Country of the Bad Wolfes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Country of the Bad Wolfes - Essay Example Samuel accidentally kills a guard, and then signs up under an alias for the Army to avoid prosecution, while John moves to graduate in law from Dartmouth. The family follows its destiny to Mexico where they meet Edward Little, a mysterious American businessman who later gets connected to Porfirio Diaz who ruled the country for over thirty years before being ousted through the 1910 Revolution. Through this troubled period of time in America and Mexico, Diaz increases in power with the Wolfes growing richer and richer, forging forward their violent history and breeding a fearsome legacy. There are aspects of this novel that could be figured out as a dream even though there could be some reality in them. Blake is known to be â€Å"a master at weaving historical fact into fiction† according to Leonard and indeed uses rogue heroes, angels, demons and duels to communicate to his audience. According to Bertens, psychoanalysis would view novels as a dream though they would have some truth to communicate (133). In fact, Theisson argues that â€Å"fiction often gets the messages across when dry journalism fails.† There could be need for deeper interpretation before the truth could be grasped when the author uses fiction in introducing the mysterious Edward Little and also in the whole novel where blood is a serious factor that persists even across geography and generations helps the author pass across the significance of blood connection in this novel. The men in this novel have been used to portray the existent sexual tension in the society as they consider women to be objects of satisfaction and that they can have as many as they so wish. The set of twins, Samuel and John get involved in duels and seduce various lovely ladies (Blake 67). On the other side, the women play an important role as they are portrayed as lovers and care givers who play a critical role in passing on life from one generation to another. One of

Voronoi Diagram Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Voronoi Diagram - Essay Example Traditional GIS methods have been found to inapplicable for marine mapping. This is primarily because they were built for two-dimensional land application making it hard to integrate marine features into the model. Marine objects are also likely to move over time which cannot be modeled using the traditional GIS. These limitations necessitated the development of a new modeling system that can accurately incorporate marine features while allowing modifications to the system which does not require an overhaul of the whole model. Christopher Gold (1990) responded to the challenge by spearheading research and development of the Voronoi Diagram - a modeling system with a dual geometric structure. Most of the literature on the development of the VD, either in 2D or in 3D, was authored by him. Voronoi diagrams that were developed were able to solve most of the problems because of the following features: All of these features are available in 2D and 3D Voronoi Diagrams. This paper aims to differentiate 2D Voronoi Diagrams from 3D Voronoi Diagrams delineating their differences, advantages and disadvantages over the other. This paper also aims at pointing out the strengths and weakness of the two diagrams such that a conclusion on which one is more advantageous can be made. In 2D Voronoi Diagram, the cell surrounding a data point is a flat convex polygon having a defined number of neighbors (Gold and Ledoux, 1992). That is, its coordinates are only x and y with no z attribute. The analogy is the same as that of drawing figures on a piece of paper. When a plan view is done on the paper, one can see the shapes defined by the lines that were drawn. When the paper is leveled against one's eyesight, there are no figures which can be seen. This illustrates that no such elevation or depth attribute of the figures exist. The geometric dual structure of 2D Voronoi Diagrams are also "flat" in nature and are defined by Delaunay triangles. In Figure 1, Delaunay Triangles are shown by the dashed lines while the solid lines defining a polygon represent the cells surrounding a data point p.Figure 1. A 2D Voronoi Sample Output (Gold, 1991) The vertices of the triangle generating each Voronoi cell must satisfy the empty circumcircle test. A circle is considered empty when there are no points in its interior but more than three points can be directly on the circle - i.e. the points are on its edges. 3D Voronoi Diagram Construct 3-Dimensional Voronoi Diagrams, as implied by its name, have 3 coordinates defining the space where the figure can be drawn. As opposed to 2D VDs', leveling the plane of the paper with one's eyesight provides a view of the sides of a figure. An appropriate analogy would be that of the viewing a cube held by the hand. When the figure is viewed from the top, one can see a square. When the hand is leveled against one's eyesight, one can still see the figure of a square. The figure is a volumetric object. The convex polygon in a 2D, thru a construction algorithm, generalizes to a convex polyhedron. The geometric dual becomes a Delaunay tetrahedron. In Figure 2, the edges are the Delaunay edges joining the generator

Portfolio management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Portfolio management - Assignment Example The company is reconstructing till now. It transacts majorly in chemical products. It makes chemicals majorly for all forms of industrial use. It has excellence in all of the F-Score criteria but faults on the asset turnover, which measures productivity. Seemingly, the company is gradually turning more unproductive (Anari & Kolari 2010, p.201). From the recommendations of Piotroski, the two scoring the bottom 20% of the market in the aspect of price to book value and then working from there. The model shows that suppose the expected winners were bought and expected losers shorted, the Piotroski score could be 23% in returns yearly, in a span of 20 years. According to (Brennan & Murphy 2013, p.56), the F-score screening criteria with a low P/B value would have returned 3.4%. In the previous five years, this return would yield 33.9%. The ten-year yield would be 26.7%.â€Æ' It has come to my concern that the results of the expected general election in the UK are very uncertain, and could lead to a period of extreme economic uncertainty for UK investors. An unexpected clear mandate for a strong government could lead to a resurgence in markets; whereas if no party can form a government there could be a prolonged period of instability for markets and interest rates. Our UK client discretionary portfolios have been admired by many lately for bringing remarkable income levels. It is, however, unknown if they will stay strong after the forthcoming elections. I recommend that you consider searching for other income sources widely. I urge you to consider diversification of our UK client discretionary portfolios (Vinod & Reagle 2005, p.48). The risk premiums all over the world are now becoming more expensive. There may be more volatility in the equity and bond markets. You should encourage people to diversify the risks they are running within their portfolios. I suggest that you focus more on delivering an optimal yield level instead of

Hoosiers Essay Example for Free

Hoosiers Essay ‘Hoosiers’ was a film released in 1986 and is one of very rare hits in the series of sports films. The film is set in the year 1952 in a small town in Indiana and this was the time when in Indiana each high school has the goal of winning one or the other states championship. It is based on a true story but with strong characterization, a story with its own logic and aspects of motivation and inspirational scenes as well along with characters having specific and distinguished qualities. 1. On his first night in Hickory, Coach Dale was provided with lots of suggestions by the town’s men but he was very sure that all these suggestions were not going to work. He had his goals and decisions firm and assertive and on the very first day of practice, he tells the temporary coach that his days of coaching were over and also dismisses Buddy. 2. Jimmy Chipwood is considered as the star player with experience and the team members too needed him but Coach Dale tried to ignore him initially and focused on the whole team because he believed that the team that plays collectively preventing selfish play, only has a chance to succeed. But he unintentionally convinces Jimmy to play and it seemed he persuaded him to play for him alone, which encourages the team and they finally win the state championship. 3. At the first prep rally, Coach Dale exhibits the authoritative style of leadership and dismisses a player because he doesn’t follow his instructions word by word. He believes that games when played on fundamentals could win and the most important thing was discipline. 4. During the first game, Coach Dale felt that his team was not able to make a shoot and he decided to make a speech in half time and tried to calm down his players as also give them hints so that they play accordingly after half time. He also makes Ray stay out of the game. 5.â€Å"Shooter† in the movie, ‘Hoosiers’ has the real passion for the game, basketball and of course knows about the game very well. The only thing lacking in him is self-esteem because he had missed an important shot during his playing days and is also the victim of ostracism. Treating these kind of people in the way Coach Dale does is very important because the real thing is how important one is for the purpose i.e., the basketball game here. Promoting the Shooter reveals that personal drawback can be overcome by the knowledge. 6. During sectionals, Coach Dale keeps himself cool and firm and applies the authoritative style of leadership because the team still believed that they could not do without Jimmy. Coach Dale wanted each and every player to perform their best and remember the fundamentals of the game. 7. Coach Dale tries to moderate the pressure of the game of the State Championship among the players but he himself is under pressure because winning this championship meant a lot for him. The pressure is because he was put out of this game for more than a  decade and that guilt stayed in his mind and had made his soul cover with a thick skin of wisdom. The reminder of this incident every now and then makes Coach Dale cynical and of course his arrogance can also be related to the same thing. At the back of the mind he is nervous and wants his players to not to face any such kind of situation, which would make them have regrets throughout their lives. This is what is made clear by Ronald Heffeitz when his work depicts that leading with an open heart needs a lot of courage and writes that it is first and foremost important for ones own identity and spirit. And this Coach dale does during the state championship game and encourages each player to perform his best.

Prohibition in the United States Essay -- Drugs and Alcohol, Legal Iss

Prohibition created more crime because it was leading to corruption and the â€Å"cure† was worse than the original problem (Sifakis 725). The number of crimes increased during the Prohibition which caused organized crime to be very â€Å"popular†. Many criminal groups had a regular income of money through illegal actions such as drinking and selling alcohol (Organized Crime and Prohibition 1). Alcohol increased the organized crimes during Prohibition through loopholes in the 18th Amendment, speakeasies, doctor’s prescriptions, and bootlegging. Bootleg alcohol was one of the main reasons organized crimes began (Organized Crime and Prohibition 1). Bootlegging was when alcohol was brought into the country illegally from outside the borders. Although, sometimes the illegal alcohol was obtained within the United States (Sifakis 725). Organized crime can be defined as unlawful activity for profit on a city, interstate, and even international scale (Beehner 1). The crime rate went up because the profit motivated people to get involved with illegal activities (Organized Crime and Prohibition 1). Prohibition helped organized crimes because, even though alcohol was illegal, it’s availability through these crime groups, gangs, were satisfying the peoples’ want of alcohol (Sifakis 725). Bootlegging was a major pastime in America especially during the Prohibition. A bootlegger was someone who engaged themselves in illegal alcohol deliveries. The criminals used bootlegging activities as a business to gain as much profit for themselves as a person possibly could gain. They thrived the most during the Prohibition period, January 16, 1920 until the repeal of the 18th Amendment on December 3, 1933. Most of the bootlegged alcohol was brought... ...ifty-four gallons of methyl alcohol to produce a huge batch of moonshine. This alcohol was sold all over Atlanta and even to an Auburn Avenue nightclub. A man named Eliza Foster went to an Auburn Avenue nightclub and drank a couple shots. A half hour later he dropped over dead. The same night both a man died in his car with a bottle of the same batch next to him and a little old lady died in her rocking chair with a bottle of the bad alcohol lying spilled at her feet. From that bad alcohol, thirteen people died that night with hundreds of other people feeling miserable, sick, and even blind, in the Grady Memorial Hospital. In the end forty-two people had died from the bad alcohol although over five hundred were affected by it (112). After the mass poisonings the scale of legal alcohol went up 51.2 percent in Atlanta (113).

Analysis of: Guy Montag :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Analysis of: Guy Montag   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  His full name is Guy Montag. People call him Montag though. Montag is married to a depressed lady named Mildred Montag. But Montag is a fireman of ten years and is thirty years old. He also has black hair and black eyebrows. He takes pride in his job with the fire department. He enjoys dressing in his uniform and playing the conductor as he directs the fire hose toward burning illegal books. In his first few years working at the fire department, Montag had and even joined the firemen’s sport of setting animals loose and betting on which ones the Mechanical hound would demolish first.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The last years, however, have caused some sort of emptiness and alienation. Maybe it’s because his wife is so depressed that he can’t really focus. Montag is very unsure of himself and requires drugs to make him sleep. He returns home daily to a loveless marriage. He always draws towards the lights and conversation of the McClellan family next door. But he forces himself to remain at home, yet he watches them and wishes that he had that same happiness. Even though he is unhappy because of his marital status, he becomes a friend with his neighbor Clarisse McClellan who shows him the meaning of things. Clarisse always teases Montag about not being in love. Finally, Montag comes to terms that he’s not in love with his wife. He suffers guilt because he hides the books in back of the ventilator grille and for failing to love his wife. Interested in books, Montag forces Mildred to read with him. His enjoyment for knowledge drives him to Professor Fa ber who he can trust to teach him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While Montag faces the burning of the old women, his company’s first human victim, he faces a dilemma of keeping his job or leaving it.

Succubus Revealed Chapter 4

â€Å"But I don't know what it is I'm doing!† I cried. â€Å"Do you?† â€Å"I've told you all I can for now,† said Carter, that sadness returning. â€Å"The most I can do now is buy you a drink.† I shook my head. â€Å"I don't think there's enough whiskey in the world.† â€Å"There isn't,† he said bleakly. â€Å"There isn't.† Despite Carter's pessimism, I still tried calling Hugh to see if he knew anything. He didn't, but his incredulity was so similar to mine that I took some comfort in it. â€Å"What? That's ridiculous,† he told me. â€Å"It was a mistake. It has to be.† â€Å"Will you try to get ahold of Jerome for me?† I asked. â€Å"I mean, I'll keep trying too, but maybe if we're both calling, he'll eventually notice the phone.† Even though it was still early for the demon, I also had this strange feeling that he could very well be avoiding my calls if something was afoot. Hugh might sneak in where I couldn't. I was fast approaching the time when I was supposed to meet Seth at the twins' school. I had wanted to run home and try talking to Roman about my potential transfer, but it didn't seem as important now, not until I had the story confirmed or denied by Jerome. So, after a few more errands that seemed hopelessly mundane compared to the greater supernatural workings of the universe, I drove up to Lake Forest Park and arrived at the school just as Seth did. Ian got out of the car too, and Seth flashed me a quick look that said he wasn't thrilled about having brotherly company. Ian was wearing the jacket Seth had mentioned, a brown wool peacoat that fit him well enough to be tailored and had strategically placed patches meant to give it a vintage appearance. Ian completed the look with a carefully knotted striped scarf and fedora. He also had on glasses, which I'd seen no sign of at Seth's. â€Å"I didn't know you wore glasses,† I told him. He sighed. â€Å"They go with the scarf.† Seth was carrying two huge containers of white-frosted cupcakes that were liberally and sloppily dusted with green and red sparkles. I took one batch from him and walked inside with the brothers, where we signed in and were given directions to the classroom. â€Å"Looks like you were productive,† I said with a smile. â€Å"No thanks to Mom,† Seth replied fondly. â€Å"It took her forever to leave. She kept offering to help and double-check my work, make sure the oven was set and all that. It was a boxed mix. There wasn't that much I could mess up.† Ian muttered something about preservatives and high fructose corn syrup. The classroom was pleasant, organized chaos. Other parents and family friends were there to help with the party, distributing food and running games. The twins ran up to the three of us with quick, fierce hugs before scurrying off to play with their friends. I didn't see Morgan and McKenna outside of the family very often, so it was neat to watch them so active and outgoing with their peers. They charmed their friends as much as they charmed me, and it was clear the two girls were leaders of sorts. Tiny, adorable blond leaders. The knot I'd carried inside me since getting the HR memo began to soften as I allowed myself the small joy of observing them. Seth slipped an arm around me, following my gaze as we maintained our post near the food table. He nodded toward where Ian was trying to pitch his own cupcakes – organic, vegan, gluten-free creations from a local bakery – to some of the twins' classmates. To be fair, the cupcakes were beautiful. They were vanilla, topped with elaborately swirled chocolate icing that was in turn adorned with perfect white frosting flowers. They made Seth's cupcakes look like something the girls might have made, but I knew better than to be fooled. When you made cupcakes without most of the ingredients found in traditional baked goods, the truth came out in the taste. Pretty or not, Ian wasn't doing so good a job moving them. â€Å"These are so much better for you than all this other junk food,† Ian was telling a wide-eyed boy named Kayden. Despite the fact we'd been inside the warm classroom for almost an hour, Ian was still completely clad in his scarf and wool coat ensemble. â€Å"They're made with brown rice flour and garbanzo bean flour and sweetened with maple syrup – none of that processed white sugar crap.† Kayden's eyes grew impossibly bigger. â€Å"Those have beans and rice in them?† Ian faltered. â€Å"Well, yes . . . but, no, I mean. It's flour derived from those ingredients in a way that's totally fair trade and nutritious. Plus, I picked a brown and white color scheme, not only to save you from artificial dyes but also to show respect for all holidays and tradition, rather than giving into the mainstream domination of the Judeo-Christian machine.† Without another word, Kayden grabbed a red-frosted snowman cookie from the snack table and wandered off. Ian gave us a long-suffering look. â€Å"I fear for today's youth. At least we can take the leftovers back to Terry's.† â€Å"We'd better,† said Seth. â€Å"Those cost me a small fortune.† â€Å"You mean they cost me a small fortune,† said Ian. â€Å"They're my contribution.† â€Å"I paid for them!† â€Å"It was just a loan,† said Ian imperiously. â€Å"I'll pay you back.† The party didn't last too much longer – seven-year-olds didn't need to slam drinks for hours like my friends did – but I still kept checking my phone whenever Seth wasn't watching. I had it set to vibrate in my pocket but was afraid I would miss Jerome's call. But no matter how many times I looked, the phone's display remained the same. No incoming calls or texts. With things winding down, McKenna made her way back to me and wrapped herself around my leg. â€Å"Georgina, are you going to come to our house tonight? Grammy's cooking. We're going to have lasagna.† â€Å"And cupcakes,† piped in Ian, carefully packing up his goods. By my estimation, he'd given away exactly one cupcake, and that was to a boy who'd taken it on a dare from his friends. I lifted McKenna up, surprised at how big she was getting. The years didn't alter my immortal friends or me, but mortals changed by leaps and bounds in such short time periods. She wrapped her arms around me, and I pressed a kiss into her blond curls. â€Å"I wish I could, baby. But I have to work tonight.† â€Å"Are you still helping Santa?† she asked. â€Å"Yes,† I said solemnly. â€Å"And it's very important work. I can't miss it.† Without me, there was no telling how sober Santa would stay. McKenna sighed and leaned her head against my shoulder. â€Å"Maybe you'll come over when you're done.† â€Å"You'll be in bed,† I said. â€Å"I'll see what I can do for tomorrow.† This earned me a tighter hug, and I felt my heart ache. The girls always had this effect on me, triggering a mix of emotion that was both love for them and regret for the children I myself would never have. Children had been something I'd wanted as a mortal, something denied to me even then. The pain of that reality had been driven home last year when Nyx, a primordial chaos entity, had visited me in my sleep and used tantalizing dreams to distract me while she stole my energy. The one that had recurred the most had shown me with a little girl – my own daughter – stepping outside into a snowy night to greet her father. He'd been shadowy at first, later revealed as Seth. Nyx, in a desperate bid for help later, had sworn the dream was true, a prophecy of things to come. It had been a lie, however. An impossibility that could never be mine. â€Å"Maybe you'll come by my house after you're done with work,† Seth said to me in a low voice, once she'd wriggled away. â€Å"That depends,† I said. â€Å"Who's going to be in your bed?† â€Å"We had a talk. He knows to stay out of my room.† I smiled and caught hold of Seth's hand. â€Å"I would, but I've got some things to do tonight. I've got to hunt down Jerome about . . . business.† â€Å"You're sure that's it?† he asked. â€Å"You're sure my family's not scaring you off?† I'll admit, I didn't relish the thought of seeing Margaret Mortensen's disapproving gaze, but I also couldn't imagine I'd be very good company for Seth if I still didn't know what was going on with my transfer by tonight. The transfer. Looking into his kind, warm eyes, I felt a pit open in my stomach. Maybe I should be jumping at every chance I could get to be with him. Who knew how many more we had? No, I scolded myself. Don't think like that. Tonight you'll find Jerome and clear up this mess. Then you and Seth can be happy. â€Å"Your family has nothing to do with it,† I assured Seth. â€Å"Besides, now that you have extra help, you can use your free time to get some work done.† He rolled his eyes. â€Å"I thought self-employment meant not having a boss.† I grinned and kissed him on the cheek. â€Å"I'll come by tomorrow night.† Kayden, passing by for one last cookie, caught sight of my kiss and scowled disapprovingly. â€Å"Ew.† I parted ways with the Mortensens and headed off to the mall. It was often a surprise to mortals to learn immortals like me purposely chose to take day jobs, so to speak. If you were around for a few centuries and semiwise with your money, it wasn't that hard to eventually build up enough to comfortably live off of, making human employment unnecessary. Yet, most immortals I knew still worked. Correction – most lesser immortals I knew did. Greater ones, like Jerome and Carter, rarely did, but maybe they already had too concrete of a job with their employers. Or, maybe, lesser immortals just carried over the urge from when we were human. Regardless, days like today were clear reminders of why I chose gainful employment. If I'd had nothing but free time on my hands, I would've spent the rest of the day ruminating about my fate and the potential transfer. Assisting Walter-as-Santa – as absurd as it was – at least gave me a distraction while I waited to hear from Jerome. Vocation gave purpose too, which I'd found was necessary to mark the long days of immortality. I'd met lesser immortals who had gone insane, and most of them had done nothing but drift aimlessly throughout their long lives. A new elf – one whom Walter had christened Happy – had joined our ranks today, one who was certainly helping pass the time if only because of how much she was grating on my nerves. â€Å"I don't think he should be drinking at all,† she said, for what felt like the hundredth time. â€Å"I don't see why I have to learn this schedule.† Prancer, a veteran elf, exchanged glances with me. â€Å"None of us is saying it's right,† he told Happy. â€Å"We're just saying it's reality. He's going to get a hold of liquor one way or another. If we deny him, he'll sneak it in the bathroom. He's done it before.† â€Å"If we're the ones giving it to him,† I continued, â€Å"then we control the access and amount he gets. This?† I gestured to the schedule we'd drawn up. â€Å"This isn't much. Especially for a guy his size. It's not even enough to get buzzed.† â€Å"But they're children!† Happy cried. Her eyes drifted off toward the long line of families trailing through the mall. â€Å"Sweet, innocent, joyful children.† Another silent message passed between Prancer and me. â€Å"Tell you what,† I finally said. â€Å"Why don't you make them your priority. Forget about the liquor schedule. We'll handle that. You go trade places with Bashful at the head of the line. She doesn't really like working with the public anyway.† When Happy was out of earshot, I remarked, â€Å"One of these days, someone's going to report us all to the mall's HR office.† â€Å"Oh, they have plenty of times,† said Prancer, smoothing out his green spandex pants. â€Å"I've worked with Walter for three years now, and Happy's not the first elf to have moral qualms about Santa getting lit. He's been reported lots.† That was news to me. â€Å"And they haven't fired him?† â€Å"Nah. It's harder to fill these jobs than you might think. As long as Walter doesn't touch or say something inappropriate, the mall doesn't seem to care.† â€Å"Huh,† I said. â€Å"Good to know.† â€Å"Georgina!† Beyond the gates leading to Santa's pavilion, I saw someone waving at the edge of the crowd. Hugh. My heart rate sped up. This mall was actually right around the corner from his office, so he'd come by before for lunch. In light of recent events – and the look on his face – something told me he wasn't here for a casual meal today. â€Å"Hey,† I said to Prancer. â€Å"Can I take my break now?† â€Å"Sure, go for it.† I cut through the crowd and met up with Hugh, trying not to feel self-conscious about wearing the foil dress. Hugh had come from the office and was dressed impeccably, playing up the role of successful plastic surgeon. I felt cheap beside him, especially as he and I walked farther from the holiday mayhem toward some of the mall's more upscale shops. â€Å"I was on my way home from work and thought I'd stop by,† he said. â€Å"I figured you weren't taking many calls while on the job.† â€Å"Not so much,† I agreed, gesturing to the tight dress and its lack of pockets. I caught hold of his arm. â€Å"Please tell me you heard something. The transfer's a mistake, right?† â€Å"Well, I still think it is, but no, I haven't heard anything back yet – not from HR or Jerome.† He frowned slightly, clearly not liking the lack of communication. Underneath that, I also sensed another emotion in him – nervousness. â€Å"I've got something else for you. Can we talk somewhere . . . kind of private? Is there a Sbarro or Orange Julius around here?† I scoffed. â€Å"Not in this mall. There's a sandwich place we can go to.† â€Å"Sandwich place† wasn't entirely accurate. They also sold gourmet soups and salads, all of which were made fresh and packed with enough prissy ingredients to make Ian happy. Hugh and I snagged a table, my appearance gaining the attention of some children there with their parents. I ignored them as I leaned toward Hugh. â€Å"What's up, then, if not the phantom transfer?† He eyed the watchers uneasily and took several moments to begin speaking. â€Å"I was calling around today, trying to work connections and see if I could find out anything about you. Like I said, I couldn't. But I got caught up on all sorts of other gossip.† I was kind of surprised Hellish gossip was what he wanted to discuss, more surprised still that it had apparently warranted him coming in person. If he'd heard a rumor about a mutual friend, it seemed like a phone call would've sufficed to pass the news. Even e-mail or text. â€Å"Do you remember Milton?† he asked. â€Å"Milton?† I stared blankly. The name meant nothing to me. â€Å"Nosferatu,† he prompted. Still nothing, and then – â€Å"Oh. Yeah. Him. The vampire.† A month or so ago, Milton had visited on vacation, much to Cody and Peter's dismay. Vampires were territorial and didn't like outsiders, although Cody had been able to use Milton's presence to impress his macabre loving girlfriend, Gabrielle. Or so I'd heard. â€Å"I never actually saw him. I just knew he was in town.† â€Å"Yup, and it turns out last week, he was in Boulder.† â€Å"So?† â€Å"So, first of all, it's weird that he'd have two ‘vacations' in that short time. I mean, you know how it is for vampires. You know how it is for all of us.† It was true. Hell didn't like to give us vacations very often. When your employers owned your soul, they really didn't feel any need to make your life pleasant. That wasn't to say we didn't occasionally get time off, but it certainly wasn't a priority for Hell. The business of souls never rested. For vampires, this was doubly true because they didn't like to leave their territory. They also had various complications with traveling, say, like with sunlight. â€Å"Okay, so, it's weird. How does that affect us?† Hugh dropped his voice low. â€Å"When he was in Boulder, a local dark shaman died under mysterious circumstances.† I felt my eyebrows rise. â€Å"And you think Milton was involved ?† â€Å"Well, like I said, I had time to make some calls and do some research today. And it turns out that even though he's based in Raleigh, Milton travels an awful lot for a vampire – and every place he goes, some mortal in the supernatural community ends up dead.† â€Å"You're saying he's an assassin,† I said, intrigued but still not seeing the point. As part of â€Å"the great game† we all played, angels and demons weren't supposed to directly influence mortal lives. That's where lesser immortals came in, with our offers of sin and temptation. Now, we weren't really supposed to kill either, as far as the game went, and we certainly weren't supposed to do it on behalf of a greater immortal's instructions. We all knew it happened, however, and Milton wasn't the first assassin I'd heard of taking out inconvenient mortals. â€Å"Exactly,† said Hugh. He frowned. â€Å"He goes to places, and people disappear.† â€Å"How does that affect us?† Hugh sighed. â€Å"Georgina, he was here.† â€Å"Yeah, but nobody – † I gasped, freezing a moment in shock. â€Å"Erik . . .† The world reeled around me for a moment. I was no longer in an elite mall's food court but instead was looking down on the broken, bleeding body of one of the kindest men I knew. Erik had been a longtime friend in Seattle, using his many years of occult and supernatural knowledge to advise me on my problems. He'd been investigating my contract with Hell when a freak robbery at his store had resulted in his death by gunshot. â€Å"Are you saying . . .† My voice was barely a whisper. â€Å"Are you saying Milton killed Erik?† Hugh shook his head sadly. â€Å"I'm not. I'm just laying out the evidence for you, which is compelling – but not enough to form a hard link to Milton.† â€Å"Then why tell me at all?† I asked. â€Å"You don't like to get involved with anything that questions the status quo.† It was true, and it had been a constant point of contention with Hugh and me. â€Å"I don't,† he said. I understood now why he was so uneasy. â€Å"Not at all. But I care about you, sweetheart. And I know you cared about Erik and wanted answers.† â€Å"Key word: wanted. I thought I had them.† My heart still mourned Erik, but I had begun to heal from his loss, moving on with life the way we all must after losing a loved one. Knowing – or, well, thinking – he'd been killed in a robbery didn't exactly give me peace, but it did provide an explanation. If there was any shred of truth to Hugh's dangerous theory, that Milton – a potential assassin – might have been responsible, then my whole world was suddenly knocked offkilter. And in that scenario, the big issue wasn't that Milton had done it. What became important was why he had done it. Because if he was one of those Hellish assassins lurking in the shadows, then someone higher up had given him his orders, meaning Hell had a reason to want Erik dead. â€Å"You okay?† Hugh's hand on mine made me jump. â€Å"Jesus, Georgina. You're like ice.† â€Å"I'm kind of in shock,† I said. â€Å"This is big, Hugh. Huge.† â€Å"I know,† he said, not sounding happy at all. â€Å"Promise me you won't do anything foolish. I'm still not sure I should have told you.† â€Å"You should have,† I said, squeezing his hand and making no such promises about the foolish part. â€Å"Thank you.† I had to leave shortly thereafter, returning to assist Happy. A little of her zeal about the pure, magical nature of children had faded in that time. I think it was the six-year-old who asked for a nose job that might have cracked her. As for me, I was in a daze, stunned over what Hugh had told me. Erik murdered. His dying words to me had implied something more was going on, but there'd been no evidence to prove it. Or wait . . . was there? I vaguely remembered the glass pattern of his broken window, the suspicion from the police that it had been broken from within. But what did I do with this theory? How did I get the answers I needed? Equally amazing to me was the concession Hugh had made in telling me this. He valued his job and his comfortable position. He really wasn't the type to try to upset Hell or ask questions about things that didn't concern him. Yet he'd pursued his hunch about Milton and passed on the news to me, his friend. Hell made desperate, soulless creatures out of its employees – and most certainly liked it that way – but I doubted any of the higher-ups had imagined the levels of friendship we were still capable of managing. Naturally, only one other thing could have distracted me from this new development, and that was Jerome's presence in my condo later that night. I was returning home after work and sensed his aura coming from within as soon as I put my key to the door. My fears and theorizing about Erik and Milton moved to one part of my brain, replaced by all the old speculation about the mystery transfer. When I entered, I found Jerome sitting in the living room with Roman, both at their ease and barely acknowledging my presence. â€Å"And so,† Jerome was saying, â€Å"that's why you need to do this. As soon as possible. Nanette's people have been at it for a long time, so you've got a lot of ground to cover. Set up a schedule – I don't care how rigorous it is – and make those slackers start putting in their time at the alley.† I stared incredulously. â€Å"You're here about the bowling competition?† Both men looked at me, Jerome seeming irritated at the interruption. â€Å"Of course. The sooner you start practicing, the better.† â€Å"You know what else might be better the sooner it happens ?† I produced the well-worn HR memo with a flourish. â€Å"You telling me if I'm being transferred or not. My money's on it being a mistake because surely, surely you wouldn't put off telling me. Right?† Several heartbeats of silence hung in the room. Jerome held me in his dark, dark gaze, and I refused to look away. At last, he said, â€Å"No. It's real. You're being transferred.† My jaw wanted to drop to the ground. â€Å"Then why . . . why am I only just now hearing about it?† He sighed and made an impatient gesture. â€Å"Because I just found out about it. Someone jumped the gun and delivered the memo to you before telling me.† His eyes glinted. â€Å"Don't worry, I wasn't too thrilled about that myself. I made sure they know my feelings on the matter.† â€Å"But I . . .† I swallowed. â€Å"I was so sure there was a mistake. . . â€Å" â€Å"There was,† he agreed. â€Å"Just not the kind you were thinking of.† I wanted to sink to the floor and melt away but forced myself to stay strong. I had to ask the next most important question, the question that would shape the next phase of my life. â€Å"Where . . . where am I going?† Jerome studied me once again, this time I think just to drag out the suspense and agony. Bastard. At last, he spoke. â€Å"You're going to Las Vegas, Georgie.†