Midnight Sun(97)

So oblivious. I stared at her, raising one eyebrow.
"Bears?" she gasped.
I smiled wryly, watching that sink in. Would this make her take me seriously? Would anything?
She pulled her expression together. "You know, bears are not in season," she said severely, narrowing
her eyes.
"If you read carefully, the laws only cover hunting with weapons."
She lost control over her face again for a moment. Her lips fell open. "Bears?" she said again, a tentative
question this time rather than a gasp of shock.
"Grizzly is Emmett's favorite." I watched her eyes, seeing this settle in.
"Hmm," she murmured. She took a bite of the pizza, looking down. She chewed thoughtfully, and then
took a drink.
"So," she said, finally looking up. "What's your favorite?"
I supposed I should have expected something like that, but I hadn't. Bella was always interesting, at the
very least.
"Mountain lion," I answered brusquely.
"Ah," she said in a neutral tone. Her heartbeat continued steady and even, as if we were discussing a
favorite restaurant.
Fine, then. If she wanted to act like this was nothing unusual...
"Of course, we have to be careful not to impact the environment with injudicious hunting," I told her,
my voice detached and clinical. "We try to focus on areas with an overpopulation of predators-ranging
as far away as we need. There's always plenty of deer and elk here, and they'll do, but where's the fun in
that?"
She listened with a politely interested expression, as if I were a teacher giving a lecture. I had to smile.
"Where indeed," she murmured calmly, taking another bite of pizza.
"Early spring is Emmett's favorite bear season," I said, continuing with the lecture. "They're just coming
out of hibernation, so they're more irritable."
Seventy years later, and he still hadn't gotten over losing that first match.
"Nothing more fun than an irritated grizzly bear," Bella agreed, nodding solemnly.
I couldn't hold back a chuckle as I shook my head at her illogical calm. It had to be put on. "Tell me what
you're really thinking, please."
"I'm trying to picture it-but I can't," she said, the crease appearing between her eyes. "How to you hunt
a bear without weapons?"
"Oh, we have weapons," I told her, and then flashed her a wide smile. I expected her to recoil, but she
was very still, watching me. "Just not the kind they consider when writing hunting laws. If you've ever
seen a bear attack on television, you should be able to visualize Emmett hunting."
She glanced toward the table where the others sat, and shuddered.
Finally. And then I laughed at myself, because I knew part of me was wishing she would stay oblivious.
Her dark eyes were wide and deep as she stared at me now. "Are you like a bear, too?" she asked in an
almost-whisper.
"More like the lion, or so they tell me," I told her, striving to sound detached again. "Perhaps our
preferences are indicative."
Her lips pulled up a tiny bit at the corners. "Perhaps," she repeated. And then her head leaned to the
side, and curiosity was suddenly clear in her eyes. "Is that something I might get to see?"
I didn't need pictures from Alice to illustrate this horror-my imagination was quite enough.
"Absolutely not," I snarled at her.
She jerked away from me, her eyes bewildered and frightened.
I leaned back, too, wanting to put space between us. She was never going to see, was she? She wouldn't
do one thing to help me keep her alive.
"Too scary for me?" she asked, her voice even. Her heart, however, was still moving in double time.
"If that were it, I would take you out tonight," I retorted through my teeth. "You need a healthy dose of
fear. Nothing could be more beneficial for you."
"Then why?" she demanded, undeterred.
I glared at her blackly, waiting for her to be afraid. I was afraid. I could imagine only too clearly having
Bella near when I hunted...
Her eyes remained curious, impatient, nothing more. She waited for her answer, not giving in.
But our hour was up.
"Later," I snapped, and I rose to my feet. "We're going to be late."
She looked around herself, disoriented, like she'd forgotten we were at lunch. Like she'd forgotten we
were even at school-surprised that we were not alone in some private place. I understood that feeling
exactly. It was hard to remember the rest of the world when I was with her.
She got up quickly, bobbling once, and threw her bag over her shoulder.#p#分页标题#e#
"Later, then," she said, and I could see the determination in the set of her mouth; she would hold me to
that.
12. Complications
Bella and I walked silently to biology. I was trying to focus myself on the moment, on the girl beside me,