Profile of Panama for Spanish Students

Introduction: Panama historically has had closer ties with the United States than any country in Latin America other than Mexico. The country is known best, of course, for the Panama Canal, which the United States built for both military and trade purposes at the start of the 20th century. The United States maintained sovereignty over parts of Panama until 1999. Vital Statistics: Panama covers an area of 78,200 square kilometers. It had a population of 3 million at the end of 2003 and a growth rate of 1.36 percent (July 2003 estimate). The life expectancy at birth is 72 years. The literacy rate is about 93 percent. The countrys gross domestic product is about $6,000 per person, and a little more than a third of the people live in poverty. The unemployment rate was 16 percent in 2002. Main industries are the Panama Canal and international banking. Linguistic Highlights: Spanish is the official language. About 14 percent speak a creole form of English, and many residents are bilingual in Spanish and English. About 7 percent speak indigenous languages, the largest of them being Ngà ¤berre. There are also pockets of Arabic and Chinese speakers. Studying Spanish in Panama: Panama has several small language schools, most of them in Panama City. Most of the schools offer home stays, and costs tend to be low. Tourist Attractions: The Panama Canal is on most visitors must-see list, but those coming for extended stays can find a wide variety of destinations. They include beaches on both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, Darien National Park and cosmopolitan Panama City. Trivia: Panama was the first Latin American country to adopt the U.S. currency as its own. Technically, the balboa is the official currency, but U.S. bills are used for paper money. Panamanian coins are used, however. History: Before the Spanish arrived, what is now Panama was populated by 500,000 or more people from dozens of groups. The largest group was the Cuna, whose earliest origins are unknown. Other major groups included the Guaymà ­ and the Chocà ³. The first Spaniard in the area was Rodrigo de Bastidas, who explored the Atlantic coast in 1501. Christopher Columbus visited in 1502. Both conquest and disease reduced the indigenous population. In 1821 the area was a province of Colombia when Colombia declared its independence from Spain. Building a canal across Panama had been considered as early as the mid 16th century, and in 1880 the French tried — but the attempt ended in the death of some 22,000 workers from yellow fever and malaria. Panamanian revolutionaries secured Panamas independence from Colombia in 1903 with military support from the United States, which quickly negotiated the rights to build a canal and exercise sovereignty over land on both sides. The U.S. started construction of the canal in 1904 and finished the greatest engineering achievement of its time  in 10 years. Relations between the U.S. and Panama in coming decades were strained, largely due to popular Panamanian bitterness over the prominent role of the U.S. In 1977, despite controversies and political snags in both the U.S. and Panama, the countries negotiated an agreement turning over the canal to Panama at the end of the 20th century. In 1989, U.S. President George H.W. Bush sent U.S. troops to Panama to oust and capture Panamanian President Manuel Noriega. He was forcefully brought to the United States, put on trial for drug trafficking and other crimes, and imprisoned.   The treaty turning over the canal was not fully accepted by many political conservatives in the United States. When a ceremony was held in Panama in 1999 to formally turn over the canal, no senior U.S. officials attended.

Mbembas Psychological Tactics Essay - 1316 Words

Portuguese missionaries and trading partners were among the first to meet Africans along the coast of the Atlantic. It was one of these kings, the king of the West African state of Congo, Nzinga Mbembas father, that provided a coastal settlement for the Portuguese. Adopting Christianity for the nation, including the baptizing of both himself and his son, there seemed to be an alliance between the two nations, as seen in the introduction of Nzinga Mbembas, â€Å"Appeal to the King of Portugal, 1526†. However, after Nzinga Mbemba took the throne, trouble began to arise in Congo due to the Portuguese pushing boundaries that threatened to devastate the nation. This is when the king of Congo wrote a letter to the king of Portugal, which used a†¦show more content†¦The pushing of boundaries ends in in the action of thieving the natives of the land, regardless of who they are. The Portuguese took anyone that they wished to, including both freemen and non-freemen, regardless of if they were â€Å"sons of the land† or â€Å"the sons of noblemen and vassals...† (Mbemba 635). The king of Congo, in an effort to quell this sequence of actions regarding the theft of ones in his nation, sets place a law that limits who may be taken and who may not (Mbemba 636). However, this does little good for the nation. In fact, its brought to light that the Portuguese merchants complain to be offended by such a measure (Mbemba 636). It begins to become obvious that the king of Congo is losing control of the Portuguese merchants in his own country, and also his power of the nation as a whole. By presenting the cause of distress, as well as what has been done to avoid an unsavory situation, the king of Congo presents himself as virtually blameless in the fall of the loss of his own power and for the disintegration of his own country, while positioning the king of Portugal in such a way as to lay blame. The letter was written up in such a way as the king of Po rtugal would feel guilty about what is happening in Congo and would take responsibility for what was happening in the country. The king of Congo makes it clear that the people from

Essay on Fear of Death - 1654 Words

Death it is something we all must face at one point in our lives or another. It is either a death of a loved one, friend or co-worker. Sometimes it’s the devastation from a natural disaster. No matter what makes us face the idea of death it is how we handle this realization that truly matters. When Gilgamesh is faced with the horrendous loss of his dear friend and comrade Enkidu he begins to fear death. In Gilgamesh’s youth he is proud without fear of death, it is not until he watches his friend die that his own mortality becomes a fear. The story begins showing Gilgamesh as a strong warrior as shown when he first meets Enkidu who wants to stop Gilgamesh from having relations with a woman on her wedding night. â€Å"They grappled each†¦show more content†¦Later when Gilgamesh is told by the elders that the quest is technically his death warrant he laughs and says â€Å"I am afraid† (28) this showing that he does not fear death at this point in ti me. When they finally reach Humbaba they begin to fight when Gilgamesh states â€Å"Forget about death† (39) here we see that Gilgamesh is saying death is not an issue. They are there to fight and not worry about the consequences even if it is death. Towards the end of the battle Humbaba realizes he will lose and begins to beg for mercy. He pleads with Gilgamesh to spare his life while Enkidu tells him to finish him off. When Gilgamesh finally decides to carry out with the orginal plan Humbaba cures them both saying â€Å"May the pair of them never reach old age† (43) this is basically saying may they day at a young age. At this point Gilgamesh does not seem to be shaken with the words of Humbaba and finishes him off. After this battle Gilgamesh offends Ishtar by refusing her prosal, she then convinces the Bull of Heaven to go after them. Enkidu and Gilgamesh kill the bull which causes the Gods to decide that one of them must die, they agree that Enkidu must di e. At this point Gilgamesh begins to believe that death is for the living since they will mourn for those who die. At this point he still is not showing any fear of death while trying to comfort his friend with â€Å"left mourning for theShow MoreRelatedFear Of Death : The Fear Of Death705 Words   |  3 PagesFear of Death Thantophobia, the fear of death, has an affect on 68% of the U.S. population in some way or another. â€Å"Some people fear being dead, while others are afraid of the actual act of dying† (Thantophobia). Throughout history, many different assumptions of death have occurred, leading people to be curious of what is true and what is not. This may be why most pieces of writing use the fear of death somehow in their story. â€Å"An almost universal fear, death recurs in literature more thanRead MoreOn the Fear of Death860 Words   |  4 PagesThe Fear Of Death The title On The Fear Of Death, caught my eye as I was skimming the text for a story. After some thought, I concluded that the word death means more to me than most of my peers. I grew up as the daughter of a hard working man, one with an uncommon occupation. My father is a mortician. On The Fear Of Death intrigued me because many adopt such a negative view of death. Kubler-Ross takes the concept of death and embraces it, perhaps allowing her to ease her own fear of mortalityRead MoreSocrates : The Fear Of Death1717 Words   |  7 PagesPhil 10200 Cai 06/16/2017 Socrates on The Fear of Death In Plato’s â€Å"Apology†, Plato captures the arguments that Socrates makes about death. Socrates attitude towards the fear of death was a thought or imagination based on the limitation of our knowledge for we do not know about the truth of something without experiencing, and not on its facts. Socrates believes people should not fear death, and he calls the fear of death to be false wisdom. This statement Socrates proves it based on the followingRead MoreThe Inevitability And Fear Of Death1111 Words   |  5 PagesMarie Fithian Callender World Lit 5 February 2015 The Inevitability and Fear of Death The Epic of Gilgamesh is full of themes in which the force of love, fear of death, and power of the Gods are portrayed. The theme of death and the inevitability of it are not only just themes but are themes that reflect on who Gilgamesh is as a character. Death is an inevitable and inescapable fact of human life, in which Gilgamesh is determined to overcome by becoming immortal. Because Gilgamesh is known for hisRead MoreThe Fear Of Death And Dying993 Words   |  4 PagesOne of the most common fears is thanatophobia, the fear of death and dying. Perhaps that’s because the want to live is a natural instinct that controls human behavior; the fear of death is ancient and primal, permanently wired into our genetic programming. 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Socrates does not seem to explain this; he simply summarizes that if you lead a life, such as seeking true wisdom, the idea of fear does not exist. What completely is death? He explains it as the separation of the soul and body, but is there actually more to that? For instance, what occurs to your body once you are liberated? How can the soul be called pure if it taintedRead MoreEssay On Gilgamesh And Fear Of Death1115 Words   |  5 Pagesachieve fame and glory. In this case, Gilgamesh believes that the value of life is to be remembered after death. Gilgamesh’s mortality and fear of death reflect on his human side and is consistent with the human condition of fearing death. However, Enkidu views death differently. Gilgamesh ro uses Enkidu with a speech, explaining to him that since all men die anyway, they should not fear death. Enkidu does not see the significance of making a name for himself as he believes it puts a mockery of theRead MoreI Do Not Fear Death911 Words   |  4 PagesMark Twain once said, â€Å"I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it.† This class has taught me so much about the importance of death and the conversations about this topic. At end of life, it’s crucial to have a game plan, whether it be the legacy you’ll leave behind, preparing for the great unknown, or even spending one’s last moments with loved ones. The end of life discussion deals with moreRead MoreThe Fear Of Death By Mark Twain2055 Words   |  9 PagesAs Mark Twain said, â€Å"The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.† Mary Oliver in her poem embraces the same idea that Mark Twain presents in his quote; she is no longer afraid of death because she embraces life fully and accepts the fact that death will come, and when it does come she will be proud of her life and all that she has accomplished. Oliver’s use of symbolism, personification, repetition, and alliteration throughout the poem

What Makes A Bio Printer - 1905 Words

Almost everyone has seen one of those doctor shows where the patient is waiting for a kidney but the wait is too long and they die. This is always the most depressing part of these movies because you had started to associate and connect with the patients. What if it did not have to end like that? What if the patient gets the dearly needed kidney in time and lives a nice full life? Sounds like the plot to an ordinary feel good movie but that could never happen in real life, right? Scientists and engineers everywhere have found a way to make this dream true by making a bio printer. What’s a bio printer you may ask? Well, a bio printer is a printer that prints living tissue. Sounds gross, right? Well yes and no. Yes in the fact we are†¦show more content†¦This is why a biological printer would be such an amazing tool in the medical field, the ethics have been highly questioned, however, the benefits of having such a machine and the efficiency of this new technology would completely outweigh any of the doubts one might have on their mind. To understand a bio printer, one must first understand the normal inkjet printer. This is the machine you go and make copies with in the office. The way an inkjet works is fairly simple: there is a robotic arm in the printer that runs over the paper spraying ink on the paper to form an image; a normal 3D printer will do the same. They have a robotic arm that swooshes back and forth building up a physical model. So when the hurdle of a bio printer was first addressed, scientists tried to make a normal 3D printer shoot out cells on a plate, eventually building up a group of cells in a graft or (whatever was being attempted at the time.) The rate of cell survival, according to the Australian Broadcasting Network is 95 percent. This is absolutely incredible. This method is more effective than even the original way: implanting another person’s bones or organs into the patient, which has an extremely high risk of infection, it also has a chance for the body just to reject it and send antibodies to kill the new organ. Although the ink jet method is an effective method, it is not the most practical. There is a different method that was invented because the ink jet method still destroys a

The Twilight Saga 2 New Moon Chapter 24 VOTE Free Essays

HE WAS NOT PLEASED, THAT MUCH WAS EASY TO READ in his face. But, without further argument, he took me in his arms and sprang lithely from my window, landing without the slightest jolt, like a cat. It was a little bit farther down than I’d imagined. We will write a custom essay sample on The Twilight Saga 2: New Moon Chapter 24 VOTE or any similar topic only for you Order Now â€Å"All right then,† he said, his voice seething with disapproval. â€Å"Up you go.† He helped me onto his back, and took off running. Even after all this time, it felt routine. Easy. Evidently this was something you never forgot, like riding a bicycle. It was so very quiet and dark as he ran through the forest, his breathing slow and evendark enough that the trees flying past us were nearly invisible, and only the rush of air in my face truly gave away our speed. The air was damp; it didn’t burn my eyes the way the wind in the big plaza had, and that was comforting. As was the night, too, after that terrifying brightness. Like the thick quilt I’d played under as a child, the dark felt familiar and protecting. I remembered that running through the forest like this used to frighten me, that I used to have to close my eyes. It seemed a silly reaction to me now. I kept my eyes wide, my chin resting on his shoulder, my cheek against his neck. The speed was exhilarating. A hundred times better than the motorcycle. I turned my face toward him and pressed my lips into the cold stone skin of his neck. â€Å"Thank you,† he said, as the vague, black shapes of trees raced past us. â€Å"Does that mean you’ve decided you’re awake?† I laughed. The sound was easy, natural, effortless. It sounded right. â€Å"Not really. More that, either way, I’m not trying to wake up. Not tonight.† â€Å"I’ll earn your trust back somehow,† he murmured, mostly to himself. â€Å"If it’s my final act.† â€Å"I trust you,† I assured him. â€Å"It’s me I don’t trust.† â€Å"Explain that, please.† He’d slowed to a walkI could only tell because the wind ceasedand I guessed that we weren’t far from the house. In fact, I thought I could make out the sound of the river rushing somewhere close by in the darkness. â€Å"Well† I struggled to find the right way to phrase it. â€Å"I don’t trust myself to be enough. To deserve you. There’s nothing about me that could hold you.† He stopped and reached around to pull me from his back. His gentle hands did not release me; after he’d set me on my feet again, he wrapped his arms tightly around me, hugging me to his chest. â€Å"Your hold is permanent and unbreakable,† he whispered. â€Å"Never doubt that.† But how could I not? â€Å"You never did tell me† he murmured. â€Å"What?† â€Å"What your greatest problem is.† â€Å"I’ll give you one guess.† I sighed, and reached up to touch the tip of his nose with my index finger. He nodded. â€Å"I’m worse than the Volturi,† he said grimly. â€Å"I guess I’ve earned that.† I rolled my eyes. â€Å"The worst the Volturi can do is kill me.† He waited with tense eyes. â€Å"You can leave me,† I explained. â€Å"The Volturi, Victoria they’re nothing compared to that.† Even in the darkness, I could see the anguish twist his faceit reminded me of his expression under Jane’s torturing gaze; I felt sick, and regretted speaking the truth. â€Å"Don’t,† I whispered, touching his face. â€Å"Don’t be sad.† He pulled one corner of his mouth up halfheartedly, but the expression didn’t touch his eyes. â€Å"If there was only some way to make you see that I can’t leave you,† he whispered. â€Å"Time, I suppose, will be the way to convince you.† I liked the idea of time. â€Å"Okay,† I agreed. His face was still tormented. I tried to distract him with inconsequentials. â€Å"Sosince you’re staying. Can I have my stuff back?† I asked, making my tone as light as I could manage. My attempt worked, to an extent: he laughed. But his eyes retained the misery. â€Å"Your things were never gone,† he told me. â€Å"I knew it was wrong, since I promised you peace without reminders. It was stupid and childish, but I wanted to leave something of myself with you. The CD, the pictures, the ticketsthey’re all under your floorboards.† â€Å"Really?† He nodded, seeming slightly cheered by my obvious pleasure in this trivial fact. It wasn’t enough to heal the pain in his face completely. â€Å"I think,† I said slowly, â€Å"I’m not sure, but I wonder I think maybe I knew it the whole time.† â€Å"What did you know?† I only wanted to take away the agony in his eyes, but as I spoke the words, they sounded truer than I expected they would. â€Å"Some part of me, my subconscious maybe, never stopped believing that you still cared whether I lived or died. That’s probably why I was hearing the voices.† There was a very deep silence for a moment. â€Å"Voices?† he asked flatly. â€Å"Well, just one voice. Yours. It’s a long story.† The wary look on his face made me wish that I hadn’t brought that up. Would he think I was crazy, like everyone else? Was everyone else right about that? But at least that expressionthe one that made him look like something was burning himfaded. â€Å"I’ve got time.† His voice was unnaturally even. â€Å"It’s pretty pathetic.† He waited. I wasn’t sure how to explain. â€Å"Do you remember what Alice said about extreme sports?† He spoke the words without inflection or emphasis. â€Å"You jumped off a cliff for fun.† â€Å"Er, right. And before that, with the motorcycle† â€Å"Motorcycle?† he asked. I knew his voice well enough to hear something brewing behind the calm. â€Å"I guess I didn’t tell Alice about that part.† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Well, about that See, I found that when I was doing something dangerous or stupid I could remember you more clearly,† I confessed, feeling completely mental. â€Å"I could remember how your voice sounded when you were angry. I could hear it, like you were standing right there next to me. Mostly I tried not to think about you, but this didn’t hurt so muchit was like you were protecting me again. Like you didn’t want me to be hurt. â€Å"And, well, I wonder if the reason I could hear you so clearly was because, underneath it all. I always knew that you hadn’t stopped loving me.† Again, as I spoke, the words brought with them a sense of conviction. Of rightness. Some deep place inside me recognized truth. His words came out half-strangled. â€Å"You were risking your life to hear† â€Å"Shh,† I interrupted him. â€Å"Hold on a second. I think I’m having an epiphany here.† I thought of that night in Port Angeles when I’d had my first delusion. I’d come up with two options. Insanity or wish fulfillment. I’d seen no third option. But what if What if you sincerely believed something was true, but you were dead wrong? What if you were so stubbornly sure that you were right, that you wouldn’t even consider the truth? Would the truth be silenced, or would it try to break through? Option three: Edward loved me. The bond forged between us was not one that could be broken by absence, distance, or time. And no matter how much more special or beautiful or brilliant or perfect than me he might be, he was as irreversibly altered as I was. As I would always belong to him, so would he always be mine. Was that what I’d been trying to tell myself? â€Å"Oh!† â€Å"Bella?† â€Å"Oh. Okay. I see.† â€Å"Your epiphany?† he asked, his voice uneven and strained. â€Å"You love me,† I marveled. The sense of conviction and Tightness washed through me again. Though his eyes were still anxious, the crooked smile I loved best flashed across his face. â€Å"Truly, I do.† My heart inflated like it was going to crack right through my ribs. It filled my chest and blocked my throat so that I could not speak. He really did want me the way I wanted himforever. It was only fear for my soul, for the human things he didn’t want to take from me, that made him so desperate to leave me mortal. Compared to the fear that he didn’t want me, this hurdlemy soulseemed almost insignificant. He took my face tightly between his cool hands and kissed me until I was so dizzy the forest was spinning. Then he leaned his forehead against mine, and I was not the only one breathing harder than usual. â€Å"You were better at it than I was, you know,† he told me. â€Å"Better at what?† â€Å"Surviving. You, at least, made an effort. You got up in the morning, tried to be normal for Charlie, followed the pattern of your life. When I wasn’t actively tracking, I was totally useless. I couldn’t be around my familyI couldn’t be around anyone. I’m embarrassed to admit that I more or less curled up into a ball and let the misery have me.† He grinned, sheepish. â€Å"It was much more pathetic than hearing voices. And, of course, you know I do that, too.† I was deeply relieved that he really seemed to understandcomforted that this all made sense to him. At any rate, he wasn’t looking at me like I was crazy. He was looking at me like he loved me. â€Å"I only heard one voice,† I corrected him. He laughed and then pulled me tight against his right side and started to lead me forward. â€Å"I’m just humoring you with this.† He motioned broadly with his hand toward the darkness in front of us as we walked. There was something pale and immense therethe house, I realized. â€Å"It doesn’t matter in the slightest what they say.† â€Å"This affects them now, too.† He shrugged indifferently. He led me through the open front door into the dark house and flipped the lights on. The room was just as I’d remembered itthe piano and the white couches and the pale, massive staircase. No dust, no white sheets. Edward called out the names with no more volume than I’d use in regular conversation. â€Å"Carlisle? Esme? Rosalie? Emmett? Jasper? Alice?† They would hear. Carlisle was suddenly standing beside me, as if he’d been there all along. â€Å"Welcome back, Bella.† He smiled. â€Å"What can we do for you this morning? I imagine, due to the hour, that this is not a purely social visit?† I nodded. â€Å"I’d like to talk to everyone at once, if that’s okay. About something important.† I couldn’t help glancing up at Edward’s face as I spoke. His expression was critical, but resigned. When I looked back to Carlisle, he was looking at Edward, too. â€Å"Of course,† Carlisle said. â€Å"Why don’t we talk in the other room?† Carlisle led the way through the bright living room, around the corner to the dining room, turning on lights as he went. The walls were white, the ceilings high, like the living room. In the center of the room, under the low-hanging chandelier, was a large, polished oval table surrounded by eight chairs. Carlisle held out a chair for me at the head. I’d never seen the Cullens use the dining room table beforeit was just a prop. They didn’t eat in the house. As soon as I turned to sit in the chair, I saw that we were not alone. Esme had followed Edward, and behind her the rest of the family filed in. Carlisle sat down on my right, and Edward on my left. Everyone else took their seats in silence. Alice was grinning at me, already in on the plot. Emmett and Jasper looked curious, and Rosalie smiled at me tentatively. My answering smile was just as timid. That was going to take some getting used to. Carlisle nodded toward me. â€Å"The floor is yours.† I swallowed. Their gazing eyes made me nervous. Edward took my hand under the table. I peeked at him, but he was watching the others, his fate suddenly fierce. â€Å"Well,† I paused. â€Å"I’m hoping Alice has already told you everything that happened in Volterra?† â€Å"Everything,† Alice assured me. I threw her a meaningful look. â€Å"And on the way?† â€Å"That, too,† she nodded. â€Å"Good,† I sighed with relief. â€Å"Then we’re all on the same page.† They waited patiently while I tried to order my thoughts. â€Å"So, I have a problem,† I began. â€Å"Alice promised the Volturi that I would become one of you. They’re going to send someone to check, and I’m sure that’s a bad thingsomething to avoid. â€Å"And so, now, this involves you all. I’m sorry about that.† I looked at each one of their beautiful faces, saving the most beautiful for last. Edward’s mouth was turned down into a grimace. â€Å"But, if you don’t want me, then I’m not going to force myself on you, whether Alice is willing or not.† Esme opened her mouth to speak, but I held up one finger to stop her. â€Å"Please, let me finish. You all know what I want. And I’m sure you know what Edward thinks, too. I think the only fair way to decide is for everyone to have a vote. If you decide you don’t want me, then I guess I’ll go back to Italy alone. I can’t have them coming here.† My forehead creased as I considered that. There was the faint rumble of a growl in Edward’s chest. I ignored him. â€Å"Taking into account, then, that I won’t put any of you in danger either way, I want you to vote yes or no on the issue of me becoming a vampire.† I half-smiled on the last word, and gestured toward Carlisle to begin. â€Å"Just a minute,† Edward interrupted. I glared at him through narrowed eyes. He raised his eyebrows at me, squeezing my hand. â€Å"I have something to add before we vote.† I sighed. â€Å"About the danger Bella’s referring to,† he continued. â€Å"I don’t think we need to be overly anxious.† His expression became more animated. He put his free hand on the shining table and leaned forward. â€Å"You see,† he explained, looking around the table while he spoke, â€Å"there was more than one reason why I didn’t want to shake Aro’s hand there at the end. There’s something they didn’t think of, and I didn’t want to cine them in.† He grinned. â€Å"Which was?† Alice prodded. I was sure my expression was just as skeptical as hers. â€Å"The Volturi are overconfident, and with good reason. When they decide to find someone, it’s not really a problem. Do you remember Demetri?† He glanced down at me. I shuddered. He took that as a yes. â€Å"He finds peoplethat’s his talent, why they keep him. â€Å"Now, the whole time we were with any of them, I was picking their brains for anything that might save us, getting as much information as possible. So I saw how Demetri’s talent works. He’s a trackera tracker a thousand times more gifted than Jarres was. His ability is loosely related to what I do, or what Aro does. He catches the flavor? I don’t know how to describe it the tenor of someone’s mind, and then he follows that. It works over immense distances. â€Å"But after Aro’s little experiments, well† Edward shrugged. â€Å"You think he won’t be able to find me,† I said flatly. He was smug. â€Å"I’m sure of it. He relies totally on that other sense. When it doesn’t work with you, they’ll all be blind.† â€Å"And how does that solve anything?† â€Å"Quite obviously, Alice will be able to tell when they’re planning a visit, and I’ll hide you. They’ll be helpless,† he said with fierce enjoyment. â€Å"It will be like looking for a piece of straw in a haystack!† He and Emmett exchanged a glance and a smirk. This made no sense. â€Å"But they can find you,† I reminded him. â€Å"And I can take care of myself.† Emmett laughed, and reached across the table toward his brother, extending a fist. â€Å"Excellent plan, my brother,† he said with enthusiasm. Edward stretched out his arm to smack Emmett’s fist with his own. â€Å"No,† Rosalie hissed. â€Å"Absolutely not,† I agreed. â€Å"Nice.† Jasper’s voice was appreciative. â€Å"Idiots,† Alice muttered. Esme just glared at Edward. I straightened up in my chair, focusing. This was my meeting. â€Å"All right, then. Edward has offered an alternative for you to consider,† I said coolly. â€Å"Let’s vote.† I looked toward Edward this time; it would be better to get his opinion out of the way. â€Å"Do you want me to join your family?† His eyes were hard and black as flint. â€Å"Not that way. You’re staying human.† I nodded once, keeping my face businesslike, and then moved on. â€Å"Alice?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Jasper?† â€Å"Yes,† he said, voice grave. I was a little surprisedI hadn’t been at all sure of his votebut I suppressed my reaction and moved on. â€Å"Rosalie?† She hesitated, biting down on her full, perfect bottom lip. â€Å"No.† I kept my face blank and turned my head slightly to move on, but she held up both her hands, palms forward. â€Å"Let me explain,† she pleaded. â€Å"I don’t mean that I have any aversion to you as a sister. It’s just that this is not the life I would have chosen for myself. I wish there had been someone there to vote no for me.† I nodded slowly, and then turned to Emmett. â€Å"Hell, yes!† He grinned. â€Å"We can find some other way to pick a fight with this Demetri.† I was still grimacing at that when I looked at Esme. â€Å"Yes, of course, Bella. I already think of you as part of my family.† â€Å"Thank you, Esme,† I murmured as I turned toward Carlisle. I was suddenly nervous, wishing I had asked for his vote first. I was sure that this was the vote that mattered most, the vote that counted more than any majority. Carlisle wasn’t looking at me. â€Å"Edward,† he said. â€Å"No,† Edward growled. His jaw was strained tight, his lips curled back from his teeth. â€Å"It’s the only way that makes sense,† Carlisle insisted. â€Å"You’ve chosen not to live without her, and that doesn’t leave me a choice.† Edward dropped my hand, shoving away from the table. He stalked out of the room, snarling under his breath. â€Å"I guess you know my vote.† Carlisle sighed. I was still staring after Edward. â€Å"Thanks,† I mumbled. An earsplitting crash echoed from the other room. I flinched, and spoke quickly. â€Å"That’s all I needed. Thank you. For wanting to keep me. I feel exactly the same way about all of you, too.† My voice was jagged with emotion by the end. Esme was at my side in a flash, her cold arms around me. â€Å"Dearest Bella,† she breathed. I hugged her back. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Rosalie looking down at the table, and I realized that my words could be construed in two ways. â€Å"Well, Alice,† I said when Esme released me. â€Å"Where do you want to do this?† Alice stared at me, her eyes widening with terror. â€Å"No! No! NO!† Edward roared, charging back into the room. He was in my face before I had time to blink, bending over me, his expression twisted in rage. â€Å"Are you insane?† he shouted. â€Å"Have you utterly lost your mind?† I cringed away, my hands over my ears. â€Å"Um, Bella,† Alice interjected in an anxious voice. â€Å"I don’t think I’m ready for that. I’ll need to prepare† â€Å"You promised,† I reminded her, glaring under Edward’s arm. â€Å"I know, but Seriously, Bella! I don’t have any idea how to not killyou.† â€Å"You can do it,† I encouraged. â€Å"I trust you.† Edward snarled in fury. Alice shook her head quickly, looking panicked. â€Å"Carlisle?† I turned to look at him. Edward grabbed my face in his hand, forcing me to look at him. His other hand was out, palm toward Carlisle. Carlisle ignored that. â€Å"I’m able to do it,† he answered my question. I wished I could see his expression. â€Å"You would be in no danger of me losing control.† â€Å"Sounds good.† I hoped he could understand; it was hard to talk clearly the way Edward held my jaw. â€Å"Hold on,† Edward said between his teeth. â€Å"It doesn’t have to be now.† â€Å"There’s no reason for it not to be now,† I said, the words coming out distorted. â€Å"I can think of a few.† â€Å"Of course you can,† I said sourly. â€Å"Now let go of me.† He freed my face, and folded his arms across his chest. â€Å"In about two hours, Charlie will be here looking for you. I wouldn’t put it past him to involve the police.† â€Å"All three of them.† But I frowned. This was always the hardest part. Charlie, Renee. Now Jacob, too. The people I would lose, the people I would hurt. I wished there was some way that I could be the only one to suffer, but I knew that was impossible. At the same time, I was hurting them more by staying human. Putting Charlie in constant danger through my proximity. Putting Jake in worse danger still by drawing his enemies across the land he felt bound to protect. And ReneeI couldn’t even risk a visit to see my own mother for fear of bringing my deadly problems along with me! I was a danger magnet; I’d accepted that about myself. Accepting this, I knew I needed to be able to take care of myself and protect the ones I loved, even if that meant that I couldn’t be with them. I needed to be strong. â€Å"In the interest of remaining inconspicuous,† Edward said, still talking through his gritted teeth, but looking at Carlisle now, â€Å"I suggest that we put this conversation off, at the very least until Bella finishes high school, and moves out of Charlie’s house.† â€Å"That’s a reasonable request, Bella,† Carlisle pointed out. I thought about Charlie’s reaction when he woke up this morning, ifafter all that life had put him through in the last week with Harry’s loss, and then I had put him through with my unexplained disappearancehe were to find my bed empty. Charlie deserved better than that. It was just a little more time; graduation wasn’t so far away I pursed my lips. â€Å"I’ll consider it.† Edward relaxed. His jaw unclenched. â€Å"I should probably take you home,† he said, more calm now, but clearly in a hurry to get me out of here. â€Å"Just in case Charlie wakes up early.† I looked at Carlisle. â€Å"After graduation?† â€Å"You have my word.† I took a deep breath, smiled, and turned back to Edward. â€Å"Okay. You can take me home.† Edward rushed me out of the house before Carlisle could promise me anything else. He took me out the back, so I didn’t get to see what was broken in the living room. It was a quiet trip home. I was feeling triumphant, and a little smug. Scared stiff, too, of course, but I tried not to think about that part. It did me no good to worry about the painthe physical or the emotionalso I wouldn’t. Not until I absolutely had to. When we got to my house, Edward didn’t pause. He dashed up the wall and through my window in half a second. Then he pulled my arms frcm around his neck and set me on the bed. I thought I had a pretty good idea of what he was thinking, but his expression surprised me. Instead of furious, it was calculating. He paced silently back and forth across my dark room while I watched with growing suspicion. â€Å"Whatever you’re planning, it’s not going to work,† I told him. â€Å"Shh. I’m thinking.† â€Å"Ugh,† I groaned, throwing myself back on the bed and pulling the quilt over my head. There was no sound, but suddenly he was there. He flipped the cover back so he could see me. He was lying next to me. His hand reached up to brush my hair from my cheek. â€Å"If you don’t mind, I’d much rather you didn’t hide your face. I’ve lived without it for as long as I can stand. Now tell me something.† â€Å"What?† I asked, unwilling. â€Å"If you could have anything in the world, anything at all, what would it be?† I could feel the skepticism in my eyes. â€Å"You.† He shook his head impatiently. â€Å"Something you don’t already have.† I wasn’t sure where he was trying to lead me, so I thought carefully before I answered. I came up with something that was both true, and also probably impossible. â€Å"I would want Carlisle not to have to do it. I would want you to change me.† I watched his reaction warily, expecting more of the fury I’d seen at his house. I was surprised that his expression didn’t change. It was still calculating, thoughtful. â€Å"What would you be willing to trade for that?† I couldn’t believe my ears. I gawked at his composed face and blurted out the answer before I could think about it. â€Å"Anything.† He smiled faintly, and then pursed his lips. â€Å"Five years?† My face twisted into an expression somewhere between chagrin and horror. â€Å"You said anything,† he reminded me. â€Å"Yes, but you’ll use the time to find a way out of it. I have to strike while the iron is hot. Besides, it’s just too dangerous to be humanfor me, at least. So, anything but that.† He frowned. â€Å"Three years?† â€Å"No!† â€Å"Isn’t it worth anyrhing to you at all? â€Å" I thought about how much I wanted this. Better to keep a poker face, I decided, and not let him know how very much that was. It would give me more leverage. â€Å"Six months?† He rolled his eyes. â€Å"Not good enough.† â€Å"One year, then,† I said. â€Å"That’s my limit.† â€Å"At least give me two.† â€Å"No way. Nineteen I’ll do. But I’m not going anywhere near twenty. If you’re staying in your teens forever, then so am I.† He thought for a minute. â€Å"All right. Forget time limits. If you want me to be the onethen you’ll just have to meet one condition.† â€Å"Condition?† My voice went flat. â€Å"What condition?† His eyes were cautioushe spoke slowly. â€Å"Marry me first.† I stared at him, waiting â€Å"Okay. What’s the punch line?† He sighed. â€Å"You’re wounding my ego, Bella. I just proposed to you, and you think it’s a joke.† â€Å"Edward, please be serious.† â€Å"I am one hundred percent serious.† He gazed at me with no hint of humor in his face. â€Å"Oh, c’mon,† I said, an edge of hysteria in my voice. â€Å"I’m only eighteen.† â€Å"Well, I’m nearly a hundred and ten. It’s time I settled down.† I looked away, out the dark window, trying to control the panic before it gave me away. â€Å"Look, marriage isn’t exactly that high on my list of priorities, you know? It was sort of the kiss of death for Renee and Charlie.† â€Å"Interesting choice of words.† â€Å"You know what I mean.† He inhaled deeply. â€Å"Please don’t tell me that you’re afraid of the commitment,† his voice was disbelieving, and I understood what he meant. â€Å"That’s not it exactly,† I hedged. â€Å"I’m afraid of Renee. She has some really intense opinions on getting married before you’re thirty.† â€Å"Because she’d rather you became one of the eternal damned than get married.† He laughed darkly. â€Å"You think you’re joking.† â€Å"Bella, if you compare the level of commitment between a marital union as opposed to bartering your soul in exchange for an eternity as a vampire† He shook his head. â€Å"If you’re not brave enough to marry me, then† â€Å"Well,† I interrupted. â€Å"What if I did? What if I told you to take me to Vegas now? Would I be a vampire in three days?† He smiled, his teeth flashing in the dark. â€Å"Sure,† he said, calling my bluff. â€Å"I’ll get my car.† â€Å"Dammit.† I muttered. â€Å"I’ll give you eighteen months.† â€Å"No deal,† he said, grinning. â€Å"I like this condition.† â€Å"Fine. I’ll have Carlisle do it when I graduate.† â€Å"If that’s what you really want.† He shrugged, and his smile became absolutely angelic. â€Å"You’re impossible,† I groaned. â€Å"A monster.† He chuckled. â€Å"Is that why you won’t marry me?† I groaned again. He leaned toward me; his night-dark eyes melted and smoldered and shattered my concentration. † Please, Bella?† he breathed. I forgot how to breathe for a moment. When I recovered, I shook my head quickly, trying to clear my suddenly clouded mind. â€Å"Would this have gone better if I d had time to get a ring.'† â€Å"No! No rings!† I very nearly snouted. â€Å"Now you’ve done it,† he whispered. â€Å"Oops.† â€Å"Charlie’s getting up; I’d better leave,† Edward said with resignation. My heart stopped beating. He gauged my expression for a second. â€Å"Would it be childish of me to hide in your closet, then?† â€Å"No,† I whispered eagerly. â€Å"Stay. Please.† Edward smiled and disappeared. I seethed in the darkness as I waited for Charlie to check on me. Edward knew exactly what he was doing, and I was willing to bet that all the injured surprise was part of the ploy. Of course, I still had the Carlisle option, but now that I knew there was a chance that Edward would change me himself, I wanted it bad. He was such a cheater. My door cracked open. â€Å"Morning, Dad.† â€Å"Oh, hey, Bella.† He sounded embarrassed at getting caught. â€Å"I didn’t know you were awake.† â€Å"Yeah. I’ve just been waiting ior you to wake up so I could take a shower.† I started to get up. â€Å"Hold on,† Charlie said, flipping the light on. I blinked in the sudden brightness, and carefully kept my eyes away from the closet. â€Å"Let’s talk for a minute first.† I couldn’t control my grimace. I’d forgotten to ask Alice for a good excuse. â€Å"You know you’re in trouble.† â€Å"Yeah, I know.† â€Å"I just about went crazy these last three days. I come home from Harry’s funeral, and you’re gone. Jacob could only tell me that you’d run off with Alice Cullen, and that he thought you were in trouble. You didn’t leave me a number, and you didn’t call. I didn’t know where you were or whenor ifyou were coming back. Do you have any idea how how† He couldn’t finish the sentence. He sucked in a sharp breath and moved on. â€Å"Can you give me one reason why I shouldn’t ship you off to Jacksonville this second?† My eyes narrowed. So it was going to be threats, was it? Two could play at that game. I sat up, pulling the quilt around me. â€Å"Because I won’t go.† â€Å"Now just one minute, young lady† â€Å"Look, Dad, I accept complete responsibility for my actions, and you have the right to ground me for as long as you want. I will also do all the chores and laundry and dishes until you think I’ve learned my lesson. And I guess you’re within your rights if you want to kick me out, toobut that won’t make me to go to Florida.† His face turned bright red. He took a few deep breaths before he answered. â€Å"Would you like to explain where you’ve been?† Oh, crap. â€Å"There was an emergency.† He raised his eyebrows in expectation of my brilliant explanation. I filled my cheeks with air and then blew it out noisily. â€Å"I don’t know what to tell you, Dad. It was mostly a misunderstanding. He said, she said. It got out of hand.† He waited with a distrustful expression. â€Å"See, Alice told Rosalie about me jumping off the cliff† I was scrambling frantically to make this work, to keep it as close to the truth as possible so that my inability to lie convincingly would not undermine the excuse, but before I could go on, Charlie’s expression reminded me that he didn’t know arything about thecliff. Major oops. As if I wasn’t already toast. â€Å"I guess I didn’t tell you about that,† I choked out. â€Å"It was nothing. Just messing around, swimming with Jake. Anyway, Rosalie told Edward, and he was upset. She sort of accidentally made it sound like I wa? trying to kill myself or something. He wouldn’t answer his phone, so Alice dragged me to L.A., to explain in person.† I shrugged, desperately hoping that he would not be so distracted by my slip that he’d miss the brilliant explanation I’d provided. Charlie’s face was frozen. â€Å"Were you trying to kill yourself, Bella?† â€Å"No, of course not. Just having fun with Jake. Cliff diving. The La Push kids do it all the time. Like I said, nothing.† Charlie’s face heated upfrom frozen to hot with fury. â€Å"What’s it to Edward Cullen anyway?† he barked. â€Å"All this time, he’s just left you dangling without a word† I interrupted him. â€Å"Another misunderstanding.† His face flushed again. â€Å"So is he back then?† â€Å"I’m not sure what the exact plan is. I think they all are.† He shook his head, the vein in his forehead pulsing. â€Å"I want you to stay away from him, Bella. I don’t trust him. He’s rotten for you. I won’t let him mess you up like that again.† â€Å"Fine,† I said curtly. Charlie rocked back onto his heels. â€Å"Oh.† He scrambled for a second, exhaling loudly in surprise. â€Å"I thought you were going to be difficult.† â€Å"I am.† I stared straight into his eyes. â€Å"I meant, ‘Fine, I’ll move out.'† His eyes bulged; his face turned puce. My resolve wavered as I started to worry about his health. He was no younger than Harry â€Å"Dad, I don’t want to move out,† I said in a softer tone. â€Å"I love you. I know you’re worried, but you need to trust me on this. And you’re going to have to ease up on Edward if you want me to stay. Do you want me to live here or not?† â€Å"That’s not fair, Bella. You know I want you to stay.† â€Å"Then be nice to Edward, because he’s going to be where I am.† I said it with confidence. The conviction of my epiphany was still strong. â€Å"Not under my roof,† Charlie stormed. I sighed a heavy sigh. â€Å"Look, I’m not going to give you any more ultimatums tonightor I guess it’s this morning. Just think about it for a few days, okay? But keep in mind that Edward and I are sort of a package deal.† â€Å"Bella† â€Å"Think it over,† I insisted. â€Å"And while you’re doing that, could you give me some privacy? I really need a shower.† Charlie’s face was a strange shade of purple, but he left, slamming the door behind him. I heard him stomp furiously down the stairs. I threw off my quilt, and Edward was already there, sitting in the rocking chair as if he d been present through the whole conversation. â€Å"Sorry about that,† I whispered. â€Å"It’s not as if I don’t deserve far worse,† he murmured. â€Å"Don’t start anything with Charlie over me, please. â€Å" â€Å"Don’t worry about it,† I breathed as I gathered up my bathroom things and a set of clean clothes. â€Å"I will start exactly as much as is necessary, and no more than that. Or are you trying to tell me I have nowhere to go?† I widened my eyes with false alarm. â€Å"You’d move in with a house full of vampires?† â€Å"That’s probably the safest place for someone like me. Besides† I grinned. â€Å"If Charlie kicks me out, then there’s no need for a graduation deadline, is there?† His jaw tightened. â€Å"So eager for eternal damnation,† he muttered. â€Å"You know you don’t really believe that.† â€Å"Oh, don’t I?† he fumed. â€Å"No. You don’t.† He glowered at me and started to speak, but I cut him off. â€Å"If you really believed that you’d lost your soul, then when I found you in Volterra, you would have realized immediately what was happening, instead of thinking we were both dead together. But you didn’tyou said ‘Amazing. Carlisle was right,'† I reminded him, triumphant. â€Å"There’s hope in you, after all.† For once, Edward was speechless. â€Å"So let’s both just be hopeful, all right?† I suggested. â€Å"Not that it matters. If you stay, I don’t need heaven.† He got up slowly, and came to put his hands on either side of my face as he stared into my eyes. â€Å"Forever,† he vowed, still a little staggered. â€Å"That’s all I’m asking for,† I said, and stretched up on my toes so that I could press my lips to his. How to cite The Twilight Saga 2: New Moon Chapter 24 VOTE, Essay examples

The Twilight Saga 2 New Moon Chapter 24 VOTE Free Essays

HE WAS NOT PLEASED, THAT MUCH WAS EASY TO READ in his face. But, without further argument, he took me in his arms and sprang lithely from my window, landing without the slightest jolt, like a cat. It was a little bit farther down than I’d imagined. We will write a custom essay sample on The Twilight Saga 2: New Moon Chapter 24 VOTE or any similar topic only for you Order Now â€Å"All right then,† he said, his voice seething with disapproval. â€Å"Up you go.† He helped me onto his back, and took off running. Even after all this time, it felt routine. Easy. Evidently this was something you never forgot, like riding a bicycle. It was so very quiet and dark as he ran through the forest, his breathing slow and evendark enough that the trees flying past us were nearly invisible, and only the rush of air in my face truly gave away our speed. The air was damp; it didn’t burn my eyes the way the wind in the big plaza had, and that was comforting. As was the night, too, after that terrifying brightness. Like the thick quilt I’d played under as a child, the dark felt familiar and protecting. I remembered that running through the forest like this used to frighten me, that I used to have to close my eyes. It seemed a silly reaction to me now. I kept my eyes wide, my chin resting on his shoulder, my cheek against his neck. The speed was exhilarating. A hundred times better than the motorcycle. I turned my face toward him and pressed my lips into the cold stone skin of his neck. â€Å"Thank you,† he said, as the vague, black shapes of trees raced past us. â€Å"Does that mean you’ve decided you’re awake?† I laughed. The sound was easy, natural, effortless. It sounded right. â€Å"Not really. More that, either way, I’m not trying to wake up. Not tonight.† â€Å"I’ll earn your trust back somehow,† he murmured, mostly to himself. â€Å"If it’s my final act.† â€Å"I trust you,† I assured him. â€Å"It’s me I don’t trust.† â€Å"Explain that, please.† He’d slowed to a walkI could only tell because the wind ceasedand I guessed that we weren’t far from the house. In fact, I thought I could make out the sound of the river rushing somewhere close by in the darkness. â€Å"Well† I struggled to find the right way to phrase it. â€Å"I don’t trust myself to be enough. To deserve you. There’s nothing about me that could hold you.† He stopped and reached around to pull me from his back. His gentle hands did not release me; after he’d set me on my feet again, he wrapped his arms tightly around me, hugging me to his chest. â€Å"Your hold is permanent and unbreakable,† he whispered. â€Å"Never doubt that.† But how could I not? â€Å"You never did tell me† he murmured. â€Å"What?† â€Å"What your greatest problem is.† â€Å"I’ll give you one guess.† I sighed, and reached up to touch the tip of his nose with my index finger. He nodded. â€Å"I’m worse than the Volturi,† he said grimly. â€Å"I guess I’ve earned that.† I rolled my eyes. â€Å"The worst the Volturi can do is kill me.† He waited with tense eyes. â€Å"You can leave me,† I explained. â€Å"The Volturi, Victoria they’re nothing compared to that.† Even in the darkness, I could see the anguish twist his faceit reminded me of his expression under Jane’s torturing gaze; I felt sick, and regretted speaking the truth. â€Å"Don’t,† I whispered, touching his face. â€Å"Don’t be sad.† He pulled one corner of his mouth up halfheartedly, but the expression didn’t touch his eyes. â€Å"If there was only some way to make you see that I can’t leave you,† he whispered. â€Å"Time, I suppose, will be the way to convince you.† I liked the idea of time. â€Å"Okay,† I agreed. His face was still tormented. I tried to distract him with inconsequentials. â€Å"Sosince you’re staying. Can I have my stuff back?† I asked, making my tone as light as I could manage. My attempt worked, to an extent: he laughed. But his eyes retained the misery. â€Å"Your things were never gone,† he told me. â€Å"I knew it was wrong, since I promised you peace without reminders. It was stupid and childish, but I wanted to leave something of myself with you. The CD, the pictures, the ticketsthey’re all under your floorboards.† â€Å"Really?† He nodded, seeming slightly cheered by my obvious pleasure in this trivial fact. It wasn’t enough to heal the pain in his face completely. â€Å"I think,† I said slowly, â€Å"I’m not sure, but I wonder I think maybe I knew it the whole time.† â€Å"What did you know?† I only wanted to take away the agony in his eyes, but as I spoke the words, they sounded truer than I expected they would. â€Å"Some part of me, my subconscious maybe, never stopped believing that you still cared whether I lived or died. That’s probably why I was hearing the voices.† There was a very deep silence for a moment. â€Å"Voices?† he asked flatly. â€Å"Well, just one voice. Yours. It’s a long story.† The wary look on his face made me wish that I hadn’t brought that up. Would he think I was crazy, like everyone else? Was everyone else right about that? But at least that expressionthe one that made him look like something was burning himfaded. â€Å"I’ve got time.† His voice was unnaturally even. â€Å"It’s pretty pathetic.† He waited. I wasn’t sure how to explain. â€Å"Do you remember what Alice said about extreme sports?† He spoke the words without inflection or emphasis. â€Å"You jumped off a cliff for fun.† â€Å"Er, right. And before that, with the motorcycle† â€Å"Motorcycle?† he asked. I knew his voice well enough to hear something brewing behind the calm. â€Å"I guess I didn’t tell Alice about that part.† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Well, about that See, I found that when I was doing something dangerous or stupid I could remember you more clearly,† I confessed, feeling completely mental. â€Å"I could remember how your voice sounded when you were angry. I could hear it, like you were standing right there next to me. Mostly I tried not to think about you, but this didn’t hurt so muchit was like you were protecting me again. Like you didn’t want me to be hurt. â€Å"And, well, I wonder if the reason I could hear you so clearly was because, underneath it all. I always knew that you hadn’t stopped loving me.† Again, as I spoke, the words brought with them a sense of conviction. Of rightness. Some deep place inside me recognized truth. His words came out half-strangled. â€Å"You were risking your life to hear† â€Å"Shh,† I interrupted him. â€Å"Hold on a second. I think I’m having an epiphany here.† I thought of that night in Port Angeles when I’d had my first delusion. I’d come up with two options. Insanity or wish fulfillment. I’d seen no third option. But what if What if you sincerely believed something was true, but you were dead wrong? What if you were so stubbornly sure that you were right, that you wouldn’t even consider the truth? Would the truth be silenced, or would it try to break through? Option three: Edward loved me. The bond forged between us was not one that could be broken by absence, distance, or time. And no matter how much more special or beautiful or brilliant or perfect than me he might be, he was as irreversibly altered as I was. As I would always belong to him, so would he always be mine. Was that what I’d been trying to tell myself? â€Å"Oh!† â€Å"Bella?† â€Å"Oh. Okay. I see.† â€Å"Your epiphany?† he asked, his voice uneven and strained. â€Å"You love me,† I marveled. The sense of conviction and Tightness washed through me again. Though his eyes were still anxious, the crooked smile I loved best flashed across his face. â€Å"Truly, I do.† My heart inflated like it was going to crack right through my ribs. It filled my chest and blocked my throat so that I could not speak. He really did want me the way I wanted himforever. It was only fear for my soul, for the human things he didn’t want to take from me, that made him so desperate to leave me mortal. Compared to the fear that he didn’t want me, this hurdlemy soulseemed almost insignificant. He took my face tightly between his cool hands and kissed me until I was so dizzy the forest was spinning. Then he leaned his forehead against mine, and I was not the only one breathing harder than usual. â€Å"You were better at it than I was, you know,† he told me. â€Å"Better at what?† â€Å"Surviving. You, at least, made an effort. You got up in the morning, tried to be normal for Charlie, followed the pattern of your life. When I wasn’t actively tracking, I was totally useless. I couldn’t be around my familyI couldn’t be around anyone. I’m embarrassed to admit that I more or less curled up into a ball and let the misery have me.† He grinned, sheepish. â€Å"It was much more pathetic than hearing voices. And, of course, you know I do that, too.† I was deeply relieved that he really seemed to understandcomforted that this all made sense to him. At any rate, he wasn’t looking at me like I was crazy. He was looking at me like he loved me. â€Å"I only heard one voice,† I corrected him. He laughed and then pulled me tight against his right side and started to lead me forward. â€Å"I’m just humoring you with this.† He motioned broadly with his hand toward the darkness in front of us as we walked. There was something pale and immense therethe house, I realized. â€Å"It doesn’t matter in the slightest what they say.† â€Å"This affects them now, too.† He shrugged indifferently. He led me through the open front door into the dark house and flipped the lights on. The room was just as I’d remembered itthe piano and the white couches and the pale, massive staircase. No dust, no white sheets. Edward called out the names with no more volume than I’d use in regular conversation. â€Å"Carlisle? Esme? Rosalie? Emmett? Jasper? Alice?† They would hear. Carlisle was suddenly standing beside me, as if he’d been there all along. â€Å"Welcome back, Bella.† He smiled. â€Å"What can we do for you this morning? I imagine, due to the hour, that this is not a purely social visit?† I nodded. â€Å"I’d like to talk to everyone at once, if that’s okay. About something important.† I couldn’t help glancing up at Edward’s face as I spoke. His expression was critical, but resigned. When I looked back to Carlisle, he was looking at Edward, too. â€Å"Of course,† Carlisle said. â€Å"Why don’t we talk in the other room?† Carlisle led the way through the bright living room, around the corner to the dining room, turning on lights as he went. The walls were white, the ceilings high, like the living room. In the center of the room, under the low-hanging chandelier, was a large, polished oval table surrounded by eight chairs. Carlisle held out a chair for me at the head. I’d never seen the Cullens use the dining room table beforeit was just a prop. They didn’t eat in the house. As soon as I turned to sit in the chair, I saw that we were not alone. Esme had followed Edward, and behind her the rest of the family filed in. Carlisle sat down on my right, and Edward on my left. Everyone else took their seats in silence. Alice was grinning at me, already in on the plot. Emmett and Jasper looked curious, and Rosalie smiled at me tentatively. My answering smile was just as timid. That was going to take some getting used to. Carlisle nodded toward me. â€Å"The floor is yours.† I swallowed. Their gazing eyes made me nervous. Edward took my hand under the table. I peeked at him, but he was watching the others, his fate suddenly fierce. â€Å"Well,† I paused. â€Å"I’m hoping Alice has already told you everything that happened in Volterra?† â€Å"Everything,† Alice assured me. I threw her a meaningful look. â€Å"And on the way?† â€Å"That, too,† she nodded. â€Å"Good,† I sighed with relief. â€Å"Then we’re all on the same page.† They waited patiently while I tried to order my thoughts. â€Å"So, I have a problem,† I began. â€Å"Alice promised the Volturi that I would become one of you. They’re going to send someone to check, and I’m sure that’s a bad thingsomething to avoid. â€Å"And so, now, this involves you all. I’m sorry about that.† I looked at each one of their beautiful faces, saving the most beautiful for last. Edward’s mouth was turned down into a grimace. â€Å"But, if you don’t want me, then I’m not going to force myself on you, whether Alice is willing or not.† Esme opened her mouth to speak, but I held up one finger to stop her. â€Å"Please, let me finish. You all know what I want. And I’m sure you know what Edward thinks, too. I think the only fair way to decide is for everyone to have a vote. If you decide you don’t want me, then I guess I’ll go back to Italy alone. I can’t have them coming here.† My forehead creased as I considered that. There was the faint rumble of a growl in Edward’s chest. I ignored him. â€Å"Taking into account, then, that I won’t put any of you in danger either way, I want you to vote yes or no on the issue of me becoming a vampire.† I half-smiled on the last word, and gestured toward Carlisle to begin. â€Å"Just a minute,† Edward interrupted. I glared at him through narrowed eyes. He raised his eyebrows at me, squeezing my hand. â€Å"I have something to add before we vote.† I sighed. â€Å"About the danger Bella’s referring to,† he continued. â€Å"I don’t think we need to be overly anxious.† His expression became more animated. He put his free hand on the shining table and leaned forward. â€Å"You see,† he explained, looking around the table while he spoke, â€Å"there was more than one reason why I didn’t want to shake Aro’s hand there at the end. There’s something they didn’t think of, and I didn’t want to cine them in.† He grinned. â€Å"Which was?† Alice prodded. I was sure my expression was just as skeptical as hers. â€Å"The Volturi are overconfident, and with good reason. When they decide to find someone, it’s not really a problem. Do you remember Demetri?† He glanced down at me. I shuddered. He took that as a yes. â€Å"He finds peoplethat’s his talent, why they keep him. â€Å"Now, the whole time we were with any of them, I was picking their brains for anything that might save us, getting as much information as possible. So I saw how Demetri’s talent works. He’s a trackera tracker a thousand times more gifted than Jarres was. His ability is loosely related to what I do, or what Aro does. He catches the flavor? I don’t know how to describe it the tenor of someone’s mind, and then he follows that. It works over immense distances. â€Å"But after Aro’s little experiments, well† Edward shrugged. â€Å"You think he won’t be able to find me,† I said flatly. He was smug. â€Å"I’m sure of it. He relies totally on that other sense. When it doesn’t work with you, they’ll all be blind.† â€Å"And how does that solve anything?† â€Å"Quite obviously, Alice will be able to tell when they’re planning a visit, and I’ll hide you. They’ll be helpless,† he said with fierce enjoyment. â€Å"It will be like looking for a piece of straw in a haystack!† He and Emmett exchanged a glance and a smirk. This made no sense. â€Å"But they can find you,† I reminded him. â€Å"And I can take care of myself.† Emmett laughed, and reached across the table toward his brother, extending a fist. â€Å"Excellent plan, my brother,† he said with enthusiasm. Edward stretched out his arm to smack Emmett’s fist with his own. â€Å"No,† Rosalie hissed. â€Å"Absolutely not,† I agreed. â€Å"Nice.† Jasper’s voice was appreciative. â€Å"Idiots,† Alice muttered. Esme just glared at Edward. I straightened up in my chair, focusing. This was my meeting. â€Å"All right, then. Edward has offered an alternative for you to consider,† I said coolly. â€Å"Let’s vote.† I looked toward Edward this time; it would be better to get his opinion out of the way. â€Å"Do you want me to join your family?† His eyes were hard and black as flint. â€Å"Not that way. You’re staying human.† I nodded once, keeping my face businesslike, and then moved on. â€Å"Alice?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Jasper?† â€Å"Yes,† he said, voice grave. I was a little surprisedI hadn’t been at all sure of his votebut I suppressed my reaction and moved on. â€Å"Rosalie?† She hesitated, biting down on her full, perfect bottom lip. â€Å"No.† I kept my face blank and turned my head slightly to move on, but she held up both her hands, palms forward. â€Å"Let me explain,† she pleaded. â€Å"I don’t mean that I have any aversion to you as a sister. It’s just that this is not the life I would have chosen for myself. I wish there had been someone there to vote no for me.† I nodded slowly, and then turned to Emmett. â€Å"Hell, yes!† He grinned. â€Å"We can find some other way to pick a fight with this Demetri.† I was still grimacing at that when I looked at Esme. â€Å"Yes, of course, Bella. I already think of you as part of my family.† â€Å"Thank you, Esme,† I murmured as I turned toward Carlisle. I was suddenly nervous, wishing I had asked for his vote first. I was sure that this was the vote that mattered most, the vote that counted more than any majority. Carlisle wasn’t looking at me. â€Å"Edward,† he said. â€Å"No,† Edward growled. His jaw was strained tight, his lips curled back from his teeth. â€Å"It’s the only way that makes sense,† Carlisle insisted. â€Å"You’ve chosen not to live without her, and that doesn’t leave me a choice.† Edward dropped my hand, shoving away from the table. He stalked out of the room, snarling under his breath. â€Å"I guess you know my vote.† Carlisle sighed. I was still staring after Edward. â€Å"Thanks,† I mumbled. An earsplitting crash echoed from the other room. I flinched, and spoke quickly. â€Å"That’s all I needed. Thank you. For wanting to keep me. I feel exactly the same way about all of you, too.† My voice was jagged with emotion by the end. Esme was at my side in a flash, her cold arms around me. â€Å"Dearest Bella,† she breathed. I hugged her back. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Rosalie looking down at the table, and I realized that my words could be construed in two ways. â€Å"Well, Alice,† I said when Esme released me. â€Å"Where do you want to do this?† Alice stared at me, her eyes widening with terror. â€Å"No! No! NO!† Edward roared, charging back into the room. He was in my face before I had time to blink, bending over me, his expression twisted in rage. â€Å"Are you insane?† he shouted. â€Å"Have you utterly lost your mind?† I cringed away, my hands over my ears. â€Å"Um, Bella,† Alice interjected in an anxious voice. â€Å"I don’t think I’m ready for that. I’ll need to prepare† â€Å"You promised,† I reminded her, glaring under Edward’s arm. â€Å"I know, but Seriously, Bella! I don’t have any idea how to not killyou.† â€Å"You can do it,† I encouraged. â€Å"I trust you.† Edward snarled in fury. Alice shook her head quickly, looking panicked. â€Å"Carlisle?† I turned to look at him. Edward grabbed my face in his hand, forcing me to look at him. His other hand was out, palm toward Carlisle. Carlisle ignored that. â€Å"I’m able to do it,† he answered my question. I wished I could see his expression. â€Å"You would be in no danger of me losing control.† â€Å"Sounds good.† I hoped he could understand; it was hard to talk clearly the way Edward held my jaw. â€Å"Hold on,† Edward said between his teeth. â€Å"It doesn’t have to be now.† â€Å"There’s no reason for it not to be now,† I said, the words coming out distorted. â€Å"I can think of a few.† â€Å"Of course you can,† I said sourly. â€Å"Now let go of me.† He freed my face, and folded his arms across his chest. â€Å"In about two hours, Charlie will be here looking for you. I wouldn’t put it past him to involve the police.† â€Å"All three of them.† But I frowned. This was always the hardest part. Charlie, Renee. Now Jacob, too. The people I would lose, the people I would hurt. I wished there was some way that I could be the only one to suffer, but I knew that was impossible. At the same time, I was hurting them more by staying human. Putting Charlie in constant danger through my proximity. Putting Jake in worse danger still by drawing his enemies across the land he felt bound to protect. And ReneeI couldn’t even risk a visit to see my own mother for fear of bringing my deadly problems along with me! I was a danger magnet; I’d accepted that about myself. Accepting this, I knew I needed to be able to take care of myself and protect the ones I loved, even if that meant that I couldn’t be with them. I needed to be strong. â€Å"In the interest of remaining inconspicuous,† Edward said, still talking through his gritted teeth, but looking at Carlisle now, â€Å"I suggest that we put this conversation off, at the very least until Bella finishes high school, and moves out of Charlie’s house.† â€Å"That’s a reasonable request, Bella,† Carlisle pointed out. I thought about Charlie’s reaction when he woke up this morning, ifafter all that life had put him through in the last week with Harry’s loss, and then I had put him through with my unexplained disappearancehe were to find my bed empty. Charlie deserved better than that. It was just a little more time; graduation wasn’t so far away I pursed my lips. â€Å"I’ll consider it.† Edward relaxed. His jaw unclenched. â€Å"I should probably take you home,† he said, more calm now, but clearly in a hurry to get me out of here. â€Å"Just in case Charlie wakes up early.† I looked at Carlisle. â€Å"After graduation?† â€Å"You have my word.† I took a deep breath, smiled, and turned back to Edward. â€Å"Okay. You can take me home.† Edward rushed me out of the house before Carlisle could promise me anything else. He took me out the back, so I didn’t get to see what was broken in the living room. It was a quiet trip home. I was feeling triumphant, and a little smug. Scared stiff, too, of course, but I tried not to think about that part. It did me no good to worry about the painthe physical or the emotionalso I wouldn’t. Not until I absolutely had to. When we got to my house, Edward didn’t pause. He dashed up the wall and through my window in half a second. Then he pulled my arms frcm around his neck and set me on the bed. I thought I had a pretty good idea of what he was thinking, but his expression surprised me. Instead of furious, it was calculating. He paced silently back and forth across my dark room while I watched with growing suspicion. â€Å"Whatever you’re planning, it’s not going to work,† I told him. â€Å"Shh. I’m thinking.† â€Å"Ugh,† I groaned, throwing myself back on the bed and pulling the quilt over my head. There was no sound, but suddenly he was there. He flipped the cover back so he could see me. He was lying next to me. His hand reached up to brush my hair from my cheek. â€Å"If you don’t mind, I’d much rather you didn’t hide your face. I’ve lived without it for as long as I can stand. Now tell me something.† â€Å"What?† I asked, unwilling. â€Å"If you could have anything in the world, anything at all, what would it be?† I could feel the skepticism in my eyes. â€Å"You.† He shook his head impatiently. â€Å"Something you don’t already have.† I wasn’t sure where he was trying to lead me, so I thought carefully before I answered. I came up with something that was both true, and also probably impossible. â€Å"I would want Carlisle not to have to do it. I would want you to change me.† I watched his reaction warily, expecting more of the fury I’d seen at his house. I was surprised that his expression didn’t change. It was still calculating, thoughtful. â€Å"What would you be willing to trade for that?† I couldn’t believe my ears. I gawked at his composed face and blurted out the answer before I could think about it. â€Å"Anything.† He smiled faintly, and then pursed his lips. â€Å"Five years?† My face twisted into an expression somewhere between chagrin and horror. â€Å"You said anything,† he reminded me. â€Å"Yes, but you’ll use the time to find a way out of it. I have to strike while the iron is hot. Besides, it’s just too dangerous to be humanfor me, at least. So, anything but that.† He frowned. â€Å"Three years?† â€Å"No!† â€Å"Isn’t it worth anyrhing to you at all? â€Å" I thought about how much I wanted this. Better to keep a poker face, I decided, and not let him know how very much that was. It would give me more leverage. â€Å"Six months?† He rolled his eyes. â€Å"Not good enough.† â€Å"One year, then,† I said. â€Å"That’s my limit.† â€Å"At least give me two.† â€Å"No way. Nineteen I’ll do. But I’m not going anywhere near twenty. If you’re staying in your teens forever, then so am I.† He thought for a minute. â€Å"All right. Forget time limits. If you want me to be the onethen you’ll just have to meet one condition.† â€Å"Condition?† My voice went flat. â€Å"What condition?† His eyes were cautioushe spoke slowly. â€Å"Marry me first.† I stared at him, waiting â€Å"Okay. What’s the punch line?† He sighed. â€Å"You’re wounding my ego, Bella. I just proposed to you, and you think it’s a joke.† â€Å"Edward, please be serious.† â€Å"I am one hundred percent serious.† He gazed at me with no hint of humor in his face. â€Å"Oh, c’mon,† I said, an edge of hysteria in my voice. â€Å"I’m only eighteen.† â€Å"Well, I’m nearly a hundred and ten. It’s time I settled down.† I looked away, out the dark window, trying to control the panic before it gave me away. â€Å"Look, marriage isn’t exactly that high on my list of priorities, you know? It was sort of the kiss of death for Renee and Charlie.† â€Å"Interesting choice of words.† â€Å"You know what I mean.† He inhaled deeply. â€Å"Please don’t tell me that you’re afraid of the commitment,† his voice was disbelieving, and I understood what he meant. â€Å"That’s not it exactly,† I hedged. â€Å"I’m afraid of Renee. She has some really intense opinions on getting married before you’re thirty.† â€Å"Because she’d rather you became one of the eternal damned than get married.† He laughed darkly. â€Å"You think you’re joking.† â€Å"Bella, if you compare the level of commitment between a marital union as opposed to bartering your soul in exchange for an eternity as a vampire† He shook his head. â€Å"If you’re not brave enough to marry me, then† â€Å"Well,† I interrupted. â€Å"What if I did? What if I told you to take me to Vegas now? Would I be a vampire in three days?† He smiled, his teeth flashing in the dark. â€Å"Sure,† he said, calling my bluff. â€Å"I’ll get my car.† â€Å"Dammit.† I muttered. â€Å"I’ll give you eighteen months.† â€Å"No deal,† he said, grinning. â€Å"I like this condition.† â€Å"Fine. I’ll have Carlisle do it when I graduate.† â€Å"If that’s what you really want.† He shrugged, and his smile became absolutely angelic. â€Å"You’re impossible,† I groaned. â€Å"A monster.† He chuckled. â€Å"Is that why you won’t marry me?† I groaned again. He leaned toward me; his night-dark eyes melted and smoldered and shattered my concentration. † Please, Bella?† he breathed. I forgot how to breathe for a moment. When I recovered, I shook my head quickly, trying to clear my suddenly clouded mind. â€Å"Would this have gone better if I d had time to get a ring.'† â€Å"No! No rings!† I very nearly snouted. â€Å"Now you’ve done it,† he whispered. â€Å"Oops.† â€Å"Charlie’s getting up; I’d better leave,† Edward said with resignation. My heart stopped beating. He gauged my expression for a second. â€Å"Would it be childish of me to hide in your closet, then?† â€Å"No,† I whispered eagerly. â€Å"Stay. Please.† Edward smiled and disappeared. I seethed in the darkness as I waited for Charlie to check on me. Edward knew exactly what he was doing, and I was willing to bet that all the injured surprise was part of the ploy. Of course, I still had the Carlisle option, but now that I knew there was a chance that Edward would change me himself, I wanted it bad. He was such a cheater. My door cracked open. â€Å"Morning, Dad.† â€Å"Oh, hey, Bella.† He sounded embarrassed at getting caught. â€Å"I didn’t know you were awake.† â€Å"Yeah. I’ve just been waiting ior you to wake up so I could take a shower.† I started to get up. â€Å"Hold on,† Charlie said, flipping the light on. I blinked in the sudden brightness, and carefully kept my eyes away from the closet. â€Å"Let’s talk for a minute first.† I couldn’t control my grimace. I’d forgotten to ask Alice for a good excuse. â€Å"You know you’re in trouble.† â€Å"Yeah, I know.† â€Å"I just about went crazy these last three days. I come home from Harry’s funeral, and you’re gone. Jacob could only tell me that you’d run off with Alice Cullen, and that he thought you were in trouble. You didn’t leave me a number, and you didn’t call. I didn’t know where you were or whenor ifyou were coming back. Do you have any idea how how† He couldn’t finish the sentence. He sucked in a sharp breath and moved on. â€Å"Can you give me one reason why I shouldn’t ship you off to Jacksonville this second?† My eyes narrowed. So it was going to be threats, was it? Two could play at that game. I sat up, pulling the quilt around me. â€Å"Because I won’t go.† â€Å"Now just one minute, young lady† â€Å"Look, Dad, I accept complete responsibility for my actions, and you have the right to ground me for as long as you want. I will also do all the chores and laundry and dishes until you think I’ve learned my lesson. And I guess you’re within your rights if you want to kick me out, toobut that won’t make me to go to Florida.† His face turned bright red. He took a few deep breaths before he answered. â€Å"Would you like to explain where you’ve been?† Oh, crap. â€Å"There was an emergency.† He raised his eyebrows in expectation of my brilliant explanation. I filled my cheeks with air and then blew it out noisily. â€Å"I don’t know what to tell you, Dad. It was mostly a misunderstanding. He said, she said. It got out of hand.† He waited with a distrustful expression. â€Å"See, Alice told Rosalie about me jumping off the cliff† I was scrambling frantically to make this work, to keep it as close to the truth as possible so that my inability to lie convincingly would not undermine the excuse, but before I could go on, Charlie’s expression reminded me that he didn’t know arything about thecliff. Major oops. As if I wasn’t already toast. â€Å"I guess I didn’t tell you about that,† I choked out. â€Å"It was nothing. Just messing around, swimming with Jake. Anyway, Rosalie told Edward, and he was upset. She sort of accidentally made it sound like I wa? trying to kill myself or something. He wouldn’t answer his phone, so Alice dragged me to L.A., to explain in person.† I shrugged, desperately hoping that he would not be so distracted by my slip that he’d miss the brilliant explanation I’d provided. Charlie’s face was frozen. â€Å"Were you trying to kill yourself, Bella?† â€Å"No, of course not. Just having fun with Jake. Cliff diving. The La Push kids do it all the time. Like I said, nothing.† Charlie’s face heated upfrom frozen to hot with fury. â€Å"What’s it to Edward Cullen anyway?† he barked. â€Å"All this time, he’s just left you dangling without a word† I interrupted him. â€Å"Another misunderstanding.† His face flushed again. â€Å"So is he back then?† â€Å"I’m not sure what the exact plan is. I think they all are.† He shook his head, the vein in his forehead pulsing. â€Å"I want you to stay away from him, Bella. I don’t trust him. He’s rotten for you. I won’t let him mess you up like that again.† â€Å"Fine,† I said curtly. Charlie rocked back onto his heels. â€Å"Oh.† He scrambled for a second, exhaling loudly in surprise. â€Å"I thought you were going to be difficult.† â€Å"I am.† I stared straight into his eyes. â€Å"I meant, ‘Fine, I’ll move out.'† His eyes bulged; his face turned puce. My resolve wavered as I started to worry about his health. He was no younger than Harry â€Å"Dad, I don’t want to move out,† I said in a softer tone. â€Å"I love you. I know you’re worried, but you need to trust me on this. And you’re going to have to ease up on Edward if you want me to stay. Do you want me to live here or not?† â€Å"That’s not fair, Bella. You know I want you to stay.† â€Å"Then be nice to Edward, because he’s going to be where I am.† I said it with confidence. The conviction of my epiphany was still strong. â€Å"Not under my roof,† Charlie stormed. I sighed a heavy sigh. â€Å"Look, I’m not going to give you any more ultimatums tonightor I guess it’s this morning. Just think about it for a few days, okay? But keep in mind that Edward and I are sort of a package deal.† â€Å"Bella† â€Å"Think it over,† I insisted. â€Å"And while you’re doing that, could you give me some privacy? I really need a shower.† Charlie’s face was a strange shade of purple, but he left, slamming the door behind him. I heard him stomp furiously down the stairs. I threw off my quilt, and Edward was already there, sitting in the rocking chair as if he d been present through the whole conversation. â€Å"Sorry about that,† I whispered. â€Å"It’s not as if I don’t deserve far worse,† he murmured. â€Å"Don’t start anything with Charlie over me, please. â€Å" â€Å"Don’t worry about it,† I breathed as I gathered up my bathroom things and a set of clean clothes. â€Å"I will start exactly as much as is necessary, and no more than that. Or are you trying to tell me I have nowhere to go?† I widened my eyes with false alarm. â€Å"You’d move in with a house full of vampires?† â€Å"That’s probably the safest place for someone like me. Besides† I grinned. â€Å"If Charlie kicks me out, then there’s no need for a graduation deadline, is there?† His jaw tightened. â€Å"So eager for eternal damnation,† he muttered. â€Å"You know you don’t really believe that.† â€Å"Oh, don’t I?† he fumed. â€Å"No. You don’t.† He glowered at me and started to speak, but I cut him off. â€Å"If you really believed that you’d lost your soul, then when I found you in Volterra, you would have realized immediately what was happening, instead of thinking we were both dead together. But you didn’tyou said ‘Amazing. Carlisle was right,'† I reminded him, triumphant. â€Å"There’s hope in you, after all.† For once, Edward was speechless. â€Å"So let’s both just be hopeful, all right?† I suggested. â€Å"Not that it matters. If you stay, I don’t need heaven.† He got up slowly, and came to put his hands on either side of my face as he stared into my eyes. â€Å"Forever,† he vowed, still a little staggered. â€Å"That’s all I’m asking for,† I said, and stretched up on my toes so that I could press my lips to his. How to cite The Twilight Saga 2: New Moon Chapter 24 VOTE, Essay examples

Trends in Contemporary Trust Law

Question: Discuss about the Trends in Contemporary Trust Law. Answer: Introduction The purpose of this research assignment is to discuss the Sands Australia Trust which has been formed with the special purpose of offering support to grieving families in Australia who have lost a child. The legal basis of the trust, what it engages in, the form of donors for the trust, the trustees and the type of beneficiaries for the trust are discussed here. Legal basis The trust that is being researched on is Sands Australia Trust. In analyzing for the legal basis for a trust, it is necessary to look into its history. Sands Australia was incorporated as an organization in 1999, but the organizational roots are observed from 1979 when it began as an organization for bereaved parents who wanted to come together to support themselves during a loss. It was registered as a support group later on, and a formal organization Sands SA was incorporated in 1983. Sands Australia was formed in a National Conference that was held in 1988 but it was not until later in 1999 that Sands Australia obtained its legal status (Sands Australia, 2016b). Nature and Purpose of Trust The nature and purpose of the trust is to help bereaved families who have lost a child. The trust provides support in the form of information and education for the families and the healthcare professionals in Australia (Sands Australia, 2016a). Different forms of support are provided to the people. There is a national support line provided for anybody who wants to call and talk about their grief, there are separate men's line. Men might face a stigma when they want to talk about their grief at times, because of social and cultural issues. The trust also arranges for local support groups and email support for people too. Organizations and private individuals continue to support their work. The trust states that it draws on Australias long standing tradition to support grieving families in the context of a death. Now the trust aims to help families grieve for their children, and hence connect with corporate partners in order to do this (Sands Australia, 2016a) The Australian Government's Department of Health ASL, Town Square, and Remy and Co are some of the organizations supporting the trust as of now. ASL supports the Trust by means of fundraising events. The events help Sands in delivering the 24/7 support services. The trust notes that they have been able to help around 2,000 bereaved parents this way. TownSquare is yet another major contributor to the trust, that attempt to provide pro bono support for the agency. This is done by means of national awareness campaigns launched in 2016. InLink is yet another organization that attempts to market the trust and its activities. They offer advertising space in around 160 cafe locations (Sands Australia, 2016c). Trustees The trustee as a legal term refers to the holding of the trusteeship for a trust (Braithwaite, Levi, 2003).Trustee refers to a person who holds position or authority in the trust on behalf of others (Pettit, 2012). Andre Carvalho is the CEO of Sands Australia. Not much information is given about the trustees, but a media link page has been given, where any direct information on the trust could be asked. Beneficiaries The beneficiaries of the trust are the people of the trust for whom the trust was created (Tomasic, 2002; Oakley, 1996). The beneficiaries receive the benefits of the trust. Now for Sands Australia, the beneficiaries of the trust are that of grieving families who have lost a child. The beneficiaries do not receive monetary support here, but would receive support in the form of helping them in overcoming their grief. It is either done through arranged medical professionals or by means of people who have got out of similar situations themselves and who knows what the other must be going through. The beneficiaries can contact the trust directly by means of the direct phone number that is given to them, or by emailing them and there is also a live chat opportunity for them to connect with the trust. Alternatively, a beneficiary can also write to them which is not a preferred method on account of it being a sow mode of approaching the trust. Issues that Surprised Me Some issues that surprised me when going through the trust details was that it was difficult for find information and records on the trustees, the form of sources of income etc. There is some mention of these things but not in detail. I found this surprising because in current times it is usually expected that any organization have to be as transparent as possible when it comes to information. Transparency in information is a basic requirement of organizations (Bovens et al, 2014; Levi, 1998). Information must be easily accessible to different stakeholders of the company (Zhu, 2004; Turilli, Floridi, 2009). This need is especially more in the case of Sands Australia which has to rely on much external support to provide benefits for its beneficiaries. People who want to donate or who want to form an integral part of the support system of the organization, would first look for information about the organization. While it is interesting to note the history of organization, how it was f ormed etc, people will most certainly look for the details on how their contributions are converted into benefits for the beneficiaries. The people who want to support will want to know the governance space of the trust, the trustees that are involved, the financial elements or controls and more. This increases their trust on it and motivates them to contribute better. Donating to Trust Presuming that I could financially contribute to the trust, I think I would donate to the trust. The trust is operating on a mission that has long been spelled out over the years, from 1979 to be exact. There are popular issues in society that often has more direct remedies and solutions, and then there are some issues in which more direct solutions or remedied are not available. In the context of a grieving parent, counselors recommended by a hospital still remains the most basic option. However, grieving parents need more support, end to end support from parents who have lost a child themselves is more supportive. Grieving parents would be able to connect better. Now this is an initiative of the trust that is worth supporting. Grieving parents often have children who are dependent on them, they have work commitments and more, hence when they dont have an outlet for their grief then they tend to suffer as a consequence. So I believe it is everybodys social responsibility to ensure t hat grieving parents are supported. Conclusion Sands Australia Trust is dissected and analyzed here based on some of the basic legal structural elements for Australian Trusts, according to the Trust law. The discussion revealed details of the trust that helps in understanding it better. References Bovens, M., Goodin, R. E., Schillemans, T. (Eds.). (2014).The Oxford handbook of public accountability. OUP Oxford. Braithwaite, V., Levi, M. (Eds.). (2003).Trust and governance. Russell Sage Foundation. Levi, M. (1998). A state of trust.Trust and governance,1, 77-101. Oakley, A. J. (1996).Trends in contemporary trust law. Oxford University Press. Pettit, P. H. (2012).Equity and the Law of Trusts. Oxford University Press. Sands Australia. (2016a). Who we are? Retrieved Sep 27, 2016 at: https://www.sands.org.au/about-us Sands Australia. (2016b). Our History, Retrieved Sep 27, 2016 at: https://www.sands.org.au/2014-07-08-06-52-35 Sands Australia. (2016c). Our Supporters, Retrieved Sep 27, 2016 at: https://www.sands.org.au/our-supporters Tomasic, R., Bottomley, S., McQueen, R. (2002).Corporations law in Australia. Federation Press. Turilli, M., Floridi, L. (2009). The ethics of information transparency.Ethics and Information Technology,11(2), 105-112. Zhu, K. (2004). Information transparency of business-to-business electronic markets: A game-theoretic analysis.Management Science,50(5), 670-685.a