Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4 Ian Kabra tiptoed across the cold marble floor. He was related to just about every notable spy in the last five hundred years. He himself had been trained in subterfuge practically since birth. But this was the one place he'd never suspected he'd have to employ his stealth skills: his own home. Somewhere high overhead— on the third floor of the Kabra mansion, or possibly the fourth— a beam creaked. Ian froze. It's an old house, he told himself. It makes sounds like that all the time. Doesn't it? Normally, Ian wouldn't have even paid attention. But normally, he wasn't breaking into the one wing of the house that had always been off-limits to him and Natalie. The wing where all the Kabra family secrets were stored. Ian's eyes darted about, looking for the first glimmer of telltale light coming toward him. He

伊恩·卡布拉踮着脚尖走过冰冷的大理石地板。 在过去的五百年里，他几乎和所有著名的间谍都有关系。 他自己几乎从出生起就学会了用诡计。 但有一个地方，他从来没有想过他必须运用他的隐身技能：他自己的家。 在头顶高处的某个地方——在卡布拉府邸的三楼，或者可能是四楼——一根横梁嘎吱作响。 伊恩冻结。这是一栋老房子，他告诉自己。 它总是发出这样的声音。 不是吗?通常情况下，伊恩根本不会注意。 但通常情况下，他不会闯入他和娜塔莉一直禁止进入的房子的一侧。 卡布拉家族的秘密都藏在那里。 伊恩的眼睛四处扫视，寻找朝他走来的第一丝光亮。 他

rehearsed excuses in his head: Why, no, Mum, Dad, how could you ever think that I would be out of bed tonight doing something wrong? Or sneaky and underhanded? I'm just… getting a drink of water. Yes, that's it. I was thirsty, and I thought the water would taste better down here than near my bedroom. Haven't you always taught me I deserve the very best of everything? How could you think that I would be here because… because I don't trust you anymore? No light flashed at him. No accusing parent— or suspicious servant— leered out at him. He took a deep, silent breath and began inching forward again. No matter how carefully he stepped, he could hear a soft tssk-tssk with every brush of his socked feet across the floor. What will happen if they catch me? Is this worth the risk? "I just want to know the truth," Ian whispered, so desperate that his lips actually formed the words, his vocal cords actually pushed out small bursts of sound. He froze again, but nothing happened.

他在脑子里排演借口：不，妈妈，爸爸，你们怎么能想到我今晚会起床做错事呢？ 还是阴险狡诈？ 我只是…喝点水。 是的，就是这样。我渴了，我想这里的水会比我卧室附近的水更好喝。 你不是一直教导我，我应该得到最好的吗？ 你怎么能认为我会在这里，因为…因为我不再相信你了？ 没有灯光向他闪烁。没有指责他的父母——或多疑的仆人——向他抛媚眼。 他深深地吸了一口气，又开始慢慢向前走。 不管他走得多么小心，他穿着袜子的脚每次在地板上擦的时候，都能听到轻轻的“吱——吱”声。 如果他们抓住我怎么办？ 这值得冒这个险吗？“我只是想知道真相，”伊恩低声说，他是如此绝望，以至于他的嘴唇真的说出了这些话，他的声带真的发出了小阵阵的声音。 他又僵住了，但什么也没发生。

Truth… Ian had always been taught that truth was a very flexible thing. His mother could smile brightly at another woman and say so charmingly, "Oh, that dress is just perfect for you. Wherever did you get it?" And then behind the woman's back she'd go on for hours about how such a hideous, shapeless old hag could not possibly have picked an outfit any more repulsive than that one. Or— Ian had heard both of his parents, at different times on the phone, talking to business associates and assuring them, "Why, yes, of course, we have your best interests at heart…" —and then hanging up, telling a subordinate, "Close down that factory. It's worthless." Or, "Sell that stock. Every last share." But that's just how they treat losers. Outsiders. People who aren't Lucians like us. He remembered how his mother had treated Irina Spasky, who'd been loyal until almost the very end of her life. She wasn't a Kabra. Mum and Dad have a code of conduct—the Kabras are the only ones that

伊恩一直被教导说，真相是非常灵活的。 他的母亲会对另一个女人灿烂地笑着，迷人地说：“哦，那件衣服很适合你。 你从哪儿弄来的？”然后背着这个女人，她会一连几个小时地说，这样一个丑陋的、没有身材的老妖婆，怎么可能挑出一套比这更令人讨厌的衣服。 或者——伊恩曾在不同的时间里听到他的父母在电话中与商业伙伴交谈，并向他们保证，“为什么，是的，当然，我们把你们的最大利益放在心上……”——然后挂断电话，告诉下属，“关闭那家工厂。” 这是毫无价值的。”或者，“卖掉那只股票。 每一份。”但这就是他们对待失败者的方式。 局外人。不是卢西亚人的人，比如我们。 他记得母亲是如何对待伊琳娜·斯帕斯基的，伊琳娜一直忠诚到生命的最后一刻。 她不是卡布拉。妈妈和爸爸有自己的行为准则——卡布拉家族是唯一

matter. It's just their way. Yes, they can be ruthless with everyone else, but really, they're doing it for their family. For Natalie and me. Was that why his mother had slapped him earlier that day? Why she seemed not to care anymore if Ian or Natalie lived or died, as long as she won the Clue hunt? Why she'd had Natalie on the verge of tears for, oh, weeks, now? Ian had always found his little sister a bit annoying, but lately he'd actually felt sorry for her, watching her try so hard to please their mother, who'd become completely impossible to please. What changed? Ian wondered. What happened? Is it really just that we're… losing? Ian was reaching for a doorknob now. Willing his hands to stay steady, he slipped an old- fashioned skeleton key from the pocket of his silk pajamas and slid it into the lock. His parents had ordered that he be trained to pick locks so he could steal information, if necessary, from business rivals, family enemies, international spies. He'd never expected to become so confused about who his enemies really were.

物质。这就是他们的方式。 是的，他们对其他人很无情，但实际上，他们这么做是为了他们的家庭。 为了娜塔莉和我。这就是他妈妈那天早些时候打他耳光的原因吗？ 为什么她似乎不再关心伊恩或娜塔莉的生死，只要她赢得了线索搜索？ 为什么她会让娜塔莉哭上几个星期呢？ 伊恩一直觉得他的小妹妹有点烦人，但最近他真的为她感到难过，看着她如此努力地取悦他们的母亲，而母亲却变得完全不可能取悦。 改变了什么?伊恩很好奇。 发生了什么事?真的是因为我们…输了吗？ 伊恩伸手去抓门把手。 他把手稳住，从丝绸睡衣的口袋里掏出一把老式万能钥匙，插进锁里。 他的父母曾命令他接受开锁训练，以便在必要时从商业对手、家族敌人、国际间谍那里窃取信息。 他从没想过自己会对谁是真正的敌人感到如此困惑。

It's time to find out, Ian told himself coldly. Just then the lock clicked. One twist of his wrist, and the door sprang open. With a glance over his shoulder, Ian stepped into the secret wing and pulled the door shut behind him. Jonah Wizard gave a final wave to the fans crowding around his limo and slid into his seat. His driver shut the car door firmly behind him and pushed dozens of girls out of his way getting back around to the front of the car. "You're so hot, Jonah!" one of the girls yelled, kissing the window as the car pulled away. She left a smear of lipstick across the glass. Jonah stared at the lipstick. He'd asked his father to schedule this concert in London at the last minute. He'd sung and danced his heart out for the past three hours. He'd even added a surprise encore at the end. The crowd and the screams and the excitement were his reward, exactly what he needed right now: proof that his fans loved him. Proof that he deserved that love.

是时候找出答案了，伊恩冷冷地告诉自己。 就在这时，锁咔哒一声打开了。 他的手腕一扭，门就开了。 伊恩回头看了一眼，跨进了秘密翼区，关上了身后的门。 “巫师乔纳”向围在他豪华轿车周围的粉丝们挥了挥手，然后坐进了自己的座位。 他的司机紧紧地关上了身后的车门，把几十个女孩推开，回到了车的前面。 “你真性感，乔纳！”当汽车开走时，其中一个女孩喊道，亲吻着车窗。 她在玻璃上留下了一片口红的污迹。 乔纳盯着口红。 他在最后一刻让他父亲安排在伦敦的音乐会。 在过去的三个小时里，他拼命地唱歌跳舞。 他甚至在结尾处加了一个惊喜的返场。 人群、尖叫声和兴奋是对他的奖励，正是他现在需要的：证明他的粉丝爱他。 证明他配得上这份爱。

So why did he keep thinking that the smear of lipstick looked like blood? Because of the clue hunt, Jonah told himself. Because if my fans only knew what I almost did… If they knew what my mother expects me to do… If I did it… Jonah had been thinking like this since China: in incomplete sentences. He couldn't form a complete thought because that would mean he had to make an impossible decision. An irreversible decision, one Jonah would have to live with for the rest of his life. "Good show." Jonah's dad, Broderick, spoke from the opposite corner of the limo seat. He was doing calculations on his ever-present BlackBerry. "Ninety thousand people at seventy-five pounds per head, minus overhead, that's a take of…" Jonah shoved at the BlackBerry, almost knocking it out of his father's hands. "Oh, money," Jonah said, his voice cracking. He reminded himself to at least try to sound normal. "Yo, don't you care about anything except the Benjamins?"

那他为什么一直觉得那口红印看起来像血呢？ 因为寻找线索，约拿告诉自己。 因为如果我的粉丝知道我差点做了什么，如果他们知道我妈妈希望我做什么，如果我做到了，乔纳从中国开始就一直是这样想的：用不完整的句子。 他无法形成一个完整的想法，因为那意味着他必须做出一个不可能的决定。 这是一个不可逆转的决定，约拿的余生都要承受这个决定。 “好。”乔纳的父亲布罗德里克坐在豪华轿车座位的另一角。 他一直在用他的黑莓手机做计算。 “九万人，每人七十五英镑，除去日常开支，那就是……”乔纳朝黑莓手机使劲一推，差点儿把它从他父亲手中打掉。 “哦，钱，”乔纳说，他的声音嘶哑。 他提醒自己至少要试着听起来像个正常人。 “哟，除了本杰明，你什么都不关心吗？”