Universal Health Insurance essays

Universal Health Insurance essays In a country with arguably the best medical and scientific research facilities in the world, it is an anomaly that an estimated 44 million Americans do not have the resources for adequate medical care. In fact, the United States holds the dubious honor of being the only advanced industrial nation that does not offer a socialized system of medicine, one that gives its citizens access to universal health care. The growing number of uninsured Americans is a silent crisis that can have long-term effects on society. This paper argues that to avoid this crisis, the United States government must provide a universal health care system, making preventive and medical health treatment available for all The first part of this paper looks at the extent of this problem. The next part then discusses the many factors that contribute to the rise in the number of uninsured Americans. This section argues that contrary to conventional wisdom that uninsured people are lazy, many uninsured Americans are actually hardworking people who simply could not afford money In the second part, the paper evaluates proposals for health care reform, with a special focus on providing universal health insurance. This paper evaluates arguments presented against universal health care, and then looks at the success of such programs in Canada. In the conclusion, the paper argues that similar programs are sorely needed in the United States According to figures from the United States Census Bureau, the percent of uninsured Americans rose to 15 percent of the total United States population. This represents the greatest margin of increase in the past Another survey commissioned by the Kaiser Foundation and the television program Newshour with Jim Lehrer has uncovered more disturbing trends. In 2000, there were an estimated 44 million Americans who were living without any health insura...

How to Prepare for Private School Admissions Tests

How to Prepare for Private School Admissions Tests Unlike most public schools, not everyone who wants to attend, can. In fact, theres an application process, and as part of that process, most private schools require some kind of test for admission, particularly for the middle and upper grades. Independent day schools usually require the ISEE, or Independent School Entrance Exam, while boarding schools often require the SSAT, or Secondary School Admissions Test. Some schools will accept both, and still, others, have their own tests. For example, Catholic schools require different tests, such as the TACHs or the COOP or HSPT. But these entrance exams dont need to be stressful or be an obstacle to obtaining a private school education. Check out these general strategies to prepare for a private school admission test: Get a Test Prep Book Using a test prep book is a great way to get more familiar with the test itself. It gives you a chance to look over the structure of the test and get a sense of the sections that are required, which usually consist of reading, verbal reasoning (such as identifying the word that is synonymous, or the same as, the given word), and math or logic. Some tests also require a writing sample, and the test prep book will offer some prompts similar to what you might experience when you take it for real. The book will also help you get a sense of the format of the sections and the time allotted for each. While the various admission test organizations typically offer review books and practice tests that can be purchased. You may even be able to find online practice tests and sample questions for free. Take Timed Practice Tests Practice taking the test under simulated conditions, by giving yourself only as much time as the test allows. Be sure to pay attention to how you pace yourself on each section and note if you are taking too much time, or if you are rushing. Instead of getting hung up on one question, mark any question you are unsure about and go back to it when youve finished the other questions. This practice helps you get used to the environment in which the test will be given and prepare you to better manage your time and practice test-taking strategies. If you practice the entire test session, meaning, you simulate the full timed test experience, with breaks, it also helps you adjust to spending that much time sitting and working in one place. This lack of ability to get up and move around can be an adjustment for many students, and some truly need to practice sitting still and being quiet for that long.   Boost Your Weak Areas If you find that you are consistently getting certain types of test questions wrong, go back and correct those areas. For example, you may need to work on one area of math, such as fractions or percentages, or you may need to work on improving and expanding your vocabulary by making flash cards with the most commonly used vocabulary words on these tests, which are available in the test review books. Hire a Tutor if Necessary If you cannot boost your scores on your own, consider hiring a tutor or taking a test-prep course. Be sure that the tutor has experience preparing students for the test you are taking and do all the homework and practice tests that are part of the course to get the most out of it. Chances are, youre missing out on key strategies rather than needing to learn more, so a tutor who is skilled in the test itself is more important than a tutor experienced in English or math.   Read the Directions Carefully This seems obvious but is often an important strategy for test-taking success. Students often read the questions incorrectly or skip them completely, which may mean that even though they know the answers to the questions, they get them wrong. Its important to make sure you slow down and read the directions carefully and even underline KEY words such as EXCEPT or ONLY to make sure you are answering exactly what each question asks. Sometimes, there are hints right within the question itself! Get Ready for Test Day Know what you need for test day, including the proper identification and writing implements. And, dont forget to eat breakfast; you dont want a rumbling tummy distracting you (or people around you) during the test. Have the directions to your test site ready, and arrive early so that you can use the restroom and get settled in your seat. Be sure to also dress in layers, as temperatures in testing rooms can vary; its helpful to be able to add a sweater or coat if youre cold or remove your sweater or coat if the room is warm. Proper footwear can also be helpful, as cold toes when wearing flip flops could be a distraction if the room is cool. Once youre there and settled into your seat, be sure to familiarize yourself with the room. Know where the doors are, find the clock in the room, and get comfortable. When the test begins, be sure to listen carefully to the directions that the test proctor reads, and fill in the test sheet properly, as directed. Do not skip ahead! Wait for directions, as disobeying the instructions that are given could result in disqualifying you from the exam. During each section testing period, pay close attention to the time, and be sure to check that your test guide and answer sheet question numbers correspond. Bring snacks and water so that you can refresh yourself during breaks. Follow these guidelines, and youre sure to have a positive test-taking experience. If you dont you can always take the test more than once. Go online to the test organizations site to see how often you may take the exam, and if there are any restrictions you need to be aware of before you register for a second or third testing date. Good luck! Article edited by  Stacy Jagodowski

Video summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Video summary - Essay Example E.g. if they would breed with the normal salmon. However, the company that is involved has argued that these fish are sterile. The FDA is yet to decide if the genetically modified fish will carry a special label. Farmers in Arkansas are facing huge losses because their crops have been infested with a type of weed known as the ‘pigweed’. The weed is native to North America. Farmers have over the years been able to fight the weed using special chemicals. However, the chemicals have suddenly stopped working. The weed has adapted to the herbicides that were being used to kill them. The weed grows 3 inches a day and kills crops and destroys farm machinery like combine harvesters and cotton pickers. The farmers have now resulted to the traditional way of dealing with weed (using manual labor) which is slow and expensive. Scientists believe that the weed is now resistant to the herbicides used to kill it and a new herbicide needs to be developed. This might take close to seven

Emergency plan Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Emergency plan - Thesis Example They might come as a result of: terrorism, strong tornado, a passenger airplane crash, major highway accident and hazardous material release (Dr. K. Qureshi, 2005). If one of these incidents happens, there should be an emergency plan put in place to respond to this call. Generally, this involves the county emergency department in the U.S. Every county has a unit to respond to these calls. These standard operation procedures outline how to manage and respond to incidents that are different than the normal response system (Graham, 2010). These procedures are applicable for EMS incidents involve more than four ALS units to provide assistance and patient care. The main objectives of this units is to minimize human suffering, disabling injuries and most important minimize loss of life (Downey, Andress, & Schultz, 2013). Another objective is to provide integrated and adequate resources required to mobilize teams and units to manage casualties effectively, while maintaining the resources an d capability to respond to other situations within the community (Gordon, 2002). In creation of this plan, the first stage should be establishing of the incident Command System (ICS) (Frykberg, 2002). This organization is to manage resources in response to state objectives and in relation to the incident. Respecting each organizations jurisdiction and command should be a mandate to any team involved (Maurer, 2009). The incident command should consider identifying the Medical Branch with its Medical Branch Director and a Resource Assembly Point (RAP) (Socha, 2002). The Medical Branch Director should ensure safety of the scene for both responders and patients, and also coordinate with other groups to provide additional resources and equipment, establish triage, decontamination, rescue and extraction, treatment and transportation (Risavi, Terrell, Lee, & Holsten, 2013). This process may be

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Essay Example for Free

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Essay Border security continues to become a core policy development priority for the United States because this cuts across various issues faced by the country including illegal immigration, drug trafficking, human trafficking, smuggling, and terrorism. Congressional debates center on two issues, the focus of border security efforts in relation to budget allocation and means of improving border security (Sullivan, 2009) as a preventive measure instead of a reactive process as in the aftermath of September 11, 2001. Border security involves the patrol of the 6,000 miles of land border with Mexico and Canada and 2,000 miles of coastal waters of Florida and Puerto Rico. The task of border patrol is to identify and assess potential threats and respond effectively. However, even with a large workforce of 30,000, border security has jurisdiction over a large and widespread area encompassing land, sea and air space. (Customs Border Protection, 2009) Patrolling a large area and simultaneously handling the issues of illegal immigration, drug trafficking, smuggling, and terrorist threats makes border security a daunting task because of the limitations in the vantage point of land and sea mobile personnel. This led to efforts to adopt unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as an integral technology for border patrol. Unmanned aerial vehicles refer to aircrafts without a pilot on board and controlled from the ground. These are fitted with sensors that transmit data to orbiting satellites that in turn bounce data to receivers on the ground. The transmission of data takes seconds to happen so that the receipt of data is almost instantaneous. UAVs can fly long distances at high altitudes or short distances at lower altitudes depending on the purpose of use. High altitude flights can provide information on large targets such as trucks while low altitude flights provide better information on smaller targets such as humans. (Valavanis, 2007, p. 533) As a border patrol technology, UAVs fill the limitations of the land and sea vantage points. History and Uses of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Unmanned aerial vehicles have existed for more than a century and continued to evolve with the development of technologies to improve flight control and dynamics as well as imaging and data acquisition and transmission. UAVs developed as a military initiative and it was only in the past few decades that UAV found non-military or civil use. With its roots in the military, the Department of National Defense defined UAVs as â€Å"a powered aerial vehicle that does not carry a human operator, uses aerodynamic forces to provide vehicle lift, can fly autonomously or be piloted remotely, can be expendable or recoverable, and can carry a lethal or non-lethal payload† (Valavanis, 2007, p. 533). The definition clarifies the capabilities of UAVs, its possible purposes, and the innovative developments that accumulated over the decades. The idea of unmanned aerial vehicles existed as early as the First World War. The idea targeted improvements in the discharge or delivery of guided missiles. However, existing technology was unable to facilitate the development of the flight control system needed to have a functioning unmanned aircraft delivering missiles to the enemy’s territory. The gyroscopic devices developed by Elmer Sperry in 1909 became the predecessor of inertia navigation system applied in modern UAVs. At the same time, the Western Electric Company also developed radio control technology for the remote piloting of aircraft. Radio control together with inertia navigation system paved the way for the development of UAVs. These technologies were adopted by the military in developing a cruising missile but efforts met problems. UAVs were used instead as target drones for anti-aircraft practice and actual warfare countermeasures. This was the first use of UAVs. However, the navy continued research into flight control and navigation initiatives that included the fitting of RCA cameras and radar guidance system to improve control and make drones capable of delivering missiles. Developments led to the use of UAVs as target drones in World War II. (Zaloga Palmer, 2008, pp. 4-9) After the Second World War, the UAVs further evolved into tools in espionage during the Cold War. While control and guidance of the drones continued as an area of innovation, greater focus was given to the image capture capability of UAVs for surveillance. During the 1950s, surveillance UAVs were fitted with daylight and infrared cameras, rocket-assisted takeoff, radar tracking, and radio control. The shooting down of a manned aircraft resulting to the capture of pilots renewed development efforts in the 1970s. Drones became decoys until the Russian radar technology developed to make decoys ineffective. Efforts focused on developing drones with reduced radar signature, increased range, and improved flight control. The new drones were christened as lighting bugs and used in the Vietnam War. (Zaloga Palmer, 2008, pp. 10-12) After the Cold War, technology innovation on UAVs continued in support for combat operations. The 1980s witnessed key developments including improved satellite communications, compact or miniature technology, and state of the art sensors. Improved data and imagery and better navigation control led to the use of UAVs for â€Å"intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and for time critical targeting† (p. 1). The development in UAVs split into technology for small and large UAVs. The size was a consideration because of differences in navigation control and capabilities. In large UAVs, the flight and retrieval control is separable from its data and imaging functions so that it can transmit information via satellite links while on flight while in small UAVs retrieval of the aircraft is necessary before obtaining information. (Drew et al. , 2005, p. 1) Now, the uses of UAVs are increasing. Traffic control is one use of UAVs because its aerial view provides accurate information on traffic conditions over a particular area. Search and rescue operations also benefit from UAVs providing an initial view of the situation in conditions unsafe for manned aircraft. (Borchardt, 2004, p. 28) Recently, small UAVs were used to gather data and assess the damage caused by Hurricane Wilma in areas inaccessible due to flooding and blocked roads (Murphy et al. , 2008, p. 164). NASA also developed sensor technology for the monitoring of pollution and measurement of ozone levels using UAVs. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology integrated global positioning technology and video camera control in UAVs for sensing toxic substances and contaminated areas. The Department of Energy also announced the development of radiation sensor for UAVs for use in detecting nuclear accidents. (Bolkcom Nunez-Neto, 2008, p. 2) Different data processing, imaging and other features evolve depending on the purpose intended for UAVs.

Richard Cory, by Edwin Arlington Robinson Essay -- Richard Cory Analysi

The narrator in â€Å"Richard Cory† by Edwin Arlington Robinson is a low class working citizen telling the reader, in detail, about a distinguished gentleman named Richard Cory who eventually â€Å"put a bullet through his head.† Almost everyone, including the narrator, would stare at him with awe every time they saw him. He was â€Å"imperially slim†(4), always charismatic and well-dressed. He was extremely courteous and polite. He would please everyone’s heart with a simple â€Å"Good Morning.† Then the narrator soon explains that on â€Å"one calm summer night† he executes himself by putting a gun to his head. When I first read the poem, I thought it told the story of a young man and his riches. After about my third or fourth reading, I realized this poem is revealing that no matter how suicidal one gets, he or she should know that his or her life is not at its worse. The first two lines of the poem are â€Å"Whenever Richard Cory went down town,/We people on the pavement looked at him.† After only reading those two lines and not knowing what the poem was about, I thought Richard Cory must be someone very special. When finishing the first stanza, I thought to myself, â€Å"Who is this man and why are they so star-strucked by him?† After reading it again, I found that maybe the â€Å"people on the pavement† worked for a low salary and rarely saw anybody that looked, dressed, and conducted themselves in a pleasing manner. The bystanders are probably questioning what a man with such taste and an aristocrat would ...

Succubus Heat CHAPTER 25

To her credit, Grace didn't cower. She stood firm, regaining her composure as she matched Jerome's stare with one of her own. In fact, she regained enough of herself that she remembered to avoid the rain. The drops parted around her, much as the fire had parted around Roman. Her suit and hair were dry again, crisp and perfect. â€Å"You would have done the same thing,† she told Jerome. I couldn't see Jerome's face when he spoke. â€Å"I wouldn't have got caught. You did. You failed.† â€Å"You should be impressed with my ingenuity.† She crossed her arms, almost defiant. â€Å"I'm useful to you.† â€Å"You are meaningless. I could blight you out of existence, and no one would think twice about it.† I wasn't sure about that. Demons smote each other all the time, but that didn't mean Hell liked it. It created paperwork, and if you were caught, you got sent to Hell's equivalent of prison. Grace apparently shared my doubts about how easy it would be for Jerome to kill her. â€Å"I don't think so. As it is, you'll be lucky if you have your job when you get back. You got yourself summoned.† Her eyes flicked to me and Roman, huddled together on the sand. â€Å"Your territory's in chaos. They'll send you off to a desk job-or make you somebody else's subordinate. Quite a fall from an archdemon's position.† â€Å"Not likely,† said Mei, speaking up. â€Å"Not if we spin this right. Jerome's got powerful connections. So do I. And Cedric will advocate for him.† Her willingness to help and assurance about Cedric surprised me, but then, perhaps it was back to the know-thy-enemy philosophy. Grace glared at her former counterpart. â€Å"You're the biggest fool of all here.† â€Å"Enough,† snapped Jerome. â€Å"There's been enough villainous exposition here. The matter's done.† I didn't have to see him to know he was smiling at Grace-only, I suspected it wasn't a very nice smile. â€Å"I will see you in Hell.† He snapped his fingers, and suddenly, what looked like black ice sprang up from the ground and crawled up Grace's body. She hardly had any time to scream because it coated her so quickly and then froze into place, leaving her immobile. She had become a thorny black statue. â€Å"What is that?† I breathed. â€Å"Kind of a demon stasis,† Roman murmured back. â€Å"A prison of sorts. He's ten times more powerful than her-it's an easy thing for him to do.† I wondered then just how powerful Roman really was. He'd seemed matched against Grace, but I still wasn't sure if he'd been holding back or not, for fear of detection. As it was, he now had his signature turned off, appearing as a human for all intents and purposes. He'd done it just before Mei fully materialized. â€Å"You need to get out of here,† I told him. â€Å"Wait,† he responded. Indeed, Roman seemed the least of Jerome's concerns as the archdemon studied Grace's frozen form. Her defeat had been anticlimactic, really. There had been no flashy brawl as everyone else seemed to have had today, but then, I supposed when you wielded the kind of power Jerome did, there was no need. I also had a feeling that Grace had been right about something. Even if he did have connections, Jerome probably couldn't risk doing anything rash to reestablish his control back in Seattle. He probably did want to torture her and blight her from the face of the earth, but binding her and taking her to face hellish justice-such as it was-was going to do him more good. Hell would be more kindly disposed to him if he followed their rules. He turned and faced Mei, who stood off to the side. It was the first time I'd gotten a good glimpse of my boss since his return. His face was blank and cold, but I was pretty sure I could see the fury kindling behind his eyes. Being summoned was pretty much the worst thing that could happen to a demon. â€Å"She was right to a certain extent,† he told Mei. â€Å"It could have been advantageous to turn against me.† â€Å"And be second to her?† Mei shook her head. Like Grace, she had put herself back together. â€Å"No. I won't serve you forever, believe me, but for now, I see what my best course of action is. I'm throwing my lot in with yours.† â€Å"Your loyalty is appreciated.† Mei gave a small nod of acknowledgment. Unlike Kristin and Cedric, where she served him out of love as much as duty, Mei's loyalty was all pragmatism and assessment of what could advance her. Jerome knew this and accepted it. â€Å"And it will be rewarded.† â€Å"I know it will be,† she said evenly. â€Å"And I'll have no co-lieutenant when we return?† â€Å"No. Not if I have anything to do with it.† And for the first time since I had known her, Mei smiled. Her eyes then flicked to the Grace statue. â€Å"Do you need me†¦?† â€Å"No,† said Jerome, seeming to remember us. â€Å"You can go.† Mei wasted no time. She vanished, and Jerome turned around and stared down at Roman and me. His eyes fell on me first. â€Å"So. You're here, Georgie. Why am I not surprised?† â€Å"Because I'm the only one who cared about getting you back and wasn't too lazy to do anything about it?† The ghost of a smile flickered across his lips. â€Å"Fair enough. And you will be rewarded too.† I wanted to tell him that I didn't need a reward, but Jerome had already shifted his attention to Roman. The smile faded. â€Å"You, however, have some balls in coming here.† â€Å"Must run in the family,† said Roman. As beat up as he was, he still managed mockery. â€Å"A suicidal nature does not, however. You know you're seconds away from being destroyed, don't you?† â€Å"Yeah, yeah,† said Roman. â€Å"And I'm sure killing me would help reinforce your badass status. But the truth is, I helped save you. You wouldn't be here if it wasn't for me.† I wasn't entirely sure if he'd done as much work as me in all this, but he had certainly made it easier for me. Nonetheless, even if he had actually single-handedly saved Jerome, it meant nothing. Demons didn't operate by a sense of fairness or feel obligations. Jerome affirmed as much. â€Å"I owe you nothing. If you want to risk your life, that's no concern of mine. I don't care whether you live or die.† Roman struggled to his feet. â€Å"That's not true, or else you would have killed me already. Maybe you don't owe me anything†¦and yet, you're indebted to me, even if you don't believe in paying off debts-and I think you do. You can't stand knowing you owe me.† Jerome narrowed his eyes. â€Å"What is it you want?† â€Å"Amnesty.† â€Å"What?† I squeaked. No one paid any attention to me. As far as they were concerned, they were the only two people in the world, father and son. â€Å"I'm tired of running, tired of hiding. I want a place to stay. A place I can settle down in for a while.† â€Å"You don't need me for that.† â€Å"Don't I?† asked Roman. â€Å"Any place I live, even with my signature masked, I live in fear of being discovered by the greater immortals who control it. I'm always watching my back. I want to be somewhere where I can walk around knowing I have at least some measure of protection.† â€Å"If someone else wants to kill you, I'm not going to stand in their way.† â€Å"I know that. But at least I won't have to worry on a daily basis about you being one of them.† Jerome fell silent, and to my complete and utter astonishment, I realized he was deliberating about this. I never would have thought it possible†¦and yet, as Roman had said, if Jerome's mind had been made up, he would have smote Roman already. Last fall, when we'd learned Jerome had his twin nephilim, we'd also learned that he'd had a wife long ago, a woman he loved so much that he'd fallen from grace to be with her. Did any of that love remain? Had it burned out over these millennia as a damned creature? Did he see any of her when he looked at Roman? When Jerome had helped hunt Roman and his twin, it seemed as though he didn't care. He'd even helped kill Helena. Now, I wondered if Jerome was truly as indifferent as he appeared, and I wondered if Roman had long suspected that. I knew Roman hated Jerome-probably more than he hated me-but was it worth an uneasy alliance with Jerome to have some peace? Had Roman realized playing off this paternal relationship might be the only way to buy him a temporary reprieve? Of course he had. That had been Roman's plan all along. Lingering love for Roman's mother†¦and a bit of obligation thrown in. That was why Roman had helped free Jerome-and why he hadn't wanted me to let anyone else in on what I learned, I realized wryly. Secrecy might have been a true concern, but he would have undoubtedly wanted to minimize others' involvement so that he could play a major role in Jerome's rescue and use that as leverage. â€Å"Mei knows,† said Jerome. â€Å"I can't control what she'll do.† â€Å"She doesn't,† said Roman. â€Å"I knew what Georgina sent Seth off to do, and I had shut down just before Mei arrived. She never saw my face last time, so she didn't recognize me now. She doesn't realize what I am.† â€Å"He's right,† I realized, recalling how Grace had had him in a chokehold. Roman had been gradually letting go of his power and had had very lucky timing. â€Å"Even if that's true,† said Jerome, who seemed to be growing frustrated by the logic, â€Å"I can't control what others'll do. The angels will always be a problem.† â€Å"Well, not that much of a problem.† The new voice was accompanied by the arrival of an all-too-familiar aura, one that felt crystalline and cool. Carter now stood beside us. â€Å"Welcome back.† Jerome glanced over at the angel, and for half a second, he almost looked pleased. The two of them appraised each other, probably communicating telepathically. Or maybe not. Maybe after so many eons of friendship, they no longer needed to. â€Å"I suppose you're going to advocate for him too,† said Jerome. Carter shrugged and glanced over at Roman. â€Å"I don't know.† Angels had as much of an instinct to hunt down nephilim as demons did. I thought of Carter as benevolent, but he too had helped destroy Helena. â€Å"He did help. Maybe he'll stay on good behavior.† It was a sign of how crazy things had become when Jerome and Carter seemed on the verge of letting a nephilim stick around-and that I was the one who protested. â€Å"Are you guys out of your minds?† I exclaimed. â€Å"You know what he's done! He killed those people and hurt others. For all we know, this is a scam. Let him back in Seattle, and he could try to kill others. He could try to kill you. He could try to kill me !† Everyone turned to me, seeming a bit startled by the outburst. â€Å"And here I thought we were partners,† mused Roman. â€Å"Bind him,† said Carter. â€Å"Bind him in a deal.† Jerome and Roman sized each other up, and I held my breath. An immortal deal reached a creature's soul and could not be broken without dire consequences. I'd made a couple in my life. Everything rested on Jerome now, whether he was willing to go against every immortal taboo and knowingly let a nephilim live in his territory. Finally, Jerome spoke. â€Å"I will allow you to live in my domain. During such time, I will not harm you-unless you're discovered by others and I am given no choice. I make no guarantees about other immortals who find you and offer no protection should that occur. You in turn vow not to implicate me in any way for doing this. You promise not to harm me or any other immortals who cross into my territory, unless it's self-defense-or unless I've given my okay. You also promise to harm none of my subordinates†-he glanced at me-â€Å"anywhere in the world.† â€Å"I accept,† said Roman gravely. â€Å"And,† added Jerome, a sharp glint in his eyes, â€Å"you vow to be available should I require your services in a defensive, covert, or-in very rare conditions-offensive way.† There it was. The reason Jerome could go along with something like this. In offering Roman sanctuary, he was bargaining to have a secret nephilim agent, a powerful weapon none of his enemies knew about it. I'd never heard of anything like this. â€Å"I accept with the condition that I won't kill on your command,† Roman said at last. Jerome considered. â€Å"Agreed. The terms of this deal end should you at any time openly renounce my amnesty. Or if I also declare the deal null and void.† â€Å"I want a time frame on that,† said Roman wryly. â€Å"When does my lease expire?† â€Å"A century. Then we'll renegotiate.† â€Å"I accept it all, then.† â€Å"And I agree to the same amnesty terms as Jerome,† piped in Carter. â€Å"Except I don't need you to spy or kill for me.† â€Å"Agreed,† said Roman. It was all so terribly formal, and my presence felt complete superfluous. All three of them shook hands, and as they did, power burned in the air, binding them all to what they'd agreed. â€Å"Well,† said Jerome briskly. â€Å"Now that that's done, I'm going back to clean up the mess that's been made in my absence.† He gave Roman a wry look. â€Å"Considering you aren't technically in my territory yet, I'd advise you-† Jerome suddenly stopped and scanned the beach. â€Å"What about the other summoner? The human one? Was he here?† I looked around as well. The beach was empty. â€Å"It was Dante†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I said slowly. Jerome rolled his eyes. â€Å"Typical. Where is he now?† â€Å"I don't know,† I said honestly. â€Å"Grace beat him up.† I'd worried he was dead, but apparently not. Glancing over to where he'd been lying, I saw what looked like tracks in the sand where he'd been dragged off. I decided to keep that to myself. â€Å"Wonderful,† said Jerome. Turning back toward us, he scrutinized me. â€Å"You will keep this deal to yourself, Georgie. And we'll discuss your reward another day.† He disappeared and with him, the Grace statue. I didn't envy her. Roman, Carter, and I started walking back toward the parking lot. I couldn't speak for them, but my mind was reeling with everything that had happened. â€Å"Did you see what happened to Dante?† I asked Roman. â€Å"Afraid I was kind of busy. What happened to Mortensen after he called Mei?† â€Å"I told him to leave, and I think†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I hesitated, not entirely sure how I knew this, unless it was just my understanding of Seth's nature. â€Å"I think Seth may have carried him off in the confusion. Oh man, he actually listened to me.† The parking lot was empty. My car was gone. â€Å"They took my car,† I explained. I honestly hadn't thought Seth would, despite my pleas for him to leave. â€Å"Wow,† said Roman, clearly delighted. â€Å"Your ex-boyfriend helped save your current boyfriend and then stole your car. Or-well, wait-is Mortensen your boyfriend now? Did he technically save your ex?† â€Å"Oh, shut up. It doesn't matter. We don't have a way to get back.† â€Å"Did you tell him to take the car?† asked Carter. â€Å"Yeah. I told him to get far away. I wanted him safe, and I guess he listened.† â€Å"Depends on how you define it,† said Roman. â€Å"Him coming back for the other guy put him in the demon line of fire. Why would he do that for someone he didn't like?† I stared at the empty parking spot. â€Å"Because he's Seth.† Carter seemed as nonchalant about all this as Dante. â€Å"Well, it's a good thing I'm here, huh?† He rested his hands on our shoulders, and I braced myself for immortal teleportation. â€Å"Ready for a ride home?† â€Å"It beats walking,† I said. Carter paused and gave Roman a curious glance. â€Å"What are you going to do for a home?† Roman was thoughtful for a moment. â€Å"Well, I hear Georgina's moving to a bigger place.† He glanced over at me with one of his beautiful grins. â€Å"Need a roommate?†