暮光之城4: 破晓 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn
作者：斯蒂芬妮·梅尔 (Stephanie Meyer) [美国]
贝拉与爱德华历经磨难终于踏进了婚姻殿堂。婚后爱德华和贝拉去艾思蜜岛上渡蜜月，度过了一段快乐的时光。不久贝拉发现怀孕，蜜月提前结束。狼族担心胎儿会对族人构成威胁决定除掉它。雅各布为保护贝拉离开狼族，连夜警告库伦家。胎儿生长迅速令贝拉吃尽苦头。爱德华不忍看她受苦希望她放弃孩子，但贝拉却坚持要生下。分娩当晚，贝拉大量失血，在她命悬一线之际，爱德华将装有自己吸血毒液的针管插进贝拉心脏。另一边王族也注意到了这个新生儿，一场撼动吸血鬼、狼人和人类世界的对决正悄悄来袭。
暮光之城2: 新月 The Twilight Saga: New Moon
No one is staring at you, I promised myself. No one is staring at you. No one is staring at you.
没有人在盯着你看，我向自己保证着。没有人在盯着你。没有人在盯着你。
But, because I couldn't lie convincingly even to myself, I had to check.
但是，因为我撒的谎连我自己都骗不了，我还是不住地环顾了一下。
As I sat waiting for one of the three traffic lights in town to turn green, I peeked to the right -- in her minivan, Mrs. Weber had turned her whole torso in my direction. Her eyes bored into mine, and I flinched back, wondering why she didn't drop her gaze or look ashamed. It was still considered rude to stare at people, wasn't it? Didn't that apply to me anymore?
当我坐在车里等着镇上的某一处交通信号灯转绿时，我偷偷向右瞄了一眼——韦伯妇人在她的小型货车里，她把整个上身都向我的方向扭了过来。她的眼睛紧盯着我的，我向后缩了缩，想知道她为什么不收回她的目光或者看起来不好意思些。盯着人看仍然被认为是项粗鲁的举动，不是吗？难道这条规定不再适用于我了吗？
Then I remembered that these windows were so darkly tinted that she probably had no idea if it was even me in here, let alone that I'd caught her looking. I tried to take some comfort in the fact that she wasn't really staring at me, just the car.
然后我才想起来这些车窗颜色是如此之深，以至于她也许根本不知道里面竟然是我，更不用说被我知道她在盯着我了。她在看的是这辆车，而不是我，我试图这样的想法来安慰自己。
My car. Sigh.
我的车啊。唉。
I glanced to the left and groaned. Two pedestrians were frozen on the sidewalk, missing their chance to cross as they stared. Behind them, Mr. Marshall was gawking through the plate-glass window of his little souvenir shop. At least he didn't have his nose pressed up against the glass. Yet.
我又向左撇了一眼，哀叹了一声。两个行人僵在路边，就这样注视着，甚至都忘记了过马路。在他们后面，马歇尔先生正透过他小小纪念品商店的玻璃窗带着地望着。还好他没有把鼻子都贴到玻璃上来。还没有。
The light turned green and, in my hurry to escape, I stomped on the gas pedal without thinking -- the normal way I would have punched it to get my ancient Chevy truck moving.
终于变绿灯了，急于想要逃脱的我，想都没想就踩了一脚油门——这是启动我那辆古董卡车启动的惯用方法。
Engine snarling like a hunting panther, the car jolted forward so fast that my body slammed into the black leather seat and my stomach flattened against my spine.
引擎发出猎豹般的咆哮声，车猛然向前窜去，以至于我的身体猛地摔进了黑色皮革座椅，我的胃都贴到了脊椎。
"Arg!" I gasped as I fumbled for the brake. Keeping my head, I merely tapped the pedal. The car lurched to an absolute standstill anyway.
“啊！”我倒抽一口气，笨拙地摸索着踩下刹车。我的脑袋向前冲去，差点撞上方向盘，车向前颠了一下，四平八稳地停住了。
I couldn't bear to look around at the reaction. If there had been any doubt as to who was driving this car before, it was gone now. With the toe of my shoe, I gently nudged the gas pedal down one half millimeter, and the car shot forward again.
我不忍去看周围人的反应。如果他们先前还在疑问着是谁在驾驶这辆车，现在一定不是了。我用鞋尖轻轻地将油门向下推了半毫米，车又向前射去了。
I managed to reach my goal, the gas station. If I hadn't been running on vapors, I wouldn't have come into town at all. I was going without a lot of things these days, like Pop-Tarts and shoelaces, to avoid spending time in public.
我终于成功地到达了我的目的地，加油站。如果我不是因为车一点油都没有了，我压根就不会到镇里来。这些天我将很多东西都消耗殆尽，比如Pop—Tart果酱馅饼和鞋带，就是为了避免在公众场合出现。
Moving as if I were in a race, I got the hatch open, the cap off, the card scanned, and the nozzle in the tank within seconds. Of course, there was nothing I could do to make the numbers on the gauge pick up the pace. They ticked by sluggishly, almost as if they were doing it just to annoy me.
就像是在赛跑一样，我在几秒钟之内完成从打开油箱盖，拧掉盖子，刷卡，到把加油枪插到油箱里的动作。当然，我完全没有办法使计量器上的数字跳得更快一些。它们慢吞吞地闪烁着，好像是要故意惹恼我一样。
It wasn't bright out -- a typical drizzly day in Forks, Washington -- but I still felt like a spotlight was trained on me, drawing attention to the delicate ring on my left hand. At times like this, sensing the eyes on my back, it felt as if the ring were pulsing like a neon sign: Look at me, look at me.
天色并不明亮——华盛顿州福克斯小镇标准的阴雨天——但我仍然感觉像是有一个聚光灯正紧紧追着我，聚焦在我左手上那个精致的戒指上。尤其像这样的时候，我能感觉到人们的眼睛注视着我，就好像戒指在像霓虹灯一样闪烁着：来看我，来看我。
It was stupid to be so self-conscious, and I knew that. Besides my dad and mom, did it really matter what people were saying about my engagement? About my new car? About my mysterious acceptance into an Ivy League college? About the shiny black credit card that felt red-hot in my back pocket right now?
我知道如此神经过敏非常愚蠢。除了我的父母，别人怎么看我很重要么？关于我的订婚？关于我的新车？关于我神秘地进了一所常青藤联盟大学？关于那张现在在我裤子后袋里感到万分灼热的闪亮的黑色信用卡？
"Yeah, who cares what they think," I muttered under my breath.
“好吧，管他们怎么想呢，”我低声嘟哝道。
"Um, miss?" a man's voice called.
“呃，小姐？”一个男人的声音叫道。
I turned, and then wished I hadn't.
我转过身去，又立刻希望我没有这么做。
Two men stood beside a fancy SUV with brand-new kayaks tied to the top. Neither of them was looking at me; they both were staring at the car.
两个男人站在一辆顶上绑着崭新的皮划艇的高级SUV旁。他们两个人没有一个在看我；他们都在盯着那辆车。
Personally, I didn't get it. But then, I was just proud I could distinguish between the symbols for Toyota, Ford, and Chevy. This car was glossy black, sleek, and pretty, but it was still just a car to me.
就我自己而言，我并不懂车。但我依然能够为自己辨别出丰田、福特、雪佛莱德车牌而感到骄傲。这辆车通体漆黑锃亮，时髦豪华，相当漂亮，但对我来说仍然只是一辆车而已。
"I'm sorry to bother you, but could you tell me what kind of car you're driving?" the tall one asked.
“很抱歉打扰你，但你可以告诉我你开的是什么车吗？”个子高的那个问道。
"Um, a Mercedes, right?"
“呃，一辆梅塞德斯，对吧？”
"Yes," the man said politely while his shorter friend rolled his eyes at my answer. "I know. But I was wondering, is that… are you driving a Mercedes Guardian?" The man said the name with reverence. I had a feeling this guy would get along well with Edward Cullen, my… my fiance (there really was no getting around that truth with the wedding just days away).
“是的，”那个人有礼貌地说，而他的矮个儿朋友听了我的回答后翻了个白眼。“我知道。但我想知道，那个是不是……你是不是在开一辆梅塞德斯‘守护神’？”那个男人说起这个名字的时候，声音里充满了敬畏。我能感觉到这个家伙可以和爱德华·卡伦很合得来。爱德华·卡伦，我的……我的未婚夫（婚礼离现在只有几天了，我实在再也逃避不了这个事实了）。
"They aren't supposed to be available in Europe yet," the man went on, "let alone here."
“它们还不应该在欧洲发行呢，”那个人接着说，“更不要说是这里了。”
While his eyes traced the contours of my car -- it didn't look much different from any other Mercedes sedan to me, but what did I know? -- I briefly contemplated my issues with words like fiance, wedding, husband, etc.
当他的目光追随着我的车的轮廓时——对我来说，它看起来跟别的梅塞德斯轿车没有什么不一样的，但我又知道什么呢？——我脑海中简单地掠过“未婚夫”、“婚礼”、“丈夫”这些单词。
I just couldn't put it together in my head.
就是不能把它们组合在一起。
On the one hand, I had been raised to cringe at the very thought of poofy white dresses and bouquets. But more than that, I just couldn't reconcile a staid, respectable, dull concept like husband with my concept of Edward. It was like casting an archangel as an accountant; I couldn't visualize him in any commonplace role.
从一方面来说，我从小到大都对那些脂粉气的白裙和捧花感到不敢恭维。深究下去，我无论如何不能让一个古板的，体面的，无趣的“丈夫”的概念同我对爱德华的形象联系起来。这就像是让一个大天使去扮演会计的角色；我无法想象让他扮演任何普通的角色。
Like always, as soon as I started thinking about Edward I was caught up in a dizzy spin of fantasies. The stranger had to clear his throat to get my attention; he was still waiting for an answer about the car's make and model.
又来了，每当我一开始想起爱德华我身陷让人晕眩的幻想而无法自拔。那个陌生人只好清清嗓子来引起我的注意，他仍然在等待我给出车的型号和出生。
"I don't know," I told him honestly.
“我不知道。”我坦白告诉他。
"Do you mind if I take a picture with it?"
“你介意我跟它拍张照片么？”
It took me a second to process that. "Really? You want to take a picture with the car?"
我花了一秒钟来考虑这个问题。“真的？你真的想和这辆车拍照？”
"Sure -- nobody is going to believe me if I don't get proof."
“当然——不拿出点证据来，怎么让别人相信呢。”
"Um. Okay. Fine."
“呃，好吧，没问题。”
I swiftly put away the nozzle and crept into the front seat to hide while the enthusiast dug a huge professional-looking camera out of his backpack. He and his friend took turns posing by the hood, and then they went to take pictures at the back end.
我迅速拔掉了加油枪，然后趴进了前座躲了前座。这时候，这个狂热的爱好分子从他的后袋中掏出了一个看起来颇为专业的相机。他和他的朋友轮流在引擎盖旁摆起了姿势，接着又绕到车的尾部拍起了照片。
"I miss my truck," I whimpered to myself.
“我好怀念我的卡车。”我低声对自己说道。
Very, very convenient -- too convenient -- that my truck would wheeze its last wheeze just weeks after Edward and I had agreed to our lopsided compromise, one detail of which was that he be allowed to replace my truck when it passed on. Edward swore it was only to be expected; my truck had lived a long, full life and then expired of natural causes. According to him. And, of course, I had no way to verify his story or to try to raise my truck from the dead on my own. My favorite mechanic --
非常，非常地方便，简直太便利了，不过就在爱德华和我达成了不平等协议的几个星期后，我的卡车就再也无法喘气了。协定中的一项就是，他有权在我的卡车报废后进行替换。爱德华发誓说这完全是可以理解的；我的卡车已经度过了漫长而充实的一生，然后自然死亡。对于他来说，这个理所当然。而且我也没有办法实践他的理论，或者凭借自己的能力让卡车起死回生。我最爱的机修师——
I stopped that thought cold, refusing to let it come to a conclusion. Instead, I listened to the men's voices outside, muted by the car walls.
我立刻无情地断了这个想法，拒绝让它蔓延出一个结论。取而代之的是，我专心听着车外男人传来的谈话，声音因为车的阻隔而变得模糊不清。
"… went at it with a flamethrower in the online video. Didn't even pucker the paint."
“……在网上看过一个视频，从喷射的火焰中驶过，连油漆都没花。”
"Of course not. You could roll a tank over this baby. Not much of a market for one over here. Designed for Middle East diplomats, arms dealers, and drug lords mostly."
“当然不会花，你甚至可以开着坦克从它的身上压过。并不是为这边的市场开发的，大部分是为中东地区的政客，军火商，毒枭们设计的。”
"Think she's something?" the short one asked in a softer voice. I ducked my head, cheeks flaming.
“她是他们中的一个？”那个矮个子弱弱地问。我别过头去，脸涨得通红。
"Huh," the tall one said. "Maybe. Can't imagine what you'd need missile-proof glass and four thousand pounds of body armor for around here. Must be headed somewhere more hazardous."
“哼嗯，”高个子接口说，“有可能吧，不然无法想象在这种地方你会需要防导弹的玻璃和价值4千英镑的车身装甲。一定是去更危险的地方。”
Body armor. Four thousand pounds of body armor. And missile-proof glass? Nice. What had happened to good old-fashioned bulletproof?
车身装甲。四千英镑的车身装甲！防导弹的玻璃？很好，难道那些不错的防弹玻璃已经过时了么？
Well, at least this made some sense -- if you had a twisted sense of humor.
好吧，至少这点对于那些具有扭曲幽默感的人还是很合理的。
It wasn't like I hadn't expected Edward to take advantage of our deal, to weight it on his side so that he could give so much more than he would receive.
我并不是没有想到爱德华会趁机利用我们的约定，来使它倾向于他那一边，让他能够有机会更多地付出，而不是获得。
I'd agreed that he could replace my truck when it needed replacing, not expecting that moment to come quite so soon, of course. When I'd been forced to admit that the truck had become no more than a still-life tribute to classic Chevys on my curb, I knew his idea of a replacement was probably going to embarrass me. Make me the focus of stares and whispers. I'd been right about that part. But even in my darkest imaginings I had not foreseen that he would get me two cars.
我是有同意过他可以在我的卡车不得不需要替换的时候替换它，可以却没料到这一刻来得如此之快。在我不得不承认我的卡车已经只是一堆无生命的废铁，我也只是觉得最多会换成一辆雪佛兰经典款。我知道这个主意会让我处在了一个极其窘迫的情境下，让我成为众人的目光焦点和交头接耳的话题。我完全猜中了，但是让我更做梦都没有想到的是，他竟然为我准备了两部车！
The "before" car and the "after" car, he'd explained when I'd flipped out.
“之前的车”和“之后的车”，当他这样解释给我时，我差点没晕过去。
This was just the "before" car. He'd told me it was a loaner and promised that he was returning it after the wedding. It all had made absolutely no sense to me. Until now.
而这只是“之前的车”，他告诉我这辆车是租赁来的，并且保证会在结婚后就还回去，不过对于这些我至今都无法接受。
Ha ha. Because I was so fragilely human, so accident-prone, so much a victim to my own dangerous bad luck, apparently I needed a tank-resistant car to keep me safe.
哈哈，因为我是如此脆弱的人类，危险吸引器，容易成为自身厄运的牺牲品，很明显我会需要一部防坦克车来保证我的人身安全。
Hilarious. I was sure he and his brothers had enjoyed the joke quite a bit behind my back.
太讽刺了。我敢肯定他和他的好兄弟们一定在我背后享受这个笑话所带来的乐趣。
Or maybe, just maybe, a small voice whispered in my head, it's not a joke, silly. Maybe he's really that worried about you. This wouldn't be the first time he's gone a little overboard trying to protect you.
也许，只是也许，一个微小的声音在脑海低语，这不是一个玩笑，笨蛋。兴许他真的是担心你。这也不是第一次了，他做得那么过火只是为了保护你。
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