Infrared and Ultraviolet Light Essay Example

Infrared and Ultraviolet Light Paper Name: Tutor: Course: Date: We will write a custom essay sample on Infrared and Ultraviolet Light specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Infrared and Ultraviolet Light specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Infrared and Ultraviolet Light specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Infrared and Ultraviolet Light Infrared Light Infrared light is a form of electromagnetic radiation whose wavelengths are longer compared to visible light. The electromagnetic spectrum exhibits a vast range of wavelengths spanning from highly energetic gamma rays and short wavelengths to low-energy radio waves and long wavelengths. The visibility of this spectrum is extremely small. Infrared light is similar to normal light only that it has a longer wavelength thus making it impossible to see with the naked eye (White 42). The range of infrared wavelengths corresponds to an approximate frequency range of 430 THz to 300GHz. It also includes the thermal radiation given off by objects at room temperature. Infrared light is absorbed or emitted by molecules whenever they alter their vibrational-rotational movements. William Herschel discovered infrared radiation in the year 1800. He was performing a study on the heating effect of different light colors. The different colors of light were produced by a passing normal light through a prism. In his study, Herschel noted that the strength of the heat increased as he progressed from the blue end to the red end of the spectrum. He presented his results in London and called the red light ‘Calorific rays’. The term ‘infrared’ was adopted later in the 19th century (Read 32). Primarily, infrared is divided into three distinct spectrums. These include far infrared, mid infrared and near infrared. The division of infrared light on this basis depends on the wavelength. However, these divisions are not precise since they vary depending on the publisher. These divisions are used to observe temperature ranges in environments such as space. They are justified by the different responses humans have on radiation. In this case, near infrared exhibits radiation with the closest wavelength. This makes it visible to the human eye. Far and mid infrared categories, lie further away from the visual spectrum. Unfortunately, there are no international standards for such specifications. The boundary separating infrared light from visible light is not defined clearly. The sensitivity of the human eye is not designed to detect light with a wavelength above 700nm (White 64). Therefore, light with longer wavelengths does not make significant contributions to scenarios illuminat ed by common sources of light. Since its discovery, infrared light has proven useful in a number of fields. For example, infrared is used to facilitate night vision. Night vision devices function by converting ambient light photons into visible light. Additionally, infrared light can also be used in determining the temperature of objects through a process known as thermography. Thermography is mainly applied in industrial and military applications (Read 64). However, this technology is making its way into the public through infrared cameras, due to the reduced cost of productions. Since all objects emit infrared radiation based on their temperatures, thermography is used to have a clear picture of the environment regardless of whether there is visible illumination or not. Infrared homing or infrared tracking refers to a missile guiding system that tracks a target using its electromagnetic spectrum. Missiles that use this infrared technology are coined the term ‘heat seekers’. Many objects such as vehicle engines, aircrafts and people produce and retain heat. This heat can then be tracked using infrared technology. Additionally, infrared radiation can be used as a source of heat. One advantage of this is that the technology is used to create infrared saunas used to treat chronic health illnesses such as arthritis, congestive heart failure and high blood pressure. This technology is also used to thaw ice on aircraft wings. Infrared radiation is also becoming popular in safe heating therapy for physiotherapy and natural health. Additionally, heat from infrared radiation can be used in cooking. Primarily, infrared heaters include three parts, a heat exchanger, infrared bulbs, and a fan for blowing air into the exchanger for heat dispersion. Indeed, the discovery of infrared radiation has led to significant breakthroughs that have benefited humanity. However, this form of electromagnetic radiation has several disadvantages. For example, when this radiation is used in certain settings such as high heat industrial locations, it becomes a health hazard to the user’s eyes thus causing damage or blindness. Another disadvantage is that it has short-range transmission compared to other forms of transmission. Other than having short-range transmission, the transmission of infrared radiation is slow compared to wired transmission. Furthermore, all infrared signals can be interrupted by foreign materials when they are in the path of the transmission. Such materials may include people and walls. Ultraviolet Light Ultraviolet light or UV light is a form of electromagnetic radiation with a short wavelength compared to visible light. However, its wavelength is longer than that of X-rays. Similar to infrared light, ultraviolet light cannot be detected by the human eye due to its long wavelength. Blunt (18) argues that this form of radiation bears increased energy compared to visible light. It is capable of breaking bonds between molecules and atoms and altering the chemical composition of materials. UV light can also cause fluorescence in certain substances. This means that it causes certain materials to emit visible light. UV light, present in sunlight, is beneficial since it kills microorganisms and acts as a source of vitamin D. Even though UV light is not visible, we are aware of it through certain effects such as sunburn or suntan. With the sun acting as a major source of UV light, the ozone layer plays a vital role in blocking most of this light (97%) that would otherwise prove harmful to organisms if it gained access into the atmosphere (Blunt 37). The 3% that penetrates the atmosphere is not particularly harmful, although it can cause cancer and long-term damage to the skin. Primarily, the sun is a source of all categories of UV light such as UV-A and UV-B. The discovery of this radiation is associated with the phenomenon that silver salts become dark when exposed to light. Johann Ritter in 1801 observed that invisible light, after the violet end of visible light, darkened paper soaked in silver chloride. Initially, he named these rays â€Å"oxidizing rays† to differentiate them from heat rays (infrared) discovered in the previous year and to emphasize chemical reactivity. The terms â€Å"heat rays† and â€Å"chemical rays† were used to describe these rays throughout the nineteenth century, but they were later dropped for infrared radiation and ultraviolet radiation respectively (Read 32). UV light, UV-B in particular, benefits humans by allowing the manufacture of vitamin D. This is achieved by the conversion of skin chemicals into the sub-form of the vitamin, and then into the vitamin itself. This vitamin is beneficial to human health. Lack of this vitamin leads to immunity disorders, various cancers, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular diseases (Blunt 76). Severe lack of this vitamin causes bone diseases referred to as rickets. Inadequate supply of sunlight is the prime cause of the vitamin’s deficiency. UV light is also used in the technology of fluorescent lamps that apply the fluorescence phenomenon (Read 81). Most fluorescent lamps use UV light as their energy source to ionize mercury vapor. A special fluorescent coating absorbs this ionized vapor to produce visible light. Zoologists and biologists use ultraviolet light to take night surveys on organisms in the field. UV light is also used as insect traps. Since insects are naturally attracted to UV light, entomologists use it to attract them for studies. UV fluorescence is also used in parties and nightclubs by causing clothing to glow and make it appealing. Astronomers also use UV light in mapping galaxies such as the Milky Way. This allows them to make out the evolution of galaxies over time. Primarily, young stars emit more ultraviolet radiation compared to older stars. They also emit UV light at a higher proportion at the furthest end of the spectrum. Regions where new stars are born, therefore, produce a brighter UV glow. Astronomers use this knowledge to identify and map such regions. Despite the numerous benefits UV radiation provides humanity, it also has disadvantages. The ability of UV light to change the chemical composition is harmful. As UV light causes minor skin irritations such as sunburn, radiation that is more energetic, can lead to premature skin aging (Blunt 97). It can also lead to alterations of the DNA that can eventually cause skin cancer. Furthermore, overexposure to ultraviolet light causes the skin to produce a pigment known as melanin. Melanin is harmful to the skin and can lead to cancers such as melanoma. Works Cited Blunt, Katharine. Ultraviolet Light. Chicago, Ill: The University of Chicago press, 2011. Print. Read, F H. Electromagnetic Radiation. Chichester [Eng.: J. Wiley, 2010. Print. White, Laurie. Infrared Radiation. Amherst, N.Y: Amherst Media, 2009. Print.

Earthquake in Chile Essays

Earthquake in Chile Essays Earthquake in Chile Essay Earthquake in Chile Essay Earthquakes The motion of the Earth s tectonic home bases causes temblors. Earthquakes occur where home bases meet along home base boundaries. F.e when two home bases move towards each other, one home base can be pushed down beneath the other home base, into the mantle: this is a subduction zone. If this home base gets stuck under the other one, it causes a batch of force per unit area on the environing stones. When this force per unit area will be released it will bring forth daze moving ridges. These daze moving ridges are called seismal moving ridges. This is what we call an temblor. Plate boundaries The topographic point where two or more home bases meet, is known as a home base boundary. There are four types of home base boundaries: constructive, destructive, conservative and hit home base boundaries. About all temblors occur near to plate boundaries. Earthquake in Chile The temblor in Chile was caused by subduction. At the west seashore of Chile, three tectonic home bases meet: Antarctic home base, South American home base and the Nazca home base. Chile is located at a convergent home base boundary ( a destructive home base boundary ) . The Peru-Chile trench is caused by the subduction of the pelagic Nazca home base under the Continental South American Plate. This motion causes seismicity and volcanism in Chile, bring forthing astonishing temblors. This is a typical illustration of a continental-oceanic subduction zone. This temblor was the biggest 1 that hit Chile in over 50 old ages. Measuring temblors The magnitude of an temblor is measured with a seismometer. This machine measures motions in the surface of the Earth. The Richter graduated table steps earthquakes on a logarithmic graduated table. This means that an temblor of 5 is ten times more powerful than one of 6 on the graduated table of Richter. Most people express the magnitude with this graduated table. The 2010 Haiti temblor had a ruinous magnitude of 7.0.The Chile temblor was measured 8.8, this means there is about a widespread devastation. It was one of the strongest temblors that were of all time recorded. If we must believe Chilean governments, over 300 people have been killed. Richter Scale: Magnitude Damage 4 This magnitude temblor is widely felt and is strong plenty to check plaster. 5 A strong quiver shakes the Earth, damaging chimneys and weak edifices. 6 This temblor is strong plenty to severely damage mean edifices. 7 This temblor is strong plenty to destruct even good built constructions. 8 Even particular, earthquake-resistant edifices will be severely damaged. 9 There is widespread devastation. History of temblors Chile is a really active home base boundary, so it s a perfect topographic point for temblors. Chile is located in the alleged Ring of fire, an country in the Pacific where there are a batch of temblors and volcanic eruptions. The names of the home bases are in white. You can see the Nazca home base is doing subduction ( bluish line with trigons ) , because it goes under the South American home base ( Am A ; eacute ; rique du Sud ) . Tsunami Yes, there is a opportunity on a tsunami The temblor happened near a home base boundary. Because of home base tectonics, one home base can drop deeper, so there becomes a difference in sea degree. Bibliography hypertext transfer protocol: //andrevandelft.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/earthquake_depth.png hypertext transfer protocol: //news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8540289.stm hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_earthquakes_in_Chile ttp: //s.ngeo.com/wpf/media-live/photologue/photos/2010/03/02/cache/23047_600x450-cb1267561459.jpg hypertext transfer protocol: //www.stratfor.com/files/mmf/1/2/12b92bbe141fcccef515d7d9f927de8434bf3a50.jpg hypertext transfer protocol: //english.ruvr.ru/2010/03/02/4961912.html hypertext transfer protocol: //www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/chile/7331231/Chile-earthquake-tsunami-warnings-trigger-evacuations-across-Pacific.html

Life is Short Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Life is Short - Essay Example These emotions shape his character, which helps him deal with the real world that is made up of different dynamics that he is yet to discover. Part of a man's life is to find out what the different compositions of life are. Furthermore, as he tries to discover the world, he learns from it. Man initially learns fear. He fears of being alone. He fears the world as it engulfs him into a myriad of rationally opportunistic human beings like him. These people are exactly just like him who wants to find their place in the world. However, once man learns how to deal with the different circumstances that are naturally existent on earth, he no longer fears. He finds comfort and excitement upon realizing his ability to interact. With his ability to maintain a harmonious relationship with other human beings, he discovers the different ways of how to make his life exciting. Man learns to have fun. It is at this point when he forgets the reality that sooner or later his happiness will have to end. The attention that he gets from the world and the unlimited pleasure that it gives him feels like a drug that makes him yearn for more wealth and power. As such, he does not realize how his life had gone by so fast. More often than not, it is too late when he finally realizes once more that his life will soon come to an end.

Business Financing and the Capital Structure Research Paper

Business Financing and the Capital Structure - Research Paper Example Concept of working capital management Working capital management is fundamentally described as a managerial technique to preserve the financial health of a company in repaying its short-term debts and simultaneously, sufficing the need for short-term operating expenses. Advantages of working capital management can be viewed in terms of increased earnings of a company. Contradictorily, the conceptual framework is often criticised to offer only short-term financial planning assistances to the users. Notably, working-capital ratio and inventory-turnover ratio can be regarded as the two vital instruments to assess the viability of working capital management strategies applied by a company (Rehn, 2012). Financial instruments that are used as marketable securities to park excess cash Marketable securities are mostly favored by investors owing to their high liquidity benefits. In this regard, Treasury bills, commercial papers, bankers’ acceptances and other forms of government bonds as well as common stocks can be noted as the financial instruments used as marketable securities by investors to park excess cash (Chudson, 1945). Question 2 Selection of equities and debts to raise business capital depend on diverse factors, which mainly include the micro-economic performance of the economy and the liquidity position along with the risk taking ability of the company. Equities raise the liability of the company to repay investors, but only if the total liabilities of the company are accounted to be inferior to the assets held, i.e. when profit is obtained. Another advantage of using equities is that the interests paid by the company to its equity shareholders are accounted as an organizational expense, which further allows a certain percentage of tax leverage to the company. However, concerning the shareholders’ interests to invest in equities, various factors can be identified as disruptive (Komaromi, 2006). For instance, the purchase decision of equities of ten depends on the probability of business earning profits, and hence, investors tend to purchase equities when businesses are at their growth stage. Again, current fluctuations may also be identified to impose significant effects on the investors’ behavior towards purchasing equities. Concerning the current market scenario in the US, fluctuations can be apparently observed in the equities market, owing to its macro-economic volatility (Reuters, 2013). Therefore, a company must ensure its growth phase as well as preserve good liquidity position to market its equities and obtain adequate capital. On the other hand, debts do not involve uncertainty on the basis of investors’ decisions and behaviors. Therefore, businesses may not be required to ensure a growth phase while obtaining debts through short-term or long-term modes. It is worth mentioning in this context that although a business need not face the risk of uncertainty in capital allocation, it might require ensuri ng healthy liquidity ratio (Komaromi, 2006). Additionally, interest rate fluctuations observed in the current performance of the US may also have a negative implication for a company to opt for fund raising through debts. To be precise, the interest rates in the US are observed currently as rising and are further expected to rise in the near future, which might increase liabilities of the company deciding upon raising funds through debts (Conerly, 2013). Apparently, both the fund raising options have certain

Expensive nature Essay Example for Free

Expensive nature Essay We can see that the maiden was not happy with the way in which her life changed when she uses the rhetorical question why did a great Lord find me out, To fill my heart with care? She is basically asking, Why did her life have to change when she was so happy and why did the lord have to fill her heart with care and worry whereas before she was blissful unaware of any problems surrounding her. She feels shame in the fact that she enjoyed her relationship with the lord woes me for joy thereof as in her time what she was engaging in would have been considered disgraceful. She feels used by the Lord and describes how if her hadnt come into her life she wouldnt be an unclean thing or if they had got married she could have been a dove and enjoyed a good life with him. The poet then starts to write of the cottage maidens feelings towards her cousin Kate. She describes the way the Lord grew tired of the cottage maiden and then decided to start a relationship with Kate and we get the inclination that the cottage maiden has feeling of jealousy but also anger towards this. She feels the Lord wanted Kate because she was good and pure she was a virgin and the fact that she wouldnt give in to the Lord made him want her even more. This makes the cottage maiden angry with herself for giving in to him and she goes on to describe how he bound Kate with his Ring and the neighbours just called her an outcast thing. This implies that she believes if she hadnt had sex with The lord maybe he would have married her instead of Kate. Now the cottage maiden is stuck in her old life, and is unhappy because now she has had a taste for higher things she is not contented with what she had before anymore. She sits and howls in dust while Kate is now enjoying what the cottage maiden used to have but to a higher extent You sit in gold and sing. In the next few stanzas the cottage becomes bitter towards her cousin and implies that She really loved him whereas her cousin Kate was bought by the lord, she says that if their situations had been switched she wouldnt have taken the Lord if he had been with her. The Maiden seems angrier with her cousin than she is with Lord but she feels betrayed by both of them. Although in the last stanza the maidens tone changes she begins to gloat. She realises that she has the one thing that her cousin Kate would like but cannot have, a baby. She knows her cousin worries about this but seems unsympathetic as she goes on to say how she will not being giving her son up and she is protective over him cling closer, closer yet. She knows that the lord would give lands for one but she seems to be saying tough to both of them and maybe thinks Kate is getting the punishment she deserves from god, seens as in those days a baby was seen as a gift from god. The cottage maiden loves her son more than anything else in her life and shows this by saying my shame, my pride she thinks she should be ashamed of him but she is not she still loves him dearly. In the seduction and Cousin Kate the male characters are portrayed very negatively.  Eileen McAuley describes a youth that met the young girl at the party. After the party he takes her to the docks in Liverpool, which have relevance to the way in which he perceives the young girl. The docks are typically associated with prostitutes, which suggests he doesnt think anymore of her than a cheap prostitute. This also comes to our attention when in the last line of the second stanza he muttered little slag. This lets us no without a doubt that he had no respect for her or had no intention of becoming involved in any kind of relationship with her past that night. He comes across as quite cheap from the way the author writes, leather jacket creaking madly Expensive leather is extremely quiet and soft, the fact that his jacket was creaking implies it was not of an expensive nature. He also spits in the river, trying to impress her but really just showing his vulgarity. He had obviously planned the night, which makes him seem quite seedy and perverted, he seems to be in control of the night, he sat down, he led her, and hed bought her more drinks. He seems to be the source of intoxicated state as he had been buying her drinks all night and he handed her the vodka at the river. The fact that he thinks he need to get her drunk before she will have any contact with him shows that maybe he doesnt really think that highly of himself anyway. The conversation between the couple is very one dimensional and shows the boy to be quite selfish as he only talks about subjects which concern or interest him and shows no interest in any subject relating or relevant to the young girl. The way the author describes how he spends his free time also gives us an insight into what type of boy the young girl is involved with. He says he spends most afternoons down by the river whilst he should be in school so the fact that hes a truant makes him seem less academic and clever and more juvenile. He also explains how he goes there alone so we get the inclination that maybe he doesnt have that many friends either or he could be antisocial. He says blatantly in from of the girl that he goes there with his dads magazines making him sound seedy and sweet paint thinner indicating that he abuses solvents. All in all he doesnt make himself sound to attractive to this young intelligent girl who is looking for the perfect partner to lose her virginit y to. He is very unromantic when it comes to seducing the young girl; in fact he is anything but seducing her hes just trying to grope her. The author writes about how he contrived to kiss her which again goes back to the way he had planned the night in advance but also shows us that he didnt have any interest in the girl he just wanted to use her for sex.  In Cousin Kate we do not find out about the Lord in such great detail but we get the inclination that he used his position and his money to trick the cottage maiden into a relationship when the author uses the phrase he lured me to his palace home. The word lured implying seediness and trickery. The author creates the Lord as a very fickle man who treats his women like clothing, wore them as eye candy until they were dirty and boring only to throw them away and change them for a better model. He became bored with the cottage maiden after she had had sex with him and decided to pursue her cousin Kate. He comes across as quite persistent to get his own way as he does not give up on Kate and he ends up marrying her, so he can finally get his own way which shows that he will go to extremes to get what he wants. He obviously feels that love is based upon possessions and not emotions as he tries to buy Kate with his lands and money not with his personality, this make him seem shallow. The setting for both poems is important, the seduction being set in the city and cousin Kate in the country has great relevance.  I touched upon the setting for the seduction earlier; the docks being associated with prostitution implies that the boy felt the girl was of that standard. Also the setting is not glamorous it is quite seedy and putrid. The way the author says towards the frightening scum on the water reflects on the dangerous situation that she has got herself involved in but also the word scum actually mirrors the boys character. The author also goes on to describe the Mersey, green as a septic wound and I think this simile on the setting also reflects in the situation as a whole, infectious and unrewarding. Also the setting for the second part of the poem is a bedroom, isolated from the rest of the world, showing the young girls emotions, her longing to be cut of from the rest of her surroundings. The setting is a contrast from the first part of the poem, whereas the city is bustling, busy and noisy, her room is secluded, quiet and lonely. The change in scenery reflects the change of tone and emotion. The choice of setting for Cousin Kate is quite straightforward; the countryside is perceived as a quite place full of nature and animals, unlike a city. A city is a more typical setting for a situation like the cottage maidens so the fact that it takes place in the countryside is even more ludicrous. Both authors use the settings to create effect but the effect they have on us is the complete opposite of each other. In the seduction the reader is supposed to relate the situation to the setting but in Cousin Kate it is used for shock effect and to make the situation seem more extreme as the countryside isnt the typical place youd expect her relations to be taking place.

Providing Quality Patient Care Essay -- Nursing Essay, Patient Satisfa

â€Å"Nursing is an art, and if it is to be made an art, requires as exclusive a devotion, as hard a preparation, as any painter’s or sculptor’s work...† (Nightingale, 1868) In today’s health care system, â€Å"quality† and â€Å"safety† are one in the same when it comes to patient care. As Florence Nightingale described our profession long ago, it takes work and vigilance to ensure we are doing the best we can to care for our patients. (Mitchell, 2008) The World Health Organization outlines 6 areas of quality that help shape our definition of what makes quality care. Those areas are; (1) Effective: using evidence bases practice to improve health outcomes based on needs of individuals and communities. (2) Efficient: healthcare that maximizes resources and minimizes waste. (3) Accessible: timely care that is provided in a setting where the skills and resources are appropriate for the medical need and is geographically reasonable. (4) Acceptable/Patient-Centered: healthcare that considers individual needs, preferences, and culture. (5) Equitable: healthcare quality that does not vary because of race, gender, ethnicity, geographical location, or socioeconomically status. (6) Safe: healthcare that minimizes harm and risks to patients. (Bengoa, 2006) Another factor being looked at in quality of care is patient satisfaction. There has been some debate as to whether the patient’s perception of their care truly reflects the quality of care. I feel like this can be looked at from both angles. The nurse to patient ratio certainly factors into this as well as the acuity of the patients which can vary dramatically. Just stepping onto the floor we have a long list of â€Å"to do’s† for our patients; doctors to call, test results to look for, protoco... ...de of sentinel events. Nursing Management, 37(5), 20. Lippincott , Williams, & Wilkins, (2012). Sentinel event alert spotlights nurse fatigue. Clinical Rounds, 42(3), 27-29. doi: 10.1097/01.NURSE.0000411416.14033.f5 Mitchell, P. H. (2008). Defining patient safety and quality care an evidence-based handbook for nurses. Rockville,Maryland: Hughes. DOI: //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2681/ Bengoa, R. (2006). Quality of care: a process for making strategic choices in health systems.. Geneva: World Health Organization. Wall, Y., & Kautz, D. (2011). Preventing sentinel events caused by family members. Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, 30(1), 25-27. doi: 10.1097/DCC.0b013e3181fd02a0 The Joint Commission. (2013). Sentinel events. Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Hospitals, Retrieved from http://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/6/CAMH_2012_Update2_24_SE.pdf

Stefan’s Diaries: Origins Chapter 23

That night, though, the embrace did end, and I fell into a black, dreamless sleep. But my mind and body jerked into sudden wakefulness when I heard a sharp clanging sound that seemed to reverberate through my limbs. â€Å"Murderers!† â€Å"Killers!† â€Å"Demons!† The words floated through the open window, chant-like. I crept to the window and creaked open the shutter. Outside, across the pond, there were flashes of fire, and I even heard the sound of rifles firing. Dark bodies moved en masse, like a swarm of locusts descending upon a cotton field. â€Å"Vampires! Killers!† I began to make out more and more words from the angry roar of the crowd. There had to be at least fifty men in attendance. Fifty drunken, angry, murderous men. I grabbed Katherine's shoulder and began shaking her hard. â€Å"Wake up!† I whispered urgently. She sat up with a start. The whites of her eyes looked huge, and there were shadows beneath her eye sockets. â€Å"What is it? Is everything okay?† Her fingers fluttered to her necklace. â€Å"No, it's not okay,† I whispered. â€Å"The brigade is out. They're searching for vampires. They're on the main road right now.† I pointed out the window. The yelling and shouts were getting closer. The fire blazed in the night, flames reaching toward the night sky like red daggers. Fear shot through me. This wasn't supposed to be happening–not yet. Katherine slipped out of bed, tucking the white quilt around her body, and closed the shutters with a bang. â€Å"Y father,† she said, her voice hard. our I shook my head. It couldn't be. â€Å"The siege is set for next week, and Father is not the type to deviate from an established plan.† â€Å"Stefan!† Katherine said sharply. â€Å"Y ou promised you would do something. Y have to ou stop this. These men don't know what they're fighting, and they don't know how dangerous this is. If they keep doing this, people will get hurt.† â€Å"Dangerous?† I asked, rubbing my temple. I suddenly had a pounding headache. The shouting grew quieter now; it seemed the mob was pressing forward–or perhaps dispersing. I wondered if this was more a protest spurred by liquid courage than an actual siege. â€Å"Not from me, but from whoever has launched these attacks.† Katherine's eyes met mine. â€Å"If the townspeople know what's safe for them, what's best for them, they'd stop the hunt. They'd allow us to resolve things. They'd allow us to find the source of the attacks.† I sat on the edge of the bed and rested my elbows against my knees, staring down at the worn wooden floorboards in dismay, as if I could find some sort of answer, some sort of way to stop what already seemed to be happening. Katherine took my face in her hands. â€Å"I am entirely at your mercy. I need you to protect me. Please, Stefan.† â€Å"I know, Katherine!† I said half-hysterically. â€Å"But what if it's too late? They have the brigade, they have their suspicions, they even have an invention designed to find vampires.† â€Å"What?† Katherine reared back. â€Å"An invention? Y didn't tell me that,† she said, her voice taking ou on a note of accusation. A hard lump settled in my chest as I explained Jonathan's device. How had I failed to mention it to Katherine? Would she ever forgive me? â€Å"Jonathan Gilbert.† Katherine's face twisted in contempt. â€Å"So that fool thinks he can just hunt us down? Like animals?† I recoiled. I'd never heard Katherine use that harsh tone. â€Å"I'm sorry,† Katherine said in a more composed voice, as if she'd sensed the flicker of fear in my heart. â€Å"I'm sorry. It's just †¦ you simply can't imagine what it's like to be hunted.† â€Å"The voices seem to be quieting.† I peeked through the shutters. The mob was indeed beginning to disperse, the flames becoming shaky dots in the inky black night. The danger was seemingly gone. For now at least. But by next week, they'd have Jonathan's invention. They'd have a list of vampires. And they'd find every single last one of them. â€Å"Thank goodness.† Katherine sank down onto the bed, pale as I'd ever seen her. A lone tear fell from her eye and trickled down her alabaster skin. I reached to wipe it away with my index finger, then gently touched my tongue to my skin, an echo of what I'd done at the Founders Ball. I sucked my finger, finding that her tears tasted salty. Human. I pulled her to me, wrapping her in a tight embrace. I'm not sure how long we sat there, together. But as the faint light of the morning came through the windows, I stood up. â€Å"I will stop it, Katherine. I will protect you to the death. I swear it.†