Is the EUs decision-making process best characterized as federal or Essay

Is the EUs decision-making process best characterized as federal or intergovernmental - Essay Example The member states make up such organizations, which are the sovereign states. United Nations, European Union, Council of Europe, World Trade Organization, the Council of Europe and many more are examples of intergovernmental organizations. However, the European Union is a prime example of supranational organization where the governments of the member states delegate the negotiated power to the member states. It is often referred to as a federation. This paper will closely observe the works of the European Union, and whether it is best characterized as federal or intergovernmental. The founding members of the European Union held the same ideals of a peaceful, united and prosperous Europe. They belonged to diverse backgrounds. In the Second World War, bloody wars culminated between neighbors. The purpose behind the establishment of the European was primarily to end these wars. In order to secure the lasting peace, European Coal and Steel Community began to unite the European countries economically and politically. There are six main founders, including France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Luxemburg and Netherlands. There was a cold war between the East and the West in 1950’s. In 1956, the Soviet tanks had put down the protests in Hungary against the Communist regimes. In the following year, Soviet Union had launched their first man made space satellite, Sputnik 1. This is when they took the lead in the space race. The European Economic Community or ‘Common Market’ was created due to the Treaty of Rome.... With the establishment of the common market, goods and services were to move freely within the six nations in Europe (Europea n.d. n.p) In 1962, the newly formed European Union began the common agricultural policy, which gave the nations within the union joint control over all the food produced within these nations (Matthew J 2011 n.p). In 1968, the six nations decide to remove custom duties on goods, which were imported from one another and allowed free cross border trade. Trade between the nations rapidly increased due to this. In 1973, three more nations joined the union making it a total of nine. The three newly joined nations were United Kingdom, Denmark, and Ireland. In 1974, the leaders in European Union established a European Regional Development Fund. The purpose for the funds were to transfer money from the richer region to the poorer regions help improve roads and communications, later on down the road this funding takes up one third of the unions spending. Citizens of the union were involved in the election of the union in 1979, when they were given the right to elect the members of the Parliament of the union. Previously, the members of the parliaments were delegated by the national parliaments. In 1981, Greece joined the union and the tally of nation within the union hit double figures. Spain and Portugal joined the union in 1986. The union launched the Erasmus programme in 1987 to fund for students who were interested in studying for up to 1 year in another European country. This scheme ended up benefiting more than 2 million young students (European Union Background 9 Jan 2012.n.p) The Treaty on European Union was signed in 1992, this set a rule for a future

Practices In Of Health And Social Care Social Work Essay

Practices In Of Health And Social Care Social Work Essay This study aims to investigate the conduct of inter-professional practice in areas of social and health care, with specific regard to the involvement of service users in such practice. The case study prepared by the City and Hackney Local Safeguarding Children Board on Child A and Child B is taken up for analysis and review in this context. The case study is taken as read and is not elaborated for the purpose of this essay. Health and social care in the UK is currently being significantly influenced by a growing commitment towards greater public involvement in the design, delivery and evaluation of services, greater availability and choice of services for all categories of service users, reduction of inequality, greater emphasis on provisioning of services at the local level, (including from the independent and voluntary sectors), the commissioning process, integration of social and health care, and professional roles for delivery of care on the basis of actual needs of service users (Barrett, et al, 2005, p 74). Such reforms call for the blurring of strict boundaries between the different professionals and agencies working in health and social care (Cowley, et al, 2002, p 32). They also call for greater inter-professional and inter-agency working and for significant alterations in organisational cultures in order to enhance the power base of service users and members of the public in different aspects of social care provision (Cowley, et al, 2002, p 32). It is now widely accepted that health and social care professionals need to be more responsive to the rapidly changing needs of service users. Such changes call for the development of health and social care practitioners to improve care for clients and service users (Day, 2006, p 23). Such improvement is required to be brought about by more emphasis on person centred care for clients and service users and the greater involvement of such people in different aspects of planning, delivery and evaluation (Day, 2006, p 23). The increasing contemporary emphasis on user involvement in the policy and practice of social care is however coming in for increasing questioning from disenchanted service users and service user organisations (Branfield Beresford, 2006, p 2). Service users, whilst highlighting the benefits of their involvement in the social and health care process, are raising various questions about their actual participation in social and health care and the continuance of various barriers that prevent their genuine contribution to the process (Branfield Beresford, 2006, p 2). The case study under question details the results of an enquiry into an episode, wherein a mentally disturbed mother killed her two children after (a) being released from institutional surroundings, and (b) being integrated with her children with the full knowledge and approval of an overseeing group of social, health, nursing and mental health professionals. The enquiry raises disturbing issues about the extent of involvement of service users in social and health care processes and in the decision making of the inter-professional group overseeing the care, treatment and rehabilitation of a mentally disturbed and potentially dangerous individual. The essay investigates the involvement of service users in inter-professional practice in the UK, with specific regard to the case study and the enquiry report. Whilst doing so it takes cognizance of (a) identification of sources for evidence based social work practice, (b) the use of enquiry reports as sources of evidence, (c) the relevance of themes that emerge from such enquiries, and (d) the implications of evidenced based practice for the development of practice in social work. The essay is analysed vis-a-vis the Every Child Matters programme and makes use of legal, political and ethical frameworks. Inter-professional Practice Inter-professional practice and inter-agency collaboration aims to ensure the coming together of service providers, agencies, professionals, carers and service users in order to improve the final level of quality of planning and delivery of services (Mathias Thompson, 2001, p 39. Whilst partnership and collaboration are often considered to be interchangeable, collaboration is the actual foundation for joint working and the basis for all successful partnerships (Mathias Thompson, 2001, p 39). The UK has been enacting legislation and policies for the promotion of Inter-professional and inter-agency collaboration (IPIAC) for the last five decades in order to enhance standards and reduce costs in health and social care (SCIE, 2009, p 1 and 2). The development of IPIAC was shaped by the white paper Caring for People in 1989, followed by the enactment of the NHS and Community Care Act 1990. The government has in recent years issued various policy documents for the promotion of collaboration in order to improve efficiency and effectiveness (SCIE, 2009, p 1). Greater emphasis on IPIAC is expected to improve care because different professional groups like social workers, physicians, teachers and police officers will during the course of such working bring their individual perspectives to the collaborative process (SCIE, 2009, p 1and 2). The IPIAC process will aim to ensure the best ways in which such individual and sometimes differing perspectives can be made to come together, as also the ways whereby respective contributions of different professionals and agencies can be utilised to enhance standards of service and experiences of service users and carers (Freeth, 2001, p 38). Consideration requires to be given to collaboration between organisations, as well as professionals, in the course of IPIAC working. It is also important to consider the differences in the working practices and cultures of the various organisations that are required to work together and to take appropriate action to minimise the impact of such differences in order to make inter-professional practice effective (Freeth, 2001, p 38). Policy makers and practitioners agree that adoption of IPIAC will result in greater service delivery despite the existence of various personal, individual and organisational barriers that can practically hinder its efficiency and effectiveness (Day, 2006, p 23). It is however also widely accepted that effective IPIAC working cannot take place in the absence of deliberate involvement of service users and clients in all stages of planning, delivery and evaluation processes (Day, 2006, p 23). The white paper Modernising Social Services, published in 1998 clearly states that people cannot be placed in neat service categories and users will inevitably suffer if partner agencies do not work together (SCIE, 2009, p 1).It is now mandatory that social work programmes, as well as nursing and midwifery, embrace the involvement of patients and service users. Contemporary government reforms are based on public involvement in different aspects of service delivery (SCIE, 2009, p 2). Person centred approaches in health and social care recognise the need for valuing the opinions and experiences of patients and service users and the adoption of person centred approaches by social work practitioners (SCIE, 2009, p 2). Current research however reveals that service users often feel left out of the process of social care, despite the progressive implementation of IPIAC concepts and approaches (Branfield Beresford, 2006, p 2). Service user organisations state that the knowledge of service users is by and large not taken seriously or valued by professionals and service agencies. Many service users find such attitudes from professionals and agencies to be intensely disappointing and disempowering (Branfield Beresford, 2006, p 3). Agencies and practitioners do not appear to be interested in the information provided by service users and do not accord the respect to such knowledge that they otherwise provide to professional knowledge and expertise. Service users also feel that the cultures of social and health care organisations continue to be closed to service user knowledge and reluctant to change (Branfield Beresford, 2006, p 3). The study of the case review of the episode involving the deaths of child A and child B appears to reinforce the impression of service users about their continued exclusion from the working and decisions of different agencies and professionals involved in delivery of social and health care (Henderson, p 261). The Every Child Matters Programme requires social work agencies and professionals like social workers, health care specialists, teachers, nurses, doctors and mental health professionals to constantly ensure the safety, security and protection of children wherever they can. Extant legislation and policies like The Children Act 2004 and the Every Child Matters Programme clarify that it is everyoneà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s job to ensure the safety of children (Henderson, p 261). The report clarifies that various agencies were involved in the assessment and treatment of Ms. C, the wife of Mr. D and the mother of the two children, child A and child B. The report further reveals that agencies, as well as individual practitioners, failed to consider the views, opinions, and experiences of service users, even as it also contains a number of examples of sound agency and inter-agency practice. There is limited evidence of professional contact with Mr. D, the father of the children, after the contact session in October 2006, and it appears likely that professional networks assumed the agreement of Mr. D with arrangements for Ms. C. Professionals also paid inadequate attention during their provisioning of support to Ms. C, in response to her request for re-housing, and did not communicate with Mr. D to ensure that future arrangements would serve the best interests of the children. Interviews conducted with Mr. D and his parents also revealed significant differences b etween their expectations of the roles of social workers roles and what was implied by the records kept in the agency. Mr. Dà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s family members, it appears, were clearly under the impression that they had little choice in the rehabilitation process and were furthermore required to facilitate the contact of the children with their mother. Whilst the report elaborates the role and sincerity of various agencies and professionals in assessing Ms. Cà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s condition and her rehabilitation in society, it specifically refers to (a) the under involvement of Mr. D in the process, (b) the lack of communication with him (Mr D) by social workers and agencies, (c) the differences in perceptions about the role of social workers between Mr. D and his family and the agency, (d) the poor communication of agencies with the parents, (e) the absence of school records of children, and (e) the scope for improvement of involvement of GPs and the police in the social care process. Although the report makes several recommendations, the specific references to involvement of service users calls for detailed and greater involvement of parents and carers of children in planning of discharge and assessment of risk in order to ensure that actions are based on full information. One of the agencies, the East London and the City Mental Trust has been asked to involve family members and carers of children in all processes, even as the Hackney Children and Young Peopleà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s Service has been directed to ensure that decisions are not taken on issues that can affect children without communicating carefully and appropriately with current carers. Emerging Themes and Evidenced Based Practice The revelations of the enquiry into the report reveal a number of themes in different areas of inter-professional practice, inter-agency working and the involvement of service users in planning, delivery, and evaluation of health and social care, which can be beneficially used to inform future social work practice. The report specifically refers to (a) the lack of participation of services users in social and health care processes, and (b) the involvement of different agencies in their exclusion, thereby reinforcing the need for greater emphasis by agencies and practitioners on involvement of service users in their care plans. It also becomes obvious that much of the sentiments and ideas about involvement of service users in social care processes continues to remain in the realm of rhetoric and that it will need determined and deliberate effort by practitioners to truly bring services users into the actual planning, intervention and evaluation functions of social work practice. Enquiry reports serve as important sources of evidence for development of future social work practice. The impact of the enquiry conducted by Lord Laming into the death of Victoria Climbie led to the revelation of evidence on gross inadequacies in the social care system for children and widespread organisational malaise (Roberts Yeager, 2006, p 19). The publication of the report led to radical changes in governmental policy on social care for children and to the introduction of the Every Child Matters Programme and other important policies for the physical and mental welfare of children (Roberts Yeager, 2006, p 19). The utilisation of research evidence for guidance of practice and development of policies in the area of social services and health care is becoming increasingly important for enhancing the effectiveness of social and health care interventions, especially so because of the limited available resources with the government and the pressures to achieve positive outcomes (Johnson Austin, 2005, p 5). Scholars however feel that much of research based evidence is not absorbed by practitioners and have identified five important requirements for research evidence to practically influence practice and policy, namely (a) concurrence on nature of evidence, (b) a strategic approach to the conception of evidence and the progression of an increasing knowledge base, (c) effective distribution of knowledge along with development of useful means for accessing knowledge, (d) initiatives for increasing use of evidence in policy and practice, and (5) a range of actions at organisational level to increase use of evidence (Johnson Austin, 2005, p 5). Conclusions This study investigates the conduct of inter-professional practice in areas of social and health care, with specific regard to the involvement of service users in such practice. The case study prepared by the City and Hackney Local Safeguarding Children Board on Child A and Child B is specifically taken up contextual review. Inter-professional practice aims to ensure the collaborative working of service providers, agencies, professionals, carers and service users in order to improve the planning and delivery of services. Policy makers and practitioners also agree that whilst adoption of inter-professional working is likely to lead to improved care, it cannot occur without the involvement of service users in all stages of the care process. Person centred approaches also recognise the importance of considering the opinions and experiences of service users in planning, intervention and evaluation of care. Contemporary research however reveals that service users feel that their knowledge is not valued by professionals and agencies. The results of the enquiry reinforce the possibility of service users being excluded from the working of agencies and professionals and refer to a number of instances, where the opinions of the service users were not considered for taking of practice and intervention decisions. The report reveals a number of themes in different areas of inter-professional practice that can be beneficially used to inform future social work practice. The use of research evidence for guidance of practice in social work is becoming increasingly important for improving the effectiveness of social and health care interventions. Enquiry reports serve as important sources of evidence for development of future social work practice. Scholars however feel that much of research based evidence is used by practitioners and that certain specific conditions, which have been elaborated in the last section, need to be met for the improvement and application of evidence based practice. Word Count: 2530, apart from bibliography

Middle Passage Essay -- Literary Analysis, Charles Johnson

INTRO Examination into the true heart of experience and meaning, Charles Johnson’s Middle Passage looks at the structures of identity and the total transformation of the self. The novel talks about the hidden assumptions of human and literary identity and brings to view the real problems of these assumptions through different ideas of allusion and appropriation. As the novel tells Rutherford Calhoun’s transformation of un-awareness allows him to cross â€Å"the sea of suffering† (209) making him forget who he really is. The novel brings forth the roots of human â€Å"being† and the true complications and troubles of African American experiences. Stuck between posed questions of identity, the abstract body is able to provide important insight into the methods and meanings in Middle Passage. RUTHERFORD’S TRANSFORMATION Middle Passage’s protagonist , Rutherford Calhoun, shows that identity is a dangerous â€Å"middle† experience for the African American offspring that endured the middle passage. As a survivor of a unknown place and subject to total isolation of his own personal experiences we find Rutherford searching for meaning. The novel questions the structure of human and literary identity by testing the power of duel oppositions and abstraction to portray the meaning of experience: "Our faith in fiction comes from an ancient belief that language and literary art all speaking and showing-clarify our experience" (Being 3). By questioning the African-American experience, Johnson radicalizes faith and is able to show the complexities of experience and change. Johnson’s examination into identity, which we can see as both human and textual, depends mainly on the appropriation for its literal and pensive methods. This contradictory space of ... ...o becoming "like any other men," or if not like every other man they become more like Rutherford himself: â€Å"They were leagues from home - indeed, without a home - and in Ngonyama's eyes I saw a displacement, an emptiness like maybe all of his brethren as he once knew them were dead. To wit, I saw myself. A man remade by virtue of his contact with the crew. My reflection in his eyes, when I looked up, gave back my flat image as phantasmic, the flapping sails and sea behind me drained of their density like figures in a dream. Stupidly, I had seen their lives and culture as timeless product, as a finished thing, pure essence or Parmenidean meaning I envied and wanted to embrace, when the truth was that they were process and Heraclitean change, like any men, not fixed but evolving and as vulnerable to metamorphosis as the body of the boy we'd thrown overboard. (124)†

Autonomous Cars Essay

Imagine a world where you can get in your car without the worry of driving alongside drunks and teenagers. The once fictional dream of riding a driverless car is now becoming a reality, with many large companies including Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, BMW, Audi, and Google, currently investing in the development of this contraption. What is a driverless (or autonomous) car? It is an automobile run by an autopilot that allows passengers to travel safely and quickly to their destination with minimal to no human control. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) predicts that by the year 2040, our roads will be populated with autonomous vehicles, with up to 75% of all cars being driverless (Newcomb, 2012). As human civilization advances technologically on a daily basis, we are becoming less dependent on people and more dependent on robots, which many view as positive. Self-driving cars are a step in the right direction for society, and ought to become available to the public as soon as possible for a more efficient and secure driving experience. The primary concern with transportation is safety; hence the most obvious and largest benefit to the replacement of regular cars with self-driving cars is the decrease in traffic collisions. â€Å"Ninety percent of our road accidents are related to bad driving behavior; driving recklessly and speeding under the influence of alcohol, changing lanes without signaling, driving on the hard shoulder and passing through red lights.† -Lt Gen Dahi Khalfan Commander in chief of the Dubai Police (Olarte, 2011). The majority of car crashes are caused by human errors, and if this proposition is implemented, the number of fatalities due to car accidents per year will dramatically plummet. In 2012, a Google driverless car had driven over 300,000 miles, with only two accidents being reported, both of which had been a human’s fault (Ermson, 2012). Autonomous cars will have quicker reflexes than humans, make more reliable judgments and will not commit silly mistakes such as texting whil st driving. As a collateral for reducing accidents, this innovation could theoretically also save the government trillions of dollars each year. A major issue for drivers today is congestion. Picture Sheikh Zayed road at 6 AM on a weekday. When a car brakes, the driver behind takes a couple of seconds to react and stop. Now  this goes on and on, causing heavy traffic and wasting everyone’s irreplaceable time. Autonomous cars are expected to have a completely revamped traffic system, one lacking traffic lights and stop signs. Vehicles will be capable of communicating with each other by transferring crucial information via sensors, allowing them to predict their expected positions, minimizing the spaces between them. With the small distances between cars and the non-stop flow of traffic, a substantial amount of time will be saved during trips and congestion will be considerably alleviated. Another burden to be lifted off of society’s shoulders is the expense of owning a car. A new public transport system that operates entirely on driverless cars could be put into service. Hence possessing your own personal autonomous vehicle will be unnecessary and costly because the time wasted in a parking spot could be utilized to transport other individuals, and a subscription to a public transport system is a much cheaper alternative. Autonomous vehicles will also save owners insurance money because as the rate of incidents drops, vehicle insurance will be viewed as optional rather than obligatory. In addition, this innovation will save the costumer fuel money by reducing the frequency of braking and acceleration, which has an adverse effect on fuel consumption. As expected with a very technologically advanced piece of machinery, when autonomous cars first hit the market they will not be affordable for everyone. But given enough time, the prices will go down and self-driving cars will slowly but surely replace regular cars. A while after the integration of this technology into our daily lives, there will be an inevitable loss of driving related jobs. But as the s aying goes, when one door closes another opens, and these robots aren’t going to build themselves. The immediate effect will undoubtedly lead to a loss of jobs, but with the success of the production, in the long term new jobs will appear and consequently completely fresh industries as well. With this huge development in electronics, admittedly garage mechanics and taxi drivers might struggle with income, but software engineers and programmers are going to be in demand more than ever, and thus economic balance is restored. Now I know what you’re thinking, isn’t that unjust to those who are unable of attaining academic degrees? At first, maybe. But I believe that given enough time, the criteria required for intelligence and information based jobs will become less constricted. This is because the advances in software  programming and other similar areas of expertise will make related jobs uncomplicated. There are countless examples of such occurrences in history, a notable one being the industrial revolution. Just like today, people back then were also worried about losing their occupations to machinery. But the introduction of steam engines and the replacement of physical labor with machine work pushed farmers towards other professions that were themselves created by the new technology, and thus there was an unprecedented blossoming in the economy. All the benefits I have mentioned, the unparalleled road safety, the smooth and quick ride, the low expenses and many more outweigh the very scarce negatives. Self-driving cars will revolutionize the auto-industry and will be a turning point in our lives. Soon enough driver licenses will cease to exist, and elderly people, children, and handicapped persons will no longer struggle with land transportation. The Earth Institute of Columbia University predicts a cutback in the number of cars on the road in the US by a factor of 10 (Burns, Jordan & Scarborough, 2013). Four states in the US have already authorized the use of autonomous vehicles (Kelly, 2012), and for the good of all, I believe the rest of the world should follow suit. â€Å"What can we do to create shared prosperity? The answer is not to try to slow down technology. Instead of racing against the machine, we need to learn to race with the machine † (Brynjolfsson, 2013). References Brynjolfsson, E. (Performer) (2013). Eric brynjolfsson: The key to growth? race with the machines [Theater]. Available from http://www.ted.com/talks/erik_brynjolfsson_the_key_to_growth_race_em_with_em_the_ machines?quote=2137 Burns, L. D., Jordan, W. C., & Scarborough, B. A. (2013). Transforming personal mobility. Manuscript submitted for publication, The Earth Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, Retrieved from http://sustainablemobility.ei.columbia.edu/files/2012/12/Transforming-Personal- Mobility-Jan-27-20132.pdf Ermson, C. (2012, August 7). Retrieved from http://googleblog.blogspot.ae/2012/08/the-self- driving-car-logs-more-miles-on.html Kelly , H. (2012, October 30). Self-driving cars now legal in California. CNN. Retrieved from http://edition.cnn.com/2012/09/25/tech/innovation/self-driving-car-california/index.html Olarte, O. (2011, April). Human error accounts for 90% of road accidents. Alertdriving, Retrieved from http://www.alertdriving.com/home/fleet-alert-magazine/international/human-error-accounts-90-road-accidents Newcomb, D. (2012, September 18). You won’t need a driver’s license by 2040. CNN. Retrieved from http://edition.cnn.com/2012/09/18/tech/innovation/ieee-2040-cars/

The Indigo Spell Chapter Eleven

MARCUS DISAPPEARED TO WHEREVER it was he was hiding out, and I drove home. What he'd said to me still seemed outlandish. I kept telling myself none of it could be true. It made things a lot easier to handle. Back at Amberwood, I found the usual buzz of evening student activity. It felt comforting after my shocking outing, far removed from fanatics and cryptic spells. My phone buzzed with a text message the minute I stepped into my dorm room. It was from Jill: Come see us when you're back. I sighed. No rest for the wicked, it would seem. I left my purse in my room and then trudged down to the second floor, unsure of what I'd find. Jill opened her door, looking immensely relieved to see me. â€Å"Thank God. We have a situation.† â€Å"We always have a situation,† I said. I stepped inside and saw Angeline sitting on the floor, back against the wall and a miserable expression on her face. â€Å"What happened?† She looked up quickly. â€Å"It wasn't my fault.† The sinking feeling in my stomach increased. â€Å"It never is, is it? I repeat: what happened?† When Angeline refused to say, Jill spoke up. â€Å"She gave Trey a concussion with an algebra book.† Before I could even start to parse that, Angeline leapt to her feet. â€Å"The doctor said it wasn't a concussion!† â€Å"Wait.† I glanced between them, half hoping they'd burst into laughter at the joke they must be playing on me. â€Å"You did something to Trey that actually required medical attention?† â€Å"I barely touched him,† she insisted. I sat down on Jill's bed and resisted the urge to crawl under its covers. â€Å"No. You can't do this. Not again. What did the principal say? Oh, God. Where are we going to send you?† After Angeline's brawl with a motivational group, it had been made very clear that further fighting would get her expelled. â€Å"Eddie took the blame,† said Jill. A small smile crossed her face as she spoke. â€Å"There weren't really many witnesses, so Eddie said they were playing around in the library and tossing the book back and forth. He claimed he got careless and threw the book too hard . . . and that it accidentally hit Trey on the head.† Angeline nodded. â€Å"That's kind of what really happened with us.† â€Å"No, it wasn't,† protested Jill. â€Å"I saw it. You got mad when Trey told you it shouldn't be that hard to understand that x always has a different value.† â€Å"He implied that I was stupid!† Variables didn't seem like too hard a concept to me, but I could tell under Angeline's bravado that she really was flustered. I always had the impression that back among the Keepers, Angeline had been a queen among her peers. Here she was constantly trying to keep up academically and socially adrift in a world very different from the one she'd grown up in. That would make anyone insecure. And while I questioned if Trey had ever said she was stupid, I could understand how some of his snarky commentary could be perceived that way. â€Å"Did Eddie get in any serious trouble?† I asked. I doubted he'd get expelled for something like this, but it would be just my luck that he'd get the punishment he'd saved Angeline from. â€Å"Detention,† said Jill. â€Å"He accepted it very bravely,† added Angeline. â€Å"I'm sure he did,† I said, wondering if either girl knew they were wearing mirror expressions of adoration. â€Å"Look, Angeline, I know the tutoring process must be frustrating, but you have to watch your temper, okay? Trey's just trying to help.† She looked skeptical. â€Å"He's got kind of an attitude sometimes.† â€Å"I know, but people aren't exactly lining up to fill his position. We need you here. Jill needs you here. Eddie needs you here.† I saw some of her indignation fade at the mention of her friends and duty. â€Å"Please try to work with Trey.† She gave a weak nod, and I stood up to leave. Jill hurried after me into the hallway. â€Å"Hey, Sydney? How was your outing with Marcus?† â€Å"It was fine,† I said, certainly not about to dredge up Marcus's alarming revelations. â€Å"Informative. And I learned how to play Skee-Ball.† Jill almost looked offended. â€Å"You played Skee-Ball? I thought you were supposed to be learning about the Alchemists' secret history.† â€Å"We multitasked,† I said, not liking her tone. I left before she could comment further and texted Eddie when I reached my room. I heard what happened. Sorry. And thanks. His response was quick: At least it wasn't a concussion. I braced myself for snark when I went to meet Adrian the next day. Jill had probably told him about my arcade trip, which would probably elicit a comment like, â€Å"Nice to know you're so dedicated to crack the Alchemists. Way to keep your eye on the ball.† When I pulled up in front of Adrian's apartment building, he was already waiting out front for me. As soon as I saw his grim face, my heart stopped. I jumped out of the car, just barely pausing to grab the keys as I went. â€Å"What's wrong?† I exclaimed, jogging up to him. He rested a hand on my shoulder, but I was too worried to care about the touch. â€Å"Sydney, I don't want you to freak out. There's no lasting damage.† I looked him over. â€Å"Are you okay? Were you hurt?† For a moment, his somber expression turned puzzled. Then, he understood. â€Å"Oh, you think it's me? No, I'm fine. Come on.† He led me around the back of his building, to the private parking lot used by residents. I came to a halt, my jaw dropping as I took in the terrible, ghastly scene. A couple other residents were milling around, and a police officer stood nearby taking notes. Around us, seven parked cars had their tires slashed. Including the Mustang. â€Å"No!† I ran over to its side, kneeling and examining the damage. I felt like I was in the middle of a war, kneeling by a fallen comrade on the battlefield. I was practically on the verge of shouting, â€Å"Don't you die on me!† Adrian crouched beside me. â€Å"The tires can be replaced. I think my insurance will even cover it.† I was still horrified. â€Å"Who did this?† He shrugged. â€Å"Some kids, I guess. They hit a few cars one block over yesterday.† â€Å"And you didn't think that was worth mentioning to me?† â€Å"Well, I didn't know they were going to come here too. Besides, I knew you'd flip out and want to set up twenty-four-hour surveillance on this place.† â€Å"That's not a bad idea.† I glanced up at his building. â€Å"You should talk to the landlord about it.† Adrian didn't seem nearly as concerned as he should have been. â€Å"I don't know that he'd go for it. I mean, this isn't really a dangerous neighborhood.† I pointed at the Mustang. â€Å"Then how come this happened?† Even though we could take Latte to Los Angeles, we still had to wait around to finish up with the police and then get a tow truck. I made sure the tow truck driver knew that he better not get a scratch on the car, and then I watched mournfully as it was hauled away. Once that sunny splash of yellow disappeared around a corner, I turned to Adrian. â€Å"Ready to go?† â€Å"Do we have enough time?† I looked at my cell phone and groaned. We'd burned up a lot of time handling the vandalism aftermath. And yet, I hated to wait until tomorrow, seeing as I'd already lost time yesterday while dealing with Marcus. I called Ms. Terwilliger and asked if she'd cover for me if I came in after curfew. â€Å"Yes, yes, of course,† she said, in a tone that suggested she couldn't understand why I'd even bothered calling her. â€Å"Just talk to more of those girls.† Ms. Terwilliger had given me six names. We'd already taken care of Wendy Stone. Three of the girls lived relatively close together, and they were our goal tonight. The last two were closer to the coast, and we hoped to reach them tomorrow. Adrian tried making conversation with me throughout the drive, but my mind was still on the Mustang. â€Å"God, I'm an idiot,† I said, once we'd almost reached our destination. â€Å"That's never a term I'd use to describe you,† he said promptly. â€Å"Articulate. Well dressed. Smart. Organized. Beautiful. I'd use those terms, but never ‘idiot.'† I nearly asked why â€Å"beautiful† had come after â€Å"organized† and then remembered the actual concern. â€Å"I'm obsessing about that car when girls' lives are on the line. It's stupid. My priorities are messed up.† My eyes were on the road, but I could tell he was smiling. â€Å"If your priorities were really messed up, you would've followed that tow truck. Yet here you are, off to help perfect strangers. That's a noble thing, Sage.† â€Å"Don't rule yourself out,† I said. â€Å"You're pretty noble too, going on all these outings with me.† â€Å"Well, it's not the same as Skee-Ball, but it'll have to do. How was that anyway? Did you really learn anything?† â€Å"I learned a lot – some pretty unbelievable stuff, actually. I'm still waiting to get some proof, though.† Luck was with us initially. The first two girls were home, though their reactions were similar to Wendy Stone's. This time, I'd had the foresight to bring the newspaper article, in the hopes it would make a stronger impression. That ghastly picture at least gave them pause, but I left not knowing if they'd really take me seriously or use the agate charms. Our good fortune ran out when we reached the last name. She too was a college student, meaning we had another campus visit. Her name was Lynne Titus, and she lived in a sorority house. I admit, as I knocked on the door, I was fully prepared to find a group of girls dressed in pink, having a pillow fight in their living room. But when we were shown in, we discovered an orderly home not all that different from Wendy's building. Some girls were coming and going, while others sat around with textbooks and papers. â€Å"Lynne?† asked the girl who'd let us inside. â€Å"You just missed her.† I knew this shouldn't be a surprise. These girls had lives. They wouldn't all be waiting around for me to come by and talk to them. I glanced uneasily at a window, taking note of the purpling sky. â€Å"Any idea when she'll be back?† The girl shook her head. â€Å"No, sorry. I don't know where she went.† Adrian and I exchanged looks. â€Å"You're free from your curfew,† he reminded me. â€Å"I know. But that doesn't mean I want to spend all night waiting for Lynne.† I did some mental calculations. â€Å"I suppose we could wait a couple of hours. Three at most.† Adrian seemed supremely delighted by this, and I couldn't help but wonder if he was more excited at hanging out on a college campus . . . or at spending time with me. â€Å"What's fun to do around here?† he asked our hostess. He glanced around at the quiet academic environment. â€Å"No raging parties here, huh?† The girl put on a disapproving expression. â€Å"We're a very serious sorority. If you're looking for parties, I guarantee there's one going on just down the street. Those girls have one every night.† Adrian shot me a hopeful look. â€Å"Oh, come on,† I said. â€Å"Can't we find some nice museum?† â€Å"We want to stay close, in case Lynne comes back,† Adrian said. Something told me if the party had been all the way across campus, he still would've pushed for it. â€Å"Besides, if you want to go to college so badly, you should see the full scope of what it has to offer. And aren't you a fan of Greek stuff?† That was hardly what I had in mind, and he knew it. I reluctantly agreed but warned him he couldn't drink. I was sporting the brown wig and presumed he was using spirit to mask us further. Alcohol would diminish his ability to pull it all off. Plus, I just didn't want to see him drunk. It was easy to find the party house because we could hear the music blasting from it. A guy and a girl openly drinking beer from plastic cups challenged us at the door. â€Å"This is Greek only,† the girl said. She looked as though she might fall off her stool. â€Å"Who are you with?† I pointed vaguely toward Lynne's sorority. â€Å"Um, them.† â€Å"Alpha Yam Ergo,† said Adrian, without hesitation. I expected the door squad to point out that most of those weren't even Greek letters. Maybe it was because Adrian spoke so confidently – or because they'd had too much beer – but the guy waved us inside. It was almost like being back at the arcade, an overwhelming flood of stimuli. The house was crowded and loud, with smoke hanging in the air and alcohol flowing freely. Several people offered us drinks, and some girl invited us – three times – to play beer pong, forgetting that she'd already spoken to us. I regarded it all in amazement, trying to keep the disgust off my face. â€Å"What a waste of tuition. This is ruining all my collegiate dreams,† I shouted to Adrian. â€Å"Isn't there anything to do that's not drinking or being stupid?† He scanned around, able to see more of the room from his greater height. He brightened. â€Å"That looks promising.† He caught hold of my hand. â€Å"Come on.† In a surprisingly nice and spacious kitchen, we found several girls sitting on the floor painting blank T-shirts. Judging from the sloppy job and paint spills, they too had been indulging in alcohol. One girl had a cup of beer next to an identical cup of paint, and I hoped she wouldn't mix them up. â€Å"What are you doing?† I asked. One of the girls glanced up and grinned. â€Å"Making shirts for the winter carnival. You want to help?† Before I could say no, Adrian was already on the ground with them. â€Å"Do I ever.† He helped himself to a white T-shirt and a brush with blue paint on it. â€Å"What are we putting on these?† The girls' shoddy work made that a valid question. â€Å"Our names,† said one girl. â€Å"Winter stuff,† said another. That was good enough for Adrian. He set to work painting snowflakes on the shirt. Unable to help myself, I knelt down to get a better look. Whatever his faults, Adrian was a decent artist. He mixed in a few other colors, making the snowflakes intricate and stylized. At one point, he paused to light a clove cigarette, sharing one of the girls' ashtrays. It was a habit I didn't really like, but at least the rest of the smoke in this place masked his. As he was finishing up the shirt and writing out the sorority's name, I noticed that all the other girls had stopped to stare. â€Å"That's amazing,† said one, her eyes wide. â€Å"Can I have it?† â€Å"I want it,† insisted another. â€Å"I'll make each of you one,† he assured them. The way they looked at him was an unwelcome reminder of the breadth of his experience with other women. I shifted a little closer to him, just so they wouldn't get any ideas. He handed the white shirt to the first girl and then set to work on a blue shirt. Once he fulfilled his promise to each girl, he sifted through the T-shirt stack until he found a men's-size black one. â€Å"Gotta pay tribute to my fraternity.† â€Å"Right,† I scoffed. â€Å"Alpha Yam Ergo.† Adrian nodded solemnly. â€Å"A very old and prestigious society† â€Å"I've never heard of them,† said the girl who'd claimed the first shirt. â€Å"They don't let many people in,† he said. In white paint, he wrote his fake fraternity's initials: AYE. â€Å"Isn't that what pirates say?† asked one of the other girls. â€Å"Well, the Alpha Yams have nautical origins,† he explained. To my horror he began painting a pirate skeleton riding a motorcycle. â€Å"Oh, no,† I groaned. â€Å"Not the tattoo.† â€Å"It's our logo,† he said. Adrian and I had once had to investigate a tattoo parlor, and to distract the owner, he'd gone in and pretended to be interested in a tattoo that sounded very much like what he was drawing now. At least, I assumed he'd been pretending. â€Å"Isn't it badass?† â€Å"Badass† wasn't quite the word I would've used, but despite it being such a ridiculous image, he actually did a good job. I made myself comfortable, drawing my knees up to me and leaning against the wall. He soon stopped with his banter and grew completely absorbed in his work, meticulously painting the skeleton's bones as well as that of a skeleton parrot sitting on the pirate's shoulder. I studied his features as he worked, fascinated by the joy in his eyes. Art was one of the few things that seemed to anchor him and drive that darkness in him away. He seemed to glow with an inner light, one that enhanced his already handsome features. It was another rare and beautiful glimpse of the intense, passionate nature lying beneath the jokes. It came through in his art. It had come through when he kissed me. Adrian suddenly glanced up at me. Our gazes locked, and I felt like he could read my mind. How often did he think about that kiss? And if he really was crazy about me, did he imagine more than just kissing? Did he fantasize about me? What kinds of things did he think about? His lips on my neck? His hand on my leg? And was that leg bare . . . ? I was afraid of what my eyes might betray and quickly looked away. Desperately, I groped for some witty and nonsentimental comment. â€Å"Don't forget the ninja throwing stars.† â€Å"Right.† I could feel Adrian's gaze on me a few moments longer. There was something tangible to it, a warmth that enveloped me. I didn't look back until I was certain his attention was again on the shirt. He added the stars and then sat back triumphantly. â€Å"Pretty cool, huh?† â€Å"It's not bad,† I said. In truth, it was kind of amazing. â€Å"You want one too?† The smile he gave me stirred up those warm feelings again. I couldn't help but smile back. â€Å"We don't have the time,† I managed to say. â€Å"We've got to check on Lynne.† â€Å"I'll make you a fast one.† â€Å"Not the pirate,† I warned. He found a small purple shirt and began painting on it in silver. â€Å"Purple?† â€Å"It's your color,† he insisted. A thrill ran through me at his words. Adrian could see auras, the light that surrounded all people and was tied into their personalities. He'd told me that mine was yellow, a color most intellectuals had. But he'd also said I had flares of purple, which indicated a passionate and spiritual nature. Those weren't qualities I usually thought I possessed . . . but sometimes, I wished I did. I watched, enthralled, as he painted a large silver heart with flames edging one side. The whole design was Celtic in style. It was beautiful. â€Å"Where did you get that from?† I asked in awe. I'd seen a lot of his work but never anything like this. His eyes were on his heart, completely caught up in his work. â€Å"Just something kicking around in my head. Reminds me of you. Fiery and sweet, all at the same time. A flame in the dark, lighting my way.† His voice . . . his words . . . I recognized one of his spirit-driven moments. It should've unnerved me, but there was something sensual about the way he spoke, something that made my breath catch. A flame in the dark. He swapped out the silver paintbrush for a black one. Before I could stop him, he wrote over the heart: AYE. Underneath it, in smaller letters, he added: HONORARY MEMBER. â€Å"What are you doing?† I cried. The spell had shattered. â€Å"You ruined it!† Adrian regarded me with a mischievous look. â€Å"I figured you'd be flattered at being accepted as an honorary member.† â€Å"How can I get in?† asked one of the girls. In spite of my outrage, I took the shirt when he offered it to me. I held it up gingerly, careful not to mess up the paint job. Even through the ridiculous words, the fiery heart was still stunning. It shone through, and I couldn't stop admiring it. How could someone so irreverent create something so beautiful? When I finally looked up again, I found Adrian watching me. That earlier thrall seized me, and I found myself unable to move. â€Å"You haven't painted anything,† he said softly. â€Å"That's because I have zero creativity,† I told him. â€Å"Everyone's got some creativity,† he insisted. He handed me the silver brush and slid over to join me against the wall. Our legs and arms touched. He laid out his own AYE shirt across his lap. â€Å"Go ahead. Add something, anything.† I shook my head in protest and tried to hand him the brush. â€Å"I can't draw or paint. I'll ruin it.† â€Å"Sydney.† He pushed the brush back into my hand. â€Å"It's a pirate skeleton, not the Mona Lisa. You're not going to decrease its value.† Maybe not, but I had a hard time imagining what I could possibly add to this. I could do a lot of things, but this was out of my league – especially compared to his skill. Something in his expression drove me, however, and after a lot of thought, I gave my best shot at drawing a tie around the skeleton's neck. Adrian frowned. â€Å"Is that a noose?† â€Å"It's a tie!† I cried, trying not to feel offended. He laughed, clearly delighted at this. â€Å"My mistake.† â€Å"He can go to a boardroom meeting,† I added, feeling a need to defend my work. â€Å"He's very proper now.† Adrian seemed to like that even more. â€Å"Of course he is. Proper and dangerous.† A little of his mirth faded, and he grew pensive as he studied me, holding me in his gaze. â€Å"Just like you.† I'd been so worried about the artistic challenge that I wasn't aware of just how close he'd moved to me until now. So many details came into focus. The shape of his lips, the line of his neck. â€Å"I'm not dangerous,† I breathed. He brought his face toward mine. â€Å"You are to me.† And somehow, against all reason, we were kissing. I closed my eyes, and the world around me faded. The noise, the smoke . . . it was gone. All that mattered was the taste of his mouth, a mix of cloves and mints. There was a fierceness in his kiss, a desperation . . . and I answered, just as hungry for him. I didn't stop him when he pulled me closer, so that I almost sat on his lap. I'd never been wrapped around someone's body like that, and I was shocked at how eagerly mine responded. His arm went around my waist, pulling me onto him further, and his other hand slid up the back of my neck, getting entangled in my hair. Amazingly, the wig stayed on. He took his lips away from my mouth, gently trailing kisses down to my neck. I tipped my head back, gasping when the intensity returned to his mouth. There was an animalistic quality that sent shock waves through the rest of my body. Some Alchemist voice warned me that this was exactly how a vampire would feed, but I had no fear. Adrian wo uldn't hurt me, and I needed to know just how hard he could kiss me and – â€Å"Oh my God!† Adrian and I jerked apart as though someone had thrown cold water on us, though our legs stayed entangled. I glanced around in a panic, half expecting to see an outraged Stanton standing over us. Instead, I looked up into the terrified face of a girl I didn't know. She wasn't even looking at us. â€Å"You guys won't believe what happened!† she exclaimed, directing her words to our fellow artists. She pointed vaguely behind her. â€Å"Over across the street at Kappa, they found one of their girls unconscious, and they can't wake her up. I don't know what happened, but it sounds like she was attacked. There's police out front and everything.† Adrian and I stared at each other for one shocked moment. Then, wordlessly, we both stood up. He held my hand to steady me until my trembling legs strengthened. I'm weak because of this news, I told myself. Not because I was just making out with a vampire. But those dangerous and intoxicating kisses faded almost instantly when we returned to Lynne's sorority. It was busy with frightened people, and campus security moved in and out, allowing us to step right inside the open door. â€Å"What happened?† I asked a brunette standing nearby. â€Å"It's Lynne,† she said, biting her lips. â€Å"They just found her in an empty auditorium.† Something in the way she spoke made me uneasy. â€Å"Is she . . . alive?† The girl nodded. â€Å"I don't know . . . I think so, but they said there's something really wrong. She's unconscious and looks . . . well . . . old.† I met Adrian's eyes and vaguely noticed he had silver paint in his hair. I'd still been holding the brush when I'd wrapped my arms around him. â€Å"Damn,† he murmured. â€Å"Too late.† I wanted to scream in frustration. We'd been so close to warning her. She'd allegedly left just before we'd arrived. What if we'd come sooner? What if we'd visited her before the other two girls? I'd chosen the order randomly. Worse, what if we'd been able to find her instead of having art time with the drunken sorority girls? What if I hadn't been all over Adrian? Or maybe he'd been all over me. Whatever you wanted to call it, I hadn't exactly resisted. The more we learned, however, the more unlikely it seemed we would've been able to do anything if we'd stuck around Lynne's house and investigated. Nobody knew where she'd gone. Only one person had seen her leave, a girl with curly blond hair who frustrated the campus police with her vague answers. â€Å"I'm sorry,† she kept saying. â€Å"I just . . . I can't remember the girl she left with.† â€Å"Nothing?† asked one of the officers. â€Å"Height? Age? Hair color?† The girl frowned, looking as though she was using every ounce of mental effort. At last, she sagged in defeat and shook her head. â€Å"I'm sorry.† â€Å"Did she have black hair?† I suggested. The girl brightened a little. â€Å"Maybe. Er, wait. It might have been brown. No. Red, maybe?† Adrian and I stepped away, knowing we could do no more. â€Å"That girl seems awfully confused,† I said as we walked back to my car. â€Å"She certainly does,† he agreed. â€Å"Sound familiar?† â€Å"Very,† I muttered, recognizing the signs of magic. No one could deny it. Veronica had been here. And we'd been too late to stop her.