梅的时候，因为蕾妮斯梅正不亦乐乎地忙着她的奇怪收藏——一大把卡莱尔的朋友。
We’d replayed the scene of Renesmee’s introduction to the Denali coven a half dozen times. First for Peter and Charlotte, whom Alice and Jasper had sent our way without giving them any explanation at all; like most people who knew Alice, they trusted her instructions despite the lack of information. Alice had told them nothing about which direction she and Jasper were heading. She’d made no promise to ever see them again in the future.
我们一遍又一遍地重复着像对德纳利家族那样的解释。首先是对彼得和夏洛特，他们一无所知地就被爱丽丝叫来了；就像爱丽丝认识的大多数人一样，他们毫不怀疑地相信她缺乏证据的判断。爱丽丝也没告诉他们任何关于她和贾斯帕去向的信息，甚至都没有承诺过会再见。
Neither Peter nor Charlotte had ever seen an immortal child. Though they knew the rule, their negative reaction was not as powerful as the Denali vampires’ had been at first.
彼得和夏洛特都没见过吸血鬼小孩。虽然他们知道规则，但最初的反应并没有像德纳利他们那样剧烈。
Carlisle had sent friends from Ireland and Egypt.
卡莱尔也从爱尔兰和埃及送来了朋友。
Curiosity had driven them to allow Renesmee’s “explanation.” And that was it. Now they were as committed to witnessing as Tanya’s family.
强烈的好奇心使他们接受了蕾妮斯梅的解释。结果变成，这两人现在就和坦尼娅他们一样忠诚了。
Benjamin — an oddly cheerful vampire who looked barely older than a boy and seemed both utterly confident and utterly careless at the same time — persuaded Amun to stay with a few subtle threats about disbanding their alliance. Amun stayed, but continued to refuse to touch Renesmee, and would not allow his mate, Kebi, to touch her, either. It seemed an unlikely grouping — though the Egyptians all looked so alike, with their midnight hair and olive-toned pallor, that they easily could have passed for a biological family. Amun was the senior member and the outspoken leader. Kebi never strayed farther away from Amun than his shadow, and I never heard her speak a single word. Tia, Benjamin’s mate, was a quiet woman as well, though when she did speak there was great insight and gravity to everything she said. Still, it was Benjamin whom they all seemed to revolve around, as if he had some invisible magnetism the others depended upon for their balance. I saw Eleazar staring at the boy with wide eyes and assumed Benjamin had a talent that drew the others to him.
本杰明——一只总是乐呵呵的吸血鬼，看起来比小男孩大不了多少，自信却又轻信。他用了一点点微妙的意味着自己要分家的暗示来威胁阿蒙留下，阿蒙被迫留下了，却仍然拒绝碰蕾妮斯梅，也不许自己的伴侣凯比去碰她。他们看起来不怎么像一个家庭，虽然长相如此相近，漆黑的头发，透着橄榄绿的近乎病态的苍白皮肤，就生理上来说绝对会被当成是一家。阿蒙是他们的涉外发言人。而凯比像影子一样紧紧躲在阿蒙后面，我从没见她说一句话过。蒂娅，本杰明的伴侣，也是个安静的女子，但只要一说话就语出惊人，特别严肃有深度。但貌似实际上本杰明才是这个家的中心，就好像有一种看不见的引力在调节着他们之间的平衡。我看见以利亚撒眼睛大大地盯着本杰明看，猜测本杰明有一种能够吸引他人的才能。
The Irish clan arrived first, and they were surprisingly easy to convince. Siobhan — a woman of immense presence whose huge body was both beautiful and mesmerizing as it moved in smooth undulations — was the leader, but she and her hard-faced mate, Liam, were long used to trusting the judgment of their newest coven member. Little Maggie, with her bouncy red curls, was not physically imposing like the other two, but she had a gift for knowing when she was being lied to, and her verdicts were never contested. Maggie declared that Edward spoke the truth, and so Siobhan and Liam accepted our story absolutely before even touching Renesmee.
爱尔兰家族先到达，并且以令人惊讶地速度接受了我们的故事，虽然西博汉，这个虽然有着庞大的身躯，走路却仍如舞蹈般美妙动人的女人，家族的家长，和她的硬邦邦脸的伴侣利亚姆，曾经花了很长时间才完全确立了对他们家族新成员的信任。有着QQ的红色卷发的小麦琪，并不如其他两人那样强壮，但她能辨别出谁在对她撒谎，并且从未失误过。麦琪声称爱德华讲的是实话，所以西博汉和利亚姆碰都没碰过蕾妮斯梅就接受了我们的故事。
Amun and the other Egyptian vampires were another story. Even after two younger members of his coven, Benjamin and Tia, had been convinced by Renesmee’s explanation, Amun refused to touch her and ordered his coven to leave.
阿蒙和其他那些埃及吸血鬼又是另一种情况。即使家族里的两个年轻成员，本杰明和蒂娅都已经对蕾妮斯梅的解释信服了，阿蒙还是拒绝碰她甚至还命令他的家人们离开。
“It’s not that,” Edward told me when we were alone that night. “His gift is so singular that Amun is terrified of losing him. Much like we had planned to keep Renesmee from Aro’s knowledge” — he sighed — “Amun has been keeping Benjamin from Aro’s attention. Amun created Benjamin, knowing he would be special.”
“不是因为那个，”当晚我们独处时爱德华告诉我。“他的天赋太出色了，阿蒙害怕失去他。就像我们曾经计划过把蕾妮斯梅藏在阿罗的涉猎之外一样，”说着他叹了口气，“阿蒙一直在试着藏起本杰明不引起阿罗的注意。因为知道他会很特别，阿蒙才创造了本杰明。”
“Something Eleazar’s never seen before. Something I’ve never heard of. Something that even your shield would do nothing against.” He grinned his crooked smile at me. “He can actually influence the elements — earth, wind, water, and fire. True physical manipulation, no illusion of the mind. Benjamin’s still experimenting with it, and Amun tries to mold him into a weapon. But you see how independent Benjamin is. He won’t be used.”
“是以利亚撒从未见过，我从未听过，你的盾也不能奈何的事情。”他对我露出一丝有些狡诈的微笑。“他能够准确地控制四元素——土，风，水和火。真正物理上的操纵，不是脑中的幻觉。本杰明仍然在调试着自己的能力，阿蒙想要将他塑造成自己的武器。但你也看到本杰明是个多么独立的人了，他不会让自己被利用。”
“What can he do?”
“他能做什么？”
“You like him,” I surmised from the tone of his voice.
“你喜欢他，”我从他的语气猜测到。
Amun’s attitude was something else, and he and Kebi kept to themselves, though Benjamin and Tia were well on their way to being fast friends with both the Denali and the Irish covens. We hoped that Carlisle’s return would ease the remaining tension with Amun.
阿蒙的态度还是遮遮掩掩，他和凯比都始终保持着沉默，但本杰明、蒂娅跟德纳利家族与爱尔兰家族很快成为了朋友。我们真希望卡莱尔能快些赶回来缓解这种与阿蒙间紧张的关系。
“He has a very clear sense of right and wrong. I like his attitude.”
“他是非分明。我喜欢他的态度。”
Of course, Jacob got more surly with each new addition. He kept his distance when he could, and when he couldn’t he grumbled to Renesmee that someone was going to have to provide an index if anyone expected him to keep all the new bloodsuckers’ names straight.
当然，雅各布对每一个新状况都感到越来越不耐烦，尽量与客人们保持着距离，实在没办法的时候就会对蕾妮斯梅抱怨，说如果某人想让他把这些嗜血者们的名字一个个都记清楚的话，除非在这些吸血鬼身上贴上标签。
Garrett came first — a tall, rangy vampire with eager ruby eyes and long sandy hair he kept tied back with a leather thong — and it was apparent immediately that he was an adventurer. I imagined that we could have presented him with any challenge and he would have accepted, just to test himself. He fell in quickly with the Denali sisters, asking endless questions about their unusual lifestyle. I wondered if vegetarianism was another challenge he would try, just to see if he could do it.
加勒特最先到——一只有着红宝石般眼睛的又高又瘦的吸血鬼，黄棕色长发用细皮带绑在脑后——我一眼就看出这是个冒险家。貌似我们正好提供一个可以用来测试自己的挑战，于是他非常乐意的接受了。私下里他很快就和德纳利的姐妹们打成一片，没完没了的就他们不寻常的生活方式问东问西。我怀疑素食主义会变成他的下一个挑战目标，只是为了试试看自己做不做得到这么高难度的。
Emmett and Rose sent individuals — any nomad friends of Carlisle’s that they could track down.
埃美特和罗莎把那些分散的卡莱尔的朋友们叫了过来。
Mary and Randall also came — friends already, though they did not travel together. They listened to Renesmee’s story and stayed to witness like the others. Like the Denalis, they considered what they would do if the Volturi did not pause for explanations. All three of the nomads toyed with the idea of standing with us.
玛丽和兰达尔也来了，虽然不是同行，但他俩早已是朋友。两人听了蕾妮斯梅的故事后便和其他人一样同意留下来见证。并且像德纳利一家一样，他们也想要在制止不了沃尔图里时力所能及的帮忙。我感觉这三个分散的吸血鬼都觉得同我们一个阵营是件非常有意思的事情，跟玩儿一样。
The brooding dark-haired vampire took Carlisle at his word about Renesmee’s origins, refusing, like Amun, to touch her. Edward told Carlisle, Esme, and me that Alistair was afraid to be here, but more afraid of not knowing the outcome. He was deeply suspicious of all authority, and therefore naturally suspicious of the Volturi. What was happening now seemed to confirm all his fears.
这个忧心忡忡的深色头发吸血鬼接受了卡莱尔对蕾妮斯梅事情的解释，但和阿蒙一样，就是不肯碰她。爱德华告诉卡莱尔、埃斯梅和我，其实阿利斯泰尔根本不想来这，但他更怕错过了这事件的结果。他不信任任何官僚权威，当然也不信任沃尔图里。而现在这里发生的一切，正是证实他怀疑的好机会。
Carlisle and Esme returned a week after they had gone, Emmett and Rosalie just a few days later, and all of us felt better when they were home. Carlisle brought one more friend home with him, though friend might have been the wrong term. Alistair was a misanthropic English vampire who counted Carlisle as his closest acquaintance, though he could hardly stand a visit more than once a century. Alistair very much preferred to wander alone, and Carlisle had called in a lot of favors to get him here. He shunned all company, and it was clear he didn’t have any admirers in the gathered covens.
卡莱尔和埃斯梅在出去一周后回来了，埃美特和罗莎莉只晚了几天，我们大家都为他们的归来松了口气。卡莱尔还多带了个朋友回来，虽然那朋友感觉自己像是上了贼船。阿利斯泰尔，一个不大爱交际的英国籍吸血鬼，虽然他们一百年也难得见面一次，却把卡莱尔当做自己最最亲密的朋友。阿利斯泰尔特别喜欢独处，卡莱尔花了很多功夫才把他叫了过来。他向来都是避免与团体接触，所以很明显在这一堆人里不怎么受欢迎。
“Of course, now they’ll know I was here,” we heard him grumble to himself in the attic — his preferred spot to sulk. “No way to keep it from Aro at this point. Centuries on the run, that’s what this will mean. Everyone Carlisle’s talked to in the last decade will be on their list. I can’t believe I got myself sucked into this mess. What a fine way to treat your friends.”
“当然，他们现在肯定已经知道我在这儿了，”我们听到阿利斯泰尔在阁楼上自言自语的抱怨道，他生闷气时最喜欢呆的地方就是阁楼。“已经无处可躲了。跑了几个世纪，就落了这个下场。这十年里跟卡莱尔讲过话的人都会在沃尔图里的名单上。简直不敢相信，我竟然惹上这种麻烦。这样对你的朋友还真是好哇。”
And then another pair of unexpected friends arrived — unexpected, because neither Carlisle nor Rosalie had been able to contact the Amazons.
不久，又一对朋友出现了，完全的意料之外，因为卡莱尔和罗莎莉都没能与亚马逊家族取得联系。
But if he was right about having to run from the Volturi, at least he had more hope of doing that than the rest of us. Alistair was a tracker, though not nearly as precise and efficient as Demetri. Alistair just felt an elusive pull toward whatever he was seeking. But that pull would be enough to tell him which direction to run — the opposite direction from Demetri.
不过，如果真要躲避沃尔图里追捕的话，至少他的成功率会比我们都高得多。阿利斯泰尔是追踪者，不如德米特里那样高效精准，只是能从自己所寻找的东西那里感受到一种奇怪的引力。不过这样已经足够他明确逃跑的方向了——与德米特里相反的方向。
“Carlisle,” the taller of the two very tall feline women greeted him when they arrived. Both of them seemed as if they’d been stretched — long arms and legs, long fingers, long black braids, and long faces with long noses. They wore nothing but animal skins — hide vests and tight-fitting pants that laced on the sides with leather ties. It wasn’t just their eccentric clothes that made them seem wild but everything about them, from their restless crimson eyes to their sudden, darting movements. I’d never met any vampires less civilized.
“卡莱尔，”两个猫科动物似的高个女人中比较高的那个在到达时对卡莱尔问候道。两个人都像是被拉长过一样——长长的胳膊和腿，长长的手指，长长的黑辫子，以及长长的脸上的长长的鼻子。她们全身上下只穿了动物的毛皮——掩住该遮的地方，然后用皮绳在两边紧紧地绑起来。而让他们看起来如此野性的不只是古怪的打扮，几乎是一切，从不安的深红色眼睛到迅猛的动作。我还从没见过这种未经多少开化的吸血鬼。
But Alice had sent them, and that was interesting news, to put it mildly. Why was Alice in South America? Just because she’d seen that no one else would be able to get in touch with the Amazons?
是爱丽丝让他们来的，这倒是个挺有趣的新闻，至少让大家的心情稍缓和了些。但爱丽丝在南美干什么？难道只是因为觉得除了她没人能找得到这个亚马逊家族？
“Alice told us we needed to separate,” Zafrina answered in the rough, deep voice that matched her wild appearance. “It’s uncomfortable to be away from each other, but Alice assured us that you needed us here, while she very much needed Kachiri somewhere else. That’s all she would tell us, except that there was a great hurry…?” Zafrina’s statement trailed off into a question, and — with the tremor of nerves that never went away no matter how often I did this — I brought Renesmee out to meet them.
“爱丽丝说我们得分开走，”查弗丽娜用那种和她野性外表十分相称的粗野低沉的声音说道。“彼此分开的感觉真不好，但爱丽丝坚持说你们很需要我们俩，而她得和卡叽里到其他地方去。爱丽丝只告诉我们这里发生了一些要紧事…？”在我带着蕾妮斯梅出场时，查弗丽娜的陈述句变成了问句。无论这动作重复了多少次，我剧烈的紧张感从未消失过。
“Zafrina and Senna! But where’s Kachiri?” Carlisle asked. “I’ve never seen you three apart.”
“查弗丽娜和森纳！还有卡叽里呢？到哪儿去了？”卡莱尔问。“我还从没见你们分开过。”
Despite their fierce appearance, they listened very calmly to our story, and then allowed Renesmee to prove the point. They were every bit as taken with Renesmee as any of the other vampires, but I couldn’t help worrying as I watched their swift, jerky movements so close beside her. Senna was always near Zafrina, never speaking, but it wasn’t the same as Amun and Kebi. Kebi’s manner seemed obedient; Senna and Zafrina were more like two limbs of one organism — Zafrina just happened to be the mouthpiece.
撇去凶猛的表情不看，查弗丽娜和森纳还是很冷静地听完了我们的故事，并允许了蕾妮斯梅的关键一步证明。接触到蕾妮斯梅的时候他们的表现和其他人一模一样，但当我离得这么近地看着她们极速变化的小动作时还是不住的非常担心。森纳总是紧跟着查弗丽娜，从不讲话，但并不像阿蒙和凯比那样。凯比的态度是绝对的顺从，而森纳和查弗丽娜更像是一个组织的两个首脑，只不过查弗丽娜刚好是充当发言人的角色。
Edward was thrilled to have the Amazons with us, because Zafrina was enormously talented; her gift could make a very dangerous offensive weapon. Not that Edward was asking for Zafrina to side with us in the battle, but if the Volturi did not pause when they saw our witnesses, perhaps they would pause for a different kind of scene.
另一边，爱德华为亚马逊家族的加入感到无比兴奋。因为查弗丽娜的强大天赋可以作为一个极具杀伤力的攻击武器。但不是用在爱德华请求沃尔图里停下的时候，而是当沃尔图里不理我们的证据的时候，他们也许会因此被迫以另一种原因停住。
“It’s a very straightforward illusion,” Edward explained when it turned out that I couldn’t see anything, as usual. Zafrina was intrigued and amused by my immunity — something she’d never encountered before — and she hovered restlessly while Edward described what I was missing. Edward’s eyes unfocused slightly as he continued. “She can make most people see whatever she wants them to see — see that, and nothing else. For example, right now I would appear to be alone in the middle of a rain forest. It’s so clear I might possibly believe it, except for the fact that I can still feel you in my arms.”
“这是种非常逼真的幻觉，”爱德华向我解释道，就和平常一样，我什么都感觉不到。查弗丽娜对我的免疫力——她从没遇到过这种东西——产生了浓厚的兴趣，因而在爱德华向我解释着我错过的景象时不停地在我身边绕来绕去。爱德华说话时眼睛有些失焦。“她能让人们看到她想要他们看的东西——并且只看到这些，其他什么都没有。举个例子，我现在大概正独自站在一片热带雨林的中央。这一切太逼真了，如果不是觉得你还在我怀里我就相信了。”
The news about Alice was oddly comforting. Clearly, she was on some obscure mission of her own as she avoided whatever Aro had planned for her.
关于爱丽丝的消息奇怪的让人感到欣慰。显然，爱丽丝在躲避打坏主意的阿罗的路上正实施着什么秘密计划。
“Impressive,” he said.
“印象深刻。”他说。
Zafrina’s lips twitched into her hard version of a smile. A second later, Edward’s eyes focused again, and he grinned back.
查弗丽娜抽动嘴角，看起来像个微笑。过了一秒，爱德华的眼睛恢复聚焦，也还给她一个大大的笑容。
Renesmee was fascinated with the conversation, and she reached out fearlessly toward Zafrina.
蕾妮斯梅对这场谈话非常感兴趣，她毫不害怕地把身子够向查弗丽娜。
Zafrina nodded, and I watched anxiously as Renesmee’s eyes stared blankly into space. A second later, Renesmee’s dazzling smile lit up her face.
查弗丽娜点头。我担忧地看着蕾妮斯梅空洞的眼神。一秒过后，蕾妮斯梅那令人陶醉的笑容爬上脸庞。
“Can I see?” she asked.
“我能看吗？”她问。
“What would you like to see?” Zafrina asked.
“你想看什么？”查弗丽娜问道。
After that, it was hard to keep Renesmee away from Zafrina and her pretty pictures. I worried, because I was quite sure that Zafrina was able to create images that were not pretty at all. But through Renesmee’s thoughts I could see Zafrina’s visions for myself — they were as clear as any of Renesmee’s own memories, like they were real — and thus judge for myself whether they were appropriate or not.
自那以后，想要把蕾妮斯梅与查弗丽娜那些漂亮的画面分开变得无比困难。我的担心是因为很确定查弗丽娜能把那些景象弄得一点也不漂亮。但通过蕾妮斯梅我也能看到那些画面——它们和蕾妮斯梅自己的记忆一样清晰，像真实发生的一样——然后再判断这些东西到底适不适合拿来看。
“More,” she commanded.
“还要。”她要求道。
“What you showed Daddy.”
“你给爹地看的那些。”
Though I didn’t give her up easily, I had to admit it was a good thing Zafrina was keeping Renesmee entertained. I needed my hands. I had so much to learn, both physically and mentally, and the time was so short.
虽然把蕾妮斯梅放在一边不管很不容易，但不得不承认查弗丽娜让蕾妮斯梅一直玩得很开心是件好事。因为时间实在太紧迫了，我需要空出我的手，我得学习，身体上和精神上都是。
My first attempt at learning to fight did not go well.
学习战斗的首次尝试并不是很成功。
“I’m sorry, Bella,” he said.
“抱歉，贝拉。”他说。
He didn’t answer.
他没有回答我。
“What do you mean, you can’t? We just started.”
“什么意思，你做不到？我们才刚开始啊。”
“That’s not fair! You’re good at this. You helped Jasper before — you fought with him and all the others, too. Why not me? What did I do wrong?”
“这不公平！你擅长这个，你帮助过贾斯帕——你跟他以及其他每一个人都交手过。为什么我就不行？我做错什么了吗？”
“No, I’m fine,” I said. “Let’s go again.”
“不用，我很好。”我说。“再来一次吧。”
“I can’t.”
“我做不到。”
His eyes narrowed, but he said nothing.
他眯起了眼睛，但还是什么也不说。
“Edward? What’s wrong? Why won’t you teach me?”
“爱德华？怎么了？为什么你不想教我？”
He said nothing. Playfully, I sprang at him. He made no defense at all, and we both fell to the ground. He was motionless as I pressed my lips to his jugular.
他什么都没说。我顽皮地扑过去，他一点都不防御，于是便一起摔在了地上。他面无表情的僵着，我胜利地将嘴唇印上他的颈窝。
Edward had me pinned in about two seconds. But instead of letting me wrestle my way free — which I absolutely could have — he’d leaped up and away from me. I knew immediately that something was wrong; he was still as stone, staring across the meadow we were practicing in.
爱德华将我压制住了大概两秒。他本应是该将我摔倒的——这是我无疑的下场——现在却远远地跳到了一边。我立马就感觉到有什么不对，他盯着我们练习的那块草地，像块石头似的一动不动的站着。
A full minute passed before he spoke again.
整整过了一分钟他才回答道。
“Look, I know I’m no good at this, but I can’t get better if you don’t help me.”
“你看，我知道我不擅长这个，但你不帮我的话更是一丁点也进步不了。”
“I just can’t… bear it. Emmett and Rosalie know as much as I do. Tanya and Eleazar probably know more. Ask someone else.”
“我只是无法…忍受。埃美特和罗莎莉和我懂的一样多。坦尼娅和以利亚撒可能会更多。叫别人教吧。”
“I win,” I announced.
“我赢了。”我高兴地宣称。
I scowled.
我不悦地绷着脸。
He sighed, exasperated. His eyes were dark, barely any gold to lighten the black.
爱德华有些恼火地叹了口气。他的眼睛颜色很深，里面一丁点能融化这墨黑的温暖金色都没有。
“Looking at you that way, analyzing you as a target. Seeing all the ways I can kill you…” He flinched. “It just makes it too real for me. We don’t have so much time that it will really make a difference who your teacher is. Anyone can teach you the fundamentals.”
“那样看你，把你当做袭击的靶子，想着所有我能杀死你的方法…”他畏缩着。“这太可怕了。并没有多少时间能让你觉得老师是谁有什么不同了。任何人都能教导你这些基础的东西。”
That was not our last conversation on the subject, but I never swayed him an inch from his decision.
这并不是我们在这个话题上的最后一次讨论，但我从未成功地让爱德华的决心动摇过一厘米。
“Find another teacher.”
“那就另外找个老师。”
“But if they don’t! I need to learn this.”
“但如果他们没有呢！我有必要学这个。”
He touched my pouting lower lip and smiled. “Besides, it’s unnecessary. The Volturi will stop. They will be made to understand.”
他轻抚我不高兴的瘪着的嘴唇，微笑道。“而且，这没必要。沃尔图里会停下的。我们会让他们了解事实的。”
Emmett was more than willing to help, though his teaching felt to me a lot like revenge for all the lost arm-wrestling matches. If I could still bruise, I would have been purple from head to toe. Rose, Tanya, and Eleazar all were patient and supportive. Their lessons reminded me of Jasper’s fighting instructions to the others last June, though those memories were fuzzy and indistinct.
埃美特可是非常乐意帮忙，虽然他的教学对我来说更像是掰手腕的报复。如果我还能瘀伤的话现在肯定从脑袋到脚趾头都是紫的了。罗莎，坦尼娅和以利亚撒都非常耐心和支持，他们的教学让我想起贾斯帕在去年六月做的那些，虽然那时的记忆已经微弱和模糊了。
Every minute of the day that I wasn’t with Renesmee or learning to fight, I was in the backyard working with Kate, trying to push my internal shield outside of my own brain to protect someone else. Edward encouraged me in this training. I knew he hoped I would find a way of contributing that satisfied me while also keeping me out of the line of fire.
只要不是陪着蕾妮斯梅或学习战斗的时间我都跟凯特一起在后院，试着将我的盾从内部推出来好保护其他人。爱德华很鼓励我的这个尝试，我知道是因为他很希望我找件别的事情做，既能得到满足感又远离危险的。
Some of the visitors found my education entertaining, and some even offered assistance. The nomad Garrett took a few turns — he was a surprisingly good teacher; he interacted so easily with others in general that I wondered how he’d never found a coven. I even fought once with Zafrina while Renesmee watched from Jacob’s arms. I learned several tricks, but I never asked for her help again. In truth, though I liked Zafrina very much and I knew she wouldn’t really hurt me, the wild woman scared me to death.
一些客人们发现我的教学很有趣，甚至自愿充当助教。游牧者加勒特教了几次，他出乎意料的是个好老师。我纳闷他为什么没找到个归属的家族，他和其他人的交往那么融洽。我甚至和查弗丽娜交过一次手，那时蕾妮斯梅在雅各布的怀里观战。我已经会了些小把式，但也绝不会再跟她交手第二次。实话说，虽然我喜欢查弗丽娜并知道她不会真的伤害我，这个野性的女人还是把我吓得要命。
I learned many things from my teachers, but I had the sense that my knowledge was still impossibly basic. I had no idea how many seconds I would last against Alec and Jane. I only prayed that it would be long enough to help.
我从老师们那学到了很多东西，但觉得这些还远远算不上基础。我不知道在面对亚历克和简时自己能坚持几秒，我只祈祷至少能起到一点作用。
It was just so hard. There was nothing to get a hold of, nothing solid to work with. I had only my raging desire to be of use, to be able to keep Edward, Renesmee, and as much of my family as possible safe with me. Over and over I tried to force the nebulous shield outside of myself, with only faint, sporadic success. It felt like I was wrestling to stretch an invisible rubber band — a band that would change from concrete tangibility into insubstantial smoke at any random moment.
不过这太难了。根本没有什么能掌握住的东西，又不是对付固体的某物。唯一能用的只有我那保护爱德华，蕾妮斯梅和所有家人的强烈的愿望。我一次又一次地努力强迫这个朦胧的盾从我的身体里出来，却只有偶尔的微弱的成功。这就好像是在拉扯一条看不见的弹力橡胶圈——而且还是个可以随机一会儿实体一会儿又变成一缕烟的圈。
It killed me that it was Edward who had to suffer, my arms wrapped uselessly around him while he winced over and over from Kate’s “low” setting. I tried as hard as I could to push my shield around us both; every now and then I would get it, and then it would slip away again.
爱德华在遭罪的事实令我痛苦不已，当他一次又一次在凯特的“低压”档下抽搐时，我只能用胳膊无力地环绕着他。我用尽全力把盾推出将我们两人都包裹住，偶尔有时我感觉自己做到了，但它马上又溜走了。
Only Edward was willing to be our guinea pig — to receive shock after shock from Kate while I grappled incompetently with the insides of my head. We worked for hours at a time, and I felt like I should be covered in sweat from the exertion, but of course my perfect body didn’t betray me that way. My weariness was all mental.
只有爱德华愿意当我们的小白鼠，跟我脑袋里的那玩意一起遭受凯特一次又一次的电击。我们每次练习几个小时，我感觉自己累得应该被汗水浸透了，但当然现在这完美的身体不允许的，所有疲劳都是精神上的。
“Hey,” Edward said cheerfully, trying to hide any evidence of distress in his voice. Anything to keep me from fighting practice. “That one barely stung. Good job, Bella.”
“嘿，”爱德华愉快地说道，努力把声音里所有的苦恼都藏得严严的。在他看来不管什么事，只要能让我远离战斗练习的就都是好的。“那一下几乎没有痛。干得漂亮，贝拉。”
“Again, Kate,” I grunted through my clenched teeth.
“再来一次，凯特。”我从咬紧的牙齿里咕哝出声。
I took a deep breath, trying to grasp exactly what I’d done right. I tested the elastic band, struggling to force it to remain solid as I stretched it away from me.
我做了个深呼吸，努力牢牢掌握住我已经对了的东西。我检查了一下那橡皮圈，奋力艰难的在我向外扩展时让它保持实体。
I hated this practice, and I wished that Zafrina would help instead of Kate. Then all Edward would have to do was look at Zafrina’s illusions until I could stop him from seeing them. But Kate insisted that I needed better motivation — by which she meant my hatred of watching Edward’s pain. I was beginning to doubt her assertion from the first day we’d met — that she wasn’t sadistic about the use of her gift. She seemed to be enjoying herself to me.
我讨厌这种练习，希望能让查弗丽娜来帮忙代替凯特。然后爱德华就只用浏览在查弗丽娜的幻象中直到我成功将他拉出来。但凯特坚持认为我需要多些刺激，这刺激就是让我眼睁睁地看着爱德华的痛苦。我开始怀疑初次见面时她的声明——不是虐待狂的那部份。我看她现在倒是折磨我折磨得很开心。
Kate pressed her palm to Edward’s shoulder.
凯特将手掌按在了爱德华的肩膀上。
He sighed in relief. “Nothing that time.”
爱德华松了口气。“这一次也没什么。”
She raised an eyebrow. “That wasn’t low, either.”
她扬起一根眉毛。“下一次就不是低压了哦。”
“Good,” I huffed.
“好吧。”我深吸了口气。
“Get ready,” she told me, and reached out to Edward again.
“准备，”她说道，然后再次将手伸向爱德华。
“Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!” I chanted, biting my lip. Why couldn’t I get this right?
“对不起！对不起！对不起！”我咬着嘴唇，不停地喊道。为什么我就是做不对呢？
Kate pursed her lips. “I don’t know. She’s obviously got tremendous ability, and we’re only beginning to touch it. She can do better, I’m sure. She’s just lacking incentive.”
凯特不高兴地噘着嘴。“我不知道。她显然有着强大的天赋，但现在只做到皮毛而已。我敢肯定她可以做得更好，只是还缺少些动力。”
I stared at her in disbelief, my lips automatically curling back from my teeth. How could she think I lacked motivation with her shocking Edward right here in front of me?
我不可置信的瞪着她，机械地不停咬着自己的嘴唇。她怎么会认为让我眼睁睁的看着爱德华在面前抽搐还不够刺激？
This time he shuddered, and a low breath hissed between his teeth.
这一次他抽搐了，从牙齿缝小声嘶了口气。
I heard murmurs from the audience that had grown steadily as I practiced — only Eleazar, Carmen, and Tanya at first, but then Garrett had wandered over, then Benjamin and Tia, Siobhan and Maggie, and now even Alistair was peering down from a window on the third story. The spectators agreed with Edward; they thought I was already doing well.
我注意到在练习时观众们的窃窃私语在不断增多——原先只有以利亚撒，卡门和坦尼娅，接着加勒特加入了进去，然后又是本杰明和蒂娅，西博汉和麦琪，现在甚至连阿利斯泰尔都在从三楼往下看。观众们都很同意爱德华的说法，他们认为我已经做得够好了。
“You’re doing an amazing job, Bella,” Edward said, pulling me tight against him. “You’ve really only been working at this for a few days and you’re already projecting sporadically. Kate, tell her how well she’s doing.”
“你已经做得很棒了，贝拉，”爱德华说，紧紧拥着我。“你只花了几天精力就已经能偶尔扩展它了。凯特，告诉她她做得有多棒。”
“No,” I half-snarled.
“不。”我几乎是咆哮了出来。
“Nessie,” Kate said — the newcomers had quickly picked up the irritating nickname, “would you like to come help your mother?”
“内希，”凯特说——这个外人很快习惯了用那令人不爽的小名，“愿意帮助你妈妈吗？”
“Kate…” Edward said in a warning voice as some new course of action occurred to her, but she was already in motion. She darted along the curve of the river to where Zafrina, Senna, and Renesmee were walking slowly, Renesmee’s hand in Zafrina’s as they traded pictures back and forth. Jacob shadowed them from a few feet behind.
“凯特…”注意到凯特又冒出什么馊主意后爱德华警告着说，但她已经行动了，朝着查弗丽娜，森纳和蕾妮斯梅散着步的那边河岸飞奔过去。蕾妮斯梅的手正放在查弗丽娜的手心里，一来一往地交换着脑中的图片，雅各布在几步后如影随形。
Renesmee reached for me, and I opened my arms automatically. She curled into me, pressing her head into the hollow beneath my shoulder.
蕾妮斯梅跑到跟前，我下意识地张开了怀抱。她蜷在我怀里，把小小的脑袋塞进我肩膀下的凹陷处。
“Absolutely not, Kate,” I hissed.
“绝对不行，凯特。”我威胁地嘶声说道。
Edward hugged me reassuringly. I shook him off just as Renesmee flitted across the yard to me, with Kate, Zafrina, and Senna right behind her.
爱德华在怀里安慰着我。蕾妮斯梅像小鸟一样轻快的掠过草地跑来，凯特，查弗丽娜和森纳紧随其后。我挣开了他。
“No,” I said, quickly backing away. Kate had taken a deliberate step in my direction, her hand stretched toward us.
“不行。”我说着，快速后退。凯特朝我的方向谨慎地走了几步，将手伸过来。
“But Momma, I want to help,” she said in a determined voice. Her hand rested against my neck, reinforcing her desire with images of the two of us together, a team.
“但是妈妈，我想帮忙。”她坚定地说，把手搁在我脖子上，呈现出一幅我们两人并肩作战的图片来强调自己的意愿。
“Stay away from us, Kate,” I warned her.
“离我们远点，凯特。”我警告她。
“No.” She began stalking forward. She smiled like a hunter cornering her prey.
“不。”她开始大步走来，像猎人盯着猎物似的微笑。
I shifted Renesmee so that she was clinging to my back, still backing away at a pace that matched Kate’s. Now my hands were free, and if Kate wanted to keep her hands attached to her wrists, she’d better keep her distance.
我把蕾妮斯梅移了一下让她趴在我的背上，并时刻与凯特保持着距离。现在我的双手空出来了，所以如果凯特还想要让她的手臂连在肩膀上的话，她最好不要过来。
Kate probably didn’t understand, never having known for herself the passion of a mother for her child. She must not have realized just how far past too far she’d already gone. I was so furious that my vision took on a strange reddish tint, and my tongue tasted like burning metal. The strength I usually worked to keep restrained flowed through my muscles, and I knew I could crush her into diamond-hard rubble if she pushed me to it.
凯特可能还没搞清楚状况，不知道母爱有多么大的力量。她不知道自己正在挑战我的极限。盛怒之下，我的视野变成了一种奇怪的红色，舌头如烧红的金属般滚烫，那些我平时尽力抑制的力量湍急地流动在我的肌肉里。我很清楚自己会将她撕成碎片，如果她继续逼我的话。
The rage brought every aspect of my being into sharper focus. I could even feel the elasticity of my shield more exactly now — feel that it was not a band so much as a layer, a thin film that covered me from head to toe. With the anger rippling through my body, I had a better sense of it, a tighter hold on it. I stretched it around myself, out from myself, swaddling Renesmee completely inside it, just in case Kate got past my guard.
这狂怒让我分散的注意力敏锐地集中了起来。现在我甚至能更确切地感觉到盾的弹性——比起橡皮圈它更像一层将我从头到脚包裹起来的薄膜。借着身体里澎湃的愤怒，我更清晰的感受到了它，更紧地把握住了它。我将它扩展，延伸出自己的身体，将蕾妮斯梅严实地包裹在里面，以防凯特跨过防线进攻。
Renesmee was secure on my back; I coiled to spring.
蕾妮斯梅安全地伏在背上，我这才稍微放松了些。
Kate took another calculated step forward, and a vicious snarl ripped up my throat and through my clenched teeth.
凯特又向前走了一步。我紧咬着牙齿，自肺部发出凶狠的咆哮。
“Back off for a minute, Kate.”
“歇一下吧凯特。”
“Be careful, Kate,” Edward cautioned.
“小心点，凯特。”爱德华警告道。
Edward darted into the space between us, blocking my line to Kate.
爱德华走过来，挡在我与凯特的中间。
“No, nothing at all,” he answered. “Now give Bella some space to calm down, Kate. You shouldn’t goad her like that. I know she doesn’t seem her age, but she’s only a few months old.”
“不，什么也听不到。”他回答。“给贝拉点时间冷静下，凯特，你不该这样刺激她的。我知道现在顾及不到她的年龄，但她毕竟也才几个月大。”
“Can you hear anything from Nessie?” Kate asked him, her voice calm and easy.
“你现在听得到内希吗？”凯特问爱德华，语气冷静而轻松。
Kate frowned but took Edward’s warning more seriously than she’d taken mine.
凯特不怎么高兴地皱着脸，但明显比起我的警告，她对待爱德华的更严肃些。
“We don’t have time to do this gently, Edward. We’re going to have to push her. We only have a few weeks, and she’s got the potential to –“
“我们没时间慢慢来了，爱德华，不得不逼她。我们只有一两个星期，而她是有可能…”
Renesmee’s hand was on my neck; she was remembering Kate’s attack, showing me that no harm was meant, that Daddy was in on it…
蕾妮斯梅的手放在我的脖子上，回放着凯特的佯攻，告诉我，其实根本没有危险，爹地知道的…
Kate took another step, and then made a mistake even someone as inexpert as I could recognize. Just a short leap away from me, she looked away, turning her attention from me to Edward.
凯特继续走了一步，然后，犯了个连我这个不怎么内行的人都看得出来的错误。就在距我一步之遥的地方，她移开视线，将注意力转到了爱德华身上。
“And now?” Kate asked.
“那，这一次？”凯特问。
Kate grunted and stepped away.
凯特有些厌倦地咕哝了一声然后走开了。
“Nothing at all.”
“完全没事。”
“Nothing,” Edward said. I heard the smile in his voice.
“没事。”爱德华说，我听出他的声音都笑了。
“Can you see this?” Zafrina asked in her deep, wild voice, staring intently at the three of us. Her English was strangely accented, her words pulling up in unexpected places.
“你看到了吗？”查弗丽娜用她低沉野性的声音说道，直直的盯着我们三个。她的英语有着奇怪的方言口音，单词一个一个蹦出来，次序也不对。
“And now?” This time, there was the sound of strain in her voice.
“再一次？”她声音拖得长长的。
“Still nothing.”
“还是没事。”
She rolled her eyes but flitted forward and pressed her palm to Edward’s shoulder.
她翻了个白眼，将手放在爱德华肩膀上。
That didn’t mean I liked it.
但并不表明我喜欢这方法。
“Kate,” I growled. I rested my hand on the small of Edward’s back. I could still feel my shield like a strong, flexible sheet around Renesmee and me. I pushed it farther, forcing it around Edward. There was no sign of a flaw in the stretchy fabric, no threat of a tear. I panted with the effort, and my words came out sounding breathless rather than furious. “Again,” I said to Kate. “Edward only.”
“凯特，”我轻声咆哮道，将手搭在爱德华背上休息，仍然感觉到自己的盾像强韧的薄膜一样包裹着我和蕾妮斯梅。我将它推得更远些，努力使它也包裹住爱德华。盾伸长的部分没有出现裂缝的迹象，没有撕裂的危险。我费力地喘气，说话的感觉比起愤怒更像是窒息。“再来，”我对凯特说。“只对爱德华。”
This did not pacify me. The spectrum of light I saw still seemed tainted with crimson. But I was in better control of myself, and I could see the wisdom of Kate’s words. The anger helped me. I would learn faster under pressure.
这并没有让我平静下来，视野仍被深红色填充着。但我现在能更好的掌控自己了，也了解到凯特话中的玄机。愤怒起了作用，在压力下我进步飞速。
“I don’t see anything I shouldn’t,” Edward said.
“我没看到任何不该看到的东西。”爱德华回答道。
“And you, Renesmee?” Zafrina asked.
“你呢，蕾妮斯梅？”查弗丽娜又问。
My fury had almost entirely ebbed, and I clenched my teeth together, panting faster as I pushed out against the elastic shield; it felt like it was getting heavier the longer I held it. It pulled back, dragging inward.
狂怒就快退去了，我咬紧牙齿，急促喘着气与那弹性的盾斗争，就好像抓的越久它就越沉了，正拼命地往回缩。
There was a shocked gasp from everyone there — Eleazar, Carmen, Tanya, Garrett, Benjamin, Tia, Siobhan, Maggie — everyone but Senna, who seemed prepared for whatever Zafrina was doing. The others’ eyes were blank, their expressions anxious.
然后每个人都颤抖着倒抽了口气——以利亚撒，卡门，坦尼娅，加勒特，本杰明，蒂娅，西博汉，麦琪——除了森纳，她似乎已经对查弗丽娜要做的事做好了准备。其他人的眼睛空白着，表情焦虑。
Renesmee smiled at Zafrina and shook her head.
蕾妮斯梅对着查弗丽娜微笑和摇头。
“No one panic,” Zafrina warned the little group watching me. “I want to see how far she can extend.”
“别惊慌，”查弗丽娜对看着我的那群人预警道。“我想看她到底能扩展多远。”
My breath came out in a huff. Kate was the closest person to me besides Edward and Renesmee, but even she was about ten feet away. I locked my jaw and shoved, trying to heave the resisting, resilient safeguard farther from myself. Inch by inch I drove it toward Kate, fighting the reaction that fought back with every fraction that I gained. I only watched Kate’s anxious expression while I worked, and I groaned quietly with relief when her eyes blinked and focused. She raised her hand.
我的呼吸简直就变成喷气了。凯特是除了爱德华和蕾妮斯梅外离我最近的一个，但也隔了大概十英尺远。我绷紧下巴，努力将那个反抗着的弹力保护膜推得更远些，一英寸一英寸地向凯特靠紧，与所有那些会使我前功尽弃的东西斗争着，一心只盯着凯特焦虑的脸。在她的眼睛恢复聚焦闪烁后我解脱般的小声呻吟了一下。她举起了手。
“Raise your hand when you get your sight back,” Zafrina instructed. “Now, Bella. See how many you can shield.”
“恢复正常后就举手。“查弗丽娜说明。“现在，贝拉，试试看你能罩住多少人。”
“Fascinating!” Edward murmured under his breath. “It’s like one-way glass. I can read everything they’re thinking, but they can’t reach me behind it. And I can hear Renesmee, though I couldn’t when I was on the outside. I’ll bet Kate could shock me now, because she’s underneath the umbrella. I still can’t hear you… hmmm. How does that work? I wonder if…”
“太妙了！”爱德华屏住呼吸喃喃道。“这就像单向玻璃一样，我能读到他们所有人的思想，他们却无法反过来作用于我。而且也能听到蕾妮斯梅了，刚才外面的时候就不行。我敢打赌凯特现在可以电我，因为她现在也在保护伞里。不过我还是听不到你…嗯…怎么回事？我想知道…是不是…。”
“Very good,” Zafrina complimented me. “Now –“
“很好。”查弗丽娜称赞着。“现在…”
“Can I have a minute?” I panted. Since I’d become a vampire, I hadn’t felt the need to rest even once before this moment. It was unnerving to feel so drained and yet so strong at the same time.
“我能歇一会儿吗？”我喘着气，自变成吸血鬼以来头一次觉得这么需要休息。我从未这么强大，也又从未这样筋疲力尽过。
But she’d spoken too soon; with a sharp gasp, I felt my shield recoil like a rubber band stretched too far, snapping back into its original shape. Renesmee, experiencing for the first time the blindness Zafrina had conjured for the others, trembled against my back. Wearily, I fought back against the elastic pull, forcing the shield to include her again.
她夸得太早了。我急促地喘了口气，感觉到自己的盾就像吹得太大的泡泡糖，倏地又缩回了原形。蕾妮斯梅这才体会到查弗丽娜对其他人放出的幻象，在我的背上抖了一下。我疲倦地拉扯那弹力圈，奋力使它继续保护住蕾妮斯梅。
He continued to mumble to himself, but I couldn’t listen to the words. I ground my teeth together, struggling to force the shield out to Garrett, who was closest to Kate. His hand came up.
爱德华继续自言自语着，但我没力气分心听他说话。我紧扣牙齿，使劲让盾到达凯特旁边的加勒特那。终于他的手举了起来。
Garrett continued toward Kate despite the warning, his lips pursed in speculation. “They say you can put a vampire flat on his back.”
加勒特不理睬警告径直向凯特走去，嘴唇抿着呈思索状。“他们说你随便一下就能把人打趴了。”
“I wouldn’t, Garrett,” Edward cautioned.
“要是我就不会那样做，加勒特。”爱德华警告道。
“Of course,” Zafrina said, and the spectators relaxed as she let them see again.
“当然可以。”查弗丽娜说，那些观众们终于恢复了视野。
“Maybe,” Kate said, her face suddenly serious. “Maybe it only works on the weak or the young. I’m not sure. You look strong, though. Perhaps you could withstand my gift.” She stretched her hand out to him, palm up — a clear invitation. Her lips twitched, and I was pretty sure her grave expression was an attempt to hustle him.
“也许吧，”凯特说，突然严肃起来。“也许这能力只对老弱病残起作用。我不肯定。你还挺壮的，应该经得住我一下吧。”说着向他伸出手，抬起手掌——明显的挑衅。她的嘴唇稍稍抽动，我百分百确定她是想轰走他。
“Kate,” Garrett called as the others murmured and drifted slightly away, disturbed by the moment of blindness; vampires were not used to feeling vulnerable. The tall, sandy — haired Garrett was the only non-gifted immortal who seemed drawn to my practice sessions. I wondered what the lure was for the adventurer.
“凯特，”加勒特在别人都快步离开时小声叫道，打破了这尴尬的气氛。显然那些吸血鬼们对自己不堪一击的状况非常不舒服。这个高个黄头发的加勒特是唯一一个对我的能力训练感兴趣的无天赋吸血鬼。我怀疑又是因为冒险的成分。
“Yes,” she agreed. Then, with a sly smile, she wiggled her fingers playfully at him. “Curious?”
“是的。”她同意道。然后露出调皮的笑容，手指玩儿似的在他面前扭来扭去。“好奇吗？”
Garrett shrugged. “That’s something I’ve never seen. Seems like it might be a bit of an exaggeration…”
加勒特耸了耸肩。“我还从来没见过。觉得有点像吹牛…”
“I told you so,” Edward muttered.
“我告诉过你了。”爱德华不满的说道。
Garrett’s eyelids trembled for a few seconds, and then his eyes opened wide. He stared up at the smirking Kate, and a wondering smile lit his face.
加勒特挣扎了几秒才撑开眼皮。他睁大眼睛看着凯特得意的嘻嘻笑，惊异的笑容随之爬上脸庞。
Garrett grinned at the challenge. Very confidently, he touched her palm with his index finger.
加勒特对这挑战大笑了一下，自信地，用手指碰触她的手掌。
And then there was a low commotion from the front yard. I heard Carlisle speaking over a babble of surprised voices.
突然从前院传来小声的骚乱。我听见卡莱尔惊讶的声音，吐词快得都听不情了。
And then, with a loud gasp, his knees buckled and he keeled over backward. His head hit a piece of granite with a sharp cracking noise. It was shocking to watch. My instincts recoiled against seeing an immortal incapacitated that way; it was profoundly wrong.
然后，随着大声的抽气，他膝盖蜷缩着向后滚去，脑袋砰的一声撞到一块花岗岩上。看起来怪吓人的。看到吸血鬼如此无还手之力，本能告诉我，这行为绝对是大错特错。
“Did Alice send you?” he asked someone, his voice unsure, slightly upset. Another unexpected guest?
“爱丽丝让你们来的？”他问某人，怀疑的语气，有些混乱。又是意料外的客人？
Edward darted into the house and most of the others imitated him. I followed more slowly, Renesmee still perched on my back. I would give Carlisle a moment. Let him warm up the new guest, prepare him or her or them for the idea of what was coming.
爱德华大步走进房间，其他人也跟着进去了。我走得慢些，蕾妮斯梅仍趴在我背上休息。我应该给卡莱尔一些时间，让他给新客人热热身，为即将到来的惊喜作准备。
“I’m not crazy,” he laughed, shaking his head as he got slowly to his knees, “but that was sure something!”
“我可不疯，”他大笑，慢慢站起来晃了晃脑袋，“不过你确实挺厉害。”
“That’s what I hear.” Edward rolled his eyes.
“有目共睹。”爱德华翻了翻白眼。
“Wow,” he said.
“哇哦，”他说。
“Did you enjoy that?” she asked skeptically.
“你觉得很好玩儿？”她怀疑地问。
“Word travels,” a different voice answered, just as feathery as the first. “We heard hints that Volturi were moving against you. There were whispers that you would not stand alone. Obviously, the whispers were true. This is an impressive gathering.”
“小道消息。”另一个声音回答，和刚才的声音一样轻柔。“我们听说沃尔图里要向你们进攻，还有传言说你们召集了人马。显然，传言是真的了。这还真是个令人印象深刻的聚会。”
I pulled Renesmee into my arms as I walked cautiously around the house to enter through the kitchen door, listening to what I couldn’t see.
我警惕地绕道，从厨房门进入房子，一边探听着正在发生着什么，一边将蕾妮斯梅重新抱进怀里。
“No one sent us,” a deep whispery voice answered Carlisle’s question. I was immediately reminded of the ancient voices of Aro and Caius, and I froze just inside the kitchen.
“没人让我们来。”一个低沉轻柔的声音回答了卡莱尔的问题。这使我立马联想到阿罗和卡尤斯那久经沧桑的声音，在厨房里僵住了。
“We are not challenging the Volturi,” Carlisle answered in a strained tone. “There has been a misunderstanding, that is all. A very serious misunderstanding, to be sure, but one we’re hoping to clear up. What you see are witnesses. We just need the Volturi to listen. We didn’t –“
“我们并没有想跟沃尔图里作对。”卡莱尔紧张的回答。“这是个误会，仅此而已。显然是一个严重的、我们极需澄清的误会。你看到的这些都是证人，我们只是想让沃尔图里停下来听我们解释，没想要…。”
I knew the front room was crowded — almost everyone had gone in to see the newest visitors — but there was barely any noise. Shallow breathing, that was all.
前门那一定很拥挤，几乎每个人去看那新来的客人了——但却没有一点嘈杂，安静得只听到浅浅的呼吸声。
Carlisle’s voice was wary as he responded. “Then what brings you here now?”
卡莱尔机警地回应道。“那是什么风把你们吹来的？”
“We don’t care what they say you did,” the first voice interrupted. “And we don’t care if you broke the law.”
“我们才不管他们来的理由，”第一个声音打断道。“也不在乎你是否真的犯了事。”
“No matter how egregiously,” the second inserted.
“即使是滔天大罪。”第二个声音补充道。
“We’ve been waiting a millennium and a half for the Italian scum to be challenged,” said the first. “If there is any chance they will fall, we will be here to see it.”
“我们已经等了一千五百年了，等着看这些意大利败类被挑战。”第一个说，“如果他们有垮台的可能，我们一定会来见证的。”
“Or even to help defeat them,” the second added. They spoke in a smooth tandem, their voices so similar that less sensitive ears would assume there was only one speaker. “If we think you have a chance of success.”
“甚至出手帮忙。”第二个声音又补充说，“如果我们认为你们有击败他们的可能的话。”他们一前一后地顺畅地说着，声音如此相似，普通人听起来绝对会以为只有一个人。
It helped to know that probably half of the vampires in the other room would come to Renesmee’s defense if these Romanians were upset by her. I didn’t like the sound of their voices, or the dark menace in their words. As I walked into the room, I could see that I was not alone in that assessment. Most of the motionless vampires glared with hostile eyes, and a few — Carmen, Tanya, Zafrina, and Senna — repositioned themselves subtly into defensive poses between the newcomers and Renesmee.
现在的形势让我安心了些，因为如果那些罗马人被蕾妮斯梅吓到的话，房间里一半以上的吸血鬼都会出手保护她。我不喜欢他们说话的声音，以及话语里潜藏的那些黑暗危险的想法。而走进房间后我立马就看出，不只我一个人这样想。大多数吸血鬼都是面无表情的用敌意的眼神盯着他们，还有一些——卡门，坦尼娅，查弗丽娜和森纳——在新客人和蕾妮斯梅之间悄悄摆出了防御姿态。
“Bella?” Edward called to me in a hard voice. “Bring Renesmee here, please. Maybe we should test our Romanian visitors’ claims.”
“贝拉？”爱德华生硬地召唤我。“带蕾妮斯梅过来吧。也许该测试一下我们这些罗马客人的言论。”
“She’s not what you think, Stefan.”
“她不是你想的那种东西，斯特凡。”
“Then you’re welcome to observe, Vladimir, but it is definitely not our plan to challenge the Volturi, as we said before.”
“那么很欢迎你来观赏盛况，弗拉迪米尔，但绝对不是和沃尔图里作对的盛况，也像我们之前说过的。”
The vampires at the door were both slight and short, one dark-haired and the other with hair so ashy blond that it looked pale gray. They had the same powdery look to their skin as the Volturi, though I thought it was not so pronounced. I couldn’t be sure about that, as I had never seen the Volturi except with human eyes; I could not make a perfect comparison. Their sharp, narrow eyes were dark burgundy, with no milky film. They wore very simple black clothes that could pass as modern but hinted at older designs.
站在门口的那两个吸血鬼都是又瘦又矮，一个黑发，另一个是苍白的金发，但看起来更像是暗淡的灰色。他们和沃尔图里那些人一样有着石灰一般苍白的皮肤，虽然不如那么明显。其实我也不是很确定，毕竟我只用人类的眼睛看过沃尔图里他们，没办法做比较。他们尖锐细窄的眼睛如勃艮第葡萄酒般殷红，但没有沃尔图里那样的浑浊。他们穿着简洁的黑色套装，跟模特一样，只不过是老款的设计。
“And we don’t care either way,” the blonde responded. “As we said before.”
“就算是我们也不介意，”金发的那个回应道。“就像我们之前说过的。”
“Then we’ll just cross our fingers,” Stefan began.
“那我们只有交叉手指祈祷。”斯特凡开始说。
The dark one grinned when I came into view. “Well, well, Carlisle. You have been naughty, haven’t you?”
黑头发的那个在看见我后突然大笑起来。“好吧，好吧，卡莱尔，你一直都很淘气，不是吗？”
In the end, we had pulled together seventeen witnesses — the Irish, Siobhan, Liam, and Maggie; the Egyptians, Amun, Kebi, Benjamin, and Tia; the Amazons, Zafrina and Senna; the Romanians, Vladimir and Stefan; and the nomads, Charlotte and Peter, Garrett, Alistair, Mary, and Randall — to supplement our family of eleven. Tanya, Kate, Eleazar, and Carmen insisted on being counted as part of our family.
所以最后，我们赢得了17个证人——爱尔兰一家的西博汉，利亚姆和麦琪；埃及一家的阿蒙，凯比，本杰明和蒂娅；亚马逊一家的查弗丽娜和森纳；罗马人弗拉迪米尔和斯特凡；还有零散的，夏洛特和彼得，加勒特，阿利斯泰尔，玛丽和兰达尔——再加上我们家11个。坦尼娅，凯特，以利亚撒和卡门坚持要跟我们算成一家。
“And hope we get lucky,” finished Vladimir.
“希望上天赐予我们好运。”弗拉迪米尔结束。
We did not hope for the same things, but we all hoped.
我们和他们的愿望并不一样，但同时我们也在希望着。
We all were beginning to be a little bit hopeful. Even I couldn’t help it. Renesmee had won over so many in such a brief time. The Volturi only had to listen for just the tiniest second…
现在我们大家都满怀希望，就连我也忍不住这样想。蕾妮斯梅在如此短的时间内赢得了这么多朋友，沃尔图里会不得不稍微听一下的…
The last two surviving Romanians — focused only on their bitter resentment of the ones who had overthrown their empire fifteen hundred years earlier — took everything in stride. They would not touch Renesmee, but they showed no aversion to her. They seemed mysteriously delighted by our alliance with the werewolves. They watched me practice my shield with Zafrina and Kate, watched Edward answer unspoken questions, watched Benjamin pull geysers of water from the river or sharp gusts of wind from the still air with just his mind, and their eyes glowed with their fierce hope that the Volturi had finally met their match.
最后来的这两个罗马人一心只盯在沃尔图里一千五百年前推翻他们帝国的仇恨上，所以大度地接受着这里的一切事情。他们不想碰蕾妮斯梅，但也不反感；他们对我们与狼人间神奇的友谊很感兴趣；他们看着我与查弗丽娜和凯特练习守护盾，看着爱德华回答不出声的问题，看着本杰明只用思想操纵就从河里弄出喷泉，在沉闷的空气里弄出旋风。想到沃尔图里终于遇到了强大的对手，他们高兴得都两眼放光了。
Aside from the Volturi, it was probably the largest friendly gathering of mature vampires in immortal history.
除沃尔图里以外，这大概是历史上最大的一次友好的成熟吸血鬼聚会了。
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