我们听说过青少年遇袭的事件，但大多数人都没想过这种事情会发生在自己身上。16岁的美国女孩卡珊德拉以前也是这样想，但某一天，不幸就这样发生了。
My town in Florida is straight out of the movies—smiling people taking strolls[漫步] and little kids riding bikes. So sweet! Every morning, I'd walk the mile on the sidewalk along a main road from my house to my high school. The walk scared me at first because I had to leave while it was still dark, before the sun was fully up, and I passed an empty parking lot[停车场]. But after a few weeks, I relaxed and that creeped-out[奇怪的，不好的] feeling went away.
我生活在佛罗里达的一个小镇，那里活脱脱就是一幅电影风情画——面带笑容的人们在镇上闲逛，小孩子在骑单车。太温馨了！每天早上从家到中学的途中，我都要经过大路上那条人行道。一开始走这段路时我有点怕，因为天还没亮我就要出门，而且还要经过一个空停车场。但几周后我开始放松下来，不适感也消失了。
Grabbed!
被抓住！
Then one day last spring, I was walking by the parking lot with my iPod on, when suddenly my headphones were knocked off my head and a man threw his arm around my neck! It happened fast. I heard a deep, scary voice say, “Just be quiet,” in my ear.
去年春天的某日，我一边听着iPod一边走过停车场。突然，我的耳机被人从头上摘掉，一个男人用胳膊勒住我的脖子！事情发生得很快。我听见一个低沉而可怕的声音在我耳边说：“别出声。”
I was being attacked, and this man's arm was closing tightly on my neck! I wasn't about to be quiet. I started yelling my head off and trying to pull his arm away from me, but he squeezed[挤压，握紧] tighter! He was behind me, but when I was able to turn a little, I saw that he had his T-shirt pulled up over half his face. The struggle seemed like an eternity[永远]—he was forcing me to walk toward the back of an auto repair shop and he just kept saying, “Be quiet.”
我被袭击了，而且那个人的手臂正紧紧地勒住我的脖子！我没打算不做声。我开始声嘶力竭地叫起来，并试着将他的手臂从身上拉开，可是他勒得更紧了！虽然他在我身后，但在我能够稍微转身时，我看见他是将T恤衫拉起遮住半张脸。我的挣扎仿佛一直没有尽头——他强迫我走向一间汽车修理店后面，并不停地说：“别出声。”
Cars drove by and we passed two guys at a bus stop across the street, yet no one helped. My mind was frozen with fear. For a few seconds, I couldn't even see! But then I heard my great-grandmother's voice in my head. She was talking in her gentle way, saying, “Come on now, I know you're stronger than that!” She was the rock in our family until she passed away four years ago.
汽车从我们身边驶过，过马路时我们还从车站里的两个人面前经过，但没有人帮忙。我吓得不知所措。有那么几秒，我甚至什么都看不见了！然后我在脑中听见曾祖母的声音。她用那温柔的声音说道：“来吧，我知道你可以更坚强！”直到四年前曾祖母去世以前，她一直是我们家的坚石。
I snapped back[迅速跳回] to reality and adrenaline[肾上腺素] kicked in[开始生效]. I didn't know what this man wanted to do—kidnap, rape, or rob[抢夺] me, or maybe all three—but I had to get out of the situation alive. I started coaching myself in my head, okay—you need to get calm and figure out what to do.
我猛地回到现实，肾上腺素开始起效。我不知道这个男人想干什么——绑架、强暴还是打劫，或者三样都是——但我必须活着逃出去。我开始对自己说，好吧——你需要冷静下来，想出对策。
Survival Instinct[本能]
求生本能
I've never had any self-defense[自卫] training, but I went for it—I pulled his arm off my neck with all my might[力量] and let out a loud scream as I kicked my leg back into his shin[胫骨]! He let go of me and I took off running. When I looked back to see if he was chasing me, he was running the opposite way. At the same time, he looked back at me too, and I saw him clearly—he was short with puffy[胀大的] cheeks and small eyes. Then I turned again and ran like crazy until I got to a nearby drugstore.
我从没参加过自卫训练，但决定放手一试——我用尽全身力气把他的手臂从我脖子上拉开，然后一脚踢向他的胫骨，并发出一声尖叫！他放开了我，我脱身跑开。我回头想看看他有没有追过来，他已经向另一个方向逃跑了。这时候，他也回头看了看我，我清楚地看见他的模样——他身材矮小，脸胖眼小。而后我再次转头，死命地跑，直到来到附近的一间药房才停下来。
My hands were shaking and I couldn't calm down. I asked the girl at the counter for the phone and I called my mom. I was so scared I could hardly talk. She kept me on the phone with her while she drove to the store to meet me. “You have to calm down,” she pleaded[恳求]. She arrived five minutes later and I was finally able to explain what happened through sobs[哭泣]. “I'm calling the police!” my mom exclaimed.
我的手在颤抖，冷静不下来。我向柜台的女孩借用电话打给妈妈。我害怕得几乎说不出话。她一直保持和我通话，同时开车到药房找我。“你一定要冷静下来，”她劝我说。妈妈五分钟后到达，我终于能够哭着解释发生的事情。“我要报警！”妈妈大声说道。
When we got home, two officers were waiting for us. While one cop[警官] took down my story, the other went looking for the guy. I was heartbroken when he returned and said, “We don't see him.”
我们回到家时，两名警员在等我们。一名警察在录口供的同时，另一名则出去找那个男人。他回来说：“我们没看见他。”我真是伤心透了。
Inner Strength
内在的力量
I stayed home for a few days after the incident. School officials warned students that someone was assaulted[袭击] and they gave everyone the guy's description. At first no one knew that it was me who'd been attacked, but as people found out, they asked me tons of questions. I cried every time I had to relive the story, so my close friends formed a protective bubble around me to keep people away.
这件事发生后几天，我一直呆在家里。学校职员警告学生说有人遇袭，并向所有人描述了他的样子。刚开始没有人知道是我遇袭，但人们发现后问了我一大堆问题。每当被迫再次去面对这件事，我都会忍不住哭。于是好友们在我身边建成了“防护罩”，让我远离他们。
At first the attack made me afraid to do anything. I made friends come to my house. Things slowly got better, but I still don't like anyone to get near my neck.
起初，这次遇袭令我害怕做任何事情。我让朋友到家里来。情况慢慢好转，但我仍然不喜欢任何人碰我的脖子。
The fear isn't totally gone—after all, the guy is still out there somewhere—but I have a new appreciation for my own strength. I never expected to be able to fight off an attacker; I'm stronger than I realized. Now I know to always listen to my instincts[本能], and everyone else should too. If something seems unsafe or makes you nervous, stay away. I've learned the hard way that you never know what's going to happen, but you need to be prepared no matter what.
恐惧还没有完全散去——毕竟那个人依然逍遥法外——但我对自己的力量有了新的认识。我从未想过可以击退袭击者；我比自己意识到的要坚强。现在我知道要聆听自己的本能，每个人都应该这样。如果什么东西看起来不安全或令你紧张，远离它们。我吃过一番苦头才明白了这个道理——你永远不知道接下来会发生什么事情，但无论如何你都必须做好准备。