Develop a Literature review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Develop a Literature review - Essay Example This therefore means that there is a big responsibility for teachers and instructors to impart the art and science of reading and comprehension to students and pupils at all stages of their academic lives. â€Å"Whereas reading is primarily concerned with the decoding the message of a given text, comprehension goes a step further to attempt to understand and apply the information written in the text appropriately† (Ganske & Fisher, 2010). Nation & Angell (2006) make a clear distinction between reading and comprehension. To them, reading seems to be a form of communication but comprehension requires further understanding and clarification. Comprehension involves inferring the intended effects of what is read and identifying and explaining the cases written in the discourse for producing the effects (Finder, 2003). This therefore indicates that the core idea behind reading, is to enable the reader to grasp a message, idea or information put together by the encoder and then take action on it. This is practically the aim of formal communication that most students will apply in the future, when they begin to work. It is therefore essential that these students get a good ability to understand the basics of decoding messages and understanding them fully in the wider sense. The central role and the formative nature of secondary education can never be ignored. Thus, it is essential that secondary education focuses on some important factors that can enable an individual to grasp and understand the concept of reading and comprehension. However, this effort of teachers to achieve this is sometimes frustrated by some challenges that makes it difficult to teach students how to read, analyse and understand texts. Challenges in Teaching Reading & Comprehension in Secondary Students In practice, there are several difficulties that stand in the way of teaching students to read and understand text. Snowman et al (2010) identify that inherent disabilities and challenges in students, like down syndrome, physical disabilities like hearing, sight and speech impairments as well as cultural differences and language barriers can stand in the way of a child who attempts to read and decode messages. This therefore makes it difficult for the teacher to impart the art and science of reading to children with such inherent challenges and problems. Also, poor comprehension can result from poor teaching methods used to team students about reading and comprehension at the primary and lower grades of education. â€Å"Comprehension difficulties often go unnoticed by teachers [in primary schools] and are discovered later by specialist professionals [at the secondary levels]† (Nation & Angell, 2006). This implies that some of the problems and challenges that the secondary school teacher faces in teaching students to comprehend what they read is carried forward from their primary education. This is linked to the fact that most primary curricula are focused on simp ly decoding and not comprehension (Ellis & McCartey, 2009). However, in spite of the focus of primary education being on decoding, Ricketts et al (2008) state that the problem with reading challenges carried forward from the primary school is in two folds: the decoding problem and the comprehension problem. Aside these issues that are brought into the secondary school classroom, there are some other challenges that are

Workplace drug testing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Workplace drug testing - Assignment Example According to the SAMSHA Office of Applied Studies, 8.4 % of the US workforce in 2007 were users of drugs and almost the same percent were reported heavy users of alcohol (cited in US DOL, 2010, p.2). The bottomline impact of such statistics is that the employee, his/ her co-workers and the business itself sustains losses as a result of a poor performance by a drug dependent. Therefore, there is a compelling reason to do drug testing like urinalysis or blood tests in order to deter and prevent substance abuse in workers, not just in public institutions but in all private and public businesses. Today, the law mandates that all companies dealing with the government should have a drug-free workplace (US DHHS, SAMSHA, 1994, p.1). Some states also have their own laws on drug testing, but the focus is on companies that deal with the State. I believe that a drug-free workplace program, i.e., urinalysis drug tests and blood tests, should be enforced on all workplaces regardless of public or private transactions with the government. Where substance abuse is deterred, employees who truly are under the influence will seek employment where such behaviour can be tolerated. Thus, the program will not be effective if there will be companies left that can tolerate substance abuse. According to Larson, et al. (2007), 90% of workers that are elicit drug users or alcohol abusers work for small and medium-sized businesses (cited in US DOL, 2010, p.2). Yet most of these businesses are not mandated, not organized and resourced enough to have a sustainable drug-free workplace programs. Since sm all businesses make up a significant part of the society, they should get all the help they can from the government, more so on the aspect of drug abuse enforcement. There is already an existing law on drug applicable to public institutions and to effectively combat drug abuse in society, this existing law on drug testing should just be expanded to

Whose Reality Essay Example for Free

Whose Reality Essay A child’s world is shaped by their parent’s reality.Jordan Djuric The birth of Prince George into the Royal family has created question on how a family who have rarely any privacy, could raise a child as normal as possible. The family could not even name George without approval from many others. But it brings up the question of, what is a â€Å"normal† upbringing anyway? If a normal upbringing is one which consists of two average paid parents, who live in a middle class suburban home, where they have two children who compete in several sports and go to an average school and grandparents who live close enough to see on a regular basis†¦ I’d say my childhood was not â€Å"normal† either. Although parents are an overwhelming influence in dictating the moulding of our reality, as we progress through childhood our friends and role models also guide us. Before the age of five children don’t really have a choice in the actions that they do. They are their parent’s puppets, although this is usually to guide and nurture this can also have negative repercussions for the child. Then as a child goes to school and starts to choose their own friends they then have peer pressure, which not only will they face when they are five but all the way through their life. Our first role model is the ones who we grow up with; our parents. The reason we learn to walk and to talk is because our first actions are to copy our role models and as we grow up this is our parents. But it’s not just these acts that we attain from our parent’s; we also gain our morals, our interests, who we support in sport and so on. A parent’s job is to love, nurture and teach their child until they learn independence, and what they teach is more than what is on the surface. The way we act depends on our parents, our mannerisms and even our facial expressions. In Spies, Stephen often makes it clear that Keith demonstrates his father’s attributes. Not just in looks â€Å"He smiled his father’s smile† but also in morals. Stephen, like his parents displays loyalty, human kindness and sympathy. The attributes that Stephen shows are a reflection of the nurture that he received while growing up. We learn from our parents, but children would also attain any negative attributes from their parents as well. It cannot be denied that a child’s friends have a big impact on the forming of independence. Although from birth till the age of 5 a child’s decision is their parents, as soon as a child begins school they start to be influenced by external sources. All through school and later peer pressure is there. Our friends can have an influence in the way that we think, the way we talk, our interests and hobbies. In Spies, Stephen is not the dominant figure in Keith and his relationship. â€Å"He was the leader and I was the led† so therefore Keith’s word was the law. Keith made the decisions in that relationship but Stephen had a clear idea in his mind of what he enjoyed and appreciated in life. Stephen acted to impress Keith; he uses the analogy when he finds the sock that it is he’s hunt that he will present to Keith for recognition. Keith shapes Stephen’s world for him, he persuades the way that Stephen perceives the word around him, for example saying that Mr Gort is a murderer. His friend dictates the way that Stephen sees the world. It is crucial for parents to set a good example for their children to mimic. If parents set bad examples then just as always their children will take them on board. In Death of a Salesman Willy’s acts; trying to shape Biff and Happy actually has negative consequences. There is no doubt that Willy is a good father and loves Biff and Happy but he has a very select idea in his minds of how his sons are and doesn’t take in their opinions. Biff can’t keep a job and becomes a kleptomaniac because his father made this impression on him when he was young. Happy continually seeks the approval from his idol; Willy. Willy’s distorted view of reality tries to shape Biff and Happy into something they don’t want to be. This has a detrimental effect on the outcome of Biff and Happy’s lives. Although Biff seems to have overcome his father’s pressures on his career choices, it is clear that Happy will never be able to become successful because of his father. If parents are too controlling this could lead to outlandish behaviour from the child. In â€Å"your shoes† by Michele Roberts it describes how a desperate and controlled adolescent had to escape the overwhelming force of her mum trying to guide her in the direction the mother wanted. In Spies, Keith copies his father more than just facial expressions. As he takes the â€Å"bayonet† to Stephen’s neck Stephen says â€Å"he’s seen this type of punishment before.† Keith has absorbed this abusive, dominant side from his father. Parents have the majority of the say as a child grows but friends have a big part as well. There is no doubt that parents do shape the reality of their children. It isn’t always for the best but they will absorb both the bad and the good sides of any action they see. It’s not just parents that these influences come from though; it is also the peers that children grow up around. View as multi-pages

Purchasing Power Parity Theory And Discuss Its Applicability Economics Essay

Purchasing Power Parity Theory And Discuss Its Applicability Economics Essay Purchasing Power Parity theory (PPP) is a basis for economic comparison. However, can this really be true for any product at any time? Is purchasing power parity (PPP) only valid in the long run, or is it also applicable in the short run, and what about the nature of the products, i.e. tradable and non-tradable goods? Which limitations are there to PPP? Purchasing power parity tries to explain why the real exchange rate between currencies is what it is. It is based on the law of one price which states that in different markets, identical goods should have the same price. For goods which are easily traded, such as steel and iron, prices should be identical within relevant range. The reason for this is that if  £100 could get you 10kg of iron in the domestic UK market, or 5kg in the foreign German market, one would expect people to buy iron in the UK and sell it in Germany for a profit, taken into consideration that shipping costs are negligible, and that the iron is of equivalent quality. Demand for UK iron would rise and demand for German iron would fall. In the long run this would result in prices for domestic UK iron to rise and for foreign German iron to fall. The equilibrium here would be that  £100 could buy you 7.5kg of UK iron, or 7.5kg German iron. As the currency used in the UK and Germany is different we need to know how many British pound we need in order to buy one Euro. If you need  £15 to get a haircut in the UK and you need à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬10,50 to buy the same quantity (one haircut) in Germany, then the real exchange rate would be  £1.43 per à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ found by the formula: which equals . This strength/purchasing power of one currency over another should be equal in the long run. Hence the name purchasing power parity. Rogoff argues that the difference between the actual currency exchange rate and the PPP exchange rate is.. PPP is only a theory as it cannot be proven to be correct, but until it is not disproved it is seen as a valid assumption. It is considered to be valid in the long run and not the short run, as people take time to realise and exploit profitable differences in markets which eventually leads to a long run market equilibrium. Michaely (1982) argues that the PPP, which originally came from Gustav Cassel, is indeed a monetary approach analysis; namely that it assigns the determination of the foreign-exchange rate to the money market alone, without allowing an explanatory role to the goods market and to goods prices. As the real exchange rates are affected by tradable goods as well as by services, different interest rates, speculators and investment, it is not the best method to compare the purchasing power of different currencies. Comparing GDP (gross domestic product) can be done if PPP is used to compare currencies on the bases on a basket of goods. We can differentiate goods and services in a basket of goods into two categories: tradable goods and non tradable/domestic goods. This is decided upon how easily transported/traded a good is as well as government policies such as bans, tariffs and quotas imposed on them. Tradable goods, (commodities) which are of equal quality no matter where they are produced, will be traded at a value close to the market exchange rate. Generally, any good that is easily transported belongs into this category. Highly tradable goods are raw materials such as gold, petrol, gas, oil and diamonds which have a high value. Non tradable goods that are produced and used by domestic consumers such as hairdressers, taxi costs, house rent, and books are hard to get exported, and as foreign people are unlikely to find a hairdresser whose price can compensate the costs of travelling, or move houses just because it is cheaper than the current one, the non tradable goods will be closer to the PPP exchange rate rat her than the actual market exchange rate. Whether a good is tradable or non-tradable does not only depend on how easily it can be transported. Books may be cheap in Germany and are easily transported, yet there is little demand in the UK for German books, as they are written in a different language. The same can be said about packaged food and laptops for certain countries that have different letters in their alphabet. Their PPP may be further away from the real exchange rate, as they would behave like non tradable goods. There are exceptions to this rule, such as expensive surgeries or medical care which is often much cheaper in east Europe than in west Europe. But are these of equal quality? The difference in price is due to different qualifications, less equipment and less experience. Eventually, in the long run, we would expect prices of east European doctors to rise, but there will still be a large enough price difference which is due to travel and quality difference. As PPP is based on a basket of goods and services, this already excludes ones that are not recorded. Many of these goods are not tradable, and hence are affected by the income level of these countries. However, there are goods in foreign countries that are purposely priced under international market price, in order to get a market share. For example, the German car manufacture Volkswagen produces cars in Germany and sells them in Poland for less than in Germany. Volkswagen does this because people in Poland earn less than in Germany, and they want to get a large market share. Some of these cars get re-imported into Germany to be sold under the domestic price. As Volkswagen cannot increase its price in Poland without losing customers and market share, car dealers in Germany will need to lower their prices in order to eventually get to equilibrium. Besides the obvious limitation to PPP that products are not always homogeneous, there is also the problem with apparent quality difference. A Product manufactured in England might be seen as of superior quality to the exact same product manufactured in China. Both products, even though they are equal, would have different equilibrium prices. PPP does not work in the short run, as people take time to take notice of opportunities to exploit differences in prices. It is only valid for highly tradable and valuable goods such as diamonds and gold, as these prices. Antweiler says that short run exchange rate movements are influenced by the news, such as announcements about interest rate changes, changes in the perception of the growth path of economic(2009). Pappell (1997) discusses that the difference between PPP and the real exchange rate can also depend on which countrys currency we base it on. This can happen because of regime changes or because governments are artificially interfering with the exchange rate in order to increase growth. Generally, the lower the income level of an economy is, the further away the PPP is from the real exchange rate, and the more an economy develops, the closer the PPP will be (RIETI 2003). An example of this would be China and its domestic currency Yuan whose exchange rate does not reflect the actual purchasing power of other currencies. This way they increase exports and have huge economic growth. With a common currency for multiple countries such as the Euro, it is easier to compare prices, as no calculations have to be made. The purchasing power of the euro is different across different Euro-countries (destatis, 2009). In theory, purchasing power parity theory is valid, yet its application has many limitations. It is an accurate explanation of why exchange rates change, but only for a certain basket of goods. Raw materials such as metals, diamonds and wood are easily traded and an international market equilibrium can be found fast. These goods are traded close to the real exchange rate. Non tradable goods such as packaged food are hard to trade and will be closer to the PPP exchange rate. Whether goods are of equal quality makes is a strong limitation to whether the chosen goods can really be compared. PPP is only a valid theory in the long run, as people take time to have to recognise and exploit the price differences. With a common currency across multiple countries such as the Euro, this reduces this greatly. Lastly government intervention with regulations, import taxes and tariffs affect the PPP as it makes buying foreign products more expensive.

Importance of Spyware Essay -- Computer Software

The Importance of Spyware â€Å"Spyware consists of computer software that gathers and reports information about a computer without the users’ knowledge or consent† (â€Å"Spyware†). Spyware is a major problem for many users. It causes problems with the setup and general operation of a computer. It is one of the most typical internet intruders today and many users are unaware of what spyware is and they do not know how to recognize or prevent it. Spyware is different than a computer virus because a virus travels into the computer system without permission from the user. Spyware may be obtained by clicking the â€Å"I agree† option on the installation agreement before actually reading the entire contract. Some examples of typical spyware include: Direct Revenue, Cydoor, Xupiter, XXXDial, and SpyKiller (â€Å"What is Spyware?†). Most spyware is the result of downloading documents from the Internet. In this respect, spyware is similar to a Trojan horse. Spy ware can also come from clicking the advertisement pop-up screens, and through email. According to National Cyber-Security Alliance, 90% of home PC’s have been infected with some type of Spyware (â€Å"Spyware†). In order to determine if a user has been infected with spyware, there are some vital signs to look for and recognize. There will be some defective functionality, where the spyware will keep track of the steps the user takes without the user’s knowledge of it. There is also a loss of privacy when spyware has infected a computer. The spyware can send private user information back to the Internet vendor; therefore it reduces the user privacy. There may also be an increased amount of pop-up advertisements on the computer screen while connected to the Inte... ... Anti-Spyware programs. Although spyware is a major problem for computer owners today, the advance of anti-spyware programs from software companies, along with help from the users, will ultimately aid in the termination of spyware altogether. Works Cited â€Å"How to Find, Remove, and Prevent Spyware, Internet Intruders, and Pop-Ups.† Los Angeles Chinese Learning Center. 3 April 2005. http://chinese-school.netfirms.com/computer-article-spyware-pop-ups.html â€Å"Microsoft AntiSpyware.† Wikipedia Encyclopedia. 3 April 2005. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_AntiSpyware â€Å"Spyware.† Wikipedia Encyclopedia. 3 April 2005. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spyware â€Å"What is Spyware?† PC Pitstop. 3 April 2005. http://www.pcpitstop.com/spycheck/whatis.asp

Eudora Weltys The Ponder Heart. :: Eudora Welty The Ponder Heart.

Eudora Welty's The Ponder Heart The critical essay "The Strategy of Edna Earle Ponder" by Marilyn Arnold expresses the idea that Edna Earle Ponder is sizing up the woman who has come to the Beulah Hotel, while her car is being fixed, as a potential new wife for Uncle Daniel. Arnold believes that the "narrative ear" is important character in the novel. Arnold argues that the listener is a young female who is naà ¯ve and shy and that Dean Earle utilizes her self-professed intelligence to get Uncle Daniel married again. By marrying again Uncle Daniel would come out of his reclusivness and be happy once more. She states:"Throughout the novel the adroit Edna Earle travels the course of her story selecting details meant to charm and impress a young woman and at the same time she sets forth the expectations that would govern a liaison between her guest and Daniel"(Arnold 70). According to Arnold, Edna Earle is completely disappointed in the two previous marriages of Uncle Daniel. As his protector and the one person who is concerned with his happiness "any further brides will be first sized up, then courted, then forewarned and foreordained by Daniel's niece and protector"(71). It is Edna's belief that Uncle Daniel can only be truly happy when he is in love. In the beginning of her tale Edna Earle gives her listener a plethora of favorable descriptions and accounts of Uncle Daniel. "Edna Earle is especially careful to stress Daniel's youthfulness in spite of fifty-plus years"(72). She also explains how she, Daniel's father, and the citizens of the town have handled Uncle Daniel. Arnold states:"Her narrative becomes in part a lesson on how to treat Daniel: that is, how to protect him and let him do whatever makes him happy"(73). Lastly, Arnold asserts that Edna Earle emphasizes how Uncle Daniel gave away almost all of the Ponder money. Eudora Welty's The Ponder Heart. :: Eudora Welty The Ponder Heart. Eudora Welty's The Ponder Heart The critical essay "The Strategy of Edna Earle Ponder" by Marilyn Arnold expresses the idea that Edna Earle Ponder is sizing up the woman who has come to the Beulah Hotel, while her car is being fixed, as a potential new wife for Uncle Daniel. Arnold believes that the "narrative ear" is important character in the novel. Arnold argues that the listener is a young female who is naà ¯ve and shy and that Dean Earle utilizes her self-professed intelligence to get Uncle Daniel married again. By marrying again Uncle Daniel would come out of his reclusivness and be happy once more. She states:"Throughout the novel the adroit Edna Earle travels the course of her story selecting details meant to charm and impress a young woman and at the same time she sets forth the expectations that would govern a liaison between her guest and Daniel"(Arnold 70). According to Arnold, Edna Earle is completely disappointed in the two previous marriages of Uncle Daniel. As his protector and the one person who is concerned with his happiness "any further brides will be first sized up, then courted, then forewarned and foreordained by Daniel's niece and protector"(71). It is Edna's belief that Uncle Daniel can only be truly happy when he is in love. In the beginning of her tale Edna Earle gives her listener a plethora of favorable descriptions and accounts of Uncle Daniel. "Edna Earle is especially careful to stress Daniel's youthfulness in spite of fifty-plus years"(72). She also explains how she, Daniel's father, and the citizens of the town have handled Uncle Daniel. Arnold states:"Her narrative becomes in part a lesson on how to treat Daniel: that is, how to protect him and let him do whatever makes him happy"(73). Lastly, Arnold asserts that Edna Earle emphasizes how Uncle Daniel gave away almost all of the Ponder money.

Stefan’s Diaries: The Craving Chapter 19

By the time we reached the Sutherlands', our horse's lips were covered in foam and its eyes were rolling back until they were ringed with white. â€Å"Not much of a racehorse,† he said carelessly, leaping down and giving it a pat on its neck. â€Å"Wouldn't surprise me if it dropped dead from the exertion.† I stepped out of the carriage, a putrid smell assaulting my nose as if the Thayers had taken up residence next to a slaughter yard. â€Å"I think he may already be dead,† I said gingerly. I took a deep breath and steadied myself. I had to be ready for whatever came next, be it Damon taking action against the Sutherlands or having to spend the night with my new bride. If that happened, it would be hard to keep my own promise of no more compelling humans†¦. Steeling myself, I headed for the door. â€Å"Not so fast, brother,† Damon said, putting a hand on my chest. Then he slipped it inside my waistcoat as lightly as a pickpocket, and pulled out the check Winfield had written me. â€Å"I'll be needing this,† he explained happily. â€Å"Oh yes. Money without the tracks,† I said bitterly. â€Å"Much less obvious than robbing a bank vault. So tell me, what about the cab driver? A dead man in the middle of the road – what about those tracks?† â€Å"Him? No one will notice him,† Damon said, obviously surprised by my interest. â€Å"Look around, Stefan. People die in the streets here all the time. He's no one.† Damon had become the type of vampire who had no problem with killing even when it didn't directly benefit him, and he committed murder at the drop of a hat. When I killed in my first days, it was always for thirst, or self-protection. Not for sport. And never simply for the kill. â€Å"Besides, it really, really irritated you,† he added with a grin. â€Å"And isn't that what it's all about?† He gave a little bow and indicated I should enter our new home first. Looking up at its beautiful gray walls and growling gargoyles, I wished no one had ever invited me in, that I had been forced to remain outside forever, a poor creature relegated to the park. And then somebody screamed. Damon and I both rushed in, practically tearing the door off its hinges in our effort to get through. Margaret was standing in the living room, white as a sheet, her hand over her mouth. And it was very obvious why. The entire place was spattered in what my spinning mind could only assume was black paint, until its smell hit my nose with the force of a truck: blood. Human blood. Gallons and gallons of it slowly dripping down the walls and congealing in pools on the floor. It threw me off guard, my vampire senses reeling from the sheer quantity. Damon held one hand over his face, as if trying to stifle the sensations, and pointed with his other hand. At first all I saw was a pair of stockinged legs askew on the rug, as if someone had too much to drink and fell down. Then I realized they weren't attached to a body. â€Å"No†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I whispered, sinking to my knees in horror. The bodies of Lydia, Bridget, Winfield, and Mrs. Sutherland were scattered around the room in pieces. The family I had married into to protect, the innocent humans I was trying to keep safe from Damon's psychopathic tendencies, were all dead. But they hadn't just been murdered – they had been torn apart and brutalized. â€Å"What did you do?† I growled at Damon, fury turning my eyes red and beginning the change. â€Å"What did you do?† I was going to rip his neck out. It was as simple as that. He was a monster, and I should have killed him long ago, long before he had a chance to destroy other people's lives. But Damon looked just as shocked as I felt. His ice-blue eyes were wide with unfeigned surprise. â€Å"It wasn't me,† he said. Margaret shot him a look that could have killed. The way he spoke it was as if he could have been him, just as easily – just not this time. â€Å"I believe you,† Margaret said softly, shaking her head in abject grief. I was surprised. Why, after all the questions, all the glares, all the arguments, why did she believe him now? Why, when she – again rightfully – assumed he was just after the money and had fled the moment the documents were dry, did she believe he wasn't the murderer? But oddly I believed him, if for no other reason than the callousness of his tone. As if she could read my thoughts, Margaret turned her eyes to me. â€Å"I can always tell when someone is lying,† she said simply. â€Å"It's a†¦ gift, I suppose.† I thought about what Bram had said – how Margaret had hurt him just by looking at him. I touched my ring, thinking of the witch, Emily, who'd cast a spell over it to protect me from the sun. Was it possible that Margaret had powers, too? I opened my mouth to ask her, but tears were leaking from her eyes. Now was not the time for an interrogation. Taking a deep breath I rose and went over to what was left of the bodies, trying to discover a clue or reason for the massacre. The other half of Mrs. Sutherland's body was sprawled on its belly next to the couch. One arm was stretched out, as if she were trying to get up, trying to crawl to her youngest daughter. Bridget's throat had been torn out and all of her limbs had been snapped in half. Her face was untouched, however. In death she looked like the little girl she really was, the soft rose of her cheeks slowly fading to an icy white, her lips opened slightly as if she were asleep. Her eyes, wide and green and clear as a china doll's, were still open in shock. I gently put my hand over her face and pulled her lids down. Lydia was frozen with a hand over her face, like an ancient Roman tomb carving, dignified even in death. I turned away from her ruined torso, the white bones of her back sticking through her cracked chest. Winfield looked like a big, slain animal, a buffalo brought down in its prime. There were surprisingly neat gashes down his side, like something had been trying to butcher him. Finally, I went over to Margaret and put my arms around her, turning her head so she wasn't staring at the scene of carnage anymore. She clung to me, but stiffened in surprise when my hand brushed the skin on the back of her neck. After a moment she pulled away. Shock seemed to slowly settle down over her features. She sank into a chair and regarded the room again, this time with a blank face. â€Å"They were like this when I arrived,† she began slowly. â€Å"I stayed at the Richards' longer than everyone else, looking for the two of you, trying to find someone who had seen you leave. Bram and Hilda and the usual gang had left earlier, planning some silly antics for your wedding night. A shivaree or something. I just assumed you two took off for Europe with your dowry.† â€Å"Europe,† Damon said thoughtfully. I glared at him. â€Å"The door was open,† she continued, â€Å"and the stench†¦Ã¢â‚¬  We fell into silence. I didn't know what to say or do. In ordinary, human circumstances, my first move would have been to get Margaret away from the house and call for help. â€Å"Did you call for the police?† I asked suddenly. Margaret met my gaze. â€Å"Yes. They'll be here soon. And they'll think it was you, you know.† â€Å"It wasn't,† Damon repeated. She nodded, not bothering to look at him. Her skin was milky pale, as if some of the life had gone out of her when her family had died. â€Å"I know, but you are not innocent, either.† â€Å"No, no, we are not,† Damon said in a distant voice, looking at Lydia's cold body. For a moment, his features softened and he looked almost like a human in mourning. Then, he shook his head, as if snapping himself out of a reverie. â€Å"Margaret, I'm sorry for your loss,† he said perfunctorily. â€Å"But Stefan and I must run.† â€Å"Why should I leave with you?† I challenged, the blood making my head spin, my thoughts whirling dizzily in my brain. â€Å"Fine, stay here, get arrested.† I turned to Margaret. â€Å"Are you going to be all right?† She gave me a look as if I was mad. â€Å"My entire family is dead.† Her voice quavered on the edge of sanity. I put my hand out and touched her shoulder, wishing I could say or do something. No one deserved this. But words wouldn't bring her family back. As Damon and I turned to go, the telltale clip clop of a police wagon pulling up in front of the house sounded, along with the firm orders of a chief directing his men. â€Å"Out the back,† I said. Damon nodded and we ran through the dining room and kitchen to the door that opened on the courtyard. My hand was just about to touch the doorknob when Damon grabbed me, finger to his mouth. He pressed himself up against the wall, indicating I should do the same. My predator's senses picked up what Damon had already figured out: There was a man, no, a pair of men, waiting silently outside with guns drawn, exactly prepared for us to escape that way. â€Å"I'll just quickly dispose of them,† Damon said. â€Å"No! Upstairs,† I whispered. â€Å"Window.† â€Å"Fine.† Damon sighed, and the two of us started to creep quietly up the servants' staircase. An explosive bang from the front hall made us freeze in our tracks. â€Å"You, upstairs, you and you, to the parlor!† A stern voice was barking orders. From the sounds of footsteps, an entire fleet of policemen was beginning to sweep through the house. Damon and I gave up any attempt at being quiet, storming up the stairs as fast as we could. There was a casement window at the top, which he threw open triumphantly, prepared to jump to freedom. Below, in the side yard, a dozen armed policeman stood, aiming rifles at the building. And with his drama, Damon had neatly alerted them all to our presence. Bullets began to fly. Though they would not kill us, they would slow us down. I threw myself to the floor, feeling the sting of lead graze my neck. â€Å"Coal chute,† I suggested. Without bothering to wait for an answer I streaked back downstairs with vampiric speed, my brother close behind. Police now swarmed all over the rooms on the main floor, but even those who caught a glimpse of us running to the cellar didn't quite know what they saw: blurry shadows, a trick of the eye. The darkness of the basement proved no problem for us, and in a split second we were in the coal room, behind the furnace. I forced open the tiny slanted door that led to the driveway and leaped out, turning to give my brother a hand. And that's when I felt the gun at my neck. I turned around slowly and raised my hands. A small crowd of New York's finest stood there, along with most of the neighborhood, who had come to watch the manhunt. Damon and I could, with little difficulty, have taken them all. And it looked like my brother was itching for a fight. I shook my head, whispering, â€Å"We'll draw far more attention resisting arrest right now.† The truth was, it would be far easier to escape later, when we didn't have a crowd gawking at us. Damon knew it as well as I did. Damon sighed a dramatic sigh and pulled himself out of the chute, leaping neatly to the ground. An officer strode forward bravely – but only once his men had our arms behind our backs and jostled us a bit, letting us know who was in charge. â€Å"You two are under arrest for grand larceny, murder, and anything else I can find that will have you hanging from a tree in Washington Square for the death of the Sutherlands,† the officer said through even, square teeth. They dragged us out, pushing more than was necessary. With shoves and a final kick each we were thrown into the back of a paddy wagon, and then the door was slammed behind us. â€Å"They were good people,† the chief hissed in Damon's face, through the bars. Damon shook his head back and forth. â€Å"I've had better,† he whispered to me. Through the bars of the wagon I stared back at the house I'd called home for the past week. Margaret stood framed in the doorway, her black hair stark against the glowing lights of the house. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she said something so softly that even my sensitive ears barely heard it. â€Å"Whoever did this will pay.†