Essay --

The WW1 Conscription is one of the significant PR events that occurred in Australia in the 20th century. The Government in essence intended to adopt a conscription policy so as to enhance its fighting capacity. Nevertheless it could not impose this policy unless it received the support of the Nation and therefore it had to persuade its citizen to support it by voting in the referendum. It however faced a very strong opposition with both parties adopting various public relation strategies to influence the public perception towards conscription. The Government lost in both referendums implying that its PR campaigns were not as effective as those of the opposition. The opposition therefore can still rely on the PR strategy it had applied during WW1 conscription to block any attempts by the Government to reintroduce conscription. However, the new campaign should utilize modern media and PR strategies so as to persuade effectively the current sophisticated audience (Sheehan 2007). Conscription can simply be defined as mandatory military recruitment of people of a certain age group. A brief analysis of the public relation campaign adopted prior and during the WWW 1 will help clarify why conscription is considered to be a public relation event. Grunig and Hunt (1984) cited in Sheehan (2007) argues that the One-Way Communication model that adopted publicity and public information strategy, and the Two-Way Communication model, special emphasis being on Two-Way Asymmetric strategy, were the main model. Each one of these model had a main aim; the main aim of publicity was to spread propaganda; the aim of public information was information dissemination; and lastly the aim of two-way asymmetric strategy was to scientifically persuade the pub... ...owards ensuring the public supported this policy. This it did considering it faced a very strong opposition with the anti-conscription equally engaging in rigorous PR campaign aimed at blocking the government efforts toward introducing mandatory military recruitment. Some of the PR strategies and tactics engaged in by both parties included spreading propagandistic message, scientifically persuading the target audience by applying two-way asymmetric model, and occasionally engaging in information dissemination. The fact that the Government failed in both the referendum implies that the opposition strategy was effective. It should therefore adapt almost a similar approach to block any new effort by the Government to reintroduce conscription. However it should incorporate modern strategies and/or tactics so as to fully reach the now very sophisticated audience.

Essays --

You all probably celebrate this December time with caroling kids to decorating your Christmas tree. We all love Christmas and its holiday cheer. But today I want to talk about a place that holds many great traditions, the country we all know and love...France. You may have heard of France because of ts very famous city called Paris. French citizens also celebrate Christmas but they also celebrate traditions and celebrations that are very different from how we usually preform occasions here. France is located above Spain, below the United Kingdom, and to the right of the Atlantic Ocean. In France, I would say that the biggest celebrated tradition is known as "le reveillon" the holiday with a feast fit for ten kings. Aside from the holidays and stuff, lets talk about France's goverment. France's type of goverment is a semi-presidental system. Do you have a religion? Well here is some of the religions practiced in France. Some of Frances major religions are Catholicism, Islam, and Ju dasim. French people also have a different language than we do. French is an italic language descended from the spoken Latin language of the Roman Empire. We will get into all this later. So sit back and relax and listen to a more about France's points of goverment, language, religion and stuff like that. France has a very different overall perspective than the United States. So now lets go into detail about France's goverment. Like I said France's goverment is a semi-presidential system. Semi-presidential system is defined as a powerful president when there is a unified majority. The Prime Minister becomes secondary to the President in all legislative and diplomatic areas. If a President is weakened by having two opposing parties, presidental an... ...is also shares similar attributes. They elect a President by popular vote just like we do. But it seems to me that the Prime Minister has more control. We also have more religions than France does. The United States as I see it is more diverse, the freedom in our country is unmatched by any other. We have Catholicism, Judasim, Baptist, Muslim, Protestant, Methodist, Pentacostal, Non-Denominational, Buddahism, Scientology, Hinduism, etc. Proving that we accept all religious freedoms throughout our country. We may not all agree but atleast the freedom is there. Also I have learned alot on the other traditions and pratices in France. Like the french Ballet, it is the dance always associated with France when it did not begin with french origins. I would have to conclude in saying that I would love to visit France and see for myself what I have only read about.

An internal locus of control Essay

An internal locus of control is â€Å"the belief that one’s fate is determined by one’s own behavior. † While the external locus of control is â€Å"the belief that what happens is determined not by one’s own actions but by powerful others, luck, and external forces† (Kassin and Wrightsman 1988, 32). What this is saying is that the psychological process of defining the reasoning behind why someone is doing something is that there is either an internal or external locus of control that is determining the factors around the individual. According to the book on page 313 there are times when a judge can decide that a person who has a particular background, occupation or situation would not be a good juror for a trial. This is because their internal locus of control could sway their decision making ability based on what they know and what they have utilized in their profession. In one instance that was described in the book there were two jurors that were kept out of a trial based on their own internal locus of control. One of these jurors was a scientist while the other worked in credit management. Based on the case it was considered that these two potential jurors might not be able to look at the situation completely unbiased and therefore these two jurors were let go from the jury. This is one example on how an internal locus of control can affect someone who is a potential juror (Greene, Heilbrun, Fortune, and Nietzel 2006). A way that the external locus of control can affect someone who is a juror is a bit different. What this means is that someone is being influenced by outside influences which would make them biased in some way to the decision making process. According to the book on page 303 there is a discussion about the interviewing that occurred in the O. J. Simpson trial when looking for jurors. The overwhelming conclusion was that there was a prevalence for African American women to think that some forms of abuse were okay in relationships and this is an external influence to their overall opinions of things. Therefore this influence could influence how the jurors felt about the abuse that O. J. ’s wife had suffered from and therefore they might have a bias (Greene, Heilbrun, Fortune, and Nietzel 2006). Provide an opinion on whether jurors are able to disregard inadmissible evidence using theories discussed in the text, why or why not? According to the book on pages 338-340 there are a number of ways that a juror can look into disregarding evidence that has been determined to be inadmissible. Whether or not this is really possible is a different story. The text describes some different ways that the evidence can be disregarded. These include the reactance theory which is if instructed to disregard certain information the overall decision making ability of the juror could be compromised. Through this theory it is common that someone would use some type of thought suppression to block the material from their thoughts. It is thought that even though this material has been marked as inadmissible that it could possibly still influence the jury’s overall decision (Greene, Heilbrun, Fortune, and Nietzel 2006). In my opinion it could be possible for a juror to disregard inadmissible information however it would be very difficult and it might cause problems for the individual as well. It would be difficult to forget something that was mentioned if it was something that would strongly influence one’s decision however if it was material that was not a big deal then it would not be likely that this would have much influence. In one study that was conducted jurors who were given proacquittal inadmissible information were less likely to convict than those who were given proconviction inadmissible information (Thompson, Fong, and Rosenhan 1981).

Analysis of Genre, Stardom, Authorship and Gender Theory Essay

â€Å"Apparently no strictly logical distinctions can capture the variety of factors which create the genres we have† (Nicholas and Price, 1998) This quote demonstrates the complexity of allocating a particular genre to a film, as various aspects need to be considered. Although concrete groupings such as horror, science-fiction, crime and drama exist, the majority of movies contain more than one aspect which renders them difficult to categorise. For example, the difference between an ‘action’ and a ‘thriller’ film can be very fine. Should the length of footage of fight scenes determine them? Should the scale and intensity of adrenaline felt by the audience throughout the story line be considered? Apart from the concrete distinctions between fiction and non-fiction, many subcategories are used. Some genres are based on literature, such as ‘melodrama’ and ‘comedy’; others on the plot, for example the ‘war film’; and still others on media such as ‘the musical’. Furthermore, some genres are categorised by their budgets, censorship rating, racial identities, location, status amongst many others (Stam, 2000). Genres are a way of characterising a film in the simplest way, interpreting and judging without evaluating them. This allows viewers an easier choice when choosing which film to watch since the field has been narrowed down for them. Patterns such as in the plot, theme, and cinematographic technique and which branded star is used in the film are some of the ways the genres are often grouped. These are very commonly broadened because of the other forms of genre groups sometimes jumping in and out of a film are known as sub-genres. In the second edition (Nathan Abrams, 2010) of ‘Studying Film’ it is pointed out that not only are repetitions a requirement in identifying particular film genres, but so are their differences. Viewers take into account not only similarities but also variances between previous films they have seen. Thus when comparing a few films of the same genre, it is important to note that in spite of the recurring themes, each film will have its own individual plot. The use of genres and ‘putting films in boxes’, as it were, can lead to problems for the movie industry as story lines become repetitive, predictive and formulaic, perhaps causing some viewers to no longer hold the genre in such high regard. For this reason it is imperative that difference be a vital ingredient within categories as well as between them to provide more variation, innovation and flexibility within their general parameters. Films are automatically divided up using the genre categorisation, for example when you walk into a DVD store and looking for a film, they’ll be physically divided up through their classifications; Horror, Sci-fi, Crime, Drama, Action, Thriller, Social Realism and more. They might also classify the films by their rating, which in a sense is also a measurement of genre. Whether the film is a U classification for children, a rated 15 film or even a rated 18 film, these sub genres always crop up in promotional campaigns are also known for being genre specific; trailers in the cinema are also grouped together, like when watching a comedy, the trailers being shown in the previews will also be comedy. There are just a few examples as to how genre is divided without making overly noticeable to the audience. Martin Loop (cited in Barry, 2007) argues that genre in Hollywood does not really exist since so many films that are apparently made by an ‘auteur’ were simply influenced by society, and that Directors use different elements from different genres and the trends at the time to make their films. Taxi Driver narrates the story of Travis Bickle, an ex-marine unable to sleep at nights, so he decides to get a job as a night-time taxi driver. Played by Robert de Niro, Travis begins to date a woman working in the presidential campaign office of Charles Pallantine, but after taking her to watch a porn film they split up. Travis becomes increasingly paranoid and results in him buying an arsenal of weapons. After meeting a young prostitute ‘Iris’ played by Jodie Foster, he soon decides to make it his mission to save her from the life she leads. Thwarted in his attempt to assassinate Charles Pallantine, Taxi Driver’s climax occurs when Travis shoots and kills Iris’s pimp Matthew, played by Harvey Keitel and his henchmen. After the massacre Travis finds himself wounded and attempts to shot himself but comes short of bullets. The film ends with Travis being portrayed as a hero in the media for saving Iris’s life and taking her back to her parents. Travis’s search for to find meaning in his life is what motivates and drives the narrative forward. Taxi Driver is almost based exclusively on restricted narrative through the subjective consciousness of the narration of Travis filtering the narrative information through a single character. The camera emphasizes this by keeping a closed door to what is happening around him to a certain extent and seems to follow him almost obsessively as the film progresses. Has its genre made it more of a success? Maybe Taxi Driver being in the ‘Drama/thriller’ genre has enabled it to cross over two genres thus attracting a greater audience. Films are different from books or poems in that they are not simply constructed by a single person but require input from various people including a director, a producer, a screenwriter, actors and studio representatives to name a few. The notion of auteur theory, (translated from the French meaning ‘author’) in the filmmaking industry has therefore been heavily contended (Simpson, 2012). Andrew Sarris, the leading American proponent of the theory claimed in the 1950s and 60s that great filmmaking inspires the type of artistic expression and creativeness one would expect from a major literary author. For this reason we should be able to herald directors as ‘auteurs’, crediting them with ownership of the whole works. Critics maintain, however, that this notion completely ignores the rest of the film crew. A single ‘author’ does not appear to ascribe to movies due to the multiple actors involved. If each role plays an integral part in the process from beginning to end, how can one role claim the title of sole ‘author’? Furthermore, on what basis could ‘authorship’ be claimed? The tendency has been towards extending the title to the director; however perhaps not every director can be considered an ‘author’ if their work is not worthy. Sarris’ arguments have since been used to defend film as equivalent to the other arts; an important development considering earlier perceptions of the industry to be ‘less worthy’ of an artistic status. In this way perhaps in order to qualify as an ‘art’, a film needs an author. This label is particularly important for intellectual property rights and for status and identification. Nevertheless, the notion of ‘authorship’ also causes problems in other art forms; a composer is considered the true owner of the music he writes, but what about the music when it is used in performance at a concert or in a theatre piece? Having briefly outlined genre and authorship and their surrounding issues, this paper will seek to compare the theories to the film of Taxi Driver (1976)by Martin Scorcese to see how well they hold up and whether Martin Scorcese can shed further light on how genre and authorship should be  defined in the movie-making business. http://www. cs. grinnell. edu/~simpsone/Connections/Film/Author/index. html http://www. filmreference. com/encyclopedia/Academy-Awards-Crime-Films/Auteur-Theory-and-Authorship. html Studying film 2nd Edition, Nathan Abrams, Ian Bell, Jan Udris, Bloomsbury, 2010 Film History and Introduction, Kirsten Thomson, David Bordwell, McGraw-Hill, 1994

Give Examples of Needs Wants and Demands That Build-a-Bear Custom

1. Needs ,Wants and Demands That Build-A –Bear customers demonstrate. Needs it is when every customer of Build-A-Bear needs a stuff toy when they purchase from the store. It is the basic product that Build-A-Bear must produce. Wants those are the options of the customer to customize the stuff toy or the product like the dress me filled accessories galore, name me where a birth certificate is created with child selected-name and accessories using the high-tech available. Demands these are wants of the customers where they request to Build-A-Bear. It is the option of Build-A-Bear to make to cater the demands of the customer.BUILD A BEAR’S ACTIONS : Customers’ needs for toys are satisfied through selling stuffed animals and bears. To fulfill customers’ wants to have a unique toy or bear, they have made an environment where which is a cartoon land or a fantasy where their desired toys can be manufactured by themselves. To meet the customers’ demand of a dding accessories to their self created toy, Build A Bear offers different accessories which raises the price of the toy. A customer will add only as much accessories as its buying power. 2. In detail, describe all of Build-A-Bear’s product. What is being exchanged in a Build-A-Bear transaction?FACETS OF BUILD A BEAR PRODUCT: The eight facets are shaped into eight workstation through which their toy is processed step by step with the help of workers. The facets are: a) CHOOSE ME: Where customers select an animal of his choice to be stuffed. b) STUFF ME: They blow in the stuffing as much as he/she wants. c) HEAR ME: Where the customer adds a voice box. d) STITCH ME: Where the child stitches the animal shut. e) FLUFF ME:Here blow drying spa treatment is done. f) DRESS ME: The animal is dressed here. g) NAME ME: At this point the birth certificate of the toy is made in the name of†¦ [continues] Give Examples of Needs Wants and Demands That Build-a-Bear Custom 1. Needs ,Wants and Demands That Build-A –Bear customers demonstrate. Needs it is when every customer of Build-A-Bear needs a stuff toy when they purchase from the store. It is the basic product that Build-A-Bear must produce. Wants those are the options of the customer to customize the stuff toy or the product like the dress me filled accessories galore, name me where a birth certificate is created with child selected-name and accessories using the high-tech available. Demands these are wants of the customers where they request to Build-A-Bear. It is the option of Build-A-Bear to make to cater the demands of the customer.BUILD A BEAR’S ACTIONS : Customers’ needs for toys are satisfied through selling stuffed animals and bears. To fulfill customers’ wants to have a unique toy or bear, they have made an environment where which is a cartoon land or a fantasy where their desired toys can be manufactured by themselves. To meet the customers’ demand of a dding accessories to their self created toy, Build A Bear offers different accessories which raises the price of the toy. A customer will add only as much accessories as its buying power. 2. In detail, describe all of Build-A-Bear’s product. What is being exchanged in a Build-A-Bear transaction?FACETS OF BUILD A BEAR PRODUCT: The eight facets are shaped into eight workstation through which their toy is processed step by step with the help of workers. The facets are: a) CHOOSE ME: Where customers select an animal of his choice to be stuffed. b) STUFF ME: They blow in the stuffing as much as he/she wants. c) HEAR ME: Where the customer adds a voice box. d) STITCH ME: Where the child stitches the animal shut. e) FLUFF ME:Here blow drying spa treatment is done. f) DRESS ME: The animal is dressed here. g) NAME ME: At this point the birth certificate of the toy is made in the name of†¦ [continues]

Introduction to Astronomy

AST 101- Introduction to Astronomy Final Exam (12/21/2007) Instructions A. B. Answer ALL questions on your Opscan, using a #2 pencil. Make sure to include your NAME and STUDENT ID. The computer identifies you by your student ID; do not forget to include it. C. D. E. Do NOT mark your date of birth. The exam is CLOSED BOOK. You should not use any books or notes. Time: 2 HOURS and 30 MINUTES. MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 1) What is the ultimate fate of an isolated pulsar? A) As gravity overwhelms the neutron degeneracy pressure, it will explode as a supernova. B) It will spin ever faster, becoming a millisecond pulsar. C) The neutron degeneracy pressure will eventually overwhelm gravity and the pulsar will slowly evaporate. D) As gravity overwhelms the neutron degeneracy pressure, it will become a white dwarf. E) It will slow down, the magnetic field will weaken, and it will become invisible. 2) Which of the following statements about globular clusters is false? A) Globular cluster stars are very metal-poor relative to the Sun. B) Globular cluster stars are more than 12 billion years old. C) Globular clusters are distributed spherically around the Milky Way. D) Globular clusters contain many thousands of stars. E) Globular cluster ages increase with distance from the Milky Way. 3) Which of the following characteristics of stars has the greatest range in values? A) mass B) core temperature C) radius D) surface temperature E) luminosity 4) Which statement best describes the solar neutrino problem? A) Solar neutrinos have been detected, but in fewer numbers than predicted by theoretical models. B) No one understands how it can be possible for neutrinos to be produced in the Sun. C) Our current understanding of fusion in the Sun suggests that all neutrinos should be destroyed before they arrive at the earth, yet neutrinos are being detected. D) Theoretical models predict that neutrinos should be produced in the Sun, but no neutrinos have ever been observed to be coming from the Sun. 1 AST 101- Introduction to Astronomy Refer to this scenario for the following questions: Final Lost in Spacetime. Just when you thought it was safe to take final exams . . . vindictive multi-dimensional being reaches down (up? over? through? ) to Earth and pulls you out of the universe. You are thrown back into the universe at a place of this being's choosing, and she permits you to leave only after you have identified your surroundings. You are subject to several of these tests. Through a scientifically unexplainable miracle, you are able to survive in every one of the places you are tested. (Le st you become too comfortable, however, you certainly are able to feel any associated pain due to high temperature, pressure, gravity, etc. In each case described below, identify your surroundings. In some cases, the surroundings described may exist only during eras of the universe (past or future) other than our own time; in those cases, you should identify both the place and the time where you are located. 5) It sure is bright everywhere; you've been able to travel around a bit, and it's clear that you are not in a star. Yet it is as bright as looking directly at the Sun. In your extensive travels through your current surroundings, you cannot find a single neutral atom anywhere, nor can you find a nucleus besides hydrogen or helium. And, while it is hot (a few thousand degrees Kelvin), it is nowhere near the temperature needed for nuclear fusion. Where are you? A) You are in the central regions of a quasar. B) You are in the universe more than 10100 years in the future. C) You are in the universe during its first 300,000 years. D) You are in an accretion disk around a supermassive black hole. E) You are where the Sun should be located, but about 5 billion years from now. 6) At last you are in a place where the heat and high density are no longer bothering you. However, although the density is very low, the gas around you is extremely high in temperature. In fact, the temperature is so high that it is emitting lots of X rays, which are creating cancer-causing mutations in your body at a rapid rate. Well, at least the view is great! There are no stars anywhere within about 10,000 light-years of you, but at slightly greater distances your sky is brightened by many beautiful, star-filled structures, some with majestic spiral shapes. Where are you? A) You are somewhere between the Andromeda and Milky Way galaxies in the Local Group. B) You are in intergalactic space within a rich cluster of thousands of galaxies. C) You are in the center of the Milky Way Galaxy, looking outward into the Local Group. D) You are in the outskirts of a galaxy whose nucleus is a powerful quasar. E) You are in the universe when it was about 200 million years old, just before galaxies began forming. 7) You are once again in a hot, dense place. You are surrounded by protons and neutrons, some rapidly fusing into helium. You notice that your surroundings are cooling (good, because it's really hot! ) and rapidly dropping in density. Within about 3 minutes, the fusion reactions stop. Where are you? A) You are in the center of a star much smaller than the Sun. B) You are inside a nuclear power plant on Earth. C) You are in the early universe during the era of nucleosynthesis. D) You are in the center of a massive star near the end of its life. E) You are in the center of a star very much like our Sun. 2 AST 101- Introduction to Astronomy Final 8) Talk about cold, dark, and empty! As far as you look around you, there seems to be nothing at all. Even the nearest electron is light-years away. And, no matter how far you travel, you can find no solid matter, not even a single proton. You do, however, detect a few strong gravitational fields—probably due to black holes—at enormous distances away from you. Where are you? A) You are where the Sun should be located, but about 5 billion years from now. B) You are in the central regions of a quasar. C) You are in the outskirts of a young cluster of galaxies. D) You are in the universe when it is over about 1040 years old. 9) The light radiated from the Sun's surface reaches Earth in about 8 minutes, but the energy of that light was released by fusion in the solar core about A) a thousand years ago. B) a hundred years ago. C) ten years ago. D) one year ago. E) a million years ago. 10) From lowest energy to highest energy, which of the following correctly orders the different categories of electromagnetic radiation? A) gamma rays, X rays, visible light, ultraviolet, infrared, radio B) visible light, infrared, X rays, ultraviolet, gamma rays, radio C) radio, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X rays, gamma rays D) infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X rays, gamma rays, radio E) radio, X rays, visible light, ultraviolet, infrared, gamma rays 11) What is a possible solution to the solar neutrino problem? A) Not all fusion reactions create electron neutrinos. B) The Sun is generating much less energy than we think it is. C) The Sun is generating energy other than by nuclear fusion. D) The electron neutrinos created in the Sun change into another type of neutrino. E) We do not know how to detect electron neutrinos. 12) Newton's second law of motion tells us that the net force applied to an object equals its A) momentum times velocity. B) mass times velocity. C) energy times acceleration. D) mass times energy. E) mass times acceleration. 13) What happens when the gravity of a massive star is able to overcome neutron degeneracy pressure? A) The star explodes violently, leaving nothing behind. B) The core contracts and becomes a black hole. C) The core contracts and becomes a white dwarf. D) The core contracts and becomes a ball of neutrons. E) Gravity is not able to overcome neutron degeneracy pressure. 3 AST 101- Introduction to Astronomy 14) Radiative energy is A) heat energy. B) energy used in home radiators. C) energy of motion. D) energy from nuclear power plants. E) energy carried by light. 15) Most large galaxies in the universe are A) lenticular. B) irregular. 16) Compared to spiral galaxies, elliptical galaxies are A) redder and rounder. B) bluer and rounder. C) bluer and flattened. D) redder and flattened. E) always much smaller. 17) Approximately how long does it take the Sun to orbit the Milky Way Galaxy? A) 23,000 years B) 23 billion years C) 230,000 years D) 2. 3 million years E) 230 million years 18) Approximately how many stars does a dwarf elliptical galaxy have? A) less than a billion B) 10 billion C) 100 billion D) 1 trillion E) less than a million Final C) spiral. D) elliptical. 19) What is the ultimate fate of an isolated white dwarf? A) As gravity overwhelms the electron degeneracy pressure, it will explode as a supernova. B) The electron degeneracy pressure will eventually overwhelm gravity and the white dwarf will slowly evaporate. C) As gravity overwhelms the electron degeneracy pressure, it will become a neutron star. D) As gravity overwhelms the electron degeneracy pressure, it will explode as a nova. E) It will cool down and become a cold black dwarf. 20) What evidence supports the theory that elliptical galaxies come from denser clouds? A) Elliptical galaxies have denser stars than spiral galaxies. B) Elliptical galaxies at high redshifts lack young, blue stars. C) Elliptical galaxies have more gas than spiral galaxies. D) Elliptical galaxies are generally larger than spiral galaxies. E) Elliptical galaxies are denser than spiral galaxies. 21) Which of the following types of galaxies are most spherical in shape? A) lenticulars B) spirals C) irregulars D) ellipticals 4 AST 101- Introduction to Astronomy 22) Roughly how many stars are in the Milky Way Galaxy? A) 1 billion B) 100 trillion C) 100 million 23) White dwarfs are so called because A) it amplifies the contrast with red giants. B) they are both very hot and very small. C) they are supported by electron degeneracy pressure. D) they are the end-products of small, low-mass stars. E) they are the opposite of black holes. 24) Which of the following is evidence for supermassive black holes in active galaxies? A) quasars emit approximately equal power at all wavelengths from infrared to gamma rays B) rapid changes in the luminosity of the galaxy nucleus C) very high speed orbital motions around galactic nuclei D) the discovery of powerful jets coming from a compact core E) all of the above 25) What happens to the surface temperature and luminosity when a protostar radiatively contracts? A) Its surface temperature remains the same and its luminosity decreases. B) Its surface temperature and luminosity remain the same. C) Its surface temperature decreases and its luminosity increases. D) Its surface temperature and luminosity decrease. E) Its surface temperature and luminosity increase. D) 100 billion Final E) 10 billion An advanced civilization lives on a planet orbiting a close binary star system that consists of a 15MSun red giant and a 10MSun black hole. Assume that the two stars are quite close together, so that an accretion disk surrounds the black hole. The planet on which the civilization lives orbits the binary star at a distance of 10 AU. 26) Sometime within the next million years or so, their planet is likely to be doomed because A) jets of material shot out of the accretion disk will shoot down their planet. B) tidal forces from the black hole will rip the planet apart. C) the red giant will probably undergo a supernova explosion within the next million years. D) their planet receives most of its energy from the red giant. However, this star will soon be completely devoured in the accretion disk and thus will no longer exist. E) the planet's orbit gradually will decay as it is sucked in by the black hole. 27) Through a bizarre (and scientifically unexplainable) fluctuation in the spacetime continuum, a copy of a book titled Iguoonos: How We Evolved appears on your desk. As you begin to read, you learn that the book describes the evolution of the people living in the star system described above. In the first chapter, you learn that these people evolved from organisms that lived 5 billion years ago. Which of the following statements should you expect to find as you continue to read this book? A) As a result of traumatic experiences of their evolutionary ancestors, they dislike television. B) They believe that the presence of two stars in their system was critical to their evolution. C) Their immediate ancestors were chimpanzees. D) They evolved from primitive wormlike creatures that had 13 legs, 4 eyes, and bald heads, thus explaining why such critters are now considered a spectacular delicacy. E) They evolved on a different planet in a different star system and moved to their current location. 5 AST 101- Introduction to Astronomy Final The following questions refer to the H-R diagram below that shows the life track of a 1-solar-mass star, with various stages labeled with Roman numerals. Figure 17. 1 28) Which stage lasts the longest? A) viii B) i C) iv D) iii E) vi 29) In the end, the remaining core of this star will be left behind as A) a supernova. B) a white dwarf made primarily of carbon and oxygen. C) a white dwarf made primarily of silicon and iron. D) a neutron star. E) a black hole. 30) What is the Sun mainly made of? A) hydrogen and oxygen B) oxygen and carbon C) hydrogen and helium D) carbon and nitrogen E) nearly equal portions of all the elements 31) Which of the following comprise the oldest members of the Milky Way? A) red giant stars in spiral arms B) globular clusters C) Cepheid variables D) the Sun and other solar mass stars E) O stars 32) The wavelength of a wave is A) equal to the speed of the wave times the wave's frequency. B) the distance between a peak of the wave and the next trough. C) the distance between two adjacent peaks of the wave. D) how strong the wave is. E) the distance between where the wave is emitted and where it is absorbed. 33) What is the name given to 2H? A) deuterium B) helium C) hydrogen D) tritium 6 AST 101- Introduction to Astronomy 34) Approximately how fast are you moving with the rotation of the earth around its axis? A) 130 km/hr B) 1,300 km/hr C) 13,000 km/hr D) 13 km/hr Final 35) What do astronomers mean by light pollution? A) Light pollution refers to pollution caused by light industry as opposed to heavy industry. B) Light pollution refers to light used for human activities that brightens the sky and hinders astronomical observations. C) Light pollution refers to harmful gases emitted by common street lights. D) Light pollution is another name for sunlight, which makes it impossible to see stars in the daytime. E) Light pollution refers to the lights that must be used inside major observatories and that make it difficult for astronomers' eyes to adapt to darkness. 36) What evidence supports the galactic fountain model? A) We see a jet of ionized gas shooting out of the bulge of our galaxy. B) We have mapped several spiral arms of the Milky Way Galaxy. C) We have observed a lot of water molecules in the interstellar medium. D) We see hot gas above the disk of the galaxy and cool gas that appears to be raining down from the halo. E) We have no evidence yet for the galactic fountain model. 37) How do we know what happens at the event horizon of a black hole? A) Astronomers have analyzed the light from matter within the event horizon of many black holes. B) Astronomers have detected X rays from accretion disks around black holes. C) Astronomers have sent spacecraft through the event horizon of a nearby black hole. D) Physicists have created miniature black holes in the lab. E) We don't know for sure: we only know what to expect based on the predictions of general relativity. 38) What is a central dominant galaxy? A) a giant spiral galaxy that exerts large tidal forces on other nearby galaxies B) a galaxy around which many other smaller galaxies orbit C) a hypothesized galaxy type that no longer exists but once dominated the structure of the universe D) a spiral galaxy from which many smaller galaxies form when it is stripped apart by tidal forces E) a giant elliptical galaxy at the center of a dense cluster 39) The study of energy levels in atoms is called A) particle physics. B) quantum mechanics. C) classical mechanics. D) general relativity. E) special relativity. 7 AST 101- Introduction to Astronomy Final 40) Why did the era of nuclei end when the universe was about 300,000 years old? A) All the free particles had combined to form the nuclei of atoms. B) Neutrinos and electrons were finally able to escape the plasma of the early universe and no longer heated the other particles. C) Photons were finally able to escape the plasma of the early universe and no longer heated the hydrogen and helium ions. D) The universe had expanded and cooled to a temperature of about 3,000 K, cool enough for stable, neutral atoms to form. E) No theory can explain this. 41) What causes the radio pulses of a pulsar? A) A black hole near the star absorbs energy and re-emits it as radio waves. B) The star vibrates. C) The star undergoes periodic explosions of nuclear fusion that generate radio emission. D) The star's orbiting companion periodically eclipses the radio waves emitted by the main pulsar. E) As the star spins, beams of radio radiation sweep through space. If one of the beams crosses the earth, we observe a pulse. 2) If we represent the Milky Way Galaxy as the size of a grapefruit (10-cm diameter), the distance to the Andromeda Galaxy would be about A) 3 m. B) 100 km. C) 1 km. D) 10 cm. E) 30 m. 43) About where is our solar system located within the Milky Way Galaxy? A) at the center of the galaxy B) about two-thirds of the way from the center of the galaxy to the outskirts of the galactic d isk C) about 10 percent of the way from the center of the galaxy to the outskirts of the galactic disk D) near the far outskirts of the galactic disk E) in the halo of the galaxy above the galactic disk 44) What is an astronomical unit? A) any basic unit used in astronomy B) the average speed of the earth around the Sun C) the diameter of the earth's orbit around the Sun D) the average distance from the earth to the Sun E) the length of time it takes the earth to revolve around the Sun 45) How did the Ptolemaic model explain the apparent retrograde motion of the planets? A) It varied the motion of the celestial sphere so that it sometimes moved backward. B) It held that the planets moved along small circles that moved on larger circles around the Sun. C) It held that the planets moved along small circles that moved on larger circles around the earth. D) It held that sometimes the planets moved backward along their circular orbits. E) It placed the Sun at the center so that the planets' apparent retrograde motion was seen as the earth passed each one in its orbit. 46) What is meant by spectral resolution? A) It is the same as angular resolution when applied to telescopes operating at different wavelengths. B) It is a measure of how close two point sources can be distinguished. C) It is a measure of how much energy an object emits in different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. D) It is a measure of how close two spectral lines can be distinguished. 8 AST 101- Introduction to Astronomy 47) The tides on Earth are an example of A) Newton's third law of motion. B) Newton's second law of motion. C) Newton's first law of motion. D) the universal law of gravitation. E) none of the above 48) What might be causing the universe to accelerate? A) WIMPs B) dark gravity C) we don't know! —it's a subject of continuing research D) MACHOs E) white-dwarf supernovae Final 49) White-dwarf supernovae are good standard candles for distance measurements for all the following reasons except which? A) All white-dwarf supernovae involve the explosion of stars of nearly the same mass. B) White-dwarf supernovae occur only among young and extremely bright stars. C) White-dwarf supernovae are common enough that we detect several every year. D) All white-dwarf supernovae have similar light curves, which makes them easy to distinguish from massive-star supernovae. E) White-dwarf supernovae are so bright that they can be detected even in very distant galaxies. 50) What do we mean by the singularity of a black hole? A) It is the center of the black hole, a place of infinite density where the known laws of physics cannot describe the conditions. B) An object can become a black hole only once, and a black hole cannot evolve into anything else. C) There are no binary black holes? each one is isolated. D) It is the â€Å"point of no return† of the black hole; anything closer than this point will not be able to escape the gravitational force of the black hole. E) It is the edge of the black hole, where one could leave the observable universe. 51) Which of the following is an example in which you are traveling at constant speed but not at constant velocity? A) driving around in a circle at exactly 100 km/hr B) rolling freely down a hill in a cart, traveling in a straight line C) jumping up and down, with a period of exactly 60 hops per minute D) driving backward at exactly 50 km/hr E) none of the above 52) What is a superbubble? A) the region of space cleared by a powerful supernova B) a very low-density region of interstellar space, formed by the merger of several bubbles C) a very high-density region of interstellar space, filled with gas ejected from nearby star systems D) a bubble so large that it fills much of the galactic halo E) a cloud of gas that can form a million or more stars AST 101- Introduction to Astronomy 53) No stars have been found with masses greater than 100 times our Sun because A) they would fragment into binary stars because of their rapid rotation. B) molecular clouds do not have enough material to form such massive stars. C) they would generate so much power that they would blow themselves apart. D) they are no t bright enough to be seen nearby. E) they shine exclusively at X-ray wavelengths and become difficult to detect. 54) All of the following are involved in carrying energy outward from a star's core except A) conduction. B) radiative diffusion. C) neutrinos. D) convection. 55) In what part of the electromagnetic spectrum do the biggest telescopes on Earth operate? A) ultraviolet B) radio C) infrared D) X-ray E) visible 56) Which is the strongest of the fundamental forces in the universe? A) weak force B) electromagnetic force C) strong force D) gravitational force E) none of the above 57) The path that led to modern science emerged from ancient civilizations in which part of the world? A) China B) North America C) Southern Asia D) the Mediterranean and the Middle East E) Central and South America Final 58) Most of the energy produced in the Sun is released in the form of visible light from the photosphere. However, some energy is released from the upper layers of the solar atmosphere. Which of the following best describes where other forms of light are released? A) The convection zone is the source of ultraviolet light, and the upper photosphere is the source of X rays. B) The chromosphere is the source of infrared light, and the corona is the source of ultraviolet light. C) The chromosphere is the source of X rays, and the corona is the source of radio waves. D) The chromosphere is the source of ultraviolet light, and the corona is the source of X rays. 59) How did Edwin Hubble measure the distance to the Andromeda Galaxy? A) He applied the period-luminosity relation to Cepheid variables. B) He used white dwarf supernovae. C) He deduced it from its redshift. D) He used main-sequence fitting. E) He measured its parallax. 10 AST 101- Introduction to Astronomy 60) Dr. Smith believes that the Hubble constant is H0 = 70 km/s/Mpc. Dr. Jones believes it is H0 = 50 Final km/s/Mpc. Which statement below automatically follows? A) Dr. Smith believes that the universe is younger than Dr. Jones believes. B) Dr. Smith believes that the Andromeda Galaxy (a member of our Local Group) is moving away from us at a faster speed than Dr. Jones believes. C) Dr. Smith believes that the universe is expanding, but Dr. Jones does not. D) Dr. Smith believes that the universe will someday stop expanding, while Dr. Jones believes it will expand forever. E) Dr. Smith believes that the universe is older than Dr. Jones believes. 61) What is an artificial star? A) a meteor B) the unseen member of a binary star system C) a satellite orbiting the earth D) a point of light in the earth's atmosphere created by a laser for the purpose of monitoring atmospheric fluctuations E) a possible source of dark matter in the universe 62) When we see X rays from an accretion disk in a binary system, we can't immediately tell whether the accretion disk surrounds a neutron star or a black hole. Suppose we then observe each of the following phenomena in this system. Which one would force us to immediately rule out the possibility of a black hole? A) bright X-ray emission that varies on a time scale of a few hours B) spectral lines from the companion star that alternately shift to shorter and longer wavelengths C) visible and ultraviolet light from the companion star D) sudden, intense X-ray bursts 63) On a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, where would we find white dwarfs? A) upper left B) lower right C) lower left D) upper right 64) On a cosmic calendar, in which the history of the universe is compressed into 1 year, when did Kepler and Galileo first discover that we live on a planet in a solar system? A) 1 second ago B) December 30 C) 1 week ago D) December 25 E) 1 day ago 65) Why does the Big Bang theory predict that the cosmic background radiation should have a perfect thermal radiation spectrum? A) It doesn't predict that the cosmic background radiation should have a perfect thermal radiation spectrum. B) The spectrum of 75 percent hydrogen and 25 percent helium is a perfect thermal radiation spectrum. C) The light from all the stars and gas in the sky averaged over the entire universe is a perfect thermal radiation spectrum. D) The spectrum of pure hydrogen is a perfect thermal radiation spectrum. E) The background radiation came from the heat of the universe, with a peak corresponding to the temperature of the universe. 11 AST 101- Introduction to Astronomy 66) If a material is transparent, then it A) scatters light well. B) emits light well. C) transmits light well. D) absorbs light well. E) reflects light well. 67) He discovered what we now call Newton's first law of motion. A) Ptolemy B) Galileo C) Tycho Brahe 68) Where was the Sun in Ptolemy's model of the universe? A) slightly offset from the center B) between the earth and the Moon's orbit C) at the outer edge, beyond Saturn's orbit D) between the orbits of Venus and Mars E) at the center Final D) Kepler E) Copernicus 69) Why do we expect the cosmic background radiation to be almost, but not quite, the same in all directions? A) The overall structure of the universe is very uniform, but the universe must have contained some regions of higher density in order for galaxies to form. B) The temperature of the universe can be found by taking an average over the entire sky, but individual stars will create peaks in the spectrum over small angles. C) The overall structure of the universe is very uniform, but the synthesis of different elements produces varying signatures within the background spectrum. D) The overall structure of the universe is very uniform, but intervening gas between us and the era of nuclei absorbs wavelengths depending on the composition and redshift of the gas. E) Dark matter consisting of WIMPs greatly smooths out the spectrum, but the small patches of â€Å"light† matter create peaks in the spectrum. 70) A star of spectral type O lives approximately how long on the main sequence? A) 10,000 years B) 1 million years C) 1,000 years D) 1 billion years E) 100 million years 71) If you wanted to observe a molecular cloud, in which of the ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum would you most likely observe? (There are additional possibilities. ) A) infrared B) gamma-ray C) X-ray D) ultraviolet E) visible 72) How do we learn about what is going on in the center of our own galaxy (the Milky Way)? A) We cannot see the galactic center with visible or ultraviolet light, but radio and X rays from the center can be detected. B) The gas and dust in the Milky Way prevent any type of direct observation of the galactic center, but theoretical models allow us to predict what is happening there. C) We have learned it only recently, thanks to the great photographs obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope. D) We must look at the centers of other galaxies and hope that ours is just like others. 12 AST 101- Introduction to Astronomy 73) The age of the universe is A) between 100 billion and 160 billion years. B) between 100 million and 160 million years. C) between 1 billion and 1. 6 billion years. D) between 10 billion and 16 billion years. E) between 10 million and 16 million years. Final 74) Which forces have physicists shown to be the same force under conditions of very high temperature or energy, as confirmed by experiments in particle accelerators? A) the strong and electromagnetic forces B) the electromagnetic and weak forces C) gravity and the strong force D) the strong and weak forces E) gravity and the weak force 75) Cluster ages can be determined from A) main sequence fitting. B) pulsating variable stars. C) visual binaries. D) main sequence turnoff. E) spectroscopic binaries. 6) The spectral sequence sorts stars according to A) radius. B) mass. C) luminosity. D) surface temperature. E) core temperature. 77) Why wasn't the intracluster medium in galaxy clusters discovered until the 1970s? A) The medium emits X rays, which are blocked by the earth's atmosphere and require X-ray satellites in space in order to be observed. B) We didn't have the resolution to observe ga laxy clusters until then. C) We did not know how much dark matter existed before then. D) Radiation emitted by the medium was so dim that we couldn't detect it until we built much larger telescopes. E) The Milky Way was blocking our view of distant galaxy clusters. 78) The most active galactic nuclei are usually found at large distances from us; relatively few nearby galaxies have active galactic nuclei. What does this imply? A) Active galactic nuclei tend to become less active as they age. B) Active galactic nuclei can form only at large distances from the Milky Way. C) The jets seen in many active galactic nuclei must cause them to move far away from us. D) Massive black holes existed only when the universe was young and no longer exist today. 13 AST 101- Introduction to Astronomy 9) Which of the following is an example of baryonic matter? A) neutrinos B) you C) mesons produced by physicists in particle accelerators D) electrons and positrons produced by pair production E) WIMPs Final 80) How can we see through the interstellar medium? A) by using only the biggest telescopes B) by observing only the brightest visible sources C) by using telescopes above the earth's atmosphere D) by observing in high-energy wavelengths such as X rays and long wavelengths of light such as radio waves E) We cannot see through the interstellar medium. 1) On a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, where on the main sequence would we find stars that have the greatest mass? A) upper right B) lower left C) lower right D) upper left 82) What is nuclear fusion? A) an explosion caused by putting together two volatile chemicals B) a process that only occurs in bombs C) the process of splitting nuclei to produce energy D) the process of combining lightweight nuclei to make heavier nuclei E) the process of turning matter into pure energy 83) He developed a system for predicting planetary positions that remained in use for some 1,500 years. A) Copernicus B) Tycho Brahe C) Kepler D) Galileo E) Ptolemy 84) What causes stars to twinkle? A) variable absorption by interstellar gas along the line of sight to the star B) the inability of the human eye to see faint objects C) bending of light rays by turbulent layers in the atmosphere D) variations in the absorption of the atmosphere E) It is intrinsic to the stars—their brightness varies as they expand and contract. 5) The controversial book of this famous person, published in 1543 (the year of his death), suggested that the earth and other planets orbit the Sun. A) Copernicus B) Kepler C) Tycho Brahe D) Galileo E) Ptolemy 86) What is a typical mass-to-light ratio for the inner region of a spiral galaxy, in units of solar masses per solar luminosity? A) 6 B) 0. 1 C) 1,000 D) 600 E) 100 14 AST 101- Introduction to Astronomy 87) In the formula E = mc2, what does E represent? A) the mass-energy, or potential energy stored in an object's mass B) the radiative energy carried by light C) the electric charge of the object D) the kinetic energy of a moving object E) the gravitational potential energy of an object held above the ground The following questions refer to the sketch below of an H-R diagram for a star cluster. Figure 17. 2 Final 88) Based on its main-sequence turnoff point, the age of this cluster is A) about 10 billion years. B) less than 1 billion years. C) more than 15 billion years. D) about 2 billion years. E) about 1 billion years. 9) What percentage of a molecular cloud's mass is interstellar dust? A) 1% B) 28% C) 50% D) 12% E) 1-50%, depending on the mass of the molecular cloud 90) Which of the following correctly states the luminosity-distance formula? luminosity A) distance = 4? ? (apparent brightness)2 B) apparent brightness = luminosity ? 4? ? (distance)2 apparent brightness C) luminosity = 4? ? (distance)2 D) apparent brightness = lumin osity 4? ? (distance)2 15 AST 101- Introduction to Astronomy 91) Harlow Shapley concluded that the Sun was not in the center of the Milky Way Galaxy by A) looking at the shape of the â€Å"milky band† across he sky. B) mapping the distribution of globular clusters in the galaxy. C) mapping the distribution of stars in the galaxy. D) looking at other nearby spiral galaxies. E) mapping the distribution of gas clouds in the spiral arms. 92) Which of the following statements about stages of nuclear burning (i. e. , first-stage hydrogen burning, second-stage helium burning, etc. ) in a massive star is not true? A) Each successive stage creates an element with a higher atomic weight. B) As each stage ends, the core shrinks further. C) Each successive stage of fusion requires higher temperatures than the previous stages. D) Each successive stage lasts for approximately the same amount of time. Final 93) Which of the following is not true of quasars? A) Some quasars are more than a thousand times more luminous than the Milky Way. B) Some quasars can change their brightness every few hours. C) Quasars are powered by the energy radiated by matter falling into a central black hole. D) Quasars are powered by the intense production of large numbers of stars that can only be sustained for a relatively short time. E) Quasars were more common in the past. 94) How does the spectrum of a molecule differ from the spectrum of an atom? A) Molecules only have spectral lines at ultraviolet wavelengths. B) Most atoms only have spectral lines at infrared wavelengths. C) A molecule does not have spectral lines due to electrons changing energy levels. D) A molecule has additional spectral lines due to changes in its rotational and vibrational energies. E) An atom has a wider range of spectral lines than molecules. 95) We can learn a lot about the properties of a star by studying its spectrum. All of the following statements are true except one. Which one? A) We can identify chemical elements present in the star by recognizing patterns of spectral lines that correspond to particular chemicals. B) We can look at Doppler shifts of spectral lines to determine the star's speed toward or away from us. C) The total amount of light in the spectrum tells us the star's radius. D) The peak of the star's thermal emission tells us its temperature: Hotter stars peak at shorter (bluer) wavelengths. 96) Where does the energy come from that your body uses to keep you alive? A) It is produced from the radiative energy of the Sun on your skin. B) It comes from the foods you eat. C) It is created during the time that you rest or sleep. D) It is in the air that you breathe. E) It comes from the water you drink. 16 AST 101- Introduction to Astronomy Final 97) Which of the following statements best describes the two principal advantages of telescopes over eyes? A) Telescopes have much more magnification and better angular resolution. B) Telescopes can collect far more light with far better angular resolution. C) Telescopes can collect far more light with far greater magnification. D) Telescopes collect more light and are unaffected by twinkling. E) Telescopes can see farther without image distortion and can record more accurate colors. 98) According to the universal law of gravitation, if you triple the distance between two objects, then the gravitational force between them will A) decrease by a factor of 9. B) decrease by a factor of 6. C) decrease by a factor of 3. D) increase by a factor of 3. E) increase by a factor of 9. 99) Degeneracy pressure is the source of the pressure that stops the crush of gravity in all the following except A) a neutron star. B) a brown dwarf. C) the central core of the Sun after hydrogen fusion ceases but before helium fusion begins. D) a very massive main-sequence star. E) a white dwarf. 100) Which of the following is not a conserved quantity? A) momentum C) energy B) angular momentum D) radiation 17 Answer Key Testname: FINAL_071212 1) E 2) E 3) E 4) A 5) C 6) B 7) C 8) D 9) E 10) C 11) D 12) E 13) B 14) E 15) C 16) A 17) E 18) A 19) E 20) B 21) D 22) D 23) B 24) E 25) E 26) C 27) E 28) D 29) B 30) C 31) B 32) C 33) A 34) B 35) B 36) D 37) E 38) E 39) B 0) D 41) E 42) A 43) B 44) D 45) C 46) D 47) D 48) C 18 Answer Key Testname: FINAL_071212 49) 50) 51) 52) 53) 54) 55) 56) 57) 58) 59) 60) 61) 62) 63) 64) 65) 66) 67) 68) 69) 70) 71) 72) 73) 74) 75) 76) 77) 78) 79) 80) 81) 82) 83) 84) 85) 86) 87) 88) 89) 90) 91) 92) 93) 94) 95) 96) B A A B C A B C D D A A D D C A E C B D A B A A D B D D A A B D D D E C A A A A A D B D D D C B 19 Answer Key Testname: FINAL_071212 97) B 98) A 99) D 100) D 20

Blood Promise Chapter TwentyFive

I’d had to finally accept my Dimitri’s death. This one was a Strigoi. There was no future with him. I would not join him. That still didn’t make some part of me want to stop and lie down beside him, though, or at the very least see what happened next. After that initial surprise, his features and breathing had gone still, giving the illusion of death. That’s all it was, however-an illusion. I’d seen it before. I probably had five minutes at most before he healed up and shook this off. I had no time to mourn for what was and what might have been. I had to act now. No hesitation. I ran my hands over him, searching his clothes for anything that might be of use. I found a set of keys and some cash. I pocketed the keys and started to leave the cash but realized I might actually need it on the off chance I escaped this place. My own money had been taken when I arrived. I also swept up some of the jewelry on the table. Finding buyers for that kind of thing in big Russian cities wasn’t too difficult. If I made it to said city. I stood up off the bed and gave Dimitri one last pained look. A few of the tears I’d hidden from him earlier now ran down my face. That was all I could allow myself. If I had a later, I’d mourn then. Before leaving, my gaze lingered on the stake. I wanted to take it with me; it was my only weapon. Pulling it out would mean he’d wake up in about a minute. I needed the extra time. With a sigh, I turned my back on him, hoping I’d find a weapon elsewhere. I sprinted over to the suite’s door and punched in the code again. It unlocked, and I stepped into the corridor. Before going to the next door, I examined the one I’d just stepped through. To get into the suite, there was another keypad. Entry also required a code. Backing up a little, I struck and kicked the keypad as hard as I could. I did it twice more, until the tiny red light on it went out. I didn’t know if that would affect the lock on the inside of the suite, but in the movies, damaging electronic locks always seemed to work. Turning my attention to the next lock, I tried to remember the numbers Inna had told me. They weren’t etched as strongly in my head as the first. I punched in seven numbers. The little light stayed red. â€Å"Damn.† It was possible she’d lied about this set, but somehow, I suspected my memory was the culprit here. I tried again, knowing the clock was ticking on how long I had until Dimitri came after me. The red light flashed again. What were those numbers? I tried to visualize them in my head and finally decided I wasn’t entirely sure about the last two. I reversed their order the next time I put in the code. The light flashed green, and the door unlocked. Of course, there was a security system of a different sort outside. A Strigoi. And not just any Strigoi: It was Marlen. The one I’d tortured in the alley. The one who hated me because I’d disgraced him in front of Galina. He was clearly on guard duty and looked as though he’d expected a boring night. Me coming out the door was a shock. That gave me, oh, about a millisecond of surprise. My first thought was to just run at him with as much brute strength as I could. I knew he would do the same to me. In fact†¦ that was exactly what he’d do. I stayed where I was, standing so that I could keep the door propped open. He came at me to stop my escape, and I stepped aside, pulling the door open wider. Now, I was neither skilled enough nor was he inept enough to simply get lured in. He stopped in the doorway, trying to get hold of me. This gave me the difficult task of trying to both fend him off and drag him into the corridor behind the door. I stepped back into the doorway, hoping he’d follow. All the while, I had to keep the door open. It was all complicated, and I would have no time to punch in the code again. We fought in the confined space. The biggest thing I had going for me was that Marlen appeared to be a young Strigoi, which made sense. Galina would want to keep around henchmen she could control. Of course, Strigoi strength and speed compensated for a lack of experience. The fact that he had been a Moroi once also meant he probably had very little training. That also was a bonus for me. Dimitri was a badass Strigoi because he’d trained as a fighter before being turned. This guy had not. So, Marlen got a couple punches in on me, one coming dangerously close to my eye. The other caught me in the stomach, knocking the air out of me for half a second. But most of the time, I was able to dodge him pretty well. This seemed to infuriate him. Getting beat up by a teenage girl didn’t really score you cool points when you were a Strigoi. At one point, I even faked him out in one direction and came at him with a surprise kick -easier to do than I’d expected in that damned dress-that knocked him back a few steps. I just barely managed to keep my hand in the door when I did it, but that was all I needed. His stumble gave me a few seconds to slip out the door and into the main hall. Unfortunately, when I tried to close it, he was already trying to come through. With my hands, I tried to pull the door shut while kicking him back inside. We struggled this way for a while, and thanks to whatever luck I had left, I got the door closed enough so that only his arm was sti cking through. Bracing myself, I pulled the door toward me in one huge, forceful movement. It slammed into Marlen’s wrist. I half expected to see his hand detach and pop into the hall, but he’d jerked it back. Even Strigoi had certain instincts to avoid pain. Gasping-my physical strength still wasn’t all it could be-I backed up. If he knew the code, this had been for nothing. A moment later, the door’s handle shook but didn’t open. I heard a scream of rage, and then his fists beat on the door. Score one for me. No, score one for luck. If he’d known the code, I would have been Thud. Marlen was still beating on the door, and I saw the tiniest dent appear on the metallic surface. â€Å"Oh, crap,† I said. I didn’t stick around to see how many hits it’d take him to break it down. I also realized that even if I’d disabled the first lock, Dimitri would just be able to break that one down too. Dimitri†¦ No. I absolutely couldn’t think of him now. As I ran down the hall, heading toward the stairs Dimitri and I traveled before, an unexpected memory suddenly popped into my head. When Dimitri had last threatened Nathan, he’d mentioned getting my stake out of a vault. What vault was that exactly? Was it here on the premises? If so, I certainly didn’t have time to look. When weighing the option to search a four-story house full of vampires or run off into the countryside before they found you†¦ well, the choice was clear. And it was in the midst of that thought process that I ran into a human at the top of the stairs. He was older than Inna and carrying a stack of linens that he dropped when we collided. With almost no pause, I grabbed hold of him and swung him against the wall. I had no weapon to threaten him with and wondered how I’d assert my will now. Yet as soon as I had him pinned, he threw up his hands in a defensive gesture and began whimpering in Russian. There’d be no attacks on me here. Of course, now I had the problem of communicating what I needed. Marlen was still beating on the door, and Dimitri would be up in a couple of minutes. I glared at the human, hoping I looked terrifying. From his expression, I did. I attempted the caveman talk I had with Inna†¦ only this time the message was a little harder. â€Å"Stick,† I said in Russian. I had no clue what the word for stake was. I pointed at the silver ring I wore and made a slashing motion. â€Å"Stick. Where?† He stared at me in utter confusion and then asked, in perfect English, â€Å"Why are you talking like that?† â€Å"Oh for God’s sake,† I exclaimed. â€Å"Where is the vault?† â€Å"Vault?† â€Å"A place they keep weapons?† He continued staring. â€Å"I’m looking for a silver stake.† â€Å"Oh,† he said. â€Å"That.† Uneasily, he cast his eyes in the direction of the pounding. I pushed him harder against the wall. My heart felt like it would burst out of my chest, but I tried to hide it. I wanted this guy to think I was invincible. â€Å"Ignore him. Take me to the vault. Now!† With a frightened yelp, he nodded eagerly and beckoned me down the stairs. We descended to the second floor and made a sharp turn. The halls here were as twisty as the hedge maze Dimitri had shown me, all decorated in that gold and chandelier style, and I wondered if I’d even be able to get out of the house. Attempting this detour was a risk, but I wasn’t sure if I could get outside without being followed. If I was, there’d be a confrontation. I’d need to defend myself. The human led me down another hall and yet another. Finally, we reached a door that looked like any other. He stopped and peered at me expectantly. â€Å"Open it,† I said. He shook his head. â€Å"I don’t have the key.† â€Å"Well, I certainly don’t-wait.† I reached into my pocket and pulled out the keys I’d lifted from Dimitri. There were five keys on the ring. I tried them one at a time, and on the third one, I got a hit. The door opened. Meanwhile, my guide was casting hasty glances behind him and looked ready to bolt. â€Å"Don’t even think about it,† I warned. He blanched and stayed put. The room before us wasn’t very big, and while its plush white carpet and silver framed paintings made it look elegant, the room was†¦ well, basically, it looked like a junkyard. Boxes and weird objects-a lot of personal items like watches and rings in particular-lay around in no order. â€Å"What is this?† â€Å"Magic,† he said, still obviously scared out of his mind. â€Å"Magic items kept here to fade or be destroyed.† Magic†¦ ah. These were items charmed by Moroi magic. Charms always had some kind of effect on Strigoi-usually unpleasant-with stakes being the worst, since they used all four physical elements. It made sense that Strigoi would want to isolate harmful objects and get rid of â€Å"My stake!† I ran forward and picked it up, nearly dropping it because my hands were so sweaty. The stake was lying on top of a box with a length of cloth and some weird stones. Studying it, I realized it wasn’t actually my stake-not that it made a difference for killing Strigoi. This stake was almost identical, save for a small geometric pattern running around its base. It was something guardians did from time to time if they felt particularly attached to their stake: have a design or initials etched into it. Holding this stake, I felt a momentary pang of sadness. This had belonged to someone who’d wielded it proudly once, someone who was now most likely dead. God only knew how many other dozens of stakes were in here, seized from other unfortunate prisoners, but I had no time to search or mourn those who had died. â€Å"Okay, now I want you to take me to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I hesitated. Even with a stake, it’d be a lot better for me if I didn’t face any more Strigoi. I had to assume there’d still be a guard at the front door. â€Å"†¦ Some room on this floor with a window that actually opens. And is far from the stairs.† The guy thought for a moment and then gave a quick nod. â€Å"This way.† I followed him through another maze of twisting corridors. â€Å"What’s your name?† â€Å"Oleg.† â€Å"You know,† I said. â€Å"I’m getting out of here†¦ if you want†¦ if you want, I could take you with me.† Having someone else-a human, particularly -would definitely slow me down. Yet, my conscience wouldn’t let me leave anyone behind in this place. He gave me an incredulous glance. â€Å"Why would I want to do that?† Sydney had definitely been right about humans making great sacrifices for immortality. Oleg and Inna were living proof. We rounded a corner and came face-to-face with an elaborate set of French doors. Through the etched glass, I could see book-lined shelves, stretching all the way up the walls. A library-a huge one that extended on and on, out of my sight. Better yet, I saw a large bay window opposite me, framed in heavy satin curtains the color of blood. â€Å"Perfect,† I said, pushing open the doors. That was when the nausea hit me. We weren’t alone in the room. Galina sprang up from a chair near the fireplace on the far side of the room. A book dropped from her lap. I had no time to dwell on the oddity of a Strigoi having a fireside read, because she was coming right toward me. I almost might have thought Oleg had set me up, but he was cowering in a corner, his face mirroring the shock I felt. Despite the library’s enormous size, she reached me in seconds. I dodged her initial attack-or tried to, at least. She was fast. Aside from Dimitri, the other Strigoi in this house were clearly the B-team, and I had forgotten just how badass a truly skilled Strigoi was. She caught me by my arm and swung me toward her, mouth open and fangs going straight for my neck. I had the stake in my hand and tried awkwardly to at least scratch her with it, but she was holding me too tightly. At last, I managed to duck a little and move my throat out of her range, but all this did was give her the opportunity to grab hold of my hair. She jerked me upright, and I screamed in pain. How she managed to hold onto my hair without ripping it right out was remarkable. Still gripping it, she shoved me into a wall. When I’d first fought with Dimitri upon my arrival, he’d been rough but hadn’t wanted to kill me. Galina did. She’d taken it on faith from Dimitri that I’d be an asset, but it was obvious now that I was a real pain in the ass. Her amnesty had ended, and she was intent on killing me. I at least had the comfort of knowing she probably wouldn’t turn me into a Strigoi. I’d be lunch. A shout suddenly drew my attention to the door. Dimitri stood there, face blazing with anger. Whatever illusions I’d harbored about him being his former self disappeared. That fury radiated around him, his eyes narrowed and fangs showing. The pale skin and red eyes contrasted sharply against each other. He was like a demon sent straight from hell to destroy me. He strode toward us, and the immediate thought in my head was: Well, at least this’ll end things that much faster. Except†¦ it wasn’t me he attacked. It was Galina. I’m not sure which of us was more surprised, but in that moment, I was totally forgotten. The Strigoi raced toward each other, and I froze, stunned at the terrible beauty of their fight. There was almost a gracefulness to the way they moved, the way they struck out and skillfully dodged each other. I stared a bit longer and then mentally slapped myself into action. This was my chance to get out of here. I couldn’t get distracted. I turned to the bay window, searching frantically for a means to open it. There was none. â€Å"Son of a bitch!† Maybe Oleg had set me up after all. Or maybe there was just some mechanism that wasn’t apparent to me. Regardless, I felt pretty confident there was one way to get it open. I ran to the side of the room where Galina had sat and grabbed an ornate wooden chair. It was obvious this window wasn’t made of the hard-core glass that had been in my room. This stuff was similar to the library’s French doors, delicate and engraved with fanciful designs, even though darkly tinted. It couldn’t require that much force to break. After all that fruitless beating in my room, I took a kind of smug satisfaction in slamming the chair into it with as much force as possible. The impact made a huge hole in one side of the window, glass spraying everywhere. A few shards hit my face, but it was nothing to concern me now. Behind me, the sounds of battle raged on. There were grunts and muffled cries as they fought, as well as the occasional sound of some piece of broken furniture. I yearned to turn around and see what was going on, but I couldn’t. I took the chair and swung again, breaking the other half of the window. There was now a huge hole, perfect for me to get out of. â€Å"Rose!† Dimitri’s voice triggered some instinctive response in me. I glanced back and saw him still grappling with Galina. They were both exhausted, but it was clear he was getting the worst of it. But in their fighting, he kept trying to restrain her in a way that exposed her chest to me. His eyes met mine. Back when he’d been a dhampir, we’d rarely needed words to convey our thoughts. This was one of those times. I knew what he wanted me to do. He wanted me to stake her. I knew I shouldn’t. I needed to hop out that window right now. I needed to let them keep fighting, even though it seemed obvious Galina was about to win. And yet†¦ despite my misgivings, some force drew me across the room, stake poised and ready. Maybe it was because I would never fully lose my pull to Dimitri, no matter what kind of monster he’d become. Maybe it was an unconscious sense of duty, since I knew he’d just saved my life. Or maybe it was because I knew one Strigoi was going to die tonight, and she was the more dangerous. But she wasn’t easy to get hold of. She was fast and strong, and he was having a hard time with her. She kept wriggling around, trying to renew her attack. All she’d need to do was incapacitate him as I had; then it’d just require decapitation or burning to finish him off. I had no doubt she could arrange either. He managed to turn her slightly, giving me the best view of her chest I’d had. I moved forward-and then Dimitri slammed into me. I was addled for a moment, wondering why he’d attack me after saving me, until I realized he’d been pushed-by Nathan. Nathan had just entered the library, along with Marlen. It distracted Dimitri but not me. I still had the opening he’d given me on Galina, and I plunged my stake into her chest. It didn’t go in as deeply as I would have liked, and she still managed to fight me, bucking hard. I grimaced and pushed forward, knowing the silver had to be affecting her. A moment later, I saw the pain twist her face. She faltered, and I pushed my advantage, shoving the stake in all the way. It took several seconds, but she eventually stopped moving, her body crumpling to the ground. If the other Strigoi noticed her death, they didn’t pay attention. Nathan and Marlen were fixated on Dimitri. Another Strigoi-a female I didn’t recognize-soon joined the face-off. I jerked my stake out of Galina and slowly began backing toward the window, hoping I wouldn’t attract too much attention. My heart went out to Dimitri. He was outnumbered. I could possibly lend my strength and help him fight†¦ Of course, my strength was fading. I was still suffering from days of vampire bites and blood loss. I’d fought two Strigoi tonight and killed a powerful one. That had been my good deed, removing her from the world. The next best thing I could do would be to leave and let these Strigoi finish off Dimitri. The surviving ones would be leaderless and less of a threat. Dimitri would be free of this evil state, his soul finally able to move on to better places. And I would live (hopefully), having helped the world by killing more Strigoi. I bumped against the windowsill and looked out. Nighttime-not good. The sheer side of the manor was not ideal for climbing, either. It could be done, but it would be time consuming. I didn’t have any more time. Directly below the window was a thickly leafed bush of some sort. I couldn’t see it clearly and only hoped it wasn’t a rosebush or something equally sharp. A second floor drop wouldn’t kill me, though. Probably wouldn’t even hurt-much. I climbed over the ledge, briefly meeting Dimitri’s gaze as the other Strigoi moved in on him. The words came to me again: Don’t hesitate. Dimitri’s important lesson. But it hadn’t been his first one. His first had been about what to do if I was outnumbered and out of options: Run. Time for me to run. I leapt out the window. Blood Promise Chapter TwentyFive I’d had to finally accept my Dimitri’s death. This one was a Strigoi. There was no future with him. I would not join him. That still didn’t make some part of me want to stop and lie down beside him, though, or at the very least see what happened next. After that initial surprise, his features and breathing had gone still, giving the illusion of death. That’s all it was, however-an illusion. I’d seen it before. I probably had five minutes at most before he healed up and shook this off. I had no time to mourn for what was and what might have been. I had to act now. No hesitation. I ran my hands over him, searching his clothes for anything that might be of use. I found a set of keys and some cash. I pocketed the keys and started to leave the cash but realized I might actually need it on the off chance I escaped this place. My own money had been taken when I arrived. I also swept up some of the jewelry on the table. Finding buyers for that kind of thing in big Russian cities wasn’t too difficult. If I made it to said city. I stood up off the bed and gave Dimitri one last pained look. A few of the tears I’d hidden from him earlier now ran down my face. That was all I could allow myself. If I had a later, I’d mourn then. Before leaving, my gaze lingered on the stake. I wanted to take it with me; it was my only weapon. Pulling it out would mean he’d wake up in about a minute. I needed the extra time. With a sigh, I turned my back on him, hoping I’d find a weapon elsewhere. I sprinted over to the suite’s door and punched in the code again. It unlocked, and I stepped into the corridor. Before going to the next door, I examined the one I’d just stepped through. To get into the suite, there was another keypad. Entry also required a code. Backing up a little, I struck and kicked the keypad as hard as I could. I did it twice more, until the tiny red light on it went out. I didn’t know if that would affect the lock on the inside of the suite, but in the movies, damaging electronic locks always seemed to work. Turning my attention to the next lock, I tried to remember the numbers Inna had told me. They weren’t etched as strongly in my head as the first. I punched in seven numbers. The little light stayed red. â€Å"Damn.† It was possible she’d lied about this set, but somehow, I suspected my memory was the culprit here. I tried again, knowing the clock was ticking on how long I had until Dimitri came after me. The red light flashed again. What were those numbers? I tried to visualize them in my head and finally decided I wasn’t entirely sure about the last two. I reversed their order the next time I put in the code. The light flashed green, and the door unlocked. Of course, there was a security system of a different sort outside. A Strigoi. And not just any Strigoi: It was Marlen. The one I’d tortured in the alley. The one who hated me because I’d disgraced him in front of Galina. He was clearly on guard duty and looked as though he’d expected a boring night. Me coming out the door was a shock. That gave me, oh, about a millisecond of surprise. My first thought was to just run at him with as much brute strength as I could. I knew he would do the same to me. In fact†¦ that was exactly what he’d do. I stayed where I was, standing so that I could keep the door propped open. He came at me to stop my escape, and I stepped aside, pulling the door open wider. Now, I was neither skilled enough nor was he inept enough to simply get lured in. He stopped in the doorway, trying to get hold of me. This gave me the difficult task of trying to both fend him off and drag him into the corridor behind the door. I stepped back into the doorway, hoping he’d follow. All the while, I had to keep the door open. It was all complicated, and I would have no time to punch in the code again. We fought in the confined space. The biggest thing I had going for me was that Marlen appeared to be a young Strigoi, which made sense. Galina would want to keep around henchmen she could control. Of course, Strigoi strength and speed compensated for a lack of experience. The fact that he had been a Moroi once also meant he probably had very little training. That also was a bonus for me. Dimitri was a badass Strigoi because he’d trained as a fighter before being turned. This guy had not. So, Marlen got a couple punches in on me, one coming dangerously close to my eye. The other caught me in the stomach, knocking the air out of me for half a second. But most of the time, I was able to dodge him pretty well. This seemed to infuriate him. Getting beat up by a teenage girl didn’t really score you cool points when you were a Strigoi. At one point, I even faked him out in one direction and came at him with a surprise kick -easier to do than I’d expected in that damned dress-that knocked him back a few steps. I just barely managed to keep my hand in the door when I did it, but that was all I needed. His stumble gave me a few seconds to slip out the door and into the main hall. Unfortunately, when I tried to close it, he was already trying to come through. With my hands, I tried to pull the door shut while kicking him back inside. We struggled this way for a while, and thanks to whatever luck I had left, I got the door closed enough so that only his arm was sti cking through. Bracing myself, I pulled the door toward me in one huge, forceful movement. It slammed into Marlen’s wrist. I half expected to see his hand detach and pop into the hall, but he’d jerked it back. Even Strigoi had certain instincts to avoid pain. Gasping-my physical strength still wasn’t all it could be-I backed up. If he knew the code, this had been for nothing. A moment later, the door’s handle shook but didn’t open. I heard a scream of rage, and then his fists beat on the door. Score one for me. No, score one for luck. If he’d known the code, I would have been Thud. Marlen was still beating on the door, and I saw the tiniest dent appear on the metallic surface. â€Å"Oh, crap,† I said. I didn’t stick around to see how many hits it’d take him to break it down. I also realized that even if I’d disabled the first lock, Dimitri would just be able to break that one down too. Dimitri†¦ No. I absolutely couldn’t think of him now. As I ran down the hall, heading toward the stairs Dimitri and I traveled before, an unexpected memory suddenly popped into my head. When Dimitri had last threatened Nathan, he’d mentioned getting my stake out of a vault. What vault was that exactly? Was it here on the premises? If so, I certainly didn’t have time to look. When weighing the option to search a four-story house full of vampires or run off into the countryside before they found you†¦ well, the choice was clear. And it was in the midst of that thought process that I ran into a human at the top of the stairs. He was older than Inna and carrying a stack of linens that he dropped when we collided. With almost no pause, I grabbed hold of him and swung him against the wall. I had no weapon to threaten him with and wondered how I’d assert my will now. Yet as soon as I had him pinned, he threw up his hands in a defensive gesture and began whimpering in Russian. There’d be no attacks on me here. Of course, now I had the problem of communicating what I needed. Marlen was still beating on the door, and Dimitri would be up in a couple of minutes. I glared at the human, hoping I looked terrifying. From his expression, I did. I attempted the caveman talk I had with Inna†¦ only this time the message was a little harder. â€Å"Stick,† I said in Russian. I had no clue what the word for stake was. I pointed at the silver ring I wore and made a slashing motion. â€Å"Stick. Where?† He stared at me in utter confusion and then asked, in perfect English, â€Å"Why are you talking like that?† â€Å"Oh for God’s sake,† I exclaimed. â€Å"Where is the vault?† â€Å"Vault?† â€Å"A place they keep weapons?† He continued staring. â€Å"I’m looking for a silver stake.† â€Å"Oh,† he said. â€Å"That.† Uneasily, he cast his eyes in the direction of the pounding. I pushed him harder against the wall. My heart felt like it would burst out of my chest, but I tried to hide it. I wanted this guy to think I was invincible. â€Å"Ignore him. Take me to the vault. Now!† With a frightened yelp, he nodded eagerly and beckoned me down the stairs. We descended to the second floor and made a sharp turn. The halls here were as twisty as the hedge maze Dimitri had shown me, all decorated in that gold and chandelier style, and I wondered if I’d even be able to get out of the house. Attempting this detour was a risk, but I wasn’t sure if I could get outside without being followed. If I was, there’d be a confrontation. I’d need to defend myself. The human led me down another hall and yet another. Finally, we reached a door that looked like any other. He stopped and peered at me expectantly. â€Å"Open it,† I said. He shook his head. â€Å"I don’t have the key.† â€Å"Well, I certainly don’t-wait.† I reached into my pocket and pulled out the keys I’d lifted from Dimitri. There were five keys on the ring. I tried them one at a time, and on the third one, I got a hit. The door opened. Meanwhile, my guide was casting hasty glances behind him and looked ready to bolt. â€Å"Don’t even think about it,† I warned. He blanched and stayed put. The room before us wasn’t very big, and while its plush white carpet and silver framed paintings made it look elegant, the room was†¦ well, basically, it looked like a junkyard. Boxes and weird objects-a lot of personal items like watches and rings in particular-lay around in no order. â€Å"What is this?† â€Å"Magic,† he said, still obviously scared out of his mind. â€Å"Magic items kept here to fade or be destroyed.† Magic†¦ ah. These were items charmed by Moroi magic. Charms always had some kind of effect on Strigoi-usually unpleasant-with stakes being the worst, since they used all four physical elements. It made sense that Strigoi would want to isolate harmful objects and get rid of â€Å"My stake!† I ran forward and picked it up, nearly dropping it because my hands were so sweaty. The stake was lying on top of a box with a length of cloth and some weird stones. Studying it, I realized it wasn’t actually my stake-not that it made a difference for killing Strigoi. This stake was almost identical, save for a small geometric pattern running around its base. It was something guardians did from time to time if they felt particularly attached to their stake: have a design or initials etched into it. Holding this stake, I felt a momentary pang of sadness. This had belonged to someone who’d wielded it proudly once, someone who was now most likely dead. God only knew how many other dozens of stakes were in here, seized from other unfortunate prisoners, but I had no time to search or mourn those who had died. â€Å"Okay, now I want you to take me to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I hesitated. Even with a stake, it’d be a lot better for me if I didn’t face any more Strigoi. I had to assume there’d still be a guard at the front door. â€Å"†¦ Some room on this floor with a window that actually opens. And is far from the stairs.† The guy thought for a moment and then gave a quick nod. â€Å"This way.† I followed him through another maze of twisting corridors. â€Å"What’s your name?† â€Å"Oleg.† â€Å"You know,† I said. â€Å"I’m getting out of here†¦ if you want†¦ if you want, I could take you with me.† Having someone else-a human, particularly -would definitely slow me down. Yet, my conscience wouldn’t let me leave anyone behind in this place. He gave me an incredulous glance. â€Å"Why would I want to do that?† Sydney had definitely been right about humans making great sacrifices for immortality. Oleg and Inna were living proof. We rounded a corner and came face-to-face with an elaborate set of French doors. Through the etched glass, I could see book-lined shelves, stretching all the way up the walls. A library-a huge one that extended on and on, out of my sight. Better yet, I saw a large bay window opposite me, framed in heavy satin curtains the color of blood. â€Å"Perfect,† I said, pushing open the doors. That was when the nausea hit me. We weren’t alone in the room. Galina sprang up from a chair near the fireplace on the far side of the room. A book dropped from her lap. I had no time to dwell on the oddity of a Strigoi having a fireside read, because she was coming right toward me. I almost might have thought Oleg had set me up, but he was cowering in a corner, his face mirroring the shock I felt. Despite the library’s enormous size, she reached me in seconds. I dodged her initial attack-or tried to, at least. She was fast. Aside from Dimitri, the other Strigoi in this house were clearly the B-team, and I had forgotten just how badass a truly skilled Strigoi was. She caught me by my arm and swung me toward her, mouth open and fangs going straight for my neck. I had the stake in my hand and tried awkwardly to at least scratch her with it, but she was holding me too tightly. At last, I managed to duck a little and move my throat out of her range, but all this did was give her the opportunity to grab hold of my hair. She jerked me upright, and I screamed in pain. How she managed to hold onto my hair without ripping it right out was remarkable. Still gripping it, she shoved me into a wall. When I’d first fought with Dimitri upon my arrival, he’d been rough but hadn’t wanted to kill me. Galina did. She’d taken it on faith from Dimitri that I’d be an asset, but it was obvious now that I was a real pain in the ass. Her amnesty had ended, and she was intent on killing me. I at least had the comfort of knowing she probably wouldn’t turn me into a Strigoi. I’d be lunch. A shout suddenly drew my attention to the door. Dimitri stood there, face blazing with anger. Whatever illusions I’d harbored about him being his former self disappeared. That fury radiated around him, his eyes narrowed and fangs showing. The pale skin and red eyes contrasted sharply against each other. He was like a demon sent straight from hell to destroy me. He strode toward us, and the immediate thought in my head was: Well, at least this’ll end things that much faster. Except†¦ it wasn’t me he attacked. It was Galina. I’m not sure which of us was more surprised, but in that moment, I was totally forgotten. The Strigoi raced toward each other, and I froze, stunned at the terrible beauty of their fight. There was almost a gracefulness to the way they moved, the way they struck out and skillfully dodged each other. I stared a bit longer and then mentally slapped myself into action. This was my chance to get out of here. I couldn’t get distracted. I turned to the bay window, searching frantically for a means to open it. There was none. â€Å"Son of a bitch!† Maybe Oleg had set me up after all. Or maybe there was just some mechanism that wasn’t apparent to me. Regardless, I felt pretty confident there was one way to get it open. I ran to the side of the room where Galina had sat and grabbed an ornate wooden chair. It was obvious this window wasn’t made of the hard-core glass that had been in my room. This stuff was similar to the library’s French doors, delicate and engraved with fanciful designs, even though darkly tinted. It couldn’t require that much force to break. After all that fruitless beating in my room, I took a kind of smug satisfaction in slamming the chair into it with as much force as possible. The impact made a huge hole in one side of the window, glass spraying everywhere. A few shards hit my face, but it was nothing to concern me now. Behind me, the sounds of battle raged on. There were grunts and muffled cries as they fought, as well as the occasional sound of some piece of broken furniture. I yearned to turn around and see what was going on, but I couldn’t. I took the chair and swung again, breaking the other half of the window. There was now a huge hole, perfect for me to get out of. â€Å"Rose!† Dimitri’s voice triggered some instinctive response in me. I glanced back and saw him still grappling with Galina. They were both exhausted, but it was clear he was getting the worst of it. But in their fighting, he kept trying to restrain her in a way that exposed her chest to me. His eyes met mine. Back when he’d been a dhampir, we’d rarely needed words to convey our thoughts. This was one of those times. I knew what he wanted me to do. He wanted me to stake her. I knew I shouldn’t. I needed to hop out that window right now. I needed to let them keep fighting, even though it seemed obvious Galina was about to win. And yet†¦ despite my misgivings, some force drew me across the room, stake poised and ready. Maybe it was because I would never fully lose my pull to Dimitri, no matter what kind of monster he’d become. Maybe it was an unconscious sense of duty, since I knew he’d just saved my life. Or maybe it was because I knew one Strigoi was going to die tonight, and she was the more dangerous. But she wasn’t easy to get hold of. She was fast and strong, and he was having a hard time with her. She kept wriggling around, trying to renew her attack. All she’d need to do was incapacitate him as I had; then it’d just require decapitation or burning to finish him off. I had no doubt she could arrange either. He managed to turn her slightly, giving me the best view of her chest I’d had. I moved forward-and then Dimitri slammed into me. I was addled for a moment, wondering why he’d attack me after saving me, until I realized he’d been pushed-by Nathan. Nathan had just entered the library, along with Marlen. It distracted Dimitri but not me. I still had the opening he’d given me on Galina, and I plunged my stake into her chest. It didn’t go in as deeply as I would have liked, and she still managed to fight me, bucking hard. I grimaced and pushed forward, knowing the silver had to be affecting her. A moment later, I saw the pain twist her face. She faltered, and I pushed my advantage, shoving the stake in all the way. It took several seconds, but she eventually stopped moving, her body crumpling to the ground. If the other Strigoi noticed her death, they didn’t pay attention. Nathan and Marlen were fixated on Dimitri. Another Strigoi-a female I didn’t recognize-soon joined the face-off. I jerked my stake out of Galina and slowly began backing toward the window, hoping I wouldn’t attract too much attention. My heart went out to Dimitri. He was outnumbered. I could possibly lend my strength and help him fight†¦ Of course, my strength was fading. I was still suffering from days of vampire bites and blood loss. I’d fought two Strigoi tonight and killed a powerful one. That had been my good deed, removing her from the world. The next best thing I could do would be to leave and let these Strigoi finish off Dimitri. The surviving ones would be leaderless and less of a threat. Dimitri would be free of this evil state, his soul finally able to move on to better places. And I would live (hopefully), having helped the world by killing more Strigoi. I bumped against the windowsill and looked out. Nighttime-not good. The sheer side of the manor was not ideal for climbing, either. It could be done, but it would be time consuming. I didn’t have any more time. Directly below the window was a thickly leafed bush of some sort. I couldn’t see it clearly and only hoped it wasn’t a rosebush or something equally sharp. A second floor drop wouldn’t kill me, though. Probably wouldn’t even hurt-much. I climbed over the ledge, briefly meeting Dimitri’s gaze as the other Strigoi moved in on him. The words came to me again: Don’t hesitate. Dimitri’s important lesson. But it hadn’t been his first one. His first had been about what to do if I was outnumbered and out of options: Run. Time for me to run. I leapt out the window.