The secret life of bees Essay Example for Free

The secret life of bees Essay T-Ray, Lilys father comes to collect Lily but leaves Rosaleen in the cell; alone to be with her thoughts and come to terms with what has actually just happened. Youre lucky I got you out he yelled. But she cant stay there She dumped sniff juice on three white men! What the hell was she thinking? Lily is grateful for her father coming and getting her out of jail, but is upset that Rosaleen has been left behind. But Rosaleen has to learn her lesson and that is the impression that the reader gets from her father, youre lucky I got you out' tells us that he might have even left his own daughter in the jail cell for longer than he did, I think that Rosaleen and Lily had no real reason to be in jail in the first place the way the writer describes the incident is that Rosaleen was paying back the man for deeds he had done in the past that severely damaged her family. There is a great turning point to this novel, when Rosaleen and Lily run away together. They went to South Carolina and found a house that they seemed very interested in. Lily wants to run away because the situation with her father is getting too much for her and she also wants to find much more about her mother. The woman moved along a row of white boxes that bordered the woods beside the pink house, a house so pink it remained a scorched shock on the back of my eyelids She looked like an African bride. This was when they first seen the house and where watching the beekeeper go about her duties, which was amazing to them. Lily has a connection towards bees and this is what brought her and Rosaleen towards this house, as if the bees were calling her and showing her the right path in her life. As they watch this woman they feel as if they are getting to know her more and more just by watching her go about her duties. At this house they meet three black calendar sisters: May, June and August, August is the beekeeper who tells Lily the secrets of the Black Madonna mother to thousands. Its from August that Lily unexpectedly receives the keys to her mothers mystery and learns the secrets of beekeeping. This is where I spent my summers, she said Big Mama kept bees; too, right out there in the same spot theyre in today She liked to tell everyone that women made the best beekeepers. This felt like home to Lily the girls were almost her sisters she never had and August was like that special mother that she had always wanted, Rosaleen took on that figure but was more like a best friend than a mother to Lily. As the turning point develops Lily does think back to what life at home was like and whether her Dad is ok, but she knows there will be trouble down the line and will see her father again. Towards the end of the novel Lily starts to realise how important real family is and what they are there to do. Looking back to the old days Lily realises how much she really misses her mother and once told stories of her by August is reminded of her charming nature. August telling Lily the stories of her mother really does trig her memory of having great fun with this special person and makes her look back with Rosaleen at those great days everyone enjoyed with her and how great she really was. Lily loved her mother very much and still does she is reminded of this as she reflects back onto her childhood past and thinks of all the great times the family had together. When T. Ray finds Lily it is an unfortunate yet tragic event at the same time, she wants to see him but doesnt feel love for him. This is the autumn of wonders, yet every day, every single day, I go back to that burned afternoon in August when T. Ray left. and there they were. All these mothers. I have more mothers than any eight girls off the street. They are the moons shining over me. This is when Lily realises although she cannot remember meeting her biological mother she has many other mother figures in her life that will almost fill those shoes until she grows up. I also think that her father leaving her is a very stupid and selfish thing of him to do. Lily goes from having so much sympathy from me to being a young woman who can understand that once something so tragic as your mother dying has happened there really is nothing that you can do about it and all you can do is look for new or replacement mothers for the time being. Lily I feel is a very heroic child dealing with what she does as a main character she develops dramatically changing from very vulnerable to extremely strong and courageous. This is evident through her relationship with her father and Rosaleen. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Miscellaneous section.

Mauveine: History, Properties and Structure

Mauveine: History, Properties and Structure Introduction One of the most important events of 1856 was the discovery of the first successful artificial dye, mauveine (aniline purple, mauve dye, Tyrian purple) by William Perkin. The discovery of mauveine led to rapidly growth of fashion trend and discovery of new synthetic dyes. Nowadays there are more than three million dyes (WordPress.com). Most dyes used back in the XIX century were derived from natural products such as animals, vegetables or minerals. The dyes made from natural products at that time were expensive and required a large amount of labour. The main disadvantage of natural dyes was their tendency to fade. The invention of mauveine was major landmark in the history of technology and science which brought great benefits to textile and synthetic dye industry. However most people do not aware of the origin of those colours, especially world’s first synthetic dye mauveine and chemical reactions beyond the mauveine dye production. This paper will discuss the historical background of mauveine invention, chemical structure of mauveine, chemical synthesis methods of mauveine and applications. Historical background In 1834, German chemist August Wilhem Hofmann was working derivatives of coal tar to produce a quinine substance for treatment of malaria. At that time, young William Perkin was one of the Hofmann’s assistants and embarked to solve this problem. In 1856, while Hofmann went back to visit Germany, Perkin conducted some experiments in the laboratory at his home to achieve Hofmann’s goal. Perkin oxidised the aniline in the presence of potassium dichromate and obtained black coloured sludge. At the end of the experiment Perkin diluted the black sludge with alcohol and gained a purple solution. Perkin patented his new discovery and established the company ‘Perkin and Sons’. In June 1857 the company ‘Perkin and Sons’ began its work producing synthetic dyes. It should be emphasized that many technical problems occurred during the operation of the company such as large scale of benzene nitration and nitrobenzene reduction. The aniline purple was obtained in poor yields, because the oxidation step required optimisation. By 1864, the company was able to trade its product as a crystalline solid. In spite of the wealth which came with successful dye production, Perkin continued his experimental works in chemistry. After his successful introduction of aniline purple in Britain, next step for Perkin was to export mauveine abroad. However, Perkin’s effort to introduce his invention in France ended unsuccessfully as his patent was invalidated. Invention of the Perkins aniline purpleencouraged other chemists to work on new synthetic dyes. For instance, in 1856 Natanson discovered magenta (triphenylmethane dye) by oxidising aniline with chloride. As it was mentioned above, developments of synthetic dye chemistry in modern times takes its background from mauveine. Taking the historical background into consideration, mauveine made our world more colorful than it was before(‘the chemistry and application of dyes’, edited by David R. Waring, and Geoffrey Hallas, Plenum Press, New York 1990, p age 4-5). Chemical structure and properties of mauveine. The structure and consist of mauveine for many years had remained mystery. First attempts establishing mauveine molecular structure was made by Perkin himself. Perkin derived similar dye when oxidised toluidine and xylidine. However, pure aniline gave dye with poorer quality than that obtained from original impure aniline. This product was called pseudomauveine which was derivative of mauveine. Perkin concluded that mauveine contains both pseudo-mauveine () and a trimethyl derivative. At that time Perkin could not determine every atom in the molecule and so he attempted to determine mauveines constitutional formula by identified properties of mauve. In 1879 Perkin came to conclusion that mauveine can be derived only from aniline and para-toluidine. It should be emphasized that Perkins work determined a molecular formula of mauveine but not a molecular structure. Other works to determine molecular structure of mauveine was done by Fischer, Hepp and Nietzki. By synthesising pseudo-mauv eine in several times they discovered pseudomauveines structure. Oxidative couplings were involved in this synthesis as shown in figure 1. Synthetic methods for pseudomauveine figure 1. However, there was little evidence to proof mauveines chemical structure (figure 2). Mauveine figure 2. Only in 1994, the structure of mauveine determined through the work of Meth-Cohn and Smith. They emphasised two compounds as a key chromophores to obtain mauveine, mauveine A with C26 structure and mauveine B with C27 structure (scheme 1). Meth-Cohn and Smith analysed seven dyed textiles and seven mauve salts from different museum such as Science museum in London (scML), Chandler Museum (Columbia University), Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester (MSIM) and Perth Museum in Scotland. Meth-Cohn and Smith analysed major components of those samples by mass spectroscopy and NMR spectrometry and found presence of different methylated homologues of pseudo-mauveine. Different chromospheres are shown in table 1 amongst the historical samples which Meth-Cohn and Smith had found. A B B2 B3+B4 C C1 ScML1 1 2 50 23 10 5 4 5 1.3 ScML2 1 3 37 26 13 6 5 8 0.8 ScML3 1 2 54 16 9 4 5 8 1.8 ScML4 1 2 37 31 12 5 5 8 0.8 MSIM1 2 39 33 12 5 4 6 0.8 MSIM2 49 41 7 3 CM 1 2 50 24 8 4 5 7 1.4 Table1. Percentage of chronophers which found from mauveine samples Meth-Cohn and Smith discovered that all mauveine samples which prepared by Perkin was mixture of about thirteen different compounds with 7-amino-5-phenyl-3-(phenylamino)-phenazin-5-ium core. The majority of the historical samples of mauve which were investigated by Meth-Cohn and Smith had both A or B mauveines. Apart from that almost all historical samples of mauveine contained mono, tetra methylated derivatives of pseudo-mauveine. Mauveine B2 (C27) and C25A, C25B were important fingerprint markers of textiles and salts amongst these. In addition, for the first time Meth-Cohn and Smith identified pseudo-mauveine in the historical sample, this was described by Perkin as a second colouring source. As it was mentioned above, the mauveine contained pseudo-mauveine, which is very soluble, uncrystallisable salt and another one is less soluble, crystalline salt obtained from para-toluidine and aniline. One of the important properties of mauveine is fastness with silk which they colour. Chemical synthesis methods of mauveine As mentioned in previous sections William Perkin did not discover the mauveine intentionally, his main aim was preparing quinine (). As chemistry were in the early stage of its development there were little known about quinines structural formula. Taking into account of the molecular formulas of quinine and allyl toluidine Perkin came to the relationship shown in equation 1 and he attempted the preparation of quinine by oxidising allyl toluidine in the presence of potassium dichromate in sulphuric acid: Equation1 In his note Perkin wrote ‘that no quinine was formed, but only a dirty reddish brown precipitate’. However, Perkin was not aware at that time structure of allyl toluidine and quinine. If he had known the structure, he would certainly choose other route for synthesising quinine: The synthesis of mauveine starting aniline also required toluidine impurities (equation 2): Application of mauveine Alcoholic extract of mauveine gives very brilliant purple colour which cannot be removed and stable during washing. Perkin quickly considered its potential as a dyestuff for textiles and fabrics. Another useful application of mauveine is food colouring dye. In United States during 1900th the mauveine was used as food colouring with different names such as violate paste, rosolan, Perkin’s violate. Conclusion This short essay has considered history of the mauveine discovery, chemical structure and properties, synthesising way of mauveine. The discovery of mauveine led to rapidly change in global fashion and chemical industry. The Perkins discovery cannot be judged by today’s knowledge and consider as a luck. There were many things which have been discovered and invented, however they were forgotten as it did not find any practical application. Perkin had the ability to combine the theoretical and practical work from his experiment. Perkin’s discovery still has not lost its significance in modern synthetic dye chemistry and contributed to development of modern fashion. Galymzhan

Danger and NASCAR Essay examples -- Racing Death Essays

Danger and NASCAR â€Å"I had never even heard of Dale Earnhardt until he crashed into eternity, but now here I am writing a column about him† (King, 64). This reaction, recorded by Florence King in National Review, seems to be a common one since Earnhardt’s death in the Daytona 500. Dale Earnhardt was a driver in the Winston Cup circuit for the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). Despite the fact that he is arguably the most popular NASCAR driver, many people did not know who he was until he died. It is sad to realize that sometimes it takes death to become recognized. However, Dale is not the only NASCAR driver who is becoming known from his death. In a span of nine months, Tony Roper, Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin, and Earnhardt himself all have died on three different racetracks (Hinton, 133). NASCAR is focusing on the pressing issue of how to make racing as safe as possible, while remaining competitive. Some of this deals with learning from thes e deaths. All sports have risks. Unfortunately, sometimes we learn most from our mistakes. NASCAR is learning, and changing. Despite the fact that NASCAR (National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing) has a $1.7 billion, 8-year deal (Hinton, 135) with Fox, it actually had very humble beginnings. Many debate the very beginnings of racing itself. Richard Petty, a 200 race winner nicknamed â€Å"The King,† once joked, â€Å"It was the day they built the second automobile† (Menzer, 57). NASCAR actually began with a bunch of â€Å"Good Ol’ Boys† from down south. Many of the original drivers were moonshine runners, transporting illegal whiskey to lots of places in the southeast. NASCAR â€Å"was born on December 14, 1947, during a meeting of thirty-f... ... June, 2001. Hunter, Don & Pearce, Al. The Illustrated History of Stock Car Racing. Osceola, WI: MBI Publishing Company, 1998. King, Florence. "The Misanthrope's Corner." National Review. 2 April, 2001: 64. McCormick, Steve: About.com. 27 Aug. 2001. 26 October 2001. http://nascar.about.com/library/weekly/aa082701a.htm Menzer, Joe. The Wildest Ride: A History of NASCAR. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001. "NASCAR considers safety rules for super tracks." The Goshen News 24 Oct. 2001: B-2. "NASCAR Safety is the Issue." Advertising Age 72.9 (2/26/01): 28. Academic Search Elite. Palni Site Search. Goshen College Good Library. 25 October, 2001. Spencer, Lee. "NASCAR is Facing Pressure to Get up to Speed." Sporting News. 225.7 (2/12/01): 22. Academic Search Elite. Palni Site Search. Goshen College Good Library. 25 October, 2001.

Mexico City Policy :: essays research papers fc

On August 16, 1984 an international conference regarding population was held in Mexico City. It was at this conference that the Reagan Administration implemented the â€Å"Mexico City Policy†, also known and the Global Gag Rule. This policy stated that Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) would be prohibited from receiving United States funds if they performed, promoted, referred or counseled patients on abortion. The funds would be withheld from the NGOs even if the money used for abortion services were non-U.S. funds. This policy was in effect from 1984-1993 when president Bill Clinton came into office. On January 22, 2001 president George Bush reinstated the Mexico City Policy. There has been much debate over whether the policy is helping or hurting those abroad. Many people in the United States are not aware that the Mexico City Policy is in effect, or even what it is. It is very important that people here are aware of how the government is controlling health care and wo men’s rights in other countries. â€Å"It is my conviction that taxpayer funds should not be used to pay for abortions or advocate or actively promote abortion either here or abroad,† Bush stated in his memorandum to reinstate the Mexico City Policy. However, the policy does not state that funds will be withheld if the US taxpayer’s money is used; it states that monies will be withheld if abortion services are offered at all, even if it is not US money. Douglas Johnson the legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee states, the â€Å"government will no longer..try to legalize abortion in countries in Latin America, Africa, and Muslim countries in which people are strongly opposed to abortion and believe in the protection of unborn children.† What Johnson fails to recognize is that in countries where abortion is legal women’s rights are being compromised. U.S. Representative Christopher H. Smith expresses his feelings in his article â€Å"A Congressional View: The Unborn Must be Protected† (Global Issues Electronic Journal) by stating, â€Å"Abortion is child abuse.† Smith also comments that when the policy was previously in effect it had no affect on the family planning money received by NGO’s. It may not have affected the money received but it did affect women who were denied the option of abortion services. On January 22, 2003 president Bill Clinton rescinded the Mexico City Policy stating that it â€Å"undermined efforts to promote safe and efficacious family planning in foreign nations.

Impact of Institutional Factors and Election Mechanisms on Voter Turnou

In the 2012 United States Presidential election 58.2 percent of the registered voters turnout out to vote (IDEA). This figure is in stark contrast to many other wealthy democracies in the western world for the same election cycle (IDEA). This begs the question, why is voter turnout significantly lower in the US compared to the rest of the first world and other OECD countries? There are countless factors that could affect voter turnout, the most standard of which are based on socioeconomic status. But when considering only developed nations, more is at play in predicting turnout. Focus is turned to institutional factors and the effect election mechanisms, such as registration laws and party systems, have on political participation. Europe and the United States differ on many key aspects of democratic structure including party systems, registration processes, and voting procedures. These unique institutional factors in the United States place an excessive burden on the public and increases the tangible cost to voting, which discourages political participation. In order to discuss these costs, an understanding of how broader institutional an structural factors influence an individuals participation must be reached. In a general context, political participation is defined as any form of individual engagement with politics, but within the scope of this essay, political participation is narrowed to include only the act of voting (Verba). This can be used to explain why voter turnout in the United States is so low compared to European democracies. By investigating the democratic institutions in Italy, Germany, and France, such a comparison can be made and the institutional effect on voter turnout rate can be investi gated. Final... ...rties in America."  Third World Traveler. Princeton University Press, 1984. Web. 1 May 2014. . Timpone, Richard J. "Structure, Behavior, and Voter Turnout in the United States."  The American Political Science Review  92.1 (1998): 145-58.  JSTOR. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. . Powell, Bingham G., Jr. "American Voter Turnout in Comparative Perspective."  The American Political Science Review  80.1 (1986): 17-43.  JSTOR. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. . Verba, Sidney, Kay Lehman Schlozman and Henry E. Brady. 1995. Voice and Equality. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Selections (BB) pg. 8-10; 23-24; 37-48. World Economic Outlook Database, April 2014, International Monetary Fund. Updated 8 April 2014. Accessed April 2014.

School Counseling

Which is the most difficult part being a school counselor? After I read the ASCA Model on page 9 of textbook, I knew the leadership, advocacy, teaming and collaboration and systemic change are all what school counselors should focus on. I also learned that school counseling is a profession that focuses on the relations and interactions between students and their school environment with the purpose of reducing the barriers in order to help students to success. In my opinion, the team-member and collaborator is the most challenging for a school counselor in an urban school setting.Because as an effective team-member and collaborator, school counselor work with teachers, administrators and other school personnel to make sure that each student succeeds. However, sometimes working with other school setting educators is not very easy. For example, some teachers do not like to follow the advices from counselors, they believe that their ways are perfect. Hence, they do not want to hear the v oice from counselors. I understand everybody has different ideas, but I also believe that our students will get benefits if we can work together as a team.We share our opinions and hear everyone’s advice. Because our goals are same, we all hope each student succeeds. Even though the coloration is challenging and difficult, we still need to do it with our efforts. What the elements for school counseling as a profession? Threatened by who? From the framework for a school counseling program, there are four elements of school counseling of a profession, foundation, delivery system, management system, and accountability. On the page 9 of the textbook, foundation includes beliefs and philosophy, mission statement, ASCA national standards.Delivery system includes school guidance curriculum, individual student planning, responsive services and system support. Management system includes agreements, advisory council, use of date, use of time and calendars. The last one, accountability includes results reports, school counselor performance standards and program audit. I think school counseling profession may be threatened by other educators, like teachers, principals and other administrators. Sometimes school counselors cannot get enough support for a new idea, some changes cannot get approval by high level administrators or supervisors.From the supporting articles, we have to get more effective data to prove our idea is right. Being a counselor, we must do more research in order to get sufficient evidence if we want to persuade teachers or other educators to accept our changes or new ideas. Because counselors are not in the classroom, no direct relationship with students likes teachers. Hence, our advice or new idea is not easy to be accepted by teachers. For dealing with these difficulties, the most effective way is research! Using data to speak! Compare the traditional and contemporary model?The most recognizable models for school counseling focused on the â₠¬Å" three Cs† of school counseling: counseling, consultation, and coordination. These three elements are all what traditional model has. However, as school counseling system was improved and developed in today’s world. The contemporary model still includes counseling and coordination as well as leadership, advocacy, collaboration and teaming, and assessment and use of data. From the ASCA National Model, the skills of leadership, advocacy, and collaboration and teaming are emphasized as very important and essential elements of being a school counselor.And it also needs efforts to improve systemic change. Comparing with the contemporary model of school counseling, the traditional model just has three basic elements. For the contemporary model, more positions and skills were involved for school counselors. School counselors spend more time to develop and maintain relationships with students, teachers, parents, administrators, and community resource educators. As the change s from traditional model to contemporary model, leadership becomes an important role in our school counseling.According to Philiips, leadership involves influencing others to create a shared commitment to a common purpose. Then, the other new model element advocacy is also effective, advocates in schools work to reduce barriers that lead to achievement gaps between poor and minority students and their more advantaged peers. Our end goals are all making students to be successful. After that, collaboration and teaming part is difficult but necessary. It is an essential process for promoting systemic change. As our last week discussion, we all noticed the power of assessment and use of data.We need to do effective research in order to support our new ideas and changes. Without doubts, data use is also a bright improvement of being one of the new elements for school counseling. After knowing the differences between traditional and contemporary model, we can see that school counseling sy stem is really on the right track to move. More useful skills came out in order to promoting student achievement. For Comprehensive School Counseling Progams, Describe, compare, and contrast the Missouri Model and the ASCA Model. Are these models relevant and/or realistic for school counselors in urban schools?After reading the chapter four, it is good to know a new model of school counseling program. The comprehensive guidance program model is also known as the Missouri model in 1917. In this model, it includes self-knowledge and interpersonal skills, life roles, settings, and events, and life career planning. It also offers three elements and four components. The elements include the content of the program, the organizational framework, and resources. Four components include guidance curriculum, individual planning, responsive services, and system support.We have already familiar with the ASCA model. For the ASCA National model, the framework has four elements. (foundation, delive ry system, management system and accountability). It also has four themes. (leadership, advocacy, teaming and collaboration and systemic change) ASCA National Model is conducted in collaboration with key partners, monitors student progress, is driven by data, seeks improvement, and shares successes with stakeholders. For the Missouri Model, it presents a complete framework that can be adapted for each school.Being a school counselor, these developments are indeed good for our students. Especially, the life career development can help student’s development awareness and acceptance of themselves and others, also help students develop and incorporate practices that lead to effective learning, responsible daily living, finally help students understand and use a decision-making process in determining their life goals. As we know, the purpose of both Missouri Model and ASCA National Model is providing a framework for counselors to promote academic achievement, career planning, and personal social development.Theoretically, these models are good in urban schools from above aspects. However, the reality is different. For an example, we all know systemic change and collaboration are not easy to do. Even though these models give us many valuable instructions to help our students, sometimes we still have many difficulties from various realities. the roles of the â€Å"resource broker† and explain the â€Å"School Change Feedback Process (SCFP)? After reading the article by Colbert and Kulikowich, I learned a new term: resource broker and a new process: School Change Feedback Process (SCFP).The role of resource broker is offered to help counselors with data-driven programs. A resource broker is a school professional who functions as an active force to identify, provide access to, and ensure the utilization of resources that enhance student development. (Colbert, R. D. , & Kulikowich, J. M. (2006)) As a resource broker, it includes teacher efficacy in progra m assessments when data show inequities in student access to rigorous academic classes. Hence, the resource broker indeed plays an important role in school counseling.After that, regarding to a role for school counselors in education reform, the research produced the emergence of a new method called the School Change Feedback Process (SCFP). It has four steps in the SCFP process: 1. Obtain teacher efficacy beliefs. 2. Share teachers' efficacy beliefs with the principal and teachers. 3. Incorporate teachers' beliefs into the ongoing education reform or school improvement plan implementation with continuous feedback. 4. Obtain teachers' beliefs again, and repeat the cycle.In this process, three basic counselor responsibilities includes identify resources, gain access to resources and ensure the utilization of resources. According to ASCA, â€Å"School counselors must show that each activity implemented as part of the school counseling program is developed from a careful analysis of s tudent needs, achievement and related data†. Hence, we should use data to monitor student’s progress. Being a school counselor, we should use database to disaggregate data related to achievement, attendance, discipline, and so forth to develop action plans.In additional, school counselors also work with principals and teachers. So, using SCFP is a good way to corporate with them. As we all know, getting the efficacy from teacher is very important. Hence, resource broker helps counselors with data, then using SCFP to get feedback in a contemporary urban school setting. concept of â€Å"behavioral momentum,† as discussed in Lee's article. Explain how this concept, and those of high-p and low-p tasks, might be relevant to school counselors?The term behavioral momentum is described as â€Å" the dynamics of behavior in changing environments†. Nevin indicated that behavior possesses a momentum much more like physical objects. The high-p request intervention is based on the theory of behavioral momentum. A high-probability request sequence is an intervention that practitioners can use to make it more likely that a nonpreferred behavior will occur. For this intervention, many requests with a high probability of compliance is delivered just prior to a request with a low probability of compliance.In this article, it gave us an example to understand, â€Å"a teacher may ask a student to take out a pencil (high-p request), write his or her name on a piece of paper (high-p request), and write the date at the top of the paper (high-p request), immediately prior to asking the student to begin math seatwork, a low-p activity†. The responses generated by the high-p requests carries over and increases compliance to the request that had previously resulted in noncompliance. The effects of high-p request sequences have been examined.From this example, we can clearly know what is high-p and what is low-p. In our counseling program, we can use thi s method to help our students in academic work. It indeed has many advantages to help students to succeed. Teachers can spend more time on direct instruction, as opposed to managing student behavior. Then, decreasing the work of students who are already behind academically may have a negative effect on skill development. After that, teachers can use these tasks to make transitions more efficient and to increase proficiency at performing those same high-p tasks.

Frostbite Chapter 2

TWO DIMITRI MADE ONE PHONE CALL, and a veritable SWAT team showed up. It took a couple of hours, though, and every minute spent waiting felt like a year. I finally couldn't take it anymore and returned to the car. Dimitri examined the house further and then came to sit with me. Neither of us said a word while we waited. A slide show of the grisly sights inside the house kept playing in my mind. I felt scared and alone and wished he would hold me or comfort me in some way. Immediately, I scolded myself for wanting that. I reminded myself for the thousandth time that he was my instructor and had no business holding me, no matter what the situation was. Besides, I wanted to be strong. I didn't need to go running to some guy every time things got tough. When the first group of guardians showed up, Dimitri opened the car door and glanced over at me. â€Å"You should see how this is done.† I didn't want to see any more of that house, honestly, but I followed anyway. These guardians were strangers to me, but Dimitri knew them. He always seemed to know everybody. This group was surprised to find a novice on the scene, but none of them protested my presence. I walked behind them as they examined the house. None of them touched anything, but they knelt by the bodies and studied the bloodstains and broken windows. Apparently, the Strigoi had entered the house through more than just the front door and back patio. The guardians spoke in brusque tones, displaying none of the disgust and fear I felt. They were like machines. One of them, the only woman in the group, crouched beside Arthur Schoenberg. I was intrigued since female guardians were so rare. I'd heard Dimitri call her Tamara, and she looked about twenty-five. Her black hair just barely touched her shoulders, which was common for guardian women. Sadness flickered in her gray eyes as she studied the dead guardian's face. â€Å"Oh, Arthur,† she sighed. Like Dimitri, she managed to convey a hundred things in just a couple words. â€Å"Never thought I'd see this day. He was my mentor.† With another sigh, Tamara rose. Her face had become all businesslike once more, as though the guy who'd trained her wasn't lying there in front of her. I couldn't believe it. He was her mentor. How could she keep that kind of control? For half a heartbeat, I imagined seeing Dimitri dead on the floor instead. No. No way could I have stayed calm in her place. I would have gone on a rampage. I would have screamed and kicked things. I would have hit anyone who tried to tell me things would be okay. Fortunately, I didn't believe anyone could actually take down Dimitri. I'd seen him kill a Strigoi without breaking a sweat. He was invincible. A badass. A god. Of course, Arthur Schoenberg had been too. â€Å"How could they do that?† I blurted out. Six sets of eyes turned to me. I expected a chastising look from Dimitri for my outburst, but he merely appeared curious. â€Å"How could they kill him?† Tamara gave a small shrug, her face still composed. â€Å"The same way they kill everyone else. He's mortal, just like the rest of us.† â€Å"Yeah, but he's †¦ you know, Arthur Schoenberg.† â€Å"You tell us, Rose,† said Dimitri. â€Å"You've seen the house. Tell us how they did it.† As they all watched me, I suddenly realized I might be undergoing a test after all today. I thought about what I'd observed and heard. I swallowed, trying to figure out how the impossible could be possible. â€Å"There were four points of entry, which means at least four Strigoi. There were seven Moroi†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The family who lived here had been entertaining some other people, making the massacre that much larger. Three of the victims had been children. â€Å"†¦ and three guardians. Too many kills. Four Strigoi couldn't have taken down that many. Six probably could if they went for the guardians first and caught them by surprise. The family would have been too panicked to fight back.† â€Å"And how did they catch the guardians by surprise?† Dimitri prompted. I hesitated. Guardians, as a general rule, didn't get caught by surprise. â€Å"Because the wards were broken. In a household without wards, there'd probably be a guardian walking the yard at night. But they wouldn't have done that here.† I waited for the next obvious question about how the wards had been broken. But Dimitri didn't ask it. There was no need. We all knew. We'd all seen the stake. Again, a chill ran down my spine. Humans working with Strigoia large group of Strigoi. Dimitri simply nodded as a sign of approval, and the group continued their survey. When we reached a bathroom, I started to avert my gaze. I'd already seen this room with Dimitri earlier and had no wish to repeat the experience. There was a dead man in there, and his dried blood stood out in stark contrast against the white tile. Also, since this room was more interior, it wasn't as cold as the area by the open patio. No preservation. The body didn't smell bad yet, exactly, but it didn't smell right, either. But as I started to turn away, I caught a glimpse of something dark redmore brown, reallyon the mirror. I hadn't noticed it before because the rest of the scene had held all of my attention. There was writing on the mirror, done in blood. Poor, poor Badicas. So few left. One royal family nearly gone. Others to follow. Tamara snorted in disgust and turned away from the mirror, studying other details of the bathroom. As we walked out, though, those words repeated in my head. One royal family nearly gone. Others to follow. The Badicas were one of the smaller royal clans, it was true. But it was hardly like those who had been killed here were the last of them. There were probably almost two hundred Badicas left. That wasn't as many as a family like, say, the Ivashkovs. That particular royal family was huge and widespread. There were, however, a lot more Badicas than there were some other royals. Like the Dragomirs. Lissa was the only one left. If the Strigoi wanted to snuff out royal lines, there was no better chance than to go after her. Moroi blood empowered Strigoi, so I understood their desire for that. I supposed specifically targeting royals was simply part of their cruel and sadistic nature. It was ironic that Strigoi would want to tear apart Moroi society, since many of them had once been a part of it. The mirror and its warning consumed me for the rest of our stay at the house, and I found my fear and shock transforming into anger. How could they do this? How could any creature be so twisted and evil that they'd do this to a familythat they'd want to wipe out an entire bloodline? How could any creature do this when they'd once been like me and Lissa? And thinking of Lissathinking of Strigoi wanting to wipe out her family toostirred up a dark rage within me. The intensity of that emotion nearly knocked me over. It was something black and miasmic, swelling and roiling. A storm cloud ready to burst. I suddenly wanted to tear up every Strigoi I could get my hands on. When I finally got into the car to ride back to St. Vladimir's with Dimitri, I slammed the door so hard that it was a wonder it didn't fall off. He glanced at me in surprise. â€Å"What's wrong?† â€Å"Are you serious?† I exclaimed, incredulous. â€Å"How can you ask that? You were there. You saw that.† â€Å"I did,† he agreed. â€Å"But I'm not taking it out on the car.† I fastened my seat belt and glowered. â€Å"I hate them. I hate them all! I wish I'd been there. I would have ripped their throats out!† I was nearly shouting. Dimitri stared at me, face calm, but he was clearly astonished at my outburst. â€Å"You really think that's true?† he asked me. â€Å"You think you could have done better than Art Schoenberg after seeing what the Strigoi did in there? After seeing what Natalie did to you?† I faltered. I'd tangled briefly with Lissa's cousin, Natalie, when she became a Strigoi, just before Dimitri had shown up to save the day. Even as a new Strigoiweak and uncoordinatedshe'd literally thrown me around the room. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Suddenly, I felt stupid. I'd seen what Strigoi could do. Me running in impetuously and trying to save the day would have only resulted in a quick death. I was developing into a tough guardian, but I still had a lot to learnand one seventeen-year-old girl couldn't have stood against six Strigoi. I opened my eyes. â€Å"I'm sorry,† I said, gaining control of myself. The rage that had exploded inside me diffused. I didn't know where it had come from. I had a short temper and often acted impulsively, but this had been intense and ugly even for me. Weird. â€Å"It's okay,† said Dimitri. He reached over and placed his hand on mine for a few moments. Then he removed it and started the car. â€Å"It's been a long day. For all of us.† When we got back to St. Vladimir's Academy around midnight, everyone knew about the massacre. The vampiric school day had just ended, and I hadn't slept in more than twenty-four hours. I was bleary-eyed and sluggish, and Dimitri ordered me to immediately go back to my dorm room and get some sleep. He, of course, looked alert and ready to take on anything. Sometimes I really wasn't sure if he slept at all. He headed off to consult with other guardians about the attack, and I promised him I'd go straight to bed. Instead, I turned toward the library once he was out of sight. I needed to see Lissa, and the bond told me that was where she was. It was pitch-black as I walked along the stone walkway that crossed the quad from my dorm to the secondary school's main building. Snow completely covered the grass, but the sidewalk had been meticulously cleared of all ice and snow. It reminded me of the poor Badicas' neglected home. The commons building was large and gothic-looking, more suited to a medieval movie set than a school. Inside, that air of mystery and ancient history continued to permeate the building: elaborate stone walls and antique paintings warring with computers and fluorescent lights. Modern technology had a foothold here, but it would never dominate. Slipping through the library's electronic gate, I immediately headed for one of the back corners where geography and travel books were kept. Sure enough, I found Lissa sitting there on the floor, leaning against a bookcase. â€Å"Hey,† she said, looking up from an open book propped up on one knee. She brushed a few strands of pale hair out of her face. Her boyfriend, Christian, lay on the floor near her, his head propped up on her other knee. He greeted me by way of a nod. Considering the antagonism that sometimes flared up between us, that was almost on par with him giving me a bear hug. Despite her small smile, I could feel the tension and fear in her; it sang through the bond. â€Å"You heard,† I said, sitting down cross-legged. Her smile slipped, and the feelings of fear and unease within her intensified. I liked that our psychic connection let me protect her better, but I didn't really need my own troubled feelings amplified. â€Å"It's awful,† she said with a shudder. Christian shifted and linked his fingers through hers. He squeezed her hand. She squeezed back. Those two were so in love and sugary sweet with each other that I felt like brushing my teeth after being around them. They were subdued just now, however, no doubt thanks to the massacre news. â€Å"They're saying†¦they're saying there were six or seven Strigoi. And that humans helped them break the wards.† I leaned my head back against a shelf. News really did travel fast. Suddenly, I felt dizzy. â€Å"It's true.† â€Å"Really?† asked Christian. â€Å"I figured that was just a bunch of hyped-up paranoia.† â€Å"No †¦Ã¢â‚¬  I realized then that nobody knew where I'd been today. â€Å"I†¦ I was there.† Lissa's eyes widened, shock coursing into me from her. Even Christianthe poster child for â€Å"smartass†looked grim. If not for the horribleness of it all, I would have taken satisfaction in catching him off guard. â€Å"You're joking,† he said, voice uncertain. â€Å"I thought you were taking your Qualifier†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Lissa's words trailed off. â€Å"I was supposed to,† I said. â€Å"It was just a wrong-place-and-wrong-time kind of thing. The guardian who was going to give me the test lived there. Dimitri and I walked in, and†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I couldn't finish. Images of the blood and death that had filled the Badica house flashed through my mind again. Concern crossed both Lissa's face and the bond. â€Å"Rose, are you okay?† she asked softly. Lissa was my best friend, but I didn't want her to know how scared and upset the whole thing had made me. I wanted to be fierce. â€Å"Fine,† I said, teeth clenched. â€Å"What was it like?† asked Christian. Curiosity filled his voice, but there was guilt there toolike he knew it was wrong to want to know about such a horrible thing. He couldn't stop himself from asking, though. Lack of impulse control was one thing we had in common. â€Å"It was †¦Ã¢â‚¬  I shook my head. â€Å"I don't want to talk about it.† Christian started to protest, and then Lissa ran a hand through his sleek black hair. The gentle admonishment silenced him. A moment of awkwardness hung between us all. Reading Lissa's mind, I felt her desperately grope for a new topic. â€Å"They say this is going to mess up all of the holiday visits,† she told me after several more moments. â€Å"Christian's aunt is going to visit, but most people don't want to travel, and they want their kids to stay here where it's safe. They're terrified this group of Strigoi is on the move.† I hadn't thought about the ramifications of an attack like this. We were only a week or so away from Christmas. Usually, there was a huge wave of travel in the Moroi world this time of year. Students went home to visit their parents; parents came to stay on campus and visit their children. â€Å"This is going to keep a lot of families separated,† I murmured. â€Å"And mess up a lot of royal get-togethers,† said Christian. His brief seriousness had vanished; his snide air was back. â€Å"You know how they are this time of yearalways competing with each other to throw the biggest parties. They won't know what to do with themselves.† I could believe it. My life was about fighting, but the Moroi certainly had their share of internal strifeparticularly with nobles and royals. They waged their own battles with words and political alliances, and honestly, I preferred the more direct method of hitting and kicking. Lissa and Christian in particular had to navigate some troubled waters. They were both from royal families, which meant they got a lot of attention both inside and outside of the Academy. Things were worse for them than for most Moroi royals. Christian's family lived under the shadow cast by his parents. They had purposely become Strigoi, trading their magic and morality to become immortal and subsist on killing others. His parents were dead now, but that didn't stop people from not trusting him. They seemed to think he'd go Strigoi at any moment and take everyone else with him. His abrasiveness and dark sense of humor didn't really help things, either. Lissa's attention came from being the last one left in her family. No other Moroi had enough Dragomir blood in them to earn the name. Her future husband would probably have enough somewhere in his family tree to make sure her children were Dragomirs, but for now, being the only one made her kind of a celebrity. Thinking about this suddenly reminded me of the warning scrawled on the mirror. Nausea welled up in me. That dark anger and despair stirred, but I pushed it aside with a joke. â€Å"You guys should try solving your problems like we do. A fistfight here and there might do you royals some good.† Both Lissa and Christian laughed at this. He glanced up at her with a sly smile, showing his fangs as he did. â€Å"What do you think? I bet I could take you if we went one on one.† â€Å"You wish,† she teased. Her troubled feelings lightened. â€Å"I do, actually,† he said, holding her gaze. There was an intensely sensual note to his voice that made her heart race. Jealousy shot through me. She and I had been best friends our entire life. I could read her mind. But the fact remained: Christian was a huge part of her world now, and he played a role I never couldjust as he could never have a part of the connection that existed between me and her. We both sort of accepted but didn't like the fact that we had to split her attention, and at times, it seemed the truce we held for her sake was paper thin. Lissa brushed her hand against his cheek. â€Å"Behave.† â€Å"I am,† he told her, his voice still a little husky. â€Å"Sometimes. But sometimes you don't want me to†¦.† Groaning, I stood up. â€Å"God. I'm going to leave you guys alone now.† Lissa blinked and dragged her eyes away from Christian, suddenly looking embarrassed. â€Å"Sorry,† she murmured. A delicate pink flush spread over her cheeks. Since she was pale like all Moroi, it actually sort of made her look prettier. Not that she needed much help in that department. â€Å"You don't have to go†¦.† â€Å"No, it's fine. I'm exhausted,† I assured her. Christian didn't look too broken up about seeing me leave. â€Å"I'll catch you tomorrow.† I started to turn away, but Lissa called to me. â€Å"Rose? Are you†¦are you sure you're okay? After everything that happened?† I met her jade green eyes. Her concern was so strong and deep that it made my chest ache. I might be closer to her than anyone else in the world, but I didn't want her worrying about me. It was my job to keep her safe. She shouldn't be troubled about protecting meparticularly if Strigoi had suddenly decided to make a hit list of royals. I flashed her a saucy grin. â€Å"I'm fine. Nothing to worry about except you guys tearing each other's clothes before I get a chance to leave.† â€Å"Then you better go now,† said Christian dryly. She elbowed him, and I rolled my eyes. â€Å"Good night,† I told them. As soon as my back was to them, my smile vanished. I walked back to my dorm with a heavy heart, hoping I wouldn't dream about the Badicas tonight.