2 Chapter 2

Chapter 2 Charles Chiltington sat in his family's home theater watching his classmate Kyle Keeley rocket across a seventy-inch plasma-screen TV. It was the worst Christmas vacation of his life. For over a month, whenever he clicked on the television, Charles was forced to look at the five cheaters who, six months earlier, had robbed him of his rightful prize. In that night's Lemoncello commercial, Keeley—the ringleader of the group that had "defeated" Charles in the Escape from Mr.

查尔斯·齐廷顿坐在家里的家庭影院里，看着他的同学凯尔·基利飞快地穿过一台70英寸的等离子电视。 这是他一生中最糟糕的圣诞假期。 在一个多月的时间里，每当查尔斯打开电视，他就不得不看到六个月前抢走他应得奖品的那五个骗子。 在当晚的莱蒙塞罗广告中，凯利——在《逃离先生》中“击败”查尔斯的团伙头目。

Lemoncello's Library game—looked ridiculous dressed up in goofy goggles like a flying squirrel. But Keeley was obviously having a grand time starring in the commercial. A commercial Charles should've starred in. Keeley had needed four teammates to best Charles in the past June's escape game, which was played inside the silly game maker's even sillier new library on its opening weekend. Keeley had also needed Mr. Lemoncello's help to win. At the very last second, just as Charles was nearing victory, the batty billionaire disqualified him on a trumped-up technicality. Keeley and his cronies went on to win the game and the grand prize. Charles, on the other hand, went home to hear what a disappointment he was to his father. Because Chiltingtons never lose. Especially not to ordinary nobodies like Kyle Keeley.

莱蒙塞罗的《图书馆》游戏戴着像鼯鼠一样的傻傻的护目镜，看起来很可笑。 但基利显然很享受在广告中扮演主角的时光。 一个查尔斯应该出演的广告。 在去年6月的逃跑游戏中，基利需要四个队友来击败查尔斯，这场比赛是在这个愚蠢的游戏制造商更愚蠢的新图书馆里举行的。 基利也需要莱蒙切罗的帮助才能获胜。 在最后一秒，就在查尔斯即将胜利的时候，这位疯狂的亿万富翁以一个捏造的技术细节取消了他的资格。 基利和他的伙伴们赢得了比赛和大奖。 另一方面，查尔斯回家后听到父亲对他是多么失望。 因为奇廷顿家族从不输。 尤其是凯尔·基利这样的无名小卒。

For six months, Charles had been plotting his revenge on Keeley and his teammates: smart-aleck Akimi Hughes, library geek Miguel Fernandez, bookworm Sierra Russell, and most especially turncoat traitor Haley Daley, who had been on Charles's team with Andrew Peckleman until she deserted them to join Team Kyle. "Mr. Lemoncello robbed me," Charles muttered miserably. "They should shut down his ludicrous library." He'd been miserably muttering the same thing ever since the Lemoncello holiday commercials started airing. But for some reason, watching this annoying squirrel commercial made a new thought bubble up inside his brain. He pushed the pause button on the DVR remote. They should shut down Mr. Lemoncello. That was a better idea. The good citizens of Alexandriaville, Ohio, should not allow the demented Mr. Lemoncello to continue to control what went on inside their new public library.

六个月来，查尔斯一直在策划对基利和他的队友们的报复:爱聪明的阿基米·休斯、图书馆怪胎米格尔·费尔南德斯、书呆子塞拉·拉塞尔，尤其是叛徒海莉·戴利，她曾和安德鲁·佩克曼在查尔斯的团队里，后来离开他们加入了凯尔团队。 “莱蒙塞罗先生抢了我的钱。”查尔斯痛苦地嘟囔着。 “他们应该关闭他那荒唐可笑的图书馆。” 自从莱蒙塞洛的假日广告开始播放以来，他就一直可怜地嘟囔着同样的话。 但出于某种原因，看着这个烦人的松鼠广告，他的大脑里冒出了一个新的想法。 他按下了录像机遥控器上的暂停键。 他们应该让莱蒙塞罗先生关门。 那是个更好的主意。俄亥俄州亚历山德里维尔的好市民们，不应该允许精神错乱的莱蒙切罗先生继续控制他们新建的公共图书馆。

Yes! His mind started whirring. That was the perfect angle. A public campaign to wrench control of the library away from the dangerous lunatic Luigi Lemoncello. And Charles knew just who should lead the charge. His mother. She had a long history of championing public causes. When he was in kindergarten, she had led the Anti-Cupcake Crusade, because Charles liked brownies better. When he was in third grade, his mother had made certain that the teacher who dared give Charles a B on his papier-maché volcano was fired. And in fourth grade, she had yanked him out of Chumley Prep (and cut off their endowment) when the private school had the nerve to hire a history teacher who celebrated International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Plus, Charles's mother did not particularly care for what Mr. Lemoncello was doing inside his zany library.

是的!他的脑子开始嗡嗡作响。 那是个完美的角度。 一场从危险的疯子路易吉·莱蒙切罗手中夺回图书馆控制权的公众运动。 查理知道谁应该带头冲锋。 他的母亲。她长期以来一直支持公共事业。 在他上幼儿园的时候，她领导了反纸杯蛋糕运动，因为查尔斯更喜欢布朗尼。 当他上三年级的时候，他的母亲一定要开除那个敢在查尔斯的纸机器火山测验中给他打B的老师。 在四年级的时候，她把他从查姆利预备学校(Chumley Prep)开除了(并切断了他们的捐款)，因为这所私立学校居然胆敢聘请一位历史老师来庆祝“国际海盗日”(International Talk Like a Pirate Day)。 此外，查尔斯的母亲并不特别关心莱蒙切罗先生在他那滑稽的图书馆里做什么。

"Too much sizzle, not enough steak," she'd complained to friends in her bridge club. "They also lend out too many of the wrong sort of books." Wheels were spinning inside Charles's head as he plotted his next moves. With just the slightest nudge, taking the "Lemoncello" out of the Lemoncello Library would become his mother's next great cause. He was certain of it. "Mummy?" he called out in his best your-little-boy-has-a-boo-boo voice. When no one answered, he did it again. Louder. "Mummy! Make it go away! I'm being traumatized! Mummy!" His mother bustled into the TV room. "Charles, darling? What's the matter?" Charles pointed a trembling finger at the TV screen. "Mr. Lemoncello. Make him go away. His library is a petrifying place full of cheaters!" "I know, dear, but there's nothing…"

“咝咝声太多，牛排不够，”她曾对桥牌俱乐部的朋友抱怨。 “他们还出借了太多不合适的书。” 查尔斯盘算着下一步的行动，脑子里的轮子在转动。 只要轻轻一推，把《柠檬大提琴》从柠檬大提琴图书馆拿出来就会成为他母亲的下一个伟大事业。 他对此深信不疑。“妈妈?”他用孩子气的声音大声叫道。 没人回答，他又叫了一遍。 响亮。“妈妈!让它消失!我受到了精神创伤!妈妈!”他母亲匆匆走进电视室。 “查尔斯,亲爱的?怎么啦?”查尔斯用颤抖的手指着电视屏幕。 “Lemoncello先生。让他走开。 他的图书馆是一个充满骗子的地方!”“我知道，亲爱的，可是没有什么……”

Charles started blubbering. "He cheated me, Mummy. He robbed me!" "Yes, honey…" It was time to pull out the heavy artillery. "He lowered my self-esteem! I feel like such a failure!" He sniffled. "Because of Mr. Lemoncello, I may never go to college!" His mother's face turned ghostly white. Score! "Hush now. Mummy's here. Everything will be all right." She hugged him tightly. Charles grinned. Mr. Lemoncello was toast. Burnt toast with toe-jam jelly on top.

查尔斯开始哭起来。 “他骗了我，妈妈。他抢了我的东西!”“是的，亲爱的……”是撤出重炮的时候了。 “他降低了我的自尊心!”我觉得自己很失败!”他抽泣著。 “因为莱蒙塞罗先生，我可能永远上不了大学!”他母亲的脸变得惨白。 分数!“嘘。妈妈在这里。 一切都会好的。” 她紧紧地拥抱着他。查尔斯咧嘴一笑。 莱蒙塞罗先生完蛋了。烤面包，上面有果酱果冻。