How fate and fortune affects their relationship Essay Example

How fate and fortune affects their relationship Essay Example How fate and fortune affects their relationship Essay How fate and fortune affects their relationship Essay Astrology played a leading role in peoples lives during Shakespeares time. People believed that stars and planets controlled their destiny. They also believed in things such as the wheel of fortune, which was thought to be controlled by a woman, thus the ups and downs of life. In many of his plays Shakespeares theme is fate and fortune, this was important in Elizabethan England because many people had faith in ups and downs of their daily lives and examples of such plays are Macbeth, Hamlet, Mid Summer Nights Dream as well as Romeo and Juliet.From the outset of the play, fate and fortune are seen to play a large role in the lovers lives. Romeo, at the beginning is suffering from heroes, Ay me, sad hours seem long. Not having that, which, having, makes them short. Out of her favour where I am in love. Fate dealt him a cruel blow as Rosaline will not love him back and has decided to turn to becoming a nun.Fortune comes in the guise of Benvolio who suggests they go to the Capulets Party where Romeo can choose from many pretty women. Be ruled by me, forget to think of her. By giving liberty in to their eyes examine other beauties. Ironically it is at this party where he meets Juliet and falls passionately in love.Prior to the party, Juliets mother places the seed of marriage and sexuality in to Juliets mind. Marry, that marry is the very theme I came to talk of. Tell me, daughter Juliet, How stands your dispositions to be married? Juliets mother asks her if she would give her self away to Paris. Fortune decrees that the young woman whos femininity has been awoken ironically meets and falls in love with Romeo not Paris.Fortune allows requited love between Romeo and Juliet. The Passion, electricity, and intensity of their love is explicitly shown. My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that touch with a tender kiss. Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this. For saints lips and holy palmers too? The sonnet the y recite together highlights their feelings and belief for each other. She in his eyes is perfection personified.Fate, however does not allow their happiness to flourish. Tybalts anger is obvious and he wishes for vague revenge. Patience perforce with wilful choler meeting make my flesh tremble in their different greeting, I will withdraw but this intrusion shall, now seeming sweet convert to bittrest gall. Both Romeo and Juliet learn that they are from enemy families. Is she a Capulet? O dear account! My life is my foes debt. My only love sprung from my only hate! Too early seen unknown, And known too late! Prodigious birth of love it is to me, that I must love a loathed enemy. The feud will dominate their relationship.Romeo escapes from his friends at the end of the party as now, Juliet is the fulcrum around which his world revolves. Juliet questions why her love should be Romeo, her hated enemy. O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? It is the name that is the trouble not Rome o himself. Tis but thy name that is my enemy, The word not the person is at fault. The balcony is a symbol of the hammer that is trying to stop them, but Romeos vaulting up to Juliet shows that nothing will be allowed to get in the way of their love.The friar scolds Romeos constant falling in and out of love but agrees to marry him to Juliet believing the marriage would end the feud between the two families. Young mens love then lies not truly in their hearts but in their eyes. The marriage forges a fortunate alliance making the two families kinsmen. This, however, is what creates the downfall for the lovers.The marriage between Romeo and Juliet takes place and they believe that their love will blossom but fate refuses to give them this wish. Once they marry they believe they are at the peak of the wheel of fortune looks dominant. Fate closes in and wreaks havoc upon the couple, in the form of Tybalts anger.Tybalt seeks Romeo to torment and torture him for going to the Capulets part y and for the sake of the Feud. Romeo doesnt want to fight Tybalt because they are now kinsmen and it would be a fight against Juliet, his love. Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee, doth much excuse the appertaining rage to such a greeting villain ain I none, therefore farewell I see thou knowest me not, Mercutio is dealt with a mortal wound and dies by Tybalts sword.Romeo blames himself for Mercutios wound and is resentful of Tybalts insults and fears that his love for Juliet has weakened his courage. Learning that Mercutio is dead he swears to kill Tybalt. Once the murder takes place he runs away from Verona, Lady Capulet hears of her nephews death and demands Romeos death in return. Benvolio gets to tell the whole story of the two deaths. It is fortunes hand that decrees that Romeo is not executed after the several turns of fate.Juliets father does not want Juliet to be married immediately to Paris because he thinks she is not ready for a big sacrifice just yet, Ironicall y, she is already in love with Romeo. After their marriage but before their wedding night Juliet finds out that Romeo is banished and this is another cruel twist of fate. But fortune allows them to consumate their marriage.Juliets father then makes her wedding to Paris imminent, Once again fate interferes; To Juliet when she believes she is experiencing total happiness misfortune comes her way when she loses her nurse because the nurse advises her to commit bigamy. Juliet feels total isolation but fate doesnt leave her in that situation, Friar Lawrence feels he must support her and the vows she has made to God.His plan is well conceived. As a herbalist he offers Juliet a vial full of the most bitter and sweetest ingredients that would make her sleep as if she was dead. Fate would not allow there to be careful analysis of the situation. It continues to dominate while Friar Lawrences idea of the letter to be sent brings about circumstance he cannot control.In the final part of the pla y, fortune disappears altogether and only fate remains. The initial part of Friar Lawrences plan comes to frustration; everyone believes Juliet is dead. Fate, however continues to dominate and Romeo is told by a friend that Juliet is dead, from the moment they met the two lovers never envisioned life apart. Once Romeo hears about Juliets death he believes his life is worthless. He runs to a drug shop and asks the shop keeper for the most vulgar poison he can give. The owner refuses, Romeo however is so desperate he gives all his gold away to the owner and requests a poison that is so powerful it can kill twenty men in an instant, Once he receives the poison he doesnt want to kill his self in the open, he wants to lie beside his wife when he dies. Just when she awakens she finds Romeo beside her, she realises that he is dead; crying she tries kissing Romeo to get a bit of the poison passed onto her, it isnt enough to kill her, fate doesnt allow a bit of poison that is enough to kill twenty men to kill a single person, she picks up Romeos dagger and stabs into her self thinking that if they cannot live together here they can up there.Throughout the play, fate and fortune have played a role that provided the storyline with undulating highs and lows before fate took dominance allowing a small peak at the end when the two families acknowledged alliance. It took bloodshed to bridge a gulf of enmity when it could have only taken a few words of understanding to get them together.

Technology Make us Lazy and Dumb Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Technology Make us Lazy and Dumb - Essay Example † talks about the effects of various technological devices on the brain of young individuals. Stating that the average teenager in America has three to four electronic gadgets (â€Å"Is Technology Messing with Your Brain?†) the article states just how distracting these gadgets are. Giving everyday examples, the articles strives to show that these technological devices keep the minds of youngsters occupied so much that it does not have any time to rest, and consequently, there is the chance of losing its ability to concentrate. The article has also cited a study published in Pediatrics which showed that children who played a lot of video games before sleeping had lesser retention than those who had not (â€Å"Is Technology Messing with Your Brain?†). Overall, it explained the negative effects that technology and its use can have on our brains. The second article, â€Å"The Digital Age is Making Us Physically and Mentally Lazy?† discusses the same issue, but also talks about the physical effects or changes that technology has brought about in our lives. The article discusses the impact technology has on our physical activities by citing examples from everyday activities. It asserts that whereas before we had to be somewhat physically active to, for example, go meet a friend or go out for a movie, with technology, we do not have to make any physical excursion of the like, citing examples of texting friends and streaming movies on our computers (â€Å"The Digital Age is Making Us Physically and Mentally Lazy?†). However, the article does not agree with the contention that people are becoming mentally lazy due to technology. It, instead, asserts that due to technology making so much information available to us readily, people are actually becoming more knowledgeable than before (â€Å"The Digital Age is Making Us Physically and Mentally Lazy?†). Moreover, the article claims that even though technology has made live easier, bu t they have not removed the need to think in us, therefore, they have not made us mentally lazy (â€Å"The Digital Age is Making Us Physically and Mentally Lazy?†). In, â€Å"Is Technology Messing with Your Brain?† I found the examples of multitasking given to be very useful. Such scenes, where teenagers are involved in multiple activities are very familiar to us; therefore, it was easy to connect with her statement of how this multitasking makes a teenage brain less capable of concentrating on any given subject for long. Moreover, the results of the study that were put in the article were very helpful too. Through discussing the results of the study, the article has proffered proof of the assertions regarding technology lessening our brain’s retention powers. However, the article states that technology takes away from real-life relationships, and this I found to be quite contrary to reality. The logic herein is flawed, because though it may seem as if the kid w ho is hanging out with his computer all day is not hanging out with his friends or parents, in actuality, the teen does get to spend time with his parents and his friends online. Especially since, in an example the article itself gives, some of the kids require technology to be in contact with their parents as they do not live with them. In â€Å"The Digital Age is Making Us Physically and Mentally Lazy?† the way in which examples are given from everyday life is, indeed, very helpful. This makes the reader

Systems Security IT Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Systems Security IT - Assignment Example Moreover, Trojan is operational by initiating an Internet Relay Chat (IRC) that waits for any action from the hacker who has full control over the botnet (Rapoza, 2008). Apart from IRC, hackers utilize root kits to compromise weak system with no updated security patches and have security loop holes that facilitate hacker’s objectives. As there are countless computers connected to the Internet, they use tools to capture and identify vulnerable systems and uses IP spoofing for (Spoofing.2011) manipulating the original IP addresses for gaining access in to the system. Furthermore, these compromised systems are from different geographical locations, it is difficult to identity suspicious traffic, as it represents different time zones. As botnets are considered as a major player in a Denial of Service attacks, it can be prevented by honey pots and bastion hosts that will identify suspicious broadcast at the initial level. As mentioned previously, that a zombie army initiates flooding and broadcasting attacks from various locations to the specific target. The characteristic of this attack encompasses threats from distributed source and is known as distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS). Computer network encyclopedia describes it, as the incorporation of hundreds or even thousands of computers that were previously compromised used for transmitting huge volume of unwanted traffic to the target. DDoS attacks are considered to be lethal in the world of Internet has imposes significant risks for businesses, governmental organizations, army networks etc. (Ghazali & Hassan, 2011) research on DDoS attacks has revealed vulnerabilities not only in the network architecture or infrastructure, but also in the protocol specifications along with Internet. Exhibit 1.1 demonstrates types of flooding DDoS attacks along with protocols: High rate flood attacks: This type of attack is achieved by traffic generation from many machines that may be in total of

Experiences Pt.2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Experiences Pt.2 - Essay Example It furthermore provides them with the opportunity of staying physically fit and healthy. What I took home from this experience, in addition to fine tuning my body, is how to plan and organize activities, exploring new places for climbing, encouraging members to keep climbing till they reach the top and celebrating with them once we reached the peak. In addition to being a source for doing something I love, this club has helped me better enhance my leadership and communication skills. With the recent dire situations going on in Gaza, I now believe more than ever that I should be given a chance to become a medical professional so I can save people’s lives. Having been brought up in economically and financially backward situations, I have always been at a disadvantage since my birth. I have only seen my family struggling, and in order to fend for the family, once I was old enough I started to help my father with the family business too. Despite the lack of financial resources, we together as a family have strived into leading at least an average life. Although I am fortunate my family now considers the US as our home, my roots of being a Palestinian have always caused me misery. When an individual is afraid to speak of their origin to others, it becomes clear that others are prejudiced and racially discriminating against them, and my case is no different. Thus, I always felt as an outcast and I never had the fortune of feeling a good affiliation no matter wh ere I

Social Workers Working In And Across Organisations Social Work Essay

Social Workers Working In And Across Organisations Social Work Essay Firstly I would like to focus on the policies and legislation which has shaped partnership working. The ideas of collaboration and partnership working now form a large body of policies and legislation, which include some duties for statutory inter agency working. I have examined only some of the key polices and legislation as there are too many to examine for the purpose of this essay. I have made reference to partnership working for each one. Firstly I look at the UK wide policies/legislations and then I focus on Welsh policy. Firstly the Seebohm Report (HMSO, 1968) argued for a co-operation across the spectrum of welfare state services and more effective co-operation by different professionals. It proposed a major restructuring of personal social services into a unified social service department. National Health Service and Community Care Act (HMSO, 1990) gave a duty to local authorities to assess and where applicable meet a persons needs for community care services by collaboration with other agencies. Building Bridges (DOH, 1995) this encourages interdisciplinary and multiagency care planning. The Health and Social Care Act 2001 (Home Office, 2001) created new powers to establish care trusts by building on existing health and local authority powers to forge partnerships and provide integrated care. The National Service Framework for Older People (DOH, 2001) set out standards for care of older people across health and social services. It aimed to remove age discrimination, provide person center care, promoting independence and fitting services around people needs. Means for achieving these aims included the single assessment process and integration in commissioning arrangement and service provision. Valuing people a new strategy for learning disability for the 21st century (DH, 2001) highlighted partnership working through local partnership boards and inter-professional/inter agency co-operation are seen as central to achieving the four key principles of rights, independence, choice and inclusion for people with learning disabilities. National Service Framework (NSF) for Ol der People (Department of Health, 2001) highlighted that agencies should not duplicate each others assessments, and professionals should contribute to assessments in the most effective way. Community Care (Delayed Discharge) Act (DoH, 2003) introduced a new dynamic in interagency and inter professional relationships. It made social services authorities liable to reimburse the NHS for delays where patients in hospital are medically fit but unable to be discharged due solely to social service inability to provide assessment and community care services within a required timescale. Every Child Matters (HMSO, 2003) in response to the Victoria Climbi inquiry, it proposed: improved interagency information sharing and co-operation; work in multi-disciplinary teams; a lead professional role; creation of local safeguarding boas; in the long term integration of key services for children and young people in childrens trusts under a director of childrens services. Children Act ( 2004) allowed the creation of database to support professionals in sharing information. The Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act (DOH, 2004) placed a duty on social service to inform carers of their right to an assessment. It also enabled social services to ask other public bodies including the health organizations to provide service to careers. Single Assessment Process Implementation Guidance (DOH, 2004) sets out how the single assessment process described in the Mental Capacity Act (2005) where social workers and care professionals acting on behalf of someone who lacks capacity must act in a persons best interest. Working Together to Safeguard Children (DfES, 2006) aaddressed to practitioners and managers, sets out how organisations and individuals should work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, stressing shared responsibility and the need to understand the roles of others. It described the role of local safeguarding childrens boards (LSCBs), training for inter-agency work and the detailed processes for managing individual cases. These elements are statutory guidance, which required compliance. Mental Health Act (2007) amended the 1983 Act broadening the group of professional practitioners who undertake approved social worker (ASW) functions, to be known as Approved Mental Health Professionals. Concurrently, the code of practice of the 1983 Act was updated, stressing inter-professional collaboration in assessment and after care planning and involvement of patients and carers. Building brighter futures: next steps for the childrens workforce (DfE, 2008) set out the compon ents of integrated working as they are emerging through Childrens Trusts. It considered the contribution of the Common Core of Skills and Knowledge and the pros and cons of professional identities and boundaries. It looked forward to achieving a broad vision of integrated working that has support across the whole childrens workforce. Now I would like to focus upon the policies that are specifically within Wales. Firstly, The Review of Health and Social Care in Wales, (WAG, 2003) emphasized the importance of multi-agency working and looked at decision-making processes, the capacity and effectiveness of existing services, the capacity of management, the processes governing standard setting, information management, resource flows, and incentives and sanctions. The Report of the Wanless Committee (WAG, 2004) focuses on shared decision-making between professionals and users and patients. It also highlights that there needs to be integrated thinking across health and social care boundaries and highlights the need for a new approach for funding health and social care. Making the Connections: Delivering Better Services for Wales: The Welsh Assembly Government Vision for Public Services (WAG, 2004). This policy aims to increase efficiency through more effective co-operation across the public services and to place people a nd communities at the centre, enabling active participation in service planning design and delivery. Children and Young People: Rights to Action Stronger Partnerships for Better Outcomes (WAG, 2005). This paper outlines the expectation from the assembly government for local agencies to take a joint approach in planning services to make them as effective as possible. Fulfilled Lives, Supportive Communities: Improving Social Services in Wales from 2008-2018 (WAG, 2006). This focuses on partnership arrangements which put the citizen at the centre and work effectively across sectors and organisations using care pathways to support people. Lastly, Sustainable Social Services for Wales A Framework for Action (WAG, 2011) highlights the importance of developing more integration of health and social services for children, young people, and frail older people, and in respect of re-ablement services. Joining up in this way will help break down barriers that can often get in the way of provid ing services and drive out duplication. This sets out the current vision for partnership working within Wales until 2016. As highlighted above there are many key pieces of legislation and policies which highlight the importance of multi-agency working. Since the 1960s there has been a focus on partnership working for social services. There are some key principles and ethical issues to partnership working and there can be some dilemmas to this. The next part of this essay will focus upon key principles and ethical issues. There are many areas to partnership working that may lead to some dilemmas. Glasby (2004) defines inter-professional working as to or more people from different professions communicate and co-operate to achieve a common goal. Adams et al (2006) highlights the importance of having a professional identity is to partnership working. Adams et al (2006) suggests that a professional identity gives a person a set of values, expertise, role and responsibilities. Currently my practice learning level three is based within the Adult Community Care Team (ACCT) which implements care plans for clients with presenting eligible needs. To ensure that clients needs are met there is a process which involves various professionals that are involved within the information gathering and care planning for example social worker, health, brokerage, finance team and carer assessors. During my placement I have been able to see the importance of working with other professionals to deliver effective services for the clients. During one unified assessment (UA) I completed I worked collaboratively with a nurse to complete the UA. The reason for this is to identify if this particular client was in need of a nursing home rather than a residential home. Therefore the expertise of the nurse as vital to complete the assessment. However there were some key issues that Key principles Retaining professional identification Partnership working can be complex and often brings people together who have different views on what is right for a service user with different approaches ( Gasper, 2010). Whittington (2003) suggests that if professionals can understand what they have in common, what they can contribute distinctively, what can be complementary and identify the possible tensions between them it can improve the effectiveness of partnership working. By identifying these areas professionals can complement each to benefit the client overall. Keeping (2006) highlights a general uncertainty from other professionals around what social workers actually do. Lack of knowledge of what each professional involved does can lead to stereotyping each worker (Lymbery, 2006). This means that it is important for social workers to remember what responsibilities lay with them when working with other professionals. Building relationships and trust Seden et al (2011) suggests that social workers are often caught between care and control finding their way through complex relationships with service users, other professionals, peers and the public. Trust is an important factor in facilitating open discussion and successful role negation, both of which are important features of inter-professional working (Barrett and Keeping, 2005). Where professionals trust each others motives, competence and dependability they are more able to manage risky situations (Lawson, 2004). Trust is an important element of collaborative working relationship. Gasper (2010) highlights that partnership working can mean better access to service and an avoidance of duplication which means service can be delivered in more of a cost-effective way. Differences in languages Within partnership working there can be many professionals involved. Issues may arise when there is a use of specialist language that not everyone understands (Maguire and Truscott, 2006) Communication Communication across professions can be difficult especially when they are not in the same location, this can result in a breakdown of communication and delays in services (McCormack et al, 2008) Inequalities in status and pay There may be differences in status between professionals and this must be acknowledged to see if they impact upon communication (Barrett and Keeping, 2005). Some practitioners perceive threats to their professional status, autonomy and control when asked to participate in more democratic decision making forums (Lloyd and Wait, 2006). Conflicting organisation and professional boundaries There is often un-clarity around the roles of voluntary and service users in partnership working (Marks, 2007) Resources can be split into three areas; money, information and time. Issues around money can be identified in several areas. One is that there are different funding cycles, separate budgets and financial pressures (Frye and Webb, 2002). Some professionals may be reluctant in funding services if there is a pressure on budgets (Roy and Watts, 2001). Information sharing can pose constrains for partnership working. Partnership working needs a sufficient amount of time dedicated for it to be effective (Atkinson, 2007). Frost and Lloyd (2006) suggested that time is needed for relationships to develop and trust to be built. These are key components for agreements to be made around protocols and reflection upon new professional identifies (Frost and Lloyd, 2006).

rainforest destruction Essay -- essays research papers

Rainforest Destruction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rainforests cover less than two percent of the Earth’s surface yet they are home to some forty to fifty percent of all life forms on our planet: as many as 30 million species of plants, animals and insects. The Rainforests are quite simply, the richest, oldest most productive and most complex ecosystems on earth. As biologist Norman Myers says, â€Å"Rainforests are the finest celebration of nature ever known on the planet and never before has nature’s greatest orchestration been so threatened.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Rainforests are very important to the world for many reasons, most of them being very simple. One of the major reasons is that the plants in the forest turn carbon dioxide into clean air, which helps us, fight pollution. Also, by absorbing carbon dioxide, the rainforests help deter the greenhouse effect.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The plants and animals of the rainforest also provide us with food, fuel, wood, shelter, jobs and medicine. â€Å"Imagine losing the potential cure for cancer or AIDS that might have been found in an undiscovered plant from the rainforest.† (Tropical Rainforest Coalition, 1996) â€Å"The vine Aucistrocladus koropensis may be effective in treating AIDS; we can only guess what other beneficial plants may be destroyed before we find them.† (Allo, 1996) It is repeated often that the rainforest contains important plants that will cure the worst diseases of today. Although there is scientific proof of its value, the rainforest continues to disappear. â€Å"In every sense, a standing rainforest supplies more economic wealth then if it were cleared†¦yet deforestation continues at an alarming rate.† (Tropical Rainforest Coalition, 1996)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tropical rainforests are found in eighty-five countries around the world. â€Å"Ninety percent of these forests are concentrated into fifteen countries, each country containing over ten million hectares each.† (Malaysian Timber Council, 1995) Tropical rainforests are located around the equator, where temperatures stay above eighty degrees Fahrenheit year round. These forests are very dense and damp. â€Å"Although tropical rainforests cover just seven percent of the Earth’s surface, they can provide habitat for between fifty to ninety percent of its plant and animal species. In 1990, tropical rainforests totaled some 1.7 billio... ...ese rainforest species have never even been seen. â€Å"Scientist estimates an average of 137 species of life forms are driven into extinction everyday or 50,000 each year.† (Myers) While extinction is supposed to be a natural selection this is purely human induced. Quite simply when habitat is reduces, species disappear.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All in all, the tropical rainforests are one of the Earth’s greatest assets. We need to preserve this valuable resource. It could provide the cure for cancer or AIDS but we’ll never know if we continue to deforest it. There are now ways to fight back against the destruction of our rainforests. Many people now boycott; for example not eating fast food because the meat come from rainforest cattle because they are cheap, or by not buying furniture made from rosewood, mahogany, ebony, and teakwood, because they most likely came from the rainforest as well. People can also adopt an acre of tropical rainforest for only 45 dollars. Rainforests are very complex ecosystems and have many untapped resources which we have barely scratched the surface on. Preservation of the rainforest is essential for our well being and the well being of the future.

The Golden Lily Chapter 18

JILL DIDN'T GIVE ME any starry-eyed looks at breakfast the next morning, which was kind of a relief. Micah had surfaced again, and while they weren't as flirty as they'd been in the past, the two were chatting animatedly away about a science project she had. Eddie and Angeline were equally engrossed in conversation, making plans for when she was free of her suspension. Her blues eyes were alight with happiness as they talked, and I realized that she had legitimate feelings for him. She hadn't just been throwing herself at him for the sake of conquest. I wondered if he knew. It would've been easy to feel like a fifth wheel here, but instead, I was pleased and content to see my little cohort getting along so well. Stanton's conversation had still left me conflicted, but there was nothing wrong with appreciating the peace around here. I would've been happier still if Trey's behavior had also normalized, but when I reached my history class later, he was absent yet again. I had no doubt he'd claim he had family stuff, but my earlier suspicions were returning, about whether his family might be responsible for his injuries. Should I report my worries to someone? Who? I didn't want to jump to conclusions either, which left me in a bind. Eddie and I always sat near each other in that class, and I leaned toward him before the bell rang, pitching my voice low to address another concern. â€Å"Hey, have you noticed that Jill's been kind of acting weirdly around me?† â€Å"She's got a lot going on,† he said, ever quick to defend her. â€Å"Yeah, I know, but you had to have noticed her last night. In the library? I mean – keeping in mind I'm terrible at figuring this stuff out – it was like she had a crush on me or something.† He laughed at that. â€Å"She was kind of laying it on thick, but I don't think you have to worry about some romantic complication. She just looks up to you a lot, that's all. Part of her still wants to be a brave fighter who rushes out fearlessly†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He paused as he savored that idea, a mix of pride and rapture on his face before he tuned back into me. â€Å"But at the same time, you're starting to show her there all sorts of ways to be powerful.† â€Å"Thanks,† I said. â€Å"I think. But speaking of her being a brave fighter†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I studied him curiously. â€Å"Why don't you train her anymore? Don't you want her to hone her skills?† â€Å"Oh, yeah. That. Well†¦ there are a few reasons for it. One is I need to focus on Angeline. Another is that I just don't want Jill worried about that. I'll do the protecting.† Those were exactly the reasons I'd guessed. The next one was not. â€Å"And I guess†¦ the other thing is that I don't feel right being in contact with her like that. I mean, I know it means nothing to her†¦ but it means something to me.† Again, my social skills took a moment to kick in. â€Å"You mean, you don't like that you have to touch her?† Eddie actually blushed. â€Å"It doesn't bother me, that's the problem. Better for us to spend time together in a hands-off way.† I hadn't expected that, but I could understand it. Leaving Eddie to his own inner demons, I soon got caught up in the day and wondering what had happened to Trey. I'd hoped he'd come into class late, but he didn't. In fact, he didn't surface for the rest of the day, not even when I was finishing up my independent study. I'd thought he might come by again for homework. â€Å"You look troubled,† said Ms. Terwilliger, watching me pack up when the bell rang. â€Å"Worried about getting your project in on time?† â€Å"No.† I'd actually finished two of the charms, but I certainly wasn't going to tell her that. â€Å"I'm worried about Trey. He keeps missing school. Do you know why he's out? I mean, if you can tell me?† â€Å"The office notifies us if a student will be out for the day, but they don't tell us the reason. If it makes you feel better, Mr. Juarez's absence was called in this morning. He hasn't disappeared.† I almost mentioned my fears about his home but held off. I still needed more evidence. Between worrying about Trey, Ms. Terwilliger's work, the Warriors, Brayden, and all my other myriad complications, I knew I couldn't waste any of my free time. Nonetheless, I went to Adrian's after school on a mission I couldn't refuse. On our way to Wolfe's class earlier this week, Adrian had mentioned offhandedly that he hadn't had the Mustang looked at by a mechanic before purchasing it. Although my own novice assessment hadn't found anything wrong with the car, I pushed for Adrian to get the car examined – which, of course, meant I had to look up a specialist and make the appointment. It was just before my textile museum date, but I was certain I had time to make it all work. â€Å"The guy I bought it from seemed pretty trustworthy,† Adrian told me, after we'd dropped the car off with the mechanic. He'd told us he'd look at it right away and that we could hang around and wait. His shop was on the outskirts of a suburban area, so Adrian suggested we go for a walk through the neighborhoods. â€Å"And it ran just fine when I did the test drive, so I figured everything was okay.† â€Å"That doesn't mean there aren't problems you can't see. It's best to be safe,† I said, knowing I sounded preachy. â€Å"Bad enough you got a car you can't drive.† Glancing over, I saw a small, half smile on his face. â€Å"With your help, I'll be a pro in no time. Of course, if you don't want to help anymore, I'll just wing it and figure it out on my own.† I groaned. â€Å"You already know what I'd say about – wow.† The neighborhood we were in was pretty affluent. In fact, I'd say the houses bordered on being bona fide mansions. We stopped in front of one that looked like a cross between a hacienda and a southern plantation, large and sprawling with a pillared porch and pink stucco siding. The front yard was a mix of climates, green grass with palm trees lining the path to the house. The trees were like tropical sentries. â€Å"Gorgeous,† I said. â€Å"I love architecture. In another life, I'd have studied that – not chemicals and vampires.† As we continued on, we saw more of the same, each house trying to outdo the others. All of them had high fences and hedges blocking their backyards. â€Å"I wonder what's back there. Pools, probably.† Adrian stopped in front of another. It was as yellow as his car and showed another mix of styles, like a southwest version of a medieval castle, complete with turrets. â€Å"Nice juxtaposition,† he remarked. I turned, knowing my eyes were wide as I stared at him. â€Å"Did you just use juxtaposition in a sentence?† â€Å"Yes, Sage,† he said patiently. â€Å"We use it all the time with art, when we're mixing different components. That, and I know how to use a dictionary.† He turned from me and scanned the house, his eyes resting on a gardener who was out trimming some hedges. A sly smile crossed Adrian's lips. â€Å"You want to see the back? Come on.† â€Å"What are you – † Before I could say another word, Adrian strode up the granite pathway and cut across the lawn to where the guy was working. I didn't want anything to do with this, but the responsible part of me couldn't let Adrian get into trouble. I hurried after him. â€Å"Are the owners home?† Adrian asked. The gardener had stopped his clipping and stared at Adrian. â€Å"No.† â€Å"When will they be back?† â€Å"After six.† I was astonished that the guy was answering these questions. If I'd been asked them, I would've assumed someone was staging a break-in. Then, I saw the glazed look in the gardener's eyes and realized what was going on. â€Å"Adrian – â€Å" Adrian's eyes never left the other man's face. â€Å"Take us to the backyard.† â€Å"Of course.† The gardener dropped his hedge clippers and headed for a gate on the side of the house. I tried to get Adrian's attention to stop this, but he was outpacing me. Our guide stopped at the gate, entered a security code, and led us to the back. My protests died on my lips as I gazed around. This back property was almost three times the size of the front. There were more palm trees ringing the yard, along with a terraced garden full of plants, both native and non-native. A huge oval shaped pool dominated the space, its turquoise hue startling against the gray of the granite that surrounded it. On one side of the pool, several steps led up to a smaller, square pool. It could only hold a few people, and a waterfall poured out from it, down to the larger pool. Tiki torches and tables around the pools completed the lush setup. â€Å"Thanks,† Adrian told the gardener. â€Å"Go back to your work. It's okay if we're here. We'll see ourselves out.† â€Å"Of course,† the man replied. He walked back the way we'd come in. I snapped back to reality. â€Å"Adrian! You used compulsion on that guy. That†¦ I mean, it's†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Awesome?† Adrian walked over to the steps leading up to the upper pool. â€Å"Yeah, I know.† â€Å"It's wrong! All of this. Breaking and entering, and compulsion†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I shivered, despite the sweltering heat. â€Å"It's immoral. Controlling someone else's mind. You know it! Your people and mine both agree.† â€Å"Eh, no harm done.† He climbed to the top of the pool and stood on its edge, surveying his kingdom. The sun brought out chestnut glints in his brown hair. â€Å"Believe me, that guy was easy to control. Weak-willed. I barely had to use compulsion.† â€Å"Adrian – â€Å" â€Å"Come on, Sage. Not like we're going to hurt anything. Check out this view.† I was almost afraid to go up there. It was so rare for any of the Moroi here to use their magic that it was easy for me to pretend it didn't exist. Seeing Adrian use it – the most insidious kind – made my skin crawl. As I'd told Ms. Terwilliger in our charm discussion, no one should be able to control another like that. â€Å"Come on,† Adrian repeated. â€Å"You're not worried I'm going to compel you up here, are you?† â€Å"Of course not,† I said. And I meant it. I didn't know why, but some part of me knew Adrian would never, ever harm me. Reluctantly, I went to join him, hoping that would encourage him to leave. When I reached the top, my jaw dropped. The intimate pool hadn't seemed that high, but it gave us a stunning view of the mountains off in the distance, rugged and majestic against the blue of the sky. The larger pool glittered below us, and the waterfall made it look like we'd entered some mystical oasis. â€Å"Cool, huh?† he asked. Adrian sat down on the small pool's edge, rolled up his jeans, and took off his socks and shoes. â€Å"Now what are you doing?† I asked. â€Å"Making the most out of this.† He put his feet in the water. â€Å"Come on. Do something bad for a change. Not that it's really that bad. We aren't trashing this place or anything.† I hesitated, but the water was intoxicating, as though it too could wield compulsion. Settling down, I copied Adrian and dipped my bare feet into the water. Its coolness was startling – and wonderful – in this intense heat. â€Å"I could get used to this,† I admitted. â€Å"But what if the owners come home early?† He shrugged. â€Å"I can talk us out of it, don't worry.† That wasn't exactly reassuring. I turned back to the gorgeous view and lush property. I wasn't always the most imaginative person, but I thought back to what I'd said about living another life. What would it be like to have a home like this? To stay in one place? To spend days by the pool, soaking in the sun, and not worrying about the fate of humanity? I fell into daydreams and was so caught up that I lost track of time. â€Å"We have to get back to the shop,† I exclaimed. Glancing over, I was astonished to see Adrian watching me, a look of contentment on his face. His eyes seemed to study my every feature. Seeing me notice him, he immediately looked away. His usual smirky expression replaced the dreamy one. â€Å"The mechanic will wait,† he said. â€Å"Yeah, but I'm supposed to meet Brayden soon. I'll be – † That's when I got a good look at Adrian. â€Å"What have you done? Look at you! You shouldn't be out here.† â€Å"It's not that bad.† He was lying, and we both knew it. It was late afternoon, and the sun was merciless. I'd certainly felt it, though the coolness of the water had helped distract me. That, and I was human. Sure, sunstroke and sunburns were concerns, but I loved the sun and had a high tolerance for it. Vampires did not. Sweat poured off Adrian, soaking his shirt and hair. Pink blotches covered his face. They were familiar. I'd seen them on Jill back when she'd been forced to play outdoor sports in PE. Left unchecked, they'd turn into burns. I jumped to my feet. â€Å"Come on, we have to get out of here before you get worse. What were you thinking?† His expression was astonishingly nonchalant for someone who looked like he would pass out. â€Å"It was worth it. You looked†¦ happy.† â€Å"That's crazy,† I said. â€Å"Not the craziest thing I've ever done.† He smiled as he looked up at me. His eyes grew slightly unfocused, as though they were seeing more than just me. â€Å"What's a little crazy here and there? I'm supposed to be doing experiments†¦ why not see which is brighter: your aura or the sun?† The way he looked at me and spoke unnerved me, and I remembered what Jill had said, how spirit slowly drove its users insane. Adrian hardly seemed insane, but there was certainly something haunted about him, a definite shift from his usual sharp wit. It was as though something else had seized hold of him. I remembered that poem line, about dreaming and waking. â€Å"Come on,† I repeated. I held out my hand. â€Å"You shouldn't have used spirit. We need to get you out of here.† He took my hand and staggered to his feet. A rush of warmth and electricity went through me, just as it had the last time we touched, and our eyes held. For a moment, all I could think about were his earlier words: You looked happy†¦ I brushed such sentiments aside and quickly got him out of there, only to discover the mechanic hadn't finished. At least in his shop, we were able to get Adrian some water and air conditioning. As we waited I texted Brayden. Running an hour late with family stuff. Sorry. Will be there as soon as I can. My phone chimed back about thirty seconds later: That only leaves an hour for the textile museum. â€Å"That's not nearly enough time,† said Adrian deadpan. I hadn't realized he'd been reading over my shoulder. I moved the phone away and suggested to Brayden we just meet for an early dinner. He concurred. â€Å"I'm a mess,† I muttered, checking myself out in a mirror. The heat had definitely taken its toll, and I looked sweaty and worn. â€Å"Don't worry about it,† Adrian told me. â€Å"If he didn't notice how awesome you were in the red dress, he probably won't notice anything now.† He hesitated. â€Å"Not that there's even anything to notice. You're as cute as usual.† I was about to snap at him for teasing me, but when I looked over, his face was deadly earnest. Whatever retort I might have managed died on my lips, and I quickly got up to check our status, in order to hide how flustered I felt. The mechanic finally finished – no problems found – and Adrian and I headed downtown. I kept watching him anxiously, afraid he'd pass out. â€Å"Stop worrying, Sage. I'm fine,† he said. â€Å"Although†¦ I'd be better with some ice cream or gelato. Even you have to admit that'd be good right now.† It would, actually, but I wouldn't give him the satisfaction. â€Å"What is it with you and frozen desserts? Why do you always want them?† â€Å"Because we live in a desert.† I couldn't argue with that reasoning. We reached his place, and I swapped cars. Before he went inside, I inundated him with advice about getting water and resting. Then, I spoke the words that had been burning inside of me. â€Å"Thank you for the poolside outing,† I said. â€Å"Your near-sun-stroke aside, that was pretty amazing.† He gave me a cocky smile. â€Å"Maybe you'll get used to vampire magic after all.† â€Å"No,† I said automatically. â€Å"I'll never get used to that.† His smile immediately disappeared. â€Å"Of course not,† he murmured. â€Å"See you around.† I finally made it to dinner. I'd chosen an Italian restaurant, filled with the scents of garlic and cheese. Brayden sat at a corner table, sipping water and earning glares from the waitress, who was probably impatient for him to order. I sat down opposite him, dropping my satchel beside me. â€Å"I am so sorry,† I told him. â€Å"I had to do this thing with my, uh, brother.† If Brayden was mad, he didn't show it. That was his way. He did, however, give me a scrutinizing look. â€Å"Was it something athletic? You look like you ran a marathon.† It wasn't an insult, not by any means, but it did take me aback – mostly because I was thinking of Adrian's comment. Brayden had had almost nothing to say about my Halloween costume, but he noticed this? â€Å"We were out in Santa Sofia, getting his car looked at.† â€Å"Nice area. Keep going up the highway, and you can get to Joshua Tree National Park. Ever been there?† â€Å"No. Just read about it.† â€Å"Iconic place. The geology's fascinating.† The waitress came by, and I gratefully ordered an iced latte. Brayden was more than happy to tell me about some of the park's geology, and we soon fell into our comfortable rhythm of intellectual discussion. I didn't know the park's specific makeup, but I knew more than enough about geology in general to keep up. In fact, I was able to talk on autopilot while my mind wandered back to Adrian. I recalled again what he'd said about the red dress. I also couldn't shake the comment about me being happy, and how that was worth his suffering. â€Å"What do you think?† â€Å"Hmm?† I realized I'd lost the thread of our conversation after all. â€Å"I asked which type of desert you find more striking,† Brayden explained. â€Å"The Mojave region gets all the hype, but I actually prefer the Colorado Desert.† â€Å"Ah.† I slipped back into the flow. â€Å"Um, Mojave. I like the rock formations better.† This triggered a debate of the regions while we ate, and Brayden seemed happier and happier. He really did like having someone who could keep up with him, I realized. None of my books had said anything about the way to a man's heart being through academic debates. I didn't mind it, though. I liked the conversation, but it didn't exactly send thrills through me. I had to remind myself it was still early in our relationship – if I could even call it that. Surely the head over heels part would come soon. We talked for a long time after the meal was over. The waitress brought us an unsolicited dessert menu when we finished, and I surprised myself by saying, â€Å"Wow†¦ I can't believe how much I want gelato right now. That never happens.† Maybe the sweat and heat had leached my nutrients†¦ or maybe I still had Adrian on the brain. â€Å"I've never heard you order dessert,† said Brayden, sliding his menu away. â€Å"It's not too much sugar?† It was another of those weird statements of his that could be interpreted a number of different ways. Was he judging me? Did he think I shouldn't have any sugar? I didn't know, but it was enough for me to close the menu and set it on top of his. With no other scheduled forms of entertainment for the night, we decided to just go for a walk after dinner. The temperature was down to moderate levels, and it was still light enough out that I wasn't as concerned about the Warriors of Light jumping out from corners. That didn't mean I ignored Wolfe's teachings, however. I still kept an eye on my surroundings, watching for anything suspicious. We reached a small park that only took up one city block and found a bench in the corner. We sat down on it, watching children play on the opposite side of the lawn while we continued a discussion on bird watching in the Mojave. Brayden put his arm around me as we talked, and eventually, we exhausted the topic and simply sat in comfortable silence. â€Å"Sydney†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I turned my gaze from the children, surprised at Brayden's uncertain tone, which was very different from the one he'd just been using to defend the superiority of the mountain bluebird over the western bluebird. There was softness in his eyes now as he looked at me. The evening light made his hazel eyes take on a little more gold than usual but completely hid the green. Too bad. Before I could say anything, he leaned forward and kissed me. It was more intense than the last one, though still a long ways from the epic, all-consuming kisses I'd seen in movies. He did rest his hand on my shoulder this time, gently bringing me a little closer. The kiss also lasted longer than previous ones, and I again tried to let myself go and lose myself in the feel of someone else's lips. He was the one who ended it, a bit more abruptly than I would've expected. â€Å"I – I'm sorry,† he said, looking away. â€Å"I shouldn't have done that.† â€Å"Why not?† I asked. It wasn't so much that I'd been yearning for the kiss as it was that this seemed exactly like the kind of place you'd want to kiss: a romantic park at sunset. â€Å"We're in public. It's kind of vulgar, I suppose.† Vulgar? I wasn't even sure if we were really all that much in public, seeing as no one was next to us and we were in the shade of some trees. Brayden sighed with dismay. â€Å"I guess I just lost control. It won't happen again.† â€Å"It's okay,† I said. It hadn't seemed like that much of a loss of control, but what did I know? And I wondered if maybe a small loss of control wasn't such a bad thing. Wasn't that kind of the basis of passion? I didn't know that either. The only thing I knew for sure was that this kiss had been a lot like the last one. Nice, but it didn't blow me away. My heart sank. There was something wrong with me. Everyone was always going on about how socially inept I was. Did it extend to romance as well? Was I so cold that I'd spend my life never feeling anything? I think Brayden misread my dismay and assumed I was upset with him. He stood up and held out his hand. â€Å"Hey, let's go walk to that tea shop one block over. They've got this local painter's art on display that I think you'll like. Besides, no calories in tea, right? Better than dessert.† â€Å"Right,† I said. Thinking of the gelato didn't cheer me up any. The Italian place had had pomegranate, which kind of sounded like the best thing ever. As I stood up, my cell phone rang and startled both of us. â€Å"Hello?† â€Å"Sage? It's me.† I had no reason to be mad at Adrian, not after what he'd done for me, but somehow I felt irritated by the interruption. I was trying to make the most of this night with Brayden, and Adrian unsettled everything. â€Å"What's going on?† I asked. â€Å"Are you still downtown? You need to come over right now.† â€Å"You know I'm out with Brayden,† I said. This was pushy, even for Adrian. â€Å"I can't just drop everything and entertain you.† â€Å"It's not about me.† It was then that I noticed how hard and serious his voice was. Something tightened in my chest. â€Å"It's about Sonya. She's missing.† The Golden Lily: A Bloodlines Novel