Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN On the way back to school, all Violet could think about was Twinkle. Why was he being so secretive? And what had he meant when he said everything would be fine by the morning? Unease washed over her. It sounded like he was planning something– but what? In the dining room, Diamond and Topaz dorms were sharing a table. Although dinner was her favourite, lasagne, Violet only picked at it. She couldn't leave things as they were with Twinkle. Even if it was difficult and awkward, she had to go back and talk to him. Clearing away her half-empty plate, she slipped out. She put her coat and boots on and ran across the frosty lawn in the dark. As she

第七章在回学校的路上，维奥莱特满脑子想的都是闪烁。 他为什么这么神秘？ 他说明天早上一切都会好的，这是什么意思呢？ 不安笼罩着她。听起来他好像在计划什么——但是什么呢？ 在餐厅里，Diamond和Topaz宿舍共用一张桌子。 虽然晚餐是她的最爱——千层面，但维奥莱特只吃了一点。 她不能让闪儿的生活保持原样。 即使这很困难，很尴尬，她也不得不回去和他说话。 她收拾了半杯空的盘子，溜了出去。 她穿上大衣和靴子，在黑暗中跑过结霜的草坪。 当她

got close to the stable block, Twinkle came out. Her heart lurched. Where was he off to? "Twinkle!" Her voice sounded loud in the quiet night. He froze guiltily. "What are you doing?" she asked. Twinkle avoided her eyes. "Um… going out. For… For a walk." "At this time?" Violet forgot about not arguing with him– she'd had enough. She marched in front of Twinkle. "Stop lying to me!" she told him hotly. Twinkle's gaze flew to her face as she put her hands on her hips. "I mean it, Twinkle. I'm standing here until you tell me what's going on!" She was shaking with emotion. She didn't usually get angry, but this was too important, too big. She had to know what Twinkle was up to. She waited for him to argue but, to her surprise, he hung his head. "I'm meeting Daffodil," he muttered. "What? Why?" said Violet in astonishment. "She said she has something important to tell me, but she said we need to be outside in the starlight." Twinkle's dark eyes shone with excitement as he looked up. "Violet, I think it might be a way of speeding up the bonding process.

快到马厩的时候，小闪出来了。 她的心猛地一跳。他要去哪里？ “闪烁!”在宁静的夜晚，她的声音听起来很响亮。 他内疚地呆住了。“你在干什么？”她问。 闪烁避开了她的眼睛。“嗯……出去。” 出去……出去散散步。”“在这个时候？”维奥莱特忘记了不和他争论——她受够了。 她走在闪烁的前面。 “别再骗我了！”她生气地对他说。 当她把手放在臀部时，闪烁的目光掠过她的脸。 “我是认真的，闪烁。我一直站在这里，直到你告诉我发生了什么事！”她激动得浑身发抖。 她通常不生气，但这次太重要了，太大了。 她一定知道小光想干什么。 她等着他争辩，但令她吃惊的是，他低下了头。 “我要去见水仙花。”他喃喃地说。 “什么?为什么？”维奥莱特惊讶地问。 “她说她有重要的事情要告诉我，但她说我们需要在外面的星光下。” 闪烁抬起头来，他的黑眼睛里闪烁着兴奋的光芒。 “维奥莉特，我觉得这可能是一种加速建立感情的方式。

Daffodil knows a lot about magic and she knows how much I want to bond with you. I think she might be able to help me." Violet frowned. "But, Twinkle, Ms Rosemary said bonding happens when the time is right. If there was a way of speeding it up, then I'm sure she would have told us. There can't be anything Daffodil can do." Twinkle looked stubborn. "But I think there is. Why else would she say she had something important to talk to me about? I want to go and meet her, Violet." Violet hesitated. Something didn't feel right. "Please let me go," he begged. Violet didn't want to agree, but she also didn't want to upset him. "OK," she said reluctantly. "But I'm coming with you," she added. "You don't need to," Twinkle began. "It's really cold out tonight." "I don't care," said Violet. She gave him a firm look. "We either go to meet Daffodil together or you don't go at all, even if it means I have to stay in the stable with you all night." She blinked. For a moment, she'd sounded a bit like Rosa! But it seemed to work. Twinkle nodded. "All right. Let's go together.

水仙花很懂魔法她也知道我有多想和你建立感情。 我想她也许能帮我。” 紫皱起了眉头。但是，罗斯玛丽说，当时机成熟时，感情就会建立起来。 如果有办法加快速度，她肯定会告诉我们的。 水仙花什么也做不了。” 闪烁看起来很固执。“但我认为是有的。 不然她为什么说有重要的事要跟我说？ 我想去见她，维奥莱特。” 紫犹豫了。有些地方感觉不对劲。 “请让我走吧，”他恳求道。 维奥莱特不想同意，但她也不想让他难过。 “好吧，”她不情愿地说。 “但我要和你一起去，”她补充说。 “你不需要，”小闪开始说。 “今晚外面真的很冷。” “我不在乎，”维奥莱特说。 她坚定地看了他一眼。“我们要么一起去见水仙花，要么你根本不去，即使这意味着我必须整夜陪着你在马厩里。” 她眨了眨眼睛。有那么一会儿，她听起来有点像罗莎！但这似乎奏效了。 闪烁点了点头。“好吧。 我们一起去吧。

I'd rather you came with me anyway, but we'd better hurry or we'll be late. Daffodil said to meet her at the edge of the woods." Violet vaulted on to his back and they set off at a canter across the frosty lawn. As they approached the woods, Violet saw a shadowy figure in a cloak moving across the grass ahead of them. She clutched Twinkle's mane and gasped. It was the hooded figure! But just then the moon came out from behind a cloud and showed the person more clearly. Violet breathed a sigh of relief. No, it wasn't. It was just Ms Willow. "Did

无论如何，我宁愿你和我一起去，但我们最好快点，否则要迟到了。 水仙花说在树林边等她。” 维奥莱特跳上他的背，他们在结霜的草坪上绕着中心跑了起来。 当他们走近树林时，维奥莱特看见一个穿着斗篷的影子在他们前面的草地上移动。 她紧紧抓住闪儿的鬃毛，倒吸了一口气。 是那个戴兜帽的人！但就在这时，月亮从云层后面出来，把那个人看得更清楚了。 维奥莱特松了一口气。 不，不是。是威洛女士打来的。 “

Daffodil tell you Ms Willow would be here too?" she said in surprise. Twinkle slowed to a trot. A note of uncertainty crept into his voice as he replied, "No." "Stop!" gasped Violet, suddenly spotting something on the ground. She stared in disbelief. A set of footprints tracked Ms Willow's progress across the frosty grass. Each footprint had a diamond-shaped pattern. "Twinkle! The footprints! They're just like the ones we found in the cave and in the secret room." An icy fear gripped her as Twinkle snorted in alarm and a horriblfe, almost unbelievable, thought struck her. Could Ms Willow be the cloaked figure who had been draining magic from the island?

水仙花告诉你威洛女士也会来吗？”她惊讶地说。 闪烁放慢了速度。他的声音里带着不确定，回答道：“没有。” “停下！”维奥莱特喘着气说，突然发现地上有什么东西。 她难以置信地瞪大眼睛。威洛女士走过结霜的草地时留下了一串脚印。 每个脚印都有菱形图案。 “闪烁!脚印!它们就像我们在山洞里和密室里发现的一样。” 闪烁惊恐地哼了一声，一种冰冷的恐惧攫住了她，一种可怕的、几乎难以置信的想法袭击了她。 威洛女士会不会就是那个从岛上吸走魔法的披着斗篷的人？