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

Obese in the Society

Introduction It is no doubt that obesity is one of the biggest challenges of the modern times. It is ironical that so much is known about the obesity especially the health hazard of the condition but yet more and more people are witnessed growing obese with every dawn.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Obese in the Society specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is not a secret that a significant portion of the Americans are aware of the dangers of getting obese but does this knowledge seem to have any effect. In this article, a suggestion is given for the government to regulate the food business. The main argument of the paper is based on the reasoning that the government should protect its people from effects of obese. Obese has become a national issue It is no doubt that obese has become an issue of national interest. It is very clear that despite the awareness programs being carried out, there is no significant cha nge being witnessed in the expected direction but instead more people are seemingly making assumptions about the effects of being obese and are becoming obese. The cost of obesity is immense and nations such as the US, the government is forced to part with a lot of funds in treatment of conditions which are brought about by being obese. As a matter of fact being obese is a risk factor for heart attack and without proper care one can easily succumb to heart attack when obese. Children and women especially pregnant mothers expose themselves to various risks by getting obese. Physical body exercises are very significant for a proper development of children but this may not be possible if a child is obese. Government expenditure and the risks that obese citizens expose themselves are enough reason for the government to be concern. As it has been mentioned above, despite the enormous efforts which have been put forward towards discouraging people from being obese, it has not been possibl e to discourage people from growing obese.Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Obese has become an issue of national interest thus the need for the government to swiftly move in and control the food industry. It has been witnessed that the food manufacturers are not very concern about the welfare of the citizens and actually that is why junk food outlets and increasing by day. On their own the people do not seem to make the correct judgment concerning healthy feeding. The food companies on their side do not seem to care about what kind of food they are selling to their customers. If the government is to control the food industry it will be possible for the amount of junk food released to the market to be reduced thus effectively reducing the rates of obesity. It is worth noting that there will be a likely of protest against such a move probably based on the argument of freedom of c hoice. Conclusion Despite the much information available in the society against being obese because of the health dangers associated with one being obese. The government should take measures and control the food industry. By regulating the food industry it will became possible for the amount of junk food released to the market to be reduced. This will effectively reduce the obesity levels in the nation and some medical expenses. Though such a move will likely be faced with some opposition, it will likely work well. This essay on Obese in the Society was written and submitted by user Ramon I. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

What Should I Expect From A Free AP Seminars Student Sample?

What Should I Expect From A Free AP Seminars Student Sample?If you're interested in participating in a free AP seminar, then you'll want to take a look at the samples that are on hand to see if they appeal to you and meet your needs. You should be able to find a student sample and an individual essay for you to work with that's actually quite useful.As students, we're all concerned about what we write on our exams. We want to express our thoughts accurately and express our ideas clearly and concisely. There's no reason to fall short of meeting the expectations of your professors by simply failing to write properly, so taking advantage of these samples is always a good idea.Whether you are taking an AP course or an independent study program, these assignments are always a way to help the student do better than he or she would normally be able to accomplish. Students will also be able to learn more about themselves and their abilities. Some of the student samples include college essays , studies about current events, and other types of subject matter. They come in handy and can give you a lot of information that you need to be able to use in writing your own college and personal essays.When looking at these essay samples, be sure to take your time and see which ones you like the best. They may have been used to great effect by past students, so you'll probably be getting some great content there that will help you understand the material much better.The last thing that you'll want to do when looking for a sample assignment for an individual essay is to make sure that it's one that you feel comfortable doing. It may seem easier to just take a practice test and get rid of it, but if it's not the type of test that you feel confident in taking, then you may be better off choosing another one. The results of your final exam will be determined by the type of material that you were able to successfully represent.When using the free sample, you'll want to make sure that i t has at least some examples of how to use it. Don't worry about anything that can be done after the test itself, just make sure that you're able to gain as much knowledge as possible before actually completing the whole essay. Try to make it as detailed as possible, and if possible find a computer file that includes a sample chapter.Using the free AP seminar, you will be able to make some good connections with other students and instructors. Remember that you will want to take full advantage of them, so make sure to study up on what you should expect.

Free Essays on Where I Stand

There is â€Å"a price to be paid,† as the clichà © goes; the best things in life aren’t for free. However, most people would debate the merit of this old saying. Whether you are buying yourself a suitable lifestyle, or considering matters of the heart, a price just may be paid even if the payment isn’t a dollar amount. Some people may think the best things in life are material possessions, but every person knows they come with a price. Sometimes this price can be very high. One may spend every penny he owns on collecting wonderful ornaments for his home, and realize that his efforts were in vain for he has no one to share them with. Or, perhaps, he finds himself in debt so far that there is no possible way to get out. Many people suffer from debt. Though it is safe to say many more people have suffered a broken heart. You cannot buy love, although several have tried, but a high price is paid for it. Women and men alike pay for their children’s lives either to spend their life working to have the means to raise them, or to sacrifice dreams they had in order to raise them. Women and men also pay for romance in way much like that of having children. Maybe they sacrifice dreams of careers, or a matching mate, no matter what the sacrifice is; they must pay for something that they want. Jennifer Lopez sang a song titled â€Å"My Love Don’t Cost a Thing†. In her music video, she portrays a woman who receives many expensive gifts from her lover because he is too busy to spend time with her. The contradiction is that her love does cost something. He has a career that consumes much of his free time and, in order to keep her he has to sacrifice his job. While it may seem pessimistic, nothing in this world is free of charge.... Free Essays on Where I Stand Free Essays on Where I Stand There is â€Å"a price to be paid,† as the clichà © goes; the best things in life aren’t for free. However, most people would debate the merit of this old saying. Whether you are buying yourself a suitable lifestyle, or considering matters of the heart, a price just may be paid even if the payment isn’t a dollar amount. Some people may think the best things in life are material possessions, but every person knows they come with a price. Sometimes this price can be very high. One may spend every penny he owns on collecting wonderful ornaments for his home, and realize that his efforts were in vain for he has no one to share them with. Or, perhaps, he finds himself in debt so far that there is no possible way to get out. Many people suffer from debt. Though it is safe to say many more people have suffered a broken heart. You cannot buy love, although several have tried, but a high price is paid for it. Women and men alike pay for their children’s lives either to spend their life working to have the means to raise them, or to sacrifice dreams they had in order to raise them. Women and men also pay for romance in way much like that of having children. Maybe they sacrifice dreams of careers, or a matching mate, no matter what the sacrifice is; they must pay for something that they want. Jennifer Lopez sang a song titled â€Å"My Love Don’t Cost a Thing†. In her music video, she portrays a woman who receives many expensive gifts from her lover because he is too busy to spend time with her. The contradiction is that her love does cost something. He has a career that consumes much of his free time and, in order to keep her he has to sacrifice his job. While it may seem pessimistic, nothing in this world is free of charge....

Persuasive Essay Topics

Persuasive Essay Topics Persuasive Essay Topics Persuasive Essay Topics The purpose of persuasive essay writing is to persuade the reader to accept an idea or agree with an opinion. While writing an essay, you should strive to convince the reader that your point of view is a reasonable one. The persuasive essay should be written in a style that grabs and holds the reader's attention.   In addition, your opinion should be supported with details and evidence from secondary sources. Persuasive writing involves persuading the reader to perform an action, or it may consist of an argument convincing the reader of the writer's point of view. Persuasive writers employ many techniques to present their argument and show support for their claim. There may be several different ways of choosing persuasive essay topics. Your teacher may give you some prompts or requirements on topic selection. Sometimes, you may have an opportunity to make your own choice. If you have some choice in the topic selection, it will be helpful if you select the topic of interest to you. Essay Help It isn't an easy task to persuade someone to change his point of view.   You should read and analyze a lot of information, make notes, arrange ideas in an outline, and ensure proper referencing of all cited articles, books, and internet resources. Before writing an essay, make sure that your points are well-organized, and that supporting arguments are understandable and relevant. Create a list of supporting points as well as counterarguments.   It is very important not to forget about examples illustrating your ideas and thoughts. The introductory paragraph should introduce the argument of your persuasive essay. A well-constructed introductory paragraph immediately captures the interest of your reader and gives appropriate background information about the essay topic. Include a brief summary of the ideas to be discussed in the essay body as well as other information relevant to persuasive essay argument. Make sure to include thesis statement!   It is impossible to write a good persuasive essay without clear and effective thesis statement.   Custom essay writing is about logical development of your arguments and ideas.   Each body paragraph must present a single idea supporting the main argument.   Persuasive essay conclusion should summarize the main points and stress the strongest idea. Persuasive Essay Writing Help If you are not sure in your ability to write an attention-getting persuasive essay, if you cannot find enough supporting information, you are welcome to ask our writers for assistance.   We provide only custom written persuasive essays and guarantee originality of every custom paper we deliver.   In addition to final draft, you will receive free plagiarism report.   Returning customers are offered wide range of discounts on .com  services.