3 eclipse月食-第28部分

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“Dartmouth？　Is　this　a　joke？”　
“I’m　sure　it’s　an　acceptance。　It　looks　exactly　like　mine。”　
“Good　grief；　Edward　—　what　did　you　do？”　
“I　sent　in　your　application；　that’s　all。”　
“I　may　not　be　Dartmouth　material；　but　I’m　not　stupid　enough　to　believe　that。”　
“Dartmouth　seems　to　think　that　you’re　Dartmouth　material。”　
I　took　a　deep　breath　and　counted　slowly　to　ten。　“That’s　very　generous　of　them；”　I　finally　said。　“However；　
accepted　or　not；　there　is　still　the　minor　matter　of　tuition。　I　can’t　afford　it；　and　I’m　not　letting　you　throw　away　
enough　money　to　buy　yourself　another　sports　car　just　so　that　I　can　pretend　to　go　to　Dartmouth　next　year。”　
“I　don’t　need　another　sports　car。　And　you　don’t　have　to　pretend　anything；”　he　murmured。　“One　year　of　
college　wouldn’t　kill　you。　Maybe　you’d　even　like　it。　Just　think　about　it；　Bella。　Imagine　how　excited　Charlie　and　
Renée　would　be。　。　。　。”　
His　velvet　voice　painted　the　picture　in　my　head　before　I　could　block　it。　Of　course　Charlie　would　explode　
with　pride　—　no　one　in　the　town　of　Forks　would　be　able　to　escape　the　fallout　from　his　excitement。　And　Renée　
would　be　hysterical　with　joy　at　my　triumph　—　though　she’d　swear　she　wasn’t　at　all　surprised。　。　。　。　
I　tried　to　shake　the　image　out　of　my　head。　“Edward。　I’m　worried　about　living　through　graduation；　let　alone　
this　summer　or　next　fall。”　
His　arms　wrapped　around　me　again。　“No　one　is　going　to　hurt　you。　You　have　all　the　time　in　the　world。”　
I　sighed。　“I’m　mailing　the　contents　of　my　bank　account　to　Alaska　tomorrow。　It’s　all　the　alibi　I　need。　It’s　far　
enough　away　that　Charlie　won’t　expect　a　visit　until　Christmas　at　the　earliest。　And　I’m　sure　I’ll　think　of　some　
excuse　by　then。　You　know；”　I　teased　halfheartedly；　“this　whole　secrecy　and　deception　thing　is　kind　of　a　pain。”　
Edward’s　expression　hardened。　“It　gets　easier。　After　a　few　decades；　everyone　you　know　is　dead。　
Problem　solved。”　
I　flinched。　
“Sorry；　that　was　harsh。”　
I　stared　down　at　the　big　white　envelope；　not　seeing　it。　“But　still　true。”　
“If　I　get　this　resolved；　whatever　it　is　we’re　dealing　with；　will　you　please　consider　waiting？”　
“Nope。”　
“Always　so　stubborn。”　
“Yep。”　
The　washing　machine　thumped　and　stuttered　to　a　halt。　
“Stupid　piece　of　junk；”　I　muttered　as　I　pulled　away　from　him。　I　moved　the　one　small　towel　that　had　
unbalanced　the　otherwise　empty　machine；　and　started　it　again。　
“This　reminds　me；”　I　said。　“Could　you　ask　Alice　what　she　did　with　my　stuff　when　she　cleaned　my　room？　I　
can’t　find　it　anywhere。”　
He　looked　at　me　with　confused　eyes。　“Alice　cleaned　your　room？”　
“Yeah；　I　guess　that’s　what　she　was　doing。　When　she　came　to　get　my　pajamas　and　pillow　and　stuff　to　hold　
me　hostage。”　I　glowered　at　him　briefly。　“She　picked　up　everything　that　was　lying　around；　my　shirts；　my　socks；　
and　I　don’t　know　where　she　put　them。”　
Edward　continued　to　look　confused　for　one　short　moment；　and　then；　abruptly；　he　was　rigid。　
“When　did　you　notice　your　things　were　missing？”　
“When　I　got　back　from　the　fake　slumber　party。　Why？”　
“I　don’t　think　Alice　took　anything。　Not　your　clothes；　or　your　pillow。　The　things　that　were　taken；　these　
were　things　you’d　worn　。　。　。　and　touched　。　。　。　and　slept　on？”　
“Yes。　What　is　it；　Edward？”　
His　expression　was　strained。　“Things　with　your　scent。”　
“Oh！”　
We　stared　into　each　others　eyes　for　a　long　moment。　
“My　visitor；”　I　muttered。　

“He　was　gathering　traces　。　。　。　evidence。　To　prove　that　he’d　found　you？”　
“Why？”　I　whispered。　
“I　don’t　know。　But；　Bella；　I　swear　I　will　find　out。　I　will。”　
“I　know　you　will；”　I　said；　laying　my　head　against　his　chest。　Leaning　there；　I　felt　his　phone　vibrate　in　his　
pocket。　
He　pulled　out　his　phone　and　glanced　at　the　number。　“Just　the　person　I　need　to　talk　to；”　he　murmured；　and　
then　he　flipped　it　open。　“Carlisle；　I　—”　He　broke　off　and　listened；　his　face　taut　with　concentration　for　a　few　
minutes。　“I’ll　check　it　out。　Listen　。　。　。”　
He　explained　about　my　missing　things；　but　from　the　side　I　was　hearing；　it　sounded　like　Carlisle　had　no　
insights　for　us。　
“Maybe　I’ll　go　。　。　。　；”　Edward　said；　trailing　off　as　his　eyes　drifted　toward　me。　“Maybe　not。　Don’t　let　
Emmett　go　alone；　you　know　how　he　gets。　At　least　ask　Alice　keep　an　eye　on　things。　We’ll　figure　this　out　later。”　
He　snapped　the　phone　shut。　“Where’s　the　paper？”　he　asked　me。　
“Um；　I’m　not　sure。　Why？”　
“I　need　to　see　something。　Did　Charlie　already　throw　it　out？”　
“Maybe。　。　。　。”　
Edward　disappeared。　
He　was　back　in　half　a　second；　new　diamonds　in　his　hair；　a　wet　newspaper　in　his　hands。　He　spread　it　out　
on　the　table；　his　eyes　scanning　quickly　across　the　headlines。　He　leaned　in；　intent　on　something　he　was　reading；　
one　finger　tracing　passages　that　interested　him　most。　
“Carlisle’s　right　。　。　。　yes　。　。　。　very　sloppy。　Young　and　crazed？　Or　a　death　wish？”　he　muttered　to　himself。　
I　went　to　peek　over　his　shoulder。　
The　headline　of　the　Seattle　Times　read：　“Murder　Epidemic　Continues　—　Police　Have　No　New　Leads。”　
It　was　almost　the　same　story　Charlie　had　been　plaining　about　a　few　weeks　ago　—　the　bigcity　
violence　that　was　pushing　Seattle　up　the　national　murder　hotspot　list。　It　wasn’t　exactly　the　same　story；　though。　
The　numbers　were　a　lot　higher。　
“It’s　getting　worse；”　I　murmured。　
He　frowned。　“Altogether　out　of　control。　This　can’t　be　the　work　of　just　one　newborn　vampire。　What’s　
going　on？　It’s　as　if　they’ve　never　heard　of　the　Volturi。　Which　is　possible；　I　guess。　No　one　has　explained　the　
rules　to　them　。　。　。　so　who　is　creating　them；　then？”　
“The　Volturi？”　I　repeated；　shuddering。　
“This　is　exactly　the　kind　of　thing　they　routinely　wipe　out　—　immortals　who　threaten　to　expose　us。　They　just　
cleaned　up　a　mess　like　this　a　few　years　ago　in　Atlanta；　and　it　hadn’t　gotten　nearly　this　bad。　They　will　intervene　
soon；　very　soon；　unless　we　can　find　some　way　to　calm　the　situation。　I’d　really　rather　they　didn’t　e　to　
Seattle　just　now。　As　long　as　they’re　this　close　。　。　。　they　might　decide　to　check　on　you。”　
I　shuddered　again。　“What　can　we　do？”　
“We　need　to　know　more　before　we　can　decide　that。　Perhaps　if　we　can　talk　to　these　young　ones；　explain　
the　rules；　it　can　be　resolved　peacefully。”　He　frowned；　like　he　didn’t　think　the　chances　of　that　were　good。　
“We’ll　wait　until　Alice　has　an　idea　of　what’s　going　on。　。　。　。　We　don’t　want　to　step　in　until　it’s　absolutely　
necessary。　After　all；　it’s　not　our　responsibility。　But　it’s　good　we　have　Jasper；”　he　added；　almost　to　himself。　“If　
we　are　dealing　with　newborns；　he’ll　be　helpful。”　
“Jasper？　Why？”　
Edward　smiled　darkly。　“Jasper　is　sort　of　an　expert　on　young　vampires。”　
“What　do　you　mean；　an　expert？”　
“You’ll　have　to　ask　him　—　the　story　is　involved。”　
“What　a　mess；”　I　mumbled。　
“It　does　feel　that　way；　doesn’t　it？　Like　it’s　ing　at　us　from　all　sides　these　days。”　He　sighed。　“Do　you　
ever　think　that　your　life　might　be　easier　if　you　weren’t　in　love　with　me？”　
“Maybe。　It　wouldn’t　be　much　of　a　life；　though。”　
“For　me；”　he　amended　quietly。　“And　now；　I　suppose；”　he　continued　with　a　wry　smile；　“you　have　
something　you　want　to　ask　me？”　
I　stared　at　him　blankly。　“I　do？”　

“Or　maybe　not。”　He　grinned。　“I　was　rather　under　the　impression　that　you’d　promised　to　ask　my　
permission　to　go　to　some　kind　of　werewolf　soirée　tonight。”　
“Eavesdropping　again？”　
He　grinned。　“Just　a　bit；　at　the　very　end。”　
“Well；　I　wasn’t　going　to　ask　you　anyway。　I　figured　you　had　enough　to　stress　about。”　
He　put　his　hand　under　my　chin；　and　held　my　face　so　that　he　could　read　my　eyes。　“Would　you　like　to　go？”　
“It’s　no　big　thing。　Don’t　worry　about　it。”　
“You　don’t　have　to　ask　my　permission；　Bella。　I’m　not　your　father　—　thank　heaven　for　that。　Perhaps　you　
should　ask　Charlie；　though。”　
“But　you　know　Charlie　will　say　yes。”　
“I　do　have　a　bit　more　insight　into　his　probable　answer　than　most　people　would；　it’s　true。”　
I　just　stared　at　him；　trying　to　understand　what　he　wanted；　and　trying　to　put　out　of　my　mind　the　yearning　I　
felt　to　go　to　La　Push　so　that　I　wouldn’t　be　swayed　by　my　own　wishes。　It　was　stupid　to　want　to　go　hang　out　
with　a　bunch　of　big　idiot　wolfboys　right　now　when　there　was　so　much　that　was　frightening　and　unexplained　
going　on。　Of　course；　that　was　exactly　why　I　wanted　to　go。　I　wanted　to　escape　the　death　threats；　for　just　a　few　
hours　。　。　。　to　be　the　lessmature；　morereckless　Bella　who　could　laugh　it　off　with　Jacob；　if　only　briefly。　But　that　
didn’t　matter。　
“Bella；”　Edward　said。　“I　told　you　that　I　was　going　to　be　reasonable　and　trust　your　judgment。　I　meant　that。　
If　you　trust　the　werewolves；　then　I’m　not　going　to　worry　about　them。”　
“Wow；”　I　said；　as　I　had　last　night。　
“And　Jacob’s　right　—　about　one　thing；　anyway　—　a　pack　of　werewolves　ought　to　be　enough　to　protect　
even　you　for　one　evening。”　
“Are　you　sure？”　
“Of　course。　Only　。　。　。”　
I　braced　myself。　
“I　hope　you　won’t　mind　taking　a　few　precautions？　Allowing　me　to　drive　you　to　the　boundary　line；　for　one。　
And　then　taking　a　cell　phone；　so　that　I’ll　know　when　to　pick　you　up？”　
“That　sounds　。　。　。　very　reasonable。”　
“Excellent。”　
He　smiled　at　me；　and　I　could　see　no　trace　of　apprehension　in　his　jewellike　eyes。　


To　no　one’s　surprise；　Charlie　had　no　problem　at　all　with　me　going　to　La　Push　for　a　bonfire。　Jacob　crowed　
with　undisguised　exultation　when　I　called　to　give　him　the　news；　and　he　seemed　eager　enough　to　embrace　
Edward’s　safety　measures。　He　promised　to　meet　us　at　the　line　between　territories　at　six。　
I　had　decided；　after　a　short　internal　debate；　that　I　would　not　sell　my　motorcycle。　I　would　take　it　back　to　
La　Push　where　it　belonged　and；　when　I　no　longer　needed　it　anymore　。　。　。　well；　then；　I　would　insist　that　Jacob　
profit　from　his　work　somehow。　He　could　sell　it　or　give　it　to　a　friend。　It　didn’t　matter　to　me。　
Tonight　seemed　like　a　good　opportunity　to　return　the　bike　to　Jacob’s　garage。　As　gloomy　as　I　was　feeling　
about　things　lately；　every　day　seemed　like　a　possible　last　chance。　I　didn’t　have　time　to　procrastinate　any　task；　
no　matter　how　minor。　
Edward　only　nodded　when　I　explained　what　I　wanted；　but　I　thought　I　saw　a　flicker　of　consternation　in　his　
eyes；　and　I　knew　he　was　no　happier　about　the　idea　of　me　on　a　motorcycle　than　Charlie　was。　
I　followed　him　back　to　his　house；　to　the　garage　where　I’d　left　the　bike。　It　wasn’t　until　I　pulled　the　truck　in　
and　got　out　that　I　realized　the　consternation　might　not　be　entirely　about　my　safety　this　time。　
Next　to　my　little　antique　motorcycle；　overshadowing　it；　was　another　vehicle。　To　call　this　other　vehicle　a　
motorcycle　hardly　seemed　fair；　since　it　didn’t　seem　to　belong　to　the　same　family　as　my　suddenly　shabby　
looking　bike。　
It　was　big　and　sleek　and　silver　and　—　even　totally　motionless　—　it　looked　fast。　
“What　is　that？”　
“Nothing；”　Edward　murmured。　
“It　doesn’t　look　like　nothing。”　
Edward’s　expression　was　casual；　he　seemed　determined　to　blow　it　off。　“Well；　I　didn’t　know　if　you　were　

going　to　forgive　your　friend；　or　he　you；　and　I　wondered　if　you　would　still　want　to　ride　your　bike　anyway。　It　
sounded　like　it　was　something　that　you　enjoyed。