we began the steep climb, and the road grew congested. as we wound higher,the cars became too close together for alice to weave insanely between them anymore. we slowed to acrawl behind a little tan peugeot.
"alice," i moaned. the clock on the dash seemed to be speeding up.
"it's the only way in," she tried soothe me. but her voice was too strained to comfort.
the cars continued to edge forward, one car length at a time. the sun beamed down brilliantly, seemingalready overhead.
the cars crept one by one toward the city. as we got closer, i could see cars parked by the side of theroad with people getting out to walk the test of the way. at first i thought it was justimpatience—something i could easily understand. but then we came around a switchback, and i could see the filled parking lot outside the city wall, the crowds of people walking through the gates. no onewas being allowed to drive through.
"alice," i whispered urgently.
"i know," she said. her face was chiseled from ice.
now that i was looking, and we were crawling slowly enough to see, i could tell that it was very windy.
the people crowding toward the gate gripped their hats and tugged their hair out of their faces. theirclothes billowed around them. i also noticed that the color red was everywhere. red shirts, red hats, redflags dripping like long ribbons beside the gate, whipping in the wind—as i watched, the brilliant crimsonscarf one woman had tied around her hair was caught in a sudden gust. it twisted up into the air aboveher, writhing like it was alive. she reached for it, jumping in the air, but it continued to flutter higher, apatch of bloody color against the dull, ancient walls.
"bella." alice spoke quickly in a fierce, low voice. "i can't see what the guard here will decide now—ifthis doesn't work, you're going to have to go in alone. you're going to have to run. just keep asking forthe palazzo dei priori, and running in the direction they tell you. don't get lost.""palazzo dei priori, palazzo dei priori," i repeated the name over and over again, trying to get it down.
"or 'the clock tower,' if they speak english. i'll go around and try to find a secluded spot somewherebehind the city where i can go over the wall."i nodded. "palazzo dei priori.""edward will be under the clock tower, to the north of the square. there's a narrow alleyway on theright, and he'll be in the shadow there. you have to get his attention before he can move into the sun."i nodded furiously.
alice was near the front of the line. a man in a navy blue uniform was directing the flow of traffic, turningthe cars away from the full lot. they u-turned and headed back to find a place beside the road. then itwas alice's turn.
the uniformed man motioned lazily, not paying attention. alice accelerated, edging around him andheading for the gate. he shouted something at us, but held his ground, waving frantically to keep the nextcar from following our bad example.
the man at the gate wore a matching uniform. as we approached him, the throngs of tourists passed,crowding the sidewalks, staring curiously at the pushy, flashy porsche.
the guard stepped into the middle of the street. alice angled the car carefully before she came to a fullstop. the sun beat against my window, and she was in shadow. she swiftly reached behind the seat andgrabbed something from her bag.
the guard came around the car with an irritated expression, and tapped on her window angrily.
she rolled the window down halfway, and i watched him do a double take when he saw the face behindthe dark glass.
"i'm sorry, only tour buses allowed in the city today, miss," he said in english, with a heavy accent. hewas apologetic, now, as if he wished he had better news for the strikingly beautiful woman.
"it's a private tour," alice said, flashing an alluring smile. she reached her hand out cf the window, intothe sunlight. i froze, until i realized she was wearing an elbow-length, tan glove. she took his hand, stillraised from tapping her window, and pulled it into the car. she put something into his palm, and foldedhis fingers around it.
his face was dazed as he retrieved his hand and stared at the thick roll of money he now held. theoutside bill was a thousand dollar bill.
"is this a joke?" he mumbled.
alice's smile was blinding. "only if you think it's funny."he looked at her, his eyes staring wide. i glanced nervously at the clock on the dash. if edward stuck tohis plan, we had only five minutes left.
"i'm in a wee bit of a hurry," she hinted, still smiling.
the guard blinked twice, and then shoved the money inside his vest. he took a step away from thewindow and waved us on. none of the passing people seemed to notice the quiet exchange. alice droveinto the city, and we both sighed in relief.
the street was very narrow, cobbled with the same color stones as the faded cinnamon brown buildingsthat darkened the street with their shade. it had the feel of an alleyway. red flags decorated the walls,spaced only a few yards apart, flapping in the wind that whistled through the narrow lane.
it was crowded, and the foot traffic slowed our progress.
"just a little farther," alice encouraged me; i was gripping the door handle, ready to throw myself into thestreet as soon as she spoke the word.
she drove in quick spurts and sudden stops, and the people in the crowd shook their fists at us and saidangry words that i was glad i couldn't understand. she turned onto a little path that couldn't have beenmeant for cars; shocked people had to squeeze into doorways as we scraped by. we found anotherstreet at the end. the buildings were taller here; they leaned together overhead so that no sunlighttouched the pavement—the thrashing red flags on either side nearly met. the crowd was thicker herethan anywhere else. alice stopped the car. i had the door open before we were at a standstill.
she pointed to where the street widened into a patch of bright openness. "there—we're at the southernend of the square. run straight across, to the right of the clock tower. i'll find a way around—"her breath caught suddenly, and when she spoke again, her voice was a hiss. "they're everywhere?"i froze in place, but she pushed me out of the car. "forget about them. you have two minutes. go, bella,go!" she shouted, climbing out of the car as she spoke.
i didn't pause to watch alice melt into the shadows. i didn't stop to close my door behind me. i shoved aheavy woman out of my way and ran flat out, head down, paying little attention to anything but theuneven stones beneath my feet.
coming out of the dark lane, i was blinded by the brilliant sunlight beating down into the principal plaza.
the wind whooshed into me, flinging my hair into my eyes and blinding me further. it was no wonder thati didn't see the wall of flesh until i'd smacked into it.
there was no pathway, no crevice between the close pressed bodies. i pushed against them furiously, fighting the hands that shoved back. i heard exclamations of irritation and even pain as i battled my waythrough, but none were in a language i understood. the faces were a blur of anger and surprise,surrounded by the ever-present red. a blond woman scowled at me, and the red scarf coiled around herneck looked like a gruesome wound. a child, lifted on a man's shoulders to see over the crowd, grinneddown at me, his lips distended over a set of plastic vampire fangs.
the throng jostled around me, spinning me the wrong direction. i was glad the clock was so visible, ori'd never keep my course straight. but both hands on the clock pointed up toward the pitiless sun, and,though i shoved viciously against the crowd, i knew i was too late. i wasn't halfway across. i wasn'tgoing to make it. i was stupid and slow and human, and we were all going to die because of it.
i hoped alice would get out. i hoped that she would see me from some dark shadow and know that ihad failed, so she could go home to jasper.
i listened, above the angry exclamations, trying to hear the sound of discovery: the gasp, maybe thescream, as edward came into someone's view.
but there was a break in the crowd—i could see a bubble of space ahead. i pushed urgently toward it,not realizing till i bruised my shins against the bricks that there was a wide, square fountain set into thecenter of the plaza.
i was nearly crying with relief as i flung my leg over the edge and ran through the knee-deep water. itsprayed all around me as i thrashed my way across the pool. even in the sun, the wind was glacial, andthe wet made the cold actually painful. but the fountain was very wide; it let me cross the center of thesquare and then some in mere seconds. i didn't pause when i hit the far edge—i used the low wall as aspringboard, throwing myself into the crowd.
they moved more readily for me now, avoiding the icy water that splattered from my dripping clothes asi ran. i glanced up at the clock again.
a deep, booming chime echoed through the square. it throbbed in the stones under my feet. childrencried, covering their ears. and i started screaming as i ran.
"edward!" i screamed, knowing it was useless. the crowd was too loud, and my voice was breathlesswith exertion. but i couldn't stop screaming.
the clock tolled again. i ran past a child in his mother's arms—his hair was almost white in the dazzlingsunlight. a circle of tall men, all wearing red blazers, called out warnings as i barreled through them. theclock tolled again.
on the other side of the men in blazers, there was a break in the throng, space between the sightseerswho milled aimlessly around me. my eyes searched the dark narrow passage to the right of the widesquare edifice under the tower. i couldn't see the street level—there were still too many people in theway. the clock tolled again.
it was hard to see now. without the crowd to break the wind, it whipped at my face and burned myeyes. i couldn't be sure if that was the reason behind my tears, or if i was crying in defeat as the clocktolled again.
a little family of four stood nearest to the alley's mouth. the two girls wore crimson dresses, withmatching ribbons tying their dark hair back. the father wasn't tall. it seemed like i could see somethingbright in the shadows, just over his shoulder. i hurtled toward them, trying to see past the stinging tears.
the clock tolled, and the littlest girl clamped her hands over her ears.
the older girl, just waist high on her mother, hugged her mother's leg and stared into the shadows behindthem. as i watched, she tugged on her mother's elbow and pointed toward the darkness. the clocktolled, and i was so close now.
i was close enough to hear her high-pitched voice. her father stared at me in surprise as i bore down onthem, rasping out edward's name over and over again.
the older girl giggled and said something to her mother, gesturing toward the shadows again impatiently.
i swerved around the father—he clutched the baby out of my way—and sprinted for the gloomy breachbehind them as the clock tolled over my head.
"edward, no!" i screamed, but my voice was lost in the roar of the chime.
i could see him now. and i could see that he could not see me.
it was really him, no hallucination this time. and i realized that my delusions were more flawed than i'drealized; they'd never done him justice.
edward stood, motionless as a statue, just a few feet from the mouth of the alley. his eyes were closed,the rings underneath them deep purple, his arms relaxed at his sides, his palms turned forward. hisexpression was very peaceful, like he was dreaming pleasant things. the marble skin of his chest wasbare—there was a small pile of white fabric at his feet. the light reflecting from the pavement of thesquare gleamed dimly from his skin.
i'd never seen anything more beautiful—even as i ran, gasping and screaming, i could appreciate that.
and the last seven months meant nothing. and his words in the forest meant nothing. and it did notmatter if he did not want me. i would never want anything but him, no matter how long i lived.
the clock tolled, and he took a large stride toward the light.
"no!" i screamed. "edward, look at me!"he wasn't listening. he smiled very slightly. he raised his foot to take the step that would put him directlyin the path of the sun.
i slammed into him so hard that the force would have hurled me to the ground if his arms hadn't caughtme and held me up. it knocked my breath out of me and snapped my head back.
his dark eyes opened slowly as the clock tolled again.
he looked down at me with quiet surprise.
"amazing," he said, his exquisite voice full of wonder, slightly amused. "carlisle was right.""edward," i tried to gasp, but my voice had no sound. "you've got to get back into the shadows. youhave to move!"he seemed bemused. his hand brushed softly against my cheek. he didn't appear to notice that i wastrying to force him back. i could have been pushing against the alley walls for all the progress i wasmaking. the clock tolled, but he didn't react.
it was very strange, for i knew we were both in mortal danger. still, in that instant, i felt well. whole. icould feel my heart racing in my chest, the blood pulsing hot and fast through my veins again. my lungsfilled deep with the sweet scent that came off his skin. it was like there had never been any hole in my chest. i was perfect—not healed, but as if there had been no wound in the first place.
"i can't believe how quick it was. i didn't feel a thing—they're very good," he mused, closing his eyesagain and pressing his lips against my hair. his voice was like honey and velvet. "death, that hathsucked the honey of thy breath, hath had no power yet upon thy beauty," he murmured, and irecognized the line spoken by romeo in the tomb. the clock boomed out its final chime "you smell justexactly the same as always," he went on. "so maybe this is hell. i don't care. i'll take it.""i'm not dead," i interrupted. "and neither are you! please edward, we have to move. they can't be faraway!"i struggled in his arms, and his brow furrowed in confusion.
"what was that?" he asked politely.
"we're not dead, not yet! but we have to get out of here before the volturi—"comprehension flickered on his face as i spoke. before i could finish, he suddenly yanked me awayfrom the edge of the shadows, spinning me effortlessly so that my back was tight against the brick wall,and his back was to me as he faced away into the alley. his arms spread wide, protectively, in front ofme.
i peeked under his arm to see two dark shapes detach themselves from the gloom.
"greetings, gentlemen," edward's voice was calm and pleasant, on the surface. "i don't think i'll berequiring your services today. i would appreciate it very much, however, if you would send my thanks toyour masters.""shall we take this conversation to a more appropriate venue?" a smooth voice whispered menacingly.
"i don't believe that will be necessary." edward's voice was harder now. "i know your instructions, felix.
i haven't broken any rules.""felix merely meant to point out the proximity of the sun," the other shadow said in a soothing tone. theywere both concealed within smoky gray cloaks that reached to the ground and undulated in the wind.
"let us seek better cover.""i'll be right behind you," edward said dryly. "bella, why don't you go back to the square and enjoy thefestival?""no, bring the girl," the first shadow said, somehow injecting a leer into his whisper.
"i don't think so." the pretense of civility disappeared. edward's voice was flat and icy. his weightshifted infinitesimally, and i could see that he was preparing to fight.
"no." i mouthed the word.
"shh," he murmured, only for me.
"felix," the second, more reasonable shadow cautioned. "not here." he turned to edward. "aro wouldsimply like to speak with you again, if you have decided not to force our hand after all.""certainly," edward agreed. '"but the girl goes free.""i'm afraid that's not possible," the polite shadow said regretfully. "we do have rules to obey." "then i'm afraid that i'll be unable to accept aro's invitation, demetri.""that's just fine," felix purred. my eyes were adjusting to the deep shade, and i could see that felix wasvery big, tall and thick through the shoulders. his size reminded me of emmett.
"aro will be disappointed," demetri sighed.
"i'm sure he'll survive the letdown," edward replied.
felix and demetri stole closer toward the mouth of the alley, spreading out slightly so they could come atedward from two sides. they meant to force him deeper into the alley, to avoid a scene. no reflectedlight found access to their skin; they were safe inside their cloaks.
edward didn't move an inch. he was dooming himself by protecting me.
abruptly, edward's head whipped around, toward the darkness of the winding alley, and demetri andfelix did the same, in response to some sound or movement too subtle for my senses.
"let's behave ourselves, shall we?" a lilting voice suggested. "there are ladies present."alice tripped lightly to edward's side, her stance casual. there was no hint of any underlying tension. shelooked so tiny, so fragile. her little arms swung like a child's.
yet demetri and felix both straightened up, their cloaks swirling slightly as a gust of wind funneledthrough the alley. felix's face soured. apparently, they didn't like even numbers.
"we're not alone," she reminded them.
demetri glanced over his shoulder. a few yards into the square, the little family, with the girls in their reddresses, was watching us. the mother was speaking urgently to her husband, her eyes on the five of us.
she looked away when demetri met her gaze. the man walked a few steps farther into the plaza, andtapped one of the red-blazered men on the shoulder.
demetri shook his head. "please, edward, let's be reasonable," he said.
"let's," edward agreed. "and we'll leave quietly now, with no one the wiser."demetri sighed in frustration. "at least let us discuss this more privately."six men in red now joined the family as they watched us with anxious expressions. i was very consciousof edward's protective stance in front of me—sure that this was what caused their alarm. i wanted toscream to them to run.
edward's teeth came together audibly. "no."felix smiled.
"enough."the voice was high, reedy, and n came from behind us.
i peeked under edward's other arm to see a small, dark shape coming toward us. by the way the edgesbillowed, i knew it would be another one of them. who else?
at first i thought it was a young boy. the newcomer was as tiny as alice, with lank, pale brown hair trimmed short. the body under the cloak—which was darker, almost black—was slim and androgynous.
but the face was too pretty for a boy. the wide-eyed, full-lipped face would make a botticelli angel looklike a gargoyle. even allowing for the dull crimson irises.
her size was so insignificant that the reaction to her appearance confused me. felix and demetri relaxedimmediately, stepping back from their offensive positions to blend again with the shadows of theoverhanging walls.
edward dropped his arms and relaxed his position as well—but in defeat.
"jane," he sighed in recognition and resignation.
alice folded her arms across her chest, her expression impassive.
"follow me," jane spoke again, her childish voice a monotone. she turned her back on us and driftedsilently into the dark.
felix gestured for us to go first, smirking.
alice walked after the little jane at once. edward wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me alongbeside her. the alley angled slightly downward as it narrowed. i looked up at him with frantic questionsin my eyes, but he just shook his head. though i couldn't hear the others behind us, i was sure they werethere.
"well, alice," edward said conversationally as we walked. "i suppose i shouldn't be surprised to see youhere.""it was my mistake," alice answered in the same tone. "it was my job to set it right.""what happened?" his voice was polite, as if he were barely interested. i imagined this was due to thelistening ears behind us.
"it's a long story." alice's eyes flickered toward me and away. "in summary, she did jump off a cliff, butshe wasn't trying to kill herself. bella's all about the extreme sports these days."i flushed and turned my eyes straight ahead, looking after the dark shadow that i could no longer see. icould imagine what he was hearing in alice's thoughts now. near-drownings, stalking vampires,werewolf friends…"hm," edward said curtly, and the casual tone of his voice was gone.
there was a loose curve to the alley, still slanting downward, so i didn't see the squared-off dead endcoming until we reached the flat, windowless, brick face. the little one called jane was nowhere to beseen.
alice didn't hesitate, didn't break pace as she strode toward the wall. then, with easy grace, she sliddown an open hole in the street.
it looked like a drain, sunk into the lowest point of the paving. i hadn't noticed it until alice disappeared,but the grate was halfway pushed aside. the hole was small, and black.
i balked.
"it's all right, bella," edward said in a low voice. "alice will catch you." i eyed the hole doubtfully. i imagine he would have gone first, if demetri and felix hadn't been waiting,smug and silent, behind us.
i crouched down, swinging my legs into the narrow gap.
"alice?" i whispered, voice trembling.
"i'm right here, bella," she reassured me. her voice came from too far below to make me feel better.
edward took my wrists—his hands felt like stones in winter—and lowered me into the blackness.
"ready?" he asked.
"drop her," alice called.
i closed my eyes so i couldn't see the darkness, scrunching them together in terror, clamping my mouthshut so i wouldn't scream. edward let me fall.
it was silent and short. the air whipped past me for just half a second, and then, with a huff as i exhaled,alice's waiting arms caught me.
i was going to have bruises; her arms were very hard. she stood me upright.
it was dim, but not black at the bottom. the light from the hole above provided a faint glow, reflectingwetly from the stones under my feet. the light vanished for a second, and then edward was a faint, whiteradiance beside me. he put his arm around me, holding me close to his side, and began to tow me swiftlyforward. i wrapped both arms around his cold waist, and tripped and stumbled my way across theuneven stone surface. the sound of the heavy grate sliding over the drain hole behind us rang withmetallicfinality.
the dim light from the street was quickly lost in the gloom. the sound of my staggering footsteps echoedthrough the black space; it sounded very wide, but i couldn't be sure. there were no sounds other thanmy frantic heartbeat and my feet on the wet stones—except for once, when an impatient sigh whisperedfrom behind me.
edward held me tightly. he reached his free hand across his body to hold my face, too, his smooththumb tracing across my lips. now and then, i felt his face press into my hair. i realized that this was theonly reunion we would get, and i clutched myself closer to him.
for now, it felt like he wanted me, and that was enough to offset the horror of the subterranean tunneland the prowling vampires behind us. it was probably no more than guilt—the same guilt that compelledhim to come here to die when he'd believed that it was his fault that i'd killed myself. but i felt his lipspress silently against my forehead, and i didn't care what the motivation was. at least i could be with himagain before i died. that was better than a long life.
i wished i could ask him exactly what was going to happen now. i wanted desperately to know how wewere going to die—as if that would somehow make it better, knowing in advance. but i couldn't speak,even in a whisper, surrounded as we were. the others could hear everything—my every breath, myevery heartbeat.
the path beneath our feet continued to slant downward, taking us deeper into the ground, and it mademe claustrophobic. only edward's hand, soothing against my face, kept me from screaming out loud.
i couldn't tell where the light was coming from, but it slowly turned dark gray instead of black. we were in a low, arched tunnel. long trails of ebony moisture seeped down the gray stones, like they werebleeding ink.
i was shaking, and i thought it was from fear. it wasn't until my teeth started to chatter together that irealized i was cold. my clothes were still wet, and the temperature underneath the city was wintry. aswas edward's skin.
he realized this at the same time i did, and let go of me, keeping only my hand.
"n-n-no," i chattered, throwing my arms around him. i didn't care if i froze. who knew how long we hadleft?
his cold hand chafed against my arm, trying to warm me with the friction.
we hurried through the tunnel, or it felt like hurrying to me. my slow progress irritated someone—iguessed felix—and i heard him heave a sigh now and then.
at the end of the tunnel was a grate—the iron bars were rusting, but thick as my arm. a small door madeof thinner, interlaced bars was standing open. edward ducked through and hurried on to a larger, brighterstone room. the grille slammed shut with a clang, followed by the snap of a lock. i was too afraid tolook behind me.
on the other side of the long room was a low, heavy wooden door. it was very thick—as i could tellbecause it, too, stood open.
we stepped through the door, and i glanced around me in surprise, relaxing automatically. beside me,edward tensed, his jaw clenched tight.
20 沃特拉城
我们的车开到一个陡坡，这时道路变得拥挤起来。越往上开，车子越多，爱丽丝再也无法肆无忌惮地在车群中随意穿梭了。我们减速，慢悠悠地跟在一辆棕褐色的“标志”后面。
“爱丽丝。”我嘀咕道，车前的时速表上显示车速又快起来了。
“这是唯一一条道。”她试图安慰我，但是她的声音极不自然，无法使我放松下来。
车辆继续前行，一辆又一辆地和我们擦身而过。太阳光强烈地照射着，好像已经是当头直照了。
车子一辆接一辆地向那座城市行驶。开近些了，我看见车辆都停在路边，人们下车步行。一开始我以为是他们等得不耐烦了，这样的感受我很能理解，但是当我们到了一个z形路轨，我看到城墙外面的停车场上排满了车辆，成群的人们蜂拥进城门，没有人可以把车子开进城去。
“爱丽丝。”我紧张地低声叫她。
“我知道。”她说，她的脸僵硬得像冰凿出来的一般。
我们的车开得很慢，我看得出外面风很大。那些朝大门走去的人用手紧按住帽子，不停地拂去被风吹到脸上的头发，他们的衣服也被风吹得鼓鼓的。我还注意到到处是红色，红衬衫、红帽子、红色的旗子像长丝带般沿着城墙随风飘舞。我正出神地看着，有位妇女系在头上的鲜红头巾被一阵风刮飞了。头巾在她上方飞舞，仿佛是有了生命。那个妇女跳起来，想抢回头巾，可是它越飞越高，这座沉闷的古城上方就这样多了一块鲜红的色彩。
“贝拉，”爱丽丝急促地低声说道，“我不清楚这里的门卫会怎么做——如果我们车开不过去，你只好一个人进去了。你必须快跑，边跑边打听普奥利宫殿，然后朝着人家指的方向跑，千万不要迷路了。”
“普奥利宫殿，普奥利宫殿。”我一遍遍地在心里默念着，努力记牢了。
“如果对方说英语，你就问‘钟楼’在哪儿。我会绕着城墙，看能不能找到没人的角落翻墙过去。”
我点了点头：“嗯，普奥利宫殿。”
“爱德华会在广场的南边的钟楼下等你，右方有一条狭窄的小巷，他就在阴暗的角落等着。你要先让他看到你，他才会走出来。”
我使劲地点点头。
爱丽丝车子快开到队伍前头了。一个身穿深蓝色海军制服的人正在指挥交通，把车辆从拥挤的停车场疏导开来。前面的车辆绕了个弯往回开，在路边找个地方停靠，现在轮到爱丽丝了。
那个穿制服的人心不在焉地懒洋洋地指挥着，爱丽丝乘机加速，从他身边窜过，向大门驶去，他朝我们大叫，但是没有追上来，拼命地挥手阻止后面的车辆学我们的样。
城门口的守卫穿着一套陆军制服。我们朝他行驶的时候，成群的观光者向两边散开，瞪大双眼盯着我们的保时捷闪着车灯，向前直冲。
那个守卫一脚跨到路中间，挡住我们的去路。爱丽丝小心地把车开到一个合适的方位，然后才停下来。阳光从我这边打窗子射进来，爱丽丝那边没有。她敏捷地伸手到车后座，从包里拿出东西。
守卫绕到车子另一边，满脸恼怒地敲着她那边的车窗。
她摇下一半车窗，我看到那个守卫朝着车窗里的脸孔看了两眼。
“非常抱歉，小姐，今天只有观光车才可以开进城去。”他用口音很重的英语说道。 城敢猓 m 梢杂懈 玫南 8嫠哐矍罢馕患 览龅呐 印?
“这是私人观光车哦。”爱丽丝回答道，脸上洋溢着迷人的微笑。她一只手伸出窗外，暴露在阳光下。我惊呆了，后来才意识到她戴着到肘上的棕褐色的手套。她抓住守卫举着的叩车窗的手，把它扯进车内，把一样东西塞到他手中，让他握紧。
他抽回手，一脸迷惘，盯着手上拿着的厚厚的一沓钱，最外面的一张可是千元大钞啊。（欧元哦~~）
“您是在开玩笑吧？”他咕哝道。
爱丽丝笑得更加灿烂了：“如果你觉得有趣的话。”
他瞪大双眼看着她，我憋了一眼时速表。如果爱德华按时到达的话，我们只有五分钟了。
“我时间有点儿紧。”她暗示道，仍然微笑着。
那个守卫眨了两下眼睛，把钱塞进里面的衣服。从我们车窗后退一步，示意我们开过去，边上的行人都没有注意到刚才静悄悄发生的一幕。爱丽丝开进城内，我们都松了一口气。
街道非常狭窄，路上铺着的碎石颜色和路边褪色的棕褐色的建筑一样，这些建筑的影子使得道路更加阴暗。
感觉就像在一条幽深的小巷一般，两边的墙上有红旗装饰，旗与旗相隔没多远。这些旗子迎风飘舞，在狭窄的小巷中呼呼作响。
街上很挤，路上的行人使我们的车子不得不很慢地行驶着。
“不远了。”爱丽丝鼓励我说。我抓着车门的把手，只要她一说到我随时准备冲下车子。
她一下子加速一下子突然刹车，边上的行人向我们挥舞拳头，嘴里生气地骂着，真庆幸我听不懂他们说什么。她把车子拐到一条不适合车辆行驶的小道上，我们开过的时候，惊奇的行人不得不侧身贴在两边的房门上。在小道的尽头又有一条街，街上的建筑比之前的高，它们的顶层几乎连在一起，所以夹在中间的街道几乎晒不到阳光，而且在上头飘扬的旗子几乎连在了一起。这里的人群比哪儿都拥挤，爱丽丝停下车子，我还没等车停稳就把门打开了。
她指着街道前方一块宽敞点的地方：“那儿就是——我们已经到了广场的南面。一直跑过去，就到钟楼右方了。我会知道条路能绕过去……”
她突然打住，等她再次开口说话，她的声音很轻：“他们到处都是。”
我愣在那里，但是她把我推出车子：“别管那么多了。你只有两分钟，贝拉，快跑啊！”她喊着，一边也跨出车子。
我没有看爱丽丝怎样退到阴暗处的，也顾不上关车门。
我推开挡在我前面的一个胖女人径直往前冲，我低着头，看清脚下凹凸的石头，其他什么也不管。
走出那条黑巷子，我被主广场上空强烈的阳光射得睁不开双眼。
风迎面吹来，把头发吹到眼中，是我无法看清楚一切，难怪我没注意到一堵堵人墙，直到我狠狠地撞到他们。
这些人简直水泄不通，我拼命地往前挤，不停地拨开别人的手臂。我听到人群愤怒的声音还有疼痛的声音，但我都听不懂。人们脸上的表情又怒又惊讶，夹杂着星星点点的红色。一个金发女人瞪了我一眼，她脖子上的红围巾看起来像一处恶心的伤口。人群中，一个小孩儿被一个男人高高举在肩上，他朝着我咧嘴笑着，他的双唇被那一副塑料吸血鬼的假牙撑得鼓出来。
我身边的人群使劲挤，把我朝各个方向挤。幸好那个钟很显眼，否则我肯定走错方向，但是钟上的时针和分针都齐刷刷地指向酷日，尽管我死命地在人群中往前挤，我知道我已经迟到很久了。我只走了一半的路程，而且肯定是不能按时赶到的。我作为一个人类，又蠢又慢，就因为这样我们人注定要死的。
我多么希望爱丽丝能够从某个阴暗的角落出来，希望她从某个角落看到我知道我失败了，然后回到贾斯帕那儿。
我仔细听，希望能在嘈杂的声音中听到某人看到惊奇事物的声音：当他们看到爱德华时发出的惊叫声。
突然，人群中有了一个空隙，我看见前面有一小块空地。我急忙往前冲去，直到我的胫骨撞到砖块上时，我才发现是广场中央一个比较大的方形喷泉。
我跨过喷泉的矮墙，踩到过膝的水，此时我松了一口气，几乎就要哭出来了。我淌水过去，水花四处乱溅。虽然太阳晒着，可是风很冷，身上湿了，我冷得发痛，但是喷泉很宽。我从喷泉里穿过广场中心，一下子就到喷泉的另一边，我一刻也没停，踩在稍矮的墙上翻过高墙，又投入人群中去。
人们自觉地给我让道，小心地不让我衣服上滴下的水溅到他们身上，我又看了看钟。
一串悠长而急促的钟鸣在广场上响起。钟声使得脚底下的石头也震动起来，小孩儿捂着耳朵哭了起来，我尖叫着向前跑。
“爱德华！”明知无济于事，我依然大声叫着。人群太吵了，我气喘吁吁地叫着也没用，但是我还是不停地喊叫。
钟声又响起。我跑过一个抱着小孩儿的妇女，那小孩儿的头发在强烈的阳光照射下几乎成了白色的了。当我穿过一堆穿着红夹克的高大的男人，他们嚷着警告我，钟声又一次响起。
在这堆穿着红夹克的男人的另一头有一道空隙，观光者漫无目的地在我身边转悠，留出一块空地。我努力搜寻通向广场右边建筑间的那条幽暗道路，往前我还是看不清地面，路上还是有太多的人，钟声又响了。
现在越发难以看清楚了。前面没有人群挡着，风迎面吹进我的双眼。我不知道我的泪水是北风吹出来的，还是因为听到一遍又一遍的钟声急出来的。
离路口最近的是一家四口。两个女孩儿一身红色，配上马尾辫上黑色的丝带。那位父亲不是很高，从他头顶上，我憋见阴暗处有点儿亮的东西。我向他们的方向疾飞过去，努力睁开含泪的双眼。钟声响起来，最小的那个女孩儿用手捂住自己的耳朵。
大一点的女孩儿也只有到她的妈妈腰间那么高，她抱着妈妈的腿，盯着他们身后的阴暗处。我看着她扯扯妈妈的肘，指着那片黑暗。钟声再一次响起时，我已经很近了。
我离他们很近了，可以听到女孩儿刺耳的声音。看到我闯入他们当中，一遍遍地叫着爱德华，那位父亲惊奇地看着我。
稍大的女孩儿嘻嘻笑着，一边和她妈妈说着话，一边迫不及待地指着阴暗处。
我突然绕到那位父亲的身后——他迅速把小孩儿拉开——我嗖地窜进他们身后的暗处，上方的钟又响了。
“爱德华，不要啊！”我尖叫着，但是我的声音被钟声淹没了。
我看见他了，但是我发现他看不见我。
这次真的是他，不是幻觉。我的想象比我预料的还要失误，现实中的他远比我想象中的好。
爱德华像雕像那样站在那儿一动不动，他离巷口只有几步的距离。他的双眼紧闭，眼袋呈深紫色，两只手臂自然下垂在身体两边，掌心向前。他的表情极其安详，好像正做着好梦。他胸前的衣服敞开着，胸膛的皮肤好像大理石一般光华——他的脚底下还有一小堆白色的东西。光线从广场走道上反射到他的皮肤上，微微发光。
我从来没有见过比这更美的——虽然我一路尖叫跑来，气喘吁吁的，我还能细细欣赏。过去的七个月根本不算什么，他在森林里和我说的那些话也没有任何意义，他不需要我也不要紧。不管我多么老，我只要和他在一起。
钟声响起，他大步地走出阴暗。
“不要！”我叫道，“爱德华，你看着我！”
他没有听我的，他微微笑着，他抬起脚步就要跨进阳光中。
我冲向他，由于用力过猛差点儿把自己甩到地上，幸亏他接住了我。我几乎吓晕了，我猛转过头。
钟声再一次响起的时候，他缓缓睁开双眼。
他低头看着我，暗暗感到惊奇。
“太奇妙了，”他说道，磁性的声音充满了惊奇，还有点儿窃喜，“卡莱尔说得没错。”
“爱德华，”我试图说话，但是发不出声音，“你必须退回阴暗处，快啊！”
他好像觉得挺有趣，他的手抚过我的面颊，似乎没有注意到我正试图把他推回阴暗处。可是就跟推一堵墙似的，我的力气全白费了。钟声再响的时候，他依然毫无反应。
真奇怪，我明白我们两个人当时的处境都很危险，但是，在那一瞬间，我感觉很好，我感觉到我的心脏在胸膛内跳动，血液在血管里沸腾、涌动。他皮肤散发出来的香气沁入我的心肺，塞得慢慢的，就像我的胸腔内没有任何出口。我感觉很完美——不是大病初愈的那种感觉——就像从来未曾受过伤那样美好。
“我不能相信这一切来得这么快。我毫无感觉——它们太棒了。”他自得其乐，闭上眼睛又一次吻着我的头发。他的声音像蜂蜜一样甜，像天鹅绒一样软。“死亡，就算汲走你呼吸的香蜜，却无法夺走你的美丽。”他轻声说着，我记得这句话是罗密欧在坟前说过的。最后一次钟声响起了。“你和以前一样那么好闻，”他接着说，“就算它是地狱，我也不在乎，我要拥有它。”
“我没有死，”我打断他，“你也没有！爱德华，快点，我们快走，他们很快就会赶到的！”
我在他的怀里挣扎，他眉头紧锁，很是不解。
“怎么了？”他礼貌地问道。
“我们还没死，没有！但是我们必须离开这里，在沃尔图里之前.....”
我说这话的时候，他脸上闪过理解的表情。我话还没讲完，他突然把我从阴暗处边缘猛拉开，轻而易举地把我甩到靠墙的地方站着，他自己则背对着我，面对着巷口，双臂张开挡在我前面保护我。
我从他的手臂下方看到两个黑影站在阴暗的不远处。
“好啊，先生们，”爱德华的声音听起来似乎沉着而轻快，“我没想到今天会遇见你们，但是如果你们代我向你们的主子道谢的话，我会感到更加荣幸。”
“我们可以换个更合适的地方谈话吗？”一个平淡的声音不怀好意地说道。”
“我觉得没那个必要。”爱德华的声音变得更加生硬了，“我明白你的规矩，费力克斯，但是我也没有犯规啊。”
“费力克斯只是想说太阳快照到这儿了。”另外一个人解释道，他们两个都披着拖地地灰色斗篷，斗篷在风中不停地摆动，“我们找个更阴的地方吧！”
“好，我跟你们去，”爱德华冷淡地说道，“贝拉，你为何不回到广场去享受节日的气氛？”
“不，把那女孩儿一块带过来。”第一个人不怀好意地说道。
“我不同意。”表面的客套顿时消失了。爱德华声音冷淡极了。他的重心稍微转变，我知道他已经作好战斗的准备了。
“不要。”我说道。
“嘘。”他轻声说，只有我听见。
“费力克斯，”第二个人提醒道，他显得比较讲理，“不是说这话的时候。”他转向爱德华，“阿罗只是想和你谈谈，希望你不要比我们出手。”
“当然可以。”爱德华回答，“可是必须先放这女孩儿离开。”
“恐怕不行，”比较礼貌的那人抱歉地说道，“我们也是奉命行事。”
“那我恐怕也不能接受阿罗的邀请了，德米特里。”
“那正好。”费力克斯嘀咕道。我眼睛开始适应黑暗的光线，能看清费力克斯是个虎背熊腰的大汉，他强壮的体形使我想起了艾美特。
“阿罗会很失望的。”德米特里叹了口气。
“他肯定能够经受住这样的失望的。”爱德华回答说。
费力克斯和德米特里悄悄走近巷口，俩人散开以便可以两面夹攻爱德华。他们想把爱德华逼近巷子，以免被其他人看到。没有光能找到他们的皮肤，有斗篷裹着他们非常安全。
爱德华纹丝不动，为了保护我他置自身安危于不顾。
突然，爱德华把头转过来，面对黑暗的深巷。德米特里和费力克斯也做了同样的动作。他们听到一些声响我却一点也感觉不到。
“我们就不能安分点吗？”一个轻快的声音提议，“可有女士在场啊。”
爱丽丝走到爱德华身边，她步履轻快，漫不经心的样子，没有一丝紧张的气氛。她看起来那么小巧，那么脆弱，她的两只手臂像小孩儿那样甩着。
但是德米特里和费力克斯都站直了身子，他们的斗篷轻轻地飘动了几下，好像一阵风刚从巷子里刮过。费力克斯面露难色，显然他们不喜欢双方人数相当。
“我们还有人哦。”她提醒他们。
德米特里回头看看。广场上离我们不远处，那穿红衣服女孩儿的那一家子人正看着我们。那位母亲紧张地和她丈夫说话，眼睛看着我们五个人。那个男人朝广场方向走了几步，拍了拍其中的一个穿红夹克的男人的肩膀。
德米特里摇了摇头。说：“爱德华，让我们冷静一下吧。”
“好啊，"爱德华说，“那我们现在走开吧，互不相犯。”
德米特里沮丧地叹了口气：“至少让我们私下再谈谈吧。”
又有六个穿红衣服的男人和那一家子人一起紧张地盯着我们，我很清楚是爱德华挡在我前面保护我的姿势是他们感到紧张的，我想大声叫他们快跑。
爱德华的牙齿开始咯咯响了：“不。”
费力克斯笑了。
“够了。”一个声音又高又尖，从我们身后传来。
我从爱德华的另一只手臂下方偷看，一个矮小的黑影朝我们走来。从他飘动的衣服判断，这个人是敌方的，可是是谁呢？
一开始我以为新来的那个人是个年轻人和爱丽丝一样小巧，留一头稀疏平直的浅褐色短发，斗篷下的身躯——几乎是黑的——很消瘦，分不出是男是女，但是如果是个男的，他那张脸实在长得太漂亮了。大大的眼睛，饱满的双唇，即便是波提切利画中的天使和他比起来也像个丑八怪了，尽管他的双眼是血红的。
他是那么娇小，可是其他人对他的到来的反应着实令我吃惊。费力克斯和德米特顿时放松了下来，调整了防备的姿态退到墙壁的阴影中去。
爱德华也放下手臂，调整姿势——但是像已经战败了似的。
爱丽丝双手交叉于胸前，表情冷漠。
“跟我来。”简说，她稚嫩的声音很平淡。她转身悄然无声的走进黑暗中。
费力克斯示意我们先走，一副得意洋洋的样子。
爱丽丝紧随在简后面。爱德华挽着我的腰，和我一起走在爱丽丝身边。小巷变得越来越窄，微微有个下坡。我抬头满脸疑惑地看着爱德华，可他只是摇摇头。虽然听不到任何声音，但我确定他们跟在后面。
“爱丽丝，”爱德华边走边和爱丽丝谈起话来，“我想我应该预料到你会来这儿。”
“是我的错，”爱丽丝以相同的语调回答，“我有责任挽回这一切。”
“怎么回事？”他的语气很礼貌，好像他不是很在乎的样子，我想可能是由于后面有人跟着吧。
“说来话长了。”爱丽丝瞥了我一眼又把目光转开，“总之，她确实跳下了悬崖，但并不是想自杀，贝拉最近迷上了各种极限运动了。”
我脸上一阵发烫，眼睛看着前方那个已经看不清的影子。我可以想象他现在从爱丽丝的话语中听出了言外之意。尝试溺水，收留吸血鬼，和狼人交朋友……
“嗯。”爱德华随口应着，声音中那随意的语气已经消失了。
小巷深处有一个小拐弯，依然向下倾斜，所以在走到那堵平坦，无窗的砖墙之前我没有意识到回到了路的尽头，那个简已经无影无踪了。
爱丽丝毫不犹豫地一直朝墙走，脚步也不放慢，然后，她从容地滑进街上的一个洞里去了。
那个洞又小又黑，看起来像个排水沟，一直延伸到石头路的最低点。直到爱丽丝消失了我才注意到，那个洞的盖子已经半开着了。
我犹豫着不敢进去。
“没关系的，贝拉，”爱德华小声说，“爱丽丝会接着你的。”
我满怀疑虑的看着那个洞，我想要不是德米特里和菲利克斯不怀好意的跟在后面，埃德华一定会先下去。
我蹲了下来，双脚在洞边晃着
“爱丽丝？”我的声音有些颤。
“我在这儿，贝拉。”她安慰我道。但是声音听起来好远，这并没让我感觉好一点。
爱德华抓着我的手腕——他的手冷的像冬天的石头——把我放到漆黑的洞口。
“准备好了么？”他问道
“放手吧。”爱丽丝回答道。
我闭上眼睛让自己看不见下面的漆黑与恐怖，同时紧闭着嘴巴防止自己叫出声来。爱德华放开了手，让我掉下去。
掉下去的过程很快，没什么声音。空气所发出的声音如同我叹出的气一般(上帝啊但愿是这个意思），维持不到半秒钟。爱丽丝在下面摆好姿势等着接我。
我身上有些擦伤，她的手臂很有力，接着我的时候站的还直。
洞的底部光线很弱，但并不是没有光亮，洞口的微光从脚下的潮湿石头上反射过来。光线没有了一阵子，但是爱德化在我身边泛着微光。他把我紧紧地搂在身边，轻轻的往前带。我双手抱着他冰冷的腰，蹒跚的走在不平的路面上，后面排水沟盖上盖子的声音像是一种终结。（开始乱翻了）
街上反过来的微光很快消失了，我不稳的脚步声在洞里回荡。洞应该很宽，可我不确定，除了自己的心跳和脚步声之外听不到其他——只有一次来自后面的不耐烦的叹气。
爱德华紧紧地搂着我，他的一只手从身体的一边伸到我的脸上（九头蛇柏...）光滑的拇指抚过我的嘴唇，我能感到他不时地把脸贴到我的头发上，我感觉到这是我们唯一的汇合方式，更加紧紧地靠向他。
此刻我感觉到他需要我，而这足够抵消在地道里被吸血鬼尾随的恐怖。或许这只是内疚——他对于他的错误的离开造成我想自杀就到这儿找死而产生的内疚（这都是什么乱七八糟的...)但是当他问我额头的时候我并不在意他的动机。死前能和他在一起比活的更长更重要。
我想问他后面会发生什么。我想知道一会我们会怎样死去，或许提前知道会感觉好一些。但是我不能说话，即便是小声也也不行。别人什么都会听到包括我的呼吸与心跳。
路一直往下，我们在向更深的地方走去，我越来越害怕。爱德华的手一直抚摸着我的脸才没让我叫出声来。
我不知道从哪儿来的光线，让洞里逐渐亮了一点，我们走在低矮的拱形地道上，........（厄，有不认识的不会翻）
我浑身颤抖让我以为自己很害怕，当牙齿开始作响我才觉得寒冷。我的衣服依然是湿的，地下城的温度冷得像冬天，也像爱德华的皮肤。
当他也发现我很冷时他放开了我，只握着我的手。
“别..."我哆嗦着用手臂挽着他。就算冻僵我也不管，没人知道我们还能活多久。
他用冰冷的手搓着我的手臂，想让我暖和一点。
我们很快走过地道，也许是我的感觉。我的缓慢速度惹恼了一个人，我猜是费力克斯，我能听道她的叹气声。
地道的终点是一扇扶手已经生锈的门，那扶手和我手臂一样粗。有扇扶手细点的小门开着，爱德华很快的通过，进到一个稍大点有光线的石室。后面的铁门当的一声被关上并发出上锁的声音。我很害怕却没敢回头。
房间的另一端有扇看起来很矮也很重的木门，门很厚——我看得出来是因为它开着。
我们走进那扇门，我惊讶的四处张望，这让我放松了些，相反爱德华却要紧了牙关。
