The Golden Lily Chapter 20

GETTING TO TREY was easier said than done. A girl getting into the guys' dorm at normal hours would've been difficult enough. But after curfew? In the middle of the night? Nearly impossible. I had to resort to creative options and called Eddie while I was driving Adrian home. One thing I never had to feel guilty about was calling Eddie at any hour. He kept his ringer on (much to Micah's delight, no doubt), and I suspected he slept with the phone next to his pillow. â€Å"Yes?† Eddie's voice was alert and ready, as though he hadn't been asleep at all. That was just how he was. â€Å"I need you to go see if you can wake up Trey,† I told him. â€Å"Sonya's been kidnapped and is being held at some weird compound with a logo like Trey's tattoo. We need to find out what he knows.† This was the first time Eddie was hearing about Sonya's kidnapping, but he didn't ask for further information – or how I'd known her location. He knew she'd been in danger recently, and this quick message was enough to get him going. I didn't exactly know what would happen when Eddie did find Trey, seeing as there was no way I'd be able to talk to Trey myself until morning. Still, we had to start somewhere. â€Å"Okay,† said Eddie. â€Å"I'm on it. I'll call you back.† We disconnected, and I stifled a yawn. â€Å"Well, here goes nothing. Let's hope Eddie can find out something.† â€Å"Preferably without beating up Trey in the process,† said Adrian. He snuggled against the passenger seat, the only sign that he too was feeling tired from our late night. He'd long since converted from a vampire's nocturnal schedule. â€Å"Since that might limit how much we can find out.† I made a face. â€Å"If Trey's somehow involved with this, I'm not sure I want to take it easy on him. And yet†¦ I just can't believe he is.† â€Å"People fool each other all the time. Look at you. You think Trey knows you're part of a secret society helping to keep vampires hidden from the world?† â€Å"Actually†¦ yes.† I stopped at a red light and thought back on some of Trey's weird behaviors. â€Å"He knows Jill's a Moroi, I'm almost certain of it. He didn't notice right away, but when he did, he kept telling me to keep her hidden. Then after Sonya was attacked, he told me to stay safe.† A horrible realization was dawning on me. â€Å"He knew. He knew I was friends with Sonya. He probably knew about the attack and never said anything!† â€Å"Not a surprise if his group's working counter to yours.† Adrian's tone softened. â€Å"If it makes you feel better, it sounds like he was kind of conflicted if he was trying to warn you.† â€Å"I don't know that it does. Oh, Adrian.† I pulled up in front of his building and saw the yellow Mustang illuminated in the streetlight. â€Å"You left the car out. You're lucky it didn't get towed.† â€Å"I'll move it,† he said. â€Å"And don't look at me like that. It's within a half-mile radius. I'm not breaking your rules.† â€Å"Just be careful,† I muttered. He opened Latte's door and glanced back at me. â€Å"You sure you want to go back to the school? You'll be locked in until morning.† â€Å"Not much I can do until then anyway. I want to be there the instant I can get access to Trey. I'll trust in Eddie for now.† Adrian looked reluctant to leave me but finally nodded. â€Å"Call if you need anything. I'm going to keep trying to see if I can find Sonya in her dreams. Didn't have much luck earlier.† One of spirit's more disconcerting powers was the user's ability to intrude on the dreams of other people. â€Å"Is she just not asleep?† â€Å"That, or drugged.† Neither option made me feel any better. He gave me one last, lingering look before leaving. I returned to Amberwood where a sleepy student aide waved me in without comment. Mrs. Weathers had long since gone home, and her overnight coverage didn't seem particularly concerned about my comings and goings. As I was walking up the stairs, my phone rang. Eddie. â€Å"Well, it took forever, but I finally woke his roommate up,† he told me. â€Å"And?† â€Å"He's not there. I guess he wasn't last night either. Some kind of family emergency.† â€Å"No word on when he'll be back?† I was beginning to think all of Trey's â€Å"family stuff† might be more insidious than I'd guessed. I was also willing to bet he wasn't the only one with a sun tattoo. â€Å"No.† I DRIFTED IN AND OUT of sleep that night. My body was exhausted from the magic, but I was too on edge about Sonya to fully give in to the fatigue. I keep waking up and checking my cell phone, afraid I'd missed some call – despite the fact that it was on its loudest setting. I finally gave up and got out of bed a couple of hours before the cafeteria's breakfast began. By the time I'd showered and dressed – and put my coffee maker into high gear – I was back into open hours on campus. Not that it did me much good. I made two more calls after that, first to Spencer's to see if Trey was working. I didn't expect him to be, but it was a good excuse to see if he'd been there in the last couple of days. He hadn't been. My next call was to Stanton, reporting Sonya's disappearance. I told her we had a lead that connected one of my classmates to the vampire hunters and that Sonya was likely being held at a compound outside of town. I didn't elaborate on how I knew, and Stanton was distracted enough by the kidnapping in general to ask much more. At breakfast, I found my â€Å"family† sitting with Micah over at West's cafeteria. Eddie, Angeline, and Jill's troubled faces told me they all knew about Sonya. Micah was cheerfully chatting about something, and I had a feeling his presence was preventing the others from discussing what they really wanted to. When Micah turned to ask Eddie something, I leaned over and murmured to Jill, â€Å"Get him out of here.† â€Å"Tell him to go?† she whispered back. â€Å"If you need to. Or go with him.† â€Å"But I want to – â€Å" She bit her lip as Micah's attention returned to her. She looked unhappy about what she had to do, but soon put on the resolved expression that recently I'd often seen her wear. She nodded toward Micah's plate. â€Å"Hey, are you about done? I need to check on something with Miss Yamani. Will you come with me?† Micah brightened. â€Å"Of course.† Once the two of them were gone, I turned to Eddie and Angeline. â€Å"Any sign of Trey?† I asked. â€Å"No,† said Eddie. â€Å"I checked in again this morning. His roommate's starting to hate me. Can't say I blame him.† â€Å"This is driving me crazy!† I said, feeling like I could beat my head against the wall. â€Å"We're so close and yet helpless. Every minute that goes by is another that Sonya doesn't have.† He grimaced. â€Å"Are we sure she's alive?† â€Å"She was last night,† I said. Both Eddie and Angeline looked at me in amazement. â€Å"How do you know?† she asked. â€Å"Um, well, I – no way!† My jaw dropped as I stared past Eddie. â€Å"It's Trey!† Sure enough, a bleary-eyed Trey had just entered the cafeteria. Damp hair indicated a recent shower, but there were bruises and scrapes all over him that I could no longer attribute to football. Eddie was in motion before I could say another word, and Angeline and I were quick to follow. I half-expected Eddie to tackle Trey then and there. Instead, Eddie walked right in front of Trey and blocked him from entering the food line. I was just in time to hear Eddie say, â€Å"No breakfast today. You're coming with us.† Trey started to protest and then saw Angeline and me. Jill suddenly appeared as well, having apparently lost Micah. A sad look crossed Trey's features – almost defeated – and he gave a weary nod. â€Å"Let's go outside.† As soon as we'd cleared the door, Eddie grabbed hold of Trey and shoved him against the building. â€Å"Where's Sonya Karp?† Eddie demanded. Trey looked understandably surprised. Eddie was lean and muscled, but most people underestimated just how strong he was. â€Å"Eddie, back off!† I hissed, glancing around uneasily. I had the same urge, true, but our interrogation wouldn't get very far if a teacher came by and thought we were roughing up another student. Eddie released Trey and stepped back, but there was still a dangerous glint in his eyes. â€Å"Where's the compound you're holding her at?† That seemed to wake Trey out of his sluggish state. â€Å"How do you know about that?† â€Å"We'll ask the questions,† said Eddie. He didn't touch Trey again, but his proximity and posture left no question he would go to extremes if needed. â€Å"Is Sonya still alive?† Trey hesitated, and I almost expected a denial of knowledge. â€Å"Y-yes. For now.† Eddie snapped again. He grabbed the front of Trey's shirt and jerked him close. â€Å"I swear, if you and your messed-up associates lay one hand on her – â€Å" â€Å"Eddie,† I warned. For a moment, Eddie didn't move. Then, reluctantly, he released Trey's shirt, but stayed where he'd been standing. â€Å"Trey,† I began, keeping the same reasonable tone I'd just used with Eddie – after all, Trey and I were friends, right? â€Å"You have to help us. Please help us find Sonya.† He shook his head. â€Å"I can't, Sydney. It's for your own good. She's evil. I don't know what trick she's played on you or how she's got this illusion going on that hides her true identity, but you can't trust her. She'll turn on you. Let us – let us do what we need to.† The words were all correct, right in line with the Warriors' propaganda. But, there was something in the way Trey spoke, something about his posture†¦ I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was that made me question him. People teased me about my inability to pick up on social cues, but I was almost certain he wasn't entirely on board with whatever this group wanted him to do. â€Å"This isn't you, Trey,† I said. â€Å"I know you well enough to know. You wouldn't kill an innocent woman.† â€Å"She's not innocent.† There it was again – that mix of emotions. Doubt. â€Å"She's a monster. You know about them. You know what they can do. Not ones like her.† He nodded toward Jill. â€Å"But the others. The undead ones.† â€Å"Does Sonya look undead?† asked Eddie. â€Å"You see any red eyes?† â€Å"No,† Trey admitted. â€Å"But we have other reports. Witnesses who saw her in Kentucky. Reports of her victims.† It was hard to keep a calm face through that. I'd actually seen Sonya when she was Strigoi. She'd been terrifying, and given half a chance, she would have killed my companions and me. It was hard to accept that when one turned into a Strigoi, they weren't in control of their senses or soul. They lost touch with their humanity – or whatever Moroi had – and weren't the same as they'd once been. Sonya had done terrible, terrible things, but she was no longer that creature. â€Å"Sonya changed,† I said. â€Å"She's not one of them anymore.† Trey's eyes narrowed. â€Å"That's impossible. You're being deceived. There's some kind of†¦ I don't know†¦ dark magic going on.† â€Å"This isn't getting us anywhere,† growled Eddie. â€Å"Call Dimitri. Between the two of us, we'll get him to tell us where this compound's at. I've broken into a prison. Getting into this place shouldn't be that much harder.† â€Å"Oh, you think so?† A humorless smile crossed Trey's features. â€Å"That place is surrounded with an electric fence and packed with armed men. Plus, she's heavily secured. You can't just walk in there.† â€Å"Why is she still alive?† asked Angeline. She seemed to realize how weird that sounded and was quick to elaborate. â€Å"That is†¦ I mean, I'm glad she is. But if you think she's so evil, why didn't you finish her off?† She glanced at my friends and me. â€Å"Sorry.† â€Å"It's a good question,† Eddie told her. Trey took a long time in answering. I had a feeling he was torn between keeping the group's secrets and wanting to justify his actions to us. â€Å"Because we're all being tested,† he said finally. â€Å"To see who's worthy of performing the kill.† â€Å"Oh my God,† said Jill. â€Å"Hence all your bruises recently,† I said. My fears of domestic abuse weren't far off, really. â€Å"You're competing to kill a woman who's done nothing to you.† â€Å"Stop saying that!† Trey cried, truly looking distraught. â€Å"She's not innocent.† â€Å"But you're not so sure,† I said. â€Å"Are you? Your eyes aren't telling you what your hunter friends are.† He evaded the accusation. â€Å"My family expects this of me. We all have to try – especially after we messed up the alley attack. We lost our authorization to kill her then, which is why the council ordered these trials to redeem ourselves and prove we were up to it.† Getting â€Å"authorization† to kill someone was sickening, but it was the rest of what he said that made me do a double take. â€Å"You were there,† I said in disbelief. â€Å"In the alley, and – and it was you! You're the one who grabbed me!† It came back to me now, my assailant's surprise and hesitation. Trey's face confirmed as much. â€Å"I knew you were friends with them. I can tell by looking at all of you, although I didn't figure you two out right away.† That was to Eddie and Angeline. Trey turned back to me. â€Å"I recognized your tattoo the first time we met. I just ignored it because I didn't think you were involved in anything that I was. I thought you only hung out with harmless vampires, so I didn't expect you to be there that night. I never wanted you to get hurt. I still don't, which is why you need to let this go.† â€Å"I'm tired of this,† said Eddie. It was a wonder he'd been patient this long. â€Å"We need to bust down the doors of that place and – â€Å" â€Å"Wait, wait.† An idea was forming in my head – and it was another crazy one. â€Å"Trey, you said Eddie couldn't just walk into that place. But could I?† â€Å"What are you talking about?† asked Trey, a mix of suspicion and confusion on his face â€Å"You know what I am. You know what I do.† Trey nodded. â€Å"Our two groups used to be united. Those guys who stopped me on the street even said they thought we should all be working together. The Warriors want Alchemist resources.† â€Å"So, what†¦ you want a trade?† asked Trey, frowning. â€Å"No. I just want to talk to this council of yours. I want to explain why Sonya isn't†¦ er, why she doesn't look the way she used to. There's a Moroi who uses a certain kind of magic who could even show you – â€Å" â€Å"No,† said Trey immediately. â€Å"None of them would be allowed inside. They're tolerated, but that's it. You hybrids wouldn't be allowed either.† Again, he spoke to Eddie and Angeline. I'd never heard the term hybrids used, but the meaning was clear. â€Å"Okay,† I said. â€Å"Only humans. I'm human. Your group wants to work with my group. Let me go with you. Unarmed. I'll talk to your leaders and – â€Å" â€Å"Sydney, no,† protested Eddie. â€Å"You can't go there alone! They tried to decapitate Sonya, for God's sake. And remember what Clarence said about radicals stalking him?† â€Å"We won't hurt humans,† said Trey adamantly. â€Å"She'd be safe.† â€Å"I believe you,† I told him. â€Å"And I know you wouldn't ever let anything happen to me either. Look, aren't you curious about why Sonya is the way she is? Can you take the chance your people are making a mistake? You said you tolerate Moroi. She's one of them. Let me explain. I'm not asking for anything else except a chance to speak.† â€Å"And a guarantee of safety,† added Angeline, who looked almost as outraged as Eddie. He nodded at her words. â€Å"You guys are big on the honor stuff, right? You'd have to promise she'd be safe.† â€Å"Honor's what makes us do what we do,† said Trey. â€Å"If we promise she'll be safe, she will be.† â€Å"Then ask them,† I urged. â€Å"Please? Won't you do this for me? As my friend?† A pained look crossed Trey's features at that. He'd hinted before that he owed me for helping end the illicit tattoo ring last month. That would obligate any friend, let alone one instilled with a rigid sense of honor. I knew then, too, that more than honor was on the line here. Trey and I were friends – with more in common than I'd ever realized. We both were part of groups that wanted to control our lives, often in ways we didn't like. We also had domineering fathers. If Trey and I didn't have such opposing goals, we might have laughed about all this. â€Å"I'll ask,† Trey said. Something told me he too was thinking of our similarities. â€Å"Because it's you. But I can't make any promises.† â€Å"Then ask now,† growled Eddie. â€Å"We don't have time to waste. And I'm guessing Sonya doesn't either.† Trey didn't deny it. I hesitated, suddenly wondering if this was a smart choice. What would happen if we let Trey out of our sight? Would it be better if we really did drag him to Dimitri? And Sonya†¦ how much time did she have left? â€Å"Now,† I reiterated to Trey. â€Å"You have to get in touch with them now. Don't go to class.† It was probably the first and only time I'd say those words. â€Å"I swear,† said Trey. â€Å"I'll call them now.† The bell rang, ending our meeting. Although, if we'd had the chance to save Sonya at that moment, I knew each of my friends would have walked off campus then and there. We let Trey go, and he headed back toward his dorm, not toward our classes. Angeline – newly free from suspension – departed with Jill while Eddie and I walked to history. â€Å"That was a mistake,† he said, face grim as he stared at where Trey had gone. â€Å"For all we know, he's going to disappear, and we'll have lost any chance we had at getting Sonya back.† â€Å"I don't think he will,† I said. â€Å"I know Trey. He's a good person, and I could tell that even if he thinks Strigoi need to be exterminated, he's not 100 percent sure of Sonya. He'll do what he can. I think he's feeling torn right now, caught between what they've told him his whole life and what he's starting to see with his own eyes.† Sound like anyone else you know? an inner voice asked. I'd sort of hoped that Trey would give me an answer right away – say, by chemistry. But he wasn't there either or anywhere else at school the day. I supposed these things took time, and my patience and faith were rewarded at the end of the day with a text from him: Still checking. Some are willing to talk. Others need convincing. Eddie didn't take Trey's message as concrete proof when I showed it to him, but I didn't think Trey would've said anything if he'd skipped town. Eddie wanted to get together with Dimitri and discuss strategy on this new development. So, we decided to take a group trip downtown. I sent the summons to our family to meet outside the East dorm in a half hour. Jill was the first one to arrive, and she came to a halt when she saw me. â€Å"Wow, Sydney†¦ your hair.† I glanced up from where I'd been answering a text from Brayden, telling him I couldn't hang out this weekend. â€Å"What about it?† â€Å"The way those layers are styled. They perfectly complement your face.† She was looking at me in that weird way again. â€Å"Well, yeah,† I said, hoping to change the subject. â€Å"It's a, um, good haircut. Sorry we had to get rid of Micah earlier.† It took her a few seconds, but my distraction snapped her out of the hair-induced trance. â€Å"Oh, no. It's okay. I mean, things are getting weirder between us anyway.† â€Å"Oh?† Micah had seemed as chipper as ever, the last time I saw him. â€Å"You guys are still having problems?† â€Å"Well†¦ I guess I am. I really like him. I love hanging out with him and his friends. But I just keep getting reminded of how nothing can happen with us. Like, this morning. There's a whole other world we have going that he can't be a part of. And I can't stand the thought of lying to him or keeping him out of my life. I might have to do it†¦ for real. End things. I know I've kind of said that before, but now I mean it.† â€Å"We're here for you if you do,† I said. I technically meant it, but if Jill came sobbing to me afterward, I wasn't entirely sure what I should say. Maybe I could find a book on appropriate breakup counseling techniques before she did the deed. A wry smile crossed her face. â€Å"You know what's silly? I mean, I don't want to go jumping from one guy to another – and I do still care about Micah – but I'm starting to notice what a really good guy Eddie is.† â€Å"He's a great guy,† I confirmed. â€Å"Moroi and dhampirs being together are discouraged when they're older, but now†¦ I mean, I knew some who got together at St. Vladimir's.† She gave an embarrassed laugh. â€Å"I know, I know†¦ I shouldn't even be thinking like that. One guy at a time. But still†¦ the more I see Eddie – he's just so brave and so confident. He'd do anything for us, you know? He's like some storybook hero in real life. But he's so dedicated, he'd probably never be interested in someone like me. No time for dating.† â€Å"Actually,† I said, â€Å"I think he'd be very interested in you.† Her eyes widened. â€Å"Really?† I wanted to tell her everything. Instead, I chose my words carefully, unwilling to give away his secrets after he'd spoken to me before about letting him handle his own personal affairs. â€Å"He talks all the time about how smart and competent you are. I think he'd definitely be open to something.† He also talked about how he wasn't worthy of her love, but that resolve might fade if Jill actively went after him. She grew lost in thought, and no more was said on the topic when Eddie and Angeline came walking up. We drove into town, and I dropped Jill and the two dhampirs off at Adrian's while I ran a few errands. Waiting for Trey was agonizing, and I needed distraction. Plus, I was low on some Alchemist supplies and wanted to make sure I was up to full strength before any venture into the Warriors' camp. My phone rang as we were wrapping up. It was Trey, and I stepped outside an herbal store to take the call. â€Å"Okay,† he said. â€Å"You're good to go. They'll meet with you tonight – just you.† Anxiety and excitement raced through me. Tonight. It seemed surprisingly soon, yet that was exactly what I wanted. We needed to get Sonya out of there. â€Å"I'll take you there at seven,† Trey continued. â€Å"And†¦ well, I'm sorry†¦ but you'll have to go blindfolded. And I'll be checking to make sure no one follows us. If they do, everything's off.† â€Å"I understand,† I said, though a blindfold certainly made the venture scarier. â€Å"I'll be ready. Thank you, Trey.† â€Å"Also,† he added, â€Å"we want the sword back.† I made arrangements for him to pick me up at Adrian's, since I had a feeling Dimitri and Eddie would have a lot to say to me beforehand. In fact, I called them as soon as I was off the phone with Trey, to give them a heads-up. I also called Stanton to give her an update. It occurred to me I should have checked with her sooner, but I'd wanted a definitive answer from Trey first. â€Å"I don't like the idea of you going alone,† she said. â€Å"But it does seem unlikely they'd hurt you. They really do seem to stay away from humans – us in particular. And if there's a chance to get Karp out of there†¦ well. That would save us a lot of fallout with the Moroi.† Stanton's tone told me, however, that even if she thought I'd be safe, she wasn't so optimistic about Sonya. â€Å"Be careful, Miss Sage.† Adrian's apartment was filled with tension when I arrived. Dimitri, Eddie, and Angeline were clearly agitated, probably because they were being left out of the action. Adrian, surprisingly, looked upset too, though I couldn't figure out why. Jill watched him with concern, and they kept staring at each other, unseen messages undoubtedly passing to her through the bond. At last, he averted his gaze, like he was ending a conversation. Jill sighed and walked toward the others in the kitchen. I started to speak to Adrian, but Eddie beckoned me forward. â€Å"We're debating on whether to give you a weapon or not,† he said. â€Å"Well, the answer is ‘not,†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ I said immediately. â€Å"Come on, they're blindfolding me. Do you think they won't search me for weapons too?† â€Å"There must be a way,† said Dimitri. Since we were in air conditioning, he wore the duster. â€Å"I can't let you go in there defenseless.† â€Å"I'm not in danger,† I said, feeling like I'd been repeating the same thing all day. â€Å"They might be crazy, but Trey says if they give their word, they'll stick to it.† â€Å"Sonya doesn't have those guarantees,† Dimitri pointed out. â€Å"No weapon is going to help me save her,† I said. â€Å"Except for my reasoning. And I'm armed with that about as well as I can be.† The dhampirs still didn't seem happy. They went back to arguing amongst themselves, and I left them to find some water. Adrian called to me from the living room. â€Å"There's diet pop in there.† I opened the refrigerator. Sure enough, it was stocked with all kinds of pop. And, in fact, it had more food than I'd ever seen. Another benefit of Nathan Ivashkov's generosity. I grabbed a can of Diet Coke and joined Adrian on the couch. â€Å"Thanks,† I said, opening the can. â€Å"This is the next best thing you could have to gelato.† He raised an eyebrow. â€Å"Gelato? Sounds like dessert to me, Sage.† â€Å"It is,† I admitted. The mundane topic was comforting amidst all the tension. â€Å"It's kind of your fault for bringing it up yesterday. Now I can't stop thinking about it. I wanted some at dinner last night, and Brayden talked me out of it – which is probably why I'm even more obsessed with it. Ever had that happen? Once you can't have something, you want it that much more.† â€Å"Yes,† he said bitterly. â€Å"It happens all the time.† â€Å"Why are you so down? You think I should have a weapon, too?† With Adrian, it was really hard to guess where his moods would go. â€Å"No, I get your point, and I think you're right,† he said. â€Å"Not that I like the idea of you going there at all.† â€Å"I have to help Sonya,† I said. He studied me and smiled. â€Å"I know you do. I wish I could come with you.† â€Å"Oh yeah? You going to protect me and carry me out of there like you threatened to do last night?† I teased. â€Å"Hey, if that's what it takes. You and Sonya. I'll toss one of you ever each shoulder. Pretty manly, huh?† â€Å"Very,† I said, happy to see him joking again. His amusement faded, and he became serious again. â€Å"Let me ask you something. Which is scarier: walking into a den of crazy, murdering humans or being with safe – though kind of wacky – vampires and half vampires? I know the hang-up you Alchemists have with us, but is the loyalty to your own race so strong that†¦ I don't know†¦ that the people themselves don't matter?† It was a surprisingly deep question for Adrian. It also echoed my trip to the Alchemist bunker to see Keith. I was reminded of how Keith's father hadn't cared about his son's moral character so long as it meant Keith wasn't on good terms with vampires. I also thought back to the alley and how obstinate the Warriors were about hearing any truth but their own. And finally, I looked over at the dhampirs arguing in the kitchen, continuing to brainstorm covert ways of keeping Sonya and me safe, no matter the risk. I turned back to Adrian. â€Å"I'd take the vampires. Loyalty to one's kind can only go so far.† Something in Adrian's face transformed, but I hardly paid it any attention. I was too struck by the realization that the words I'd just uttered were akin to high treason in the Alchemists. Eddie and Angeline left later to get us dinner, and I let them take my car, so long as Eddie drove. While they were gone, Dimitri tried to drill in some more self-defense techniques, but it was hard to learn very much in so short a time. I kept thinking of Wolfe warning us to avoid dangerous places. What would he say about me walking into a den of armed vampire hunters? Eddie and Angeline were gone for a while and finally returned, angry at how long the restaurant had taken. â€Å"I didn't think we weren't going to be back in time,† said Eddie. â€Å"I was afraid you wouldn't get food before your mission.† â€Å"I don't even know if I can eat,† I admitted. Despite my earlier brave words, I was starting to grow nervous. â€Å"Oh, you can keep those in case you need the car.† He'd walked over to my purse with the keys and dropped them in anyway. â€Å"Are you sure?† â€Å"Positive.† He shrugged and then fished the keys out again. Adrian, to my surprise, watched him with narrowed eyes and seemed upset about something. I couldn't keep up with his moods today. He stood up and walked over to Eddie. After a few moments, they moved even farther away and seemed to be having a whispered argument, one that involved a few glances at me. Everyone else looked uncomfortable and suddenly jumped in with any conversation topics they could find. I could only stare back and forth, feeling like I had missed something important. Trey called me at seven on the dot, saying he was waiting out front. I rose from my chair and picked up the sword, taking a deep breath. â€Å"Wish me luck.† â€Å"I'll walk you out,† said Adrian. â€Å"Adrian,† warned Dimitri. Adrian rolled his eyes. â€Å"I know, I know. Don't worry. I promised.† Promised what? Nobody elaborated. There wasn't far to walk since he lived on the ground floor, but when we stepped outside, he caught hold of me, his hands resting on my arms. A jolt went through me, both at the touch and the unexpected gesture. His only displays of tenderness were usually with Jill. â€Å"Sage,† he said. â€Å"For real. Be careful. Don't be a hero – we've got plenty of them back there. And†¦ no matter what happens, I want you to know that I never doubted what you're going to do. It's smart, and it's brave.† â€Å"You sound like it's already happened and failed,† I said. â€Å"No, no. I just†¦ well, I want you to know that I trust you.† â€Å"Okay,† I said, feeling a little puzzled. I again had the feeling that I wasn't being told something. â€Å"Hopefully my plan will work.† I needed to walk away, out of Adrian's grasp, but couldn't quite do it. I was hesitant to go, for some reason. There was safety and comfort there. Once I left, I really was walking into the lion's den. I lingered a few moments more, safe in the circle we made, and then reluctantly slipped away. â€Å"Please be careful,† he repeated. â€Å"Come back safe.† â€Å"I will.† On impulse I took off my cross necklace and pressed it into his hand. â€Å"This time, keep it for real. Hold onto it until I return. If you get too worried, look at it and know that I'll have to come back for it. It goes really well with khakis and neutral colors.† I worried he would give it back, but he simply nodded and squeezed the cross tight. I walked away, feeling slightly vulnerable without it, but hoped it reassured him. My discomfort suddenly seemed like a small thing. I wanted Adrian to be okay. I got into the passenger seat of Trey's car and immediately gave him the sword. He looked about as miserable as he had earlier. â€Å"You sure you want to go through with this?† Why did everyone keep asking me that? â€Å"Yes. Absolutely.† â€Å"Let me see your cell phone.† I handed it over, and he turned it off. He gave it back, along with a blindfold. â€Å"I'll trust you to put this on yourself.† â€Å"Thanks.† I started to slip it on and then, on impulse, looked back toward the building one last time. Adrian was still standing there, hands in his pockets, face concerned. Seeing my gaze, he managed a small smile and raised one hand in†¦ what? Farewell? A benediction? I didn't know, but it made me feel better. The last thing I saw was the flash of the cross in the sunlight, just before I covered my eyes with the blindfold. I was plunged into darkness.

Opening Case.

I researched the entrepreneurial story of giftzip. com. This is about Giftzip. com by Sam Hogg who is the founder. He took MBA course from Michigan State University. When he took the courses he and friend thought about waste and discarded plastic gift card and he decided to make it online. After he gets MBA degree he established Giftzip. com and he makes large choice to buy gift card from $25~$250 on the net. Also recipient gets gift card by redeem code or e-mail from the company that they look at it.Sam Hogg has difficulty with big retailer such as amazon. com he almost gave up when he failed to make a deal with them. However he waited the time comes and luckily his business turned succeed. In fall 2008 gift market grows, people are more prefer to buy gift card on the internet and feel comfortable. It turns Giftzip as successful company and in 2009 Giftzip designated as 10 hot startups to watch. And Gift card industry expected to top $100 billion.Reread the opening case, and then li st all the smart or effective moves Sam Hogg made in the early days of building GiftZip. com. Which three moves were most instrumental in GiftZip. com’s early success? Be prepared to justify your selections. 1. He did what others didn’t do before. – (Challenging) 2. He continues to control his company whether it will be succeed or be fail. And he got luck to succeed it. 3. As Sam’s entrepreneurship he believes that his idea/work will be succeed.

The Unnamed Man s Imminent Downfall - 1522 Words

Garrett Wight Prof. Ian Storey English 101 28 October 2015 The Unnamed Man’s Imminent Downfall Some people tend to not look at the entire picture when evaluating another person and depicting their personality and attitude. While evaluating the man in â€Å"To Build a Fire† that was traveling to â€Å"the boys†, it can be inferred that he had many flaws in his personality and in his attitude (London 549). Others might have been blinded by the other pieces of evidence suggesting he was a hero, an intelligent man, or a great outdoorsman. This unnamed man, who has no name for a purpose, is depicted as stubborn and unaffected by obvious warnings of danger in the very beginning of the story. It can be argued that this man is a fool because he†¦show more content†¦(London 548) Wight 2 The man was unaffected by the severity of his surroundings. He recognized them exactly for what they were and not for how they would affect him. His egotism masked the reality of human beings being frail in comparison to nature. London uses the concept of repetition to establish the fact of the cold in the reader’s mind and to also show how the cold â€Å"deprived him initially of a will, then of desires, and at last of life itself† (Mitchell 80). This repetition marks stupidity in the fact that the man does not learn from his mistakes; in fact, he rather continues to justify his decisions based on his egocentric mindset. Usually when a person is given advice from an older and wiser person, they accept and use the advice. This man refused the advice given to him by the man from Sulphur Creek. He recollected when the old man told him how cold it got sometimes, and the man laughed at the thought. Once again, after he fell into the freezing water, he remembered the old man telling him that no man should travel alone in 50 below 0 weather or colder. After escaping the cold water, he had made a fire to warm himself up; all was going well. This made him think how â€Å"womanish† the old man was and how much of a manly man he, himself was (London 553). Soon, thereafter, his fire was put out by the snow on a tree because of his recklessness when gathering sticks for the fire. After that he realized

Why Vaccination Should Be Mandatory - 875 Words

There has been an ample amount of dispute over the morality, effectiveness and the safety of vaccination ever since the original smallpox vaccine over two centuries ago. Parents, teachers, children and health care specialists all have a vital stake in this debate. Parents believe they should have the right to make the decision on whether or not to vaccinate their children. While health care officials disagree, claiming that by not vaccinating, all children will be susceptible to the vaccine-preventable diseases. Megan Heimer discusses the risk of vaccinating a child and that it should not be mandatory in her article, â€Å"The Hate Debate†. Although Megan Heimer writes a relatively convincing argument, I strongly disagree. I believe that vaccination should be mandatory. It is a parents’ responsibility to protect our children and future generations from these preventable diseases. The purpose of Heimer’s article is to let the readers know that it is the parents r ight to decide whether or not to vaccinate their child, and parents should not be ridiculed for making this decision. She starts her introduction with animosity writing, â€Å"I am sick of it – this vaccination debate.† (Heimer). Heimer is a certified Naturopath which is someone who believes in self-healing practices. It is plain to see how strong her beliefs are as she tries to persuade parents to refuse vaccinating because of the unnatural ingredients that are components of the vaccine. Her article seems bash health careShow MoreRelatedWhy Vaccination Should Be Mandatory1453 Words   |  6 Pages Why Vaccines Should be Required to Attend School Nundi Hall-Travis GND 1015: First Year Seminar November 21, 2015 Why Vaccines Should be Required to Attend School Ever since the invention of the first smallpox vaccine more than two centuries ago, there has been plenty of controversy over the morality, ethics, effectiveness, and safety of vaccination and immunization. It has recently been argued whether laws should be introduced that render some or all vaccines obligatory for allRead MoreWhy Vaccinations Should Be Mandatory929 Words   |  4 Pageshuge debate across our country for many years now. Vaccinations should be mandatory and children should be completely up to date with all vaccinations before being allowed to attend school. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Michigan has one of the highest vaccine waiver rates in the country (Parker, 2014). 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Plagiarism - 738 Words

Avoiding Plagiarism Many people think of plagiarism as intentional cheating, and believe that someone must be intending to steal someone elses work and take credit for it as his own in order to be plagiarizing that material. However, the reality is that plagiarism is both more complex and simpler than that definition. Plagiarism is using someone elses work and representing it as ones own, but it is a more serious offense than simply copying from another person. Borrowing someones words or ideas is permissible, as long as the person receives credit for creating those original concepts. Plagiarism goes beyond borrowing. It is trying to use someone elses work product as ones own. In other words, plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone elses work and lying about it afterward (What is plagiarism?, n.d.). Therefore, there is an intent to defraud that occurs in plagiarism. However, that intent to defraud can be inferred from the circumstances of the writing, which is why it is possible for people to inadvertently plagiarize. Currently, there is a huge debate in American society about the sanctity of intellectual property and whether or not words or ideas can actually be stolen, or whether it is absurd to suggest the ownership of such intangible ideas. Right now, in the United States, The expression of original ideas is considered intellectual property, and is protected by copyright laws, just like original inventions. Almost all forms ofShow MoreRelatedPlagiarism : Plagiarism And Plagiarism815 Words   |  4 Pages There are many types of plagiarism, including several scenarios of inadvertent and deliberate plagiarism. This essay will discuss how plagiarism is defined, the various types of plagiarism, why plagiarism is such a serious problem, the impact of the internet on academic integrity, and how plagiarism can be avoided. 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Plagiarism is using someone else’s work, words, production, researches and ideas without the approval or the acknowledgment of the writer or producer, and claiming the credit for himself. Many reasons and factors are attributed for the use of plagiarism and could be cultural, historical, linguistic, environmental and educational background. Plagiarism is a form of an academic dishonesty, academic misconduct, and a digital cheating. It is declared to be an unacceptable legal actRead MorePlagiarism And The Consequences Of Plagiarism1379 Words   |  6 Pages In this paper we will cover plagiarism. We will cover a brief history of plagiarism and look at the different types of plagiarism, as well as compare and contrast the different types. We will also look at who is most prone to plagiarize and why. We will also discuss the role plagiarism plays in academia and the consequences to plagiarizing. Webster’s online Dictionary defines plagiarism as â€Å"to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one s own: use (another s production) withoutRead MorePlagiarism And Academic Integrity : Plagiarism1305 Words   |  6 PagesPlagiarism is a topic that is consistently brought up in many areas of education.1 In every syllabus presented to students, there is a section that refers to plagiarism and academic integrity. Plagiarism can be defined as â€Å"the act or instance of stealing or passing off ideas or words of another as one’s own.†2 Despite this being an important piece of information; students may overlook this material and still plagiarize. In a study from the University of Toronto, 90% of senior pharmacy students admittedRead MorePlagiarism2189 Words   |  9 PagesPlagiarism: Why it Continues to Occur? Darian Camacho English 111, Section 11 Professor Coulter March 21, 2013 Plagiarism: Why it Continues to Occur? 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Case Study Optima Operations Management free essay sample

Watch survey was conducted among security and law enforcement executives by CSO magazine in cooperation with the United States Secret Service and the Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute’s CERTÂ ® Coordination Center. Case Study Efficient Service Production with Optima The company Mitec Group The Mitec Group has 12 years of experience in the area of voice network management. The Group has a proven track record from supplying scalable management solutions for Voice Managed Services. The Challenge An increasing number of enterprises decide to buy managed services or completely or partly outsource the voice infrastructure and IT responsibility. The customers are today far more exposed to a complex voice/data infrastructure. Following this, an increasing number of customers are getting increasingly conscious about service quality and require better and measurable service level agreements. Service quality is more and more an actual measurable parameter. Consequently the price of service agreement will depend upon both agreed and supplied quality of service. The Challenge is to compose a good service offering at a reasonable price. To achieve this it is crucial to industrialize the production of services. Operations Management Today, services are to a great extend executed manually. Many of these service tasks are repetitive, time consuming and tedious. In addition, the service tasks are of such a nature that competence and experience is required to perform the actual service. As a consequence, skilled technicians are designated to perform relatively basic work. In many cases this turns out to be expensive and wrong deployment of valuable resources. Experience shows that an average service task takes up to 20 minutes to perform. This is because different persons execute the various tasks at different times with varying routines. Additionally critical information such as equipment passwords, inventory data and traffic analysis data are stored on different places, making it difficult to administer efficiently. In addition the human factor may lead to nonfulfilment of obligations defined in service contract, i. e. password changes, back-ups etc. Once a service task has been defined, Optima will ensure that the task is properly executed at the agreed time. Centralised and streamlined production As a result of long experience from service production in the European Managed Services market, the Mitec Group has developed a framework to cater for automation of timeconsuming service tasks. The target is to reduce the amount of manually executed service tasks to a minimum at the same time as releasing knowledge and resources for more complex and revenue generating tasks. The powerful Optima Framework is an engine, which allows multiple executions of different service tasks without human intervention other than initial configuration. Optima is normally placed in the Network Operations Centre (NOC) for centralised configuration, execution and administration of customer data from different sources. Optima therefore enables efficient data sharing with other 3rd party solutions for further processing. One common source for information With the centralised Optima for all data capture and storage, both technicians and sales personnel have one common source for information about customer premises equipment. With all customer data in one place, the administration of and access to vital information will be made significantly easier. Additionally information can easily be shared with other 3rd party solutions to further enhance value of existing data. The robust Optima Framework enables automation of service tasks on different equipment types. The flexible Plug-in solution also facilitates definition of new plugins. Fast ROI Optima enables automated execution of repetitive service tasks without human intervention except than the initial configuration of the task. Optima can run one or multiple service tasks, e. g. during hours with low traffic. Consequently, the more you utilise Optima the quicker you will achieve a ROI. Taken into account that a service task ay take 20 minutes to perform, Optima will provide the same service within a fraction of time. Case example Assumptions Service task to be performed: 50 remote sites Manual service time per site: Manual intervention per site with Optima: Hourly cost per technician: Password change 20 minutes 2 minutes EUR 55, 917, 92, Cost for manual password change: 50 x 20 minutes = approx 16 hours x EUR 55 = EUR Cost for automated password change: 50 x 2 minutes = 1,6 hours x EUR 55 = EUR Saving per operation = EUR 825, Saving per year (x12) = EUR 9. 00, Optima key features WEB based configuration and administration. Optima offers an intuitive GUI for easy configuration of new single or multiple service task executions Flexible Plug-in architecture The flexible Plug-in architecture enables fast and easy add-on of new service task plug-ins. Scalable and module based Optima can run with either one or multiple plug-ins. The solution is designed for scalability and grows with your requirements. Easy scheduling of multiple tasks Optima allows the user to define concurrent service task execution on different customers. Integrated reporting and email notification in case of errors Optima facilitates a sophisticated report manager which displays all pending service tasks as well as any unsuccessful attempts. In case of errors Optima may forward an email notification. Key benefits Optima increases efficiency through automated services Significant reduction of manual operations.

The Truman Show Essays - Truman, The Truman Show, Harry S. Truman

The Truman Show The Truman show: Is life a Truman show? By saying that life is a Truman show, I'm saying that life is perfectly planned, with a structure and a fixed destiny?it may even be a lie. The Truman show is a movie in which the main character is the protagonist of a show without knowing anything. Truman is being filmed twenty four hours a day, but he doesn't know it. Everyone he knows, are actors and are with him only because they are paid for doing so. This surely seems very different to our lives; it's just fiction. But it may be very similar in several aspects if we analyze it little bit. We may seem free to decide, to choose who do we meet, and to do several things, but there is always someone that can prevent us from achieving something that is not convenient for him. Although this may seem to be a truly paranoid ideal, there are several ?important? people which have a lot of power and can control our lives as they want to. By this I am not saying that they are planning every ones life, but they can surely manage to take a population to where ever they want, and they do not care if people suffer, or if people die, as long as they can earn money it is all right. What the producer of the show did to Truman, is in a way the same that the governments and the world's Oligarchy does to us at every moment, through out our whole lifes. The Studio didn't care of how much could Truman suffer, or how morally bad was what they were broadcasting, as long as people pay, it was all right. In our life the same tings happen, over and over again. No one on a government cared if people died in a war, they may have been their people, but they wouldn't care. They fought a war for a matter of power, but I have never seen any president fighting in a world war. Another way in which life can be compared to the Truman show is that when Truman tried to escape from his ?life?, he was set up with several traps, which made it very hard for him to live, and they even tried to kill him. In Argentina, while the military government was in power, several people tried to change the things, but not one could achieve their goal, and almost all of them disappear. To round up, our life IS in several ways a Truman show, but it only give amusement to a few, and brings pain to several who does not disserve it.