Marketing Planning and Strategy (The buying process)2 Assignment

Marketing Planning and Strategy (The buying process)2 - Assignment Example As a result programmers and computer engineers have strived continually to find solutions to this. Anti-viruses have been produced over the years to deal with the different malware that arise. These anti-viruses, which can be acquired online, help in fighting malware and shielding computers from further entry and attack from them. This papers aims at discussing the online purchase process that can be used in purchasing antivirus. With the increased cases of cyber threats, many computer users are compelled to take preventive measures to enhance security of their data. There are a number of antiviruses that are always available for purchase online. The antiviruses have varying characteristics which depends on the specific type of system protection that a business organization is interested in (Sabri, Gupta, & Beitler, 2007). Computers user intending to purchase antiviruses online have to identify the different types and their potential benefits. The Norton anti-virus is one such product. It was developed by the American corporation known as Symantec that identified the continuous need to protect computers and other devices from attacks from malware attacks. The antivirus uses signatures and heuristics to identify the type of virus in invasion (MezgaÃŒ r, 2006). They provide internet security, phishing protection and email spam filtering. The product is well known in the computer market and is highly recommended for cases where the windows operating system is being used. This makes it very popular because of the fact those windows operating system is currently the most popular operating system (Mansour, 2013). The Bit-defender, a Romanian developed anti-virus is another antivirus that is common in the market. It ranks higher than Norton in terms of functionalities and effectiveness. Its package comes with the antivirus, anti-spyware, email-spam filtering, a firewall, backup,

CIS 206 U1 Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

CIS 206 U1 Discussion - Essay Example Ubuntu is a fork of Debian, that is on of the oldest Linux distributions available and is sponsored by Canonical. The features to look at in comparing the Linux distribution are stability, performance, software availability and installation, user interface and update support and release schedule. Fedora and Ubuntu are both stronger than Arch Linux. Ubuntu users have reported more application crashes that Fedora users. The reason behind this is the high number of third party applications in Ubuntu. Therefore, Fedora is more stable than Ubuntu and Arch Linux. Fedora, Ubuntu and Arch Linux are very fast Linux distributions. Fedora has a high I/O performance than Ubuntu but on the other hand Ubuntu starts up quickly. From some test by OpenBenchmarking.org fedora 20 outperforms Ubuntu 13.10 when working with large number of files as in a business setting. Fedora scored 279.22 files/second as compared to 184.10/second files in Ubuntu. Performance in graphical applications was almost similar in Fedora and Ubuntu of around 31.4 frames/second. Therefore, fedora outscores Ubuntu in performance. Hardware support in Linux is still a bigger problem than other commercial distributions like Windows and OS X. In Linux, Ubuntu has a better hardware compatibility than both arch and fedora, and different drivers will quickly work in it. Ubuntu outperforms both fedora and arch in software availability. Ubuntu has a lot of developers working on their applications, and it also supports personal package archives. Fedora has a large library of applications but not as extensive as Ubuntu. Fedora uses a package manager called yum and rpm; Ubuntu uses apt-get and Deb while Arch Linux uses a package manager called Pacman. Arch Linux outperforms both Fedora and Ubuntu in building customized multimedia production workstation. Arch also has a user repository hundreds of user supported packages. All the distributions have constant updates and full

Elements of the Marketing Mix Essay Example for Free

Elements of the Marketing Mix Essay This case will study describe the elements of the marketing mix. These four elements include product, place, price and promotion. This paper will include a description of how an organization’s marketing strategy is affected by the four elements of the marketing mix. Another aspect that this paper will include is a description of how each element is implemented in the company. One more topic that this paper will describe is the organizations name and industry in which it exists. The marketing mix is defined as a mixture of several ideas and plans followed by a marketing representative to promote a particular product or brand. Several concepts and ideas are combined together to formulate final strategies helpful in making a brand popular amongst the masses to form the marketing mix (Marketing Mix Meaning and Its Elements, n.d.). The elements of the marketing mix are often called the four P’s of marketing (Perreault, Cannon, McCarthy, 2011). First, Product is defined as goods that are manufactured by organizations for the consumer. Products can be two types, tangible and intangible. A product in a market place is something which a seller sells to the buyers in exchange for money. Price is defined as the money which a buyer pays for a product. The price of a product is indirectly proportional to its availability in the market. If a product is not readily available then the price goes up (Marketing Mix Meaning and Its Elements, n.d.). Place refers to the location where the products are available and can be sold or purchased. Here one is exposed to a physical building, or store, or one can purchase items on the internet. Finally, the fourth element is promotion. Promotion refers to the various strategies and ideas implemented by the marketers to make the consumer aware of their product (Marketing Mix Meaning and Its Elements, n.d.). Today’s market is huge and there is an abundant variety of products available. Frito Lay is a multi-national  corporation that is predominantly in the salty snack business. Frito Lay aims its market strategy at both the mass market and target markets alike. This food driven company does have some strengths such as its renowned reliability, high quality control and markets its product as convenient fun foods. The products that Frito Lay generates have consumers in mind that particularly buy snack foods as a leisure item. Their packing and branding is targeting a consumer that wants to snack on the go or during lunch with a sandwich. With this in mind, the organizations marketing strategy uses all four of the marketing mix very well. Frito Lay sells a wide variety of chips form Ruffles to Lays, Cheetos to Doritos and Tostitos to Funyions. These products satisfy many customers’ needs for fun snacking. In the Product element, packaging is also very important when keeping the consumer satisfied. Bright colors are used to catch the eye when they design the bags that carry all of their brands. In the Place element, the product is highly visible in that one can purchase said items and every convenience store in the marketplace. Not only is the product in just about every UDS store but in vending machines and supermarkets. The channel of distribution is very important to deliver these products to the consumer and Frito Lay has an excellent distribution system in place. The third element, Promotion, targets new customers and retaining current customers. Many people have heard the phrase â€Å"no one can eat just one.† This catch phrase was designed for Lays potato chips and hasn’t been used in years, but just about everybody has heard that. That is advertising at its finest. The use of mass selling techniques has been advantageous to Frito Lay. The fourth â€Å"P† is Price and that obviously plays an important part in Frito’s model. Frito Lays strategy is to stay competitive with other salty snack manufacturers and their price points. Their target price is also directed at young adults and children. Each element in the marketing mix is used very well by Frito Lay. The products that this corporation sells to the consumer vary from salty snacks to cookies and even beef jerky. Frito Lay guarantees freshness for its product and delivers a price point that is competitive to just about any consumer. In the channels of distribution process it is important to get a food item to the retailer in a timely manner as the food item can spoil. The freshness guarantee that Frito Lay offers dictates that the salty snack has a shelf life of about a month for most products and the  products need to be removed from the shelves if they do not sell. Because of this model, the delivery system promotes efficiency when sold and distributed to each retailer. Promotions are huge with Frito Lay as they spend millions for point of sale coupons and retail discounts. Not only is there retail push for sales but Frito Lay spends millions on advertising. Advertising can be seen in standard commercials to big budget commercials during super bowl ads. These methods of communication are geared at mass selling and are very effective. Finally, the Price element is important to Frito Lay as the market price for materials goes up so does the price of their products. To circumvent these price hikes, Frito Lay will lower the content volume in the bag and not raise the price. In other instances, they will raise the price by ten cents and remove the price on the bag for a short period of time. The idea is to trick the consumer into believing the price is the same. In all the instances, Frito Lay has a business model that is very effective and has endured for many years. By understanding the similarities and differences between these elements one can understand how a corporation uses the marketing mix to their advantage. The four elements are critical to understand the very nature of the consumer and the retailer. This case study shows that it is important to understand the marketing mix business model as it pertains everyone and final user. References Marketing Mix Meaning and its Elements. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://managementstudyguide.com/marketing-mix.htm Perreault, W. D., Cannon, J. P., McCarthy, J. (2011). Basic Marketing. A Marketing Strategy Planning Approach. Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collectioon database.

The Stress In The Workplace Psychology Essay

The Stress In The Workplace Psychology Essay Stress is a common daily experience for many people, increasingly in the workplace. Employees complain that there are many elements that produce stress in the workplace; for example, relationships with other employees, occupational demands and lack of control work (Cooper, Dewe and ODriscoll 2001). A survey of over a million employees in the UK found that over fifty percent of them experienced health problems due to stress. More and more employees appear to be suffering from ill health, often attributed to stress. Some psychologists claim that job stress affects more than sixty percent of all workplaces in the UK (Cartwright 2000). Stress is a significant and increasing problem in many countries (Chmiel 2008). Many researchers believe that there are three main types of stress (Copper and Payne 1988): stress as a reaction; stress as a stimulus; and stress as an intermediary procedure between both reaction and stimulus. Thus, stress is a psychological or physiological response when peo ple face a difficulty. Currently, some theories suggest that stress is a negative sentimental state which is due to the reaction between people and their surroundings (Arnold et al. 2010). However, stress may also have a positive effect on employees. This essay will focus on the definition of stress and two causes of stress work-related causes and individual personality causes in the workplace. Then evaluate the organizational techniques and individual techniques of reducing stress. The first step in solving any problem is to be beginning by understanding the issue. The definition of stress is argued by many psychologists. Since 1929, different researchers have developed various definitions of stress. Some researchers believe that the definition should be impartial, while others suggest that it could depend on individual opinions (Furnham 2005). According to the early studies, Selye defines stress as the non-specific response of the body to any demand made upon it (1956 ¼Ã…’pp.27-29). Selyes definition concerns the physiological reaction instead of incorporating both psychological and physiological responses. A few years later, Cox (1978) illustrates that stress can be explained into three meanings: reaction-based, stimulus-based and interactive. Moreover, this theory is developed by other psychologists. Semmer (2003) claims that stress can be divided into stimulus, response and the intercede course between response and stimulus. Hence, Semmers definition is the most popular definition in sphere of learning. People use his definition to deeply understand stress. At present, stress is regarded as a public problem for most of employees. People try to find the roots of stress, especially in workplace. Some psychologists say that stressors such as workload, work schedule and conflict at work are the main sources of stress in the workplace (Landy Conte 2004). Furnham (2005) divides the main stressors into two types of cause: work-related causes and individual personality causes. He separates these stressors from the internal cause (personality) and external cause (environment). Currently, several studies prove that these two main causes which can produce stress in workplace. One of causes is work-related cause. Regarding work-related causes of stress, it includes job requirements, job role, work overload, work underload, organizational change, and other stressors. Firstly, Job requirements are the most significant factor which cause stress in the workplace. There are some demands which can make a job more and more stressful for instance, risk and danger. Police officers, firefighters, and other people in occupations where they often have to face physical threats always need to reduce the stress (Arnold et al. 2010). Secondly, Role-stressors include role conflict and role ambiguity (Woods West 2010). It affects the work settings and social support. Role ambiguity can also be a source of stress if a job description is too vague, and therefore employees are unsure of what duties they have in the office. Thirdly, Work overload and underload also influence emp loyee physical and mental health. Work overload means that there is too much work or work that is too difficult for an employee to complete. On the other hand, work underload means work is too simple to being a challenge for employees (Schultz Schultz 2002). Both work overload and work underload can lead to stress. The more time required completing a task, the lower employees level of happiness, and as a result, it impacts employees health and state of mind. The next factor is organizational change. Usually, it is difficult for employees to find their positions when the situation or environment changes. In that instance, not only the organization changes but also the demands of the organization changes, which in turn can make employees feel stressed. Finally, there are additional stressors in workplace, such as negative leadership and career development. Negative leadership gives employees pressure when they are provided negative feedback. Moreover, most of employees worry about th eir career development. In an employees career development, worrying over promotion and performance appraisals can be a significant factor of stress. Consequently, Work-related causes are external causes, which are objective and hard to change. The other main cause is individual personality causes. In this case, stress is influenced by individual factors, such as personality types, subjective opinions, and intelligence (Furnham 2006). There are many unique elements which can produce stress. Furthermore, peoples tendency to pay attention to the negative sides of an event is also a source of stress for employees. An individuals personality is an internal cause which can change by employees. Thus, these two causes are the common reasons of producing stress. Most employees are bothered by work-related causes, and are suffering from the negative effects of stress for a long time. As the cause of stress already discussed indicate, most researchers assert that stress is a growing problem in many countries one that has the potential to increase in the future (Chimel 2008). In general, stress tends to have negative consequences. Nevertheless, there are also some positive effects of stress in workplace. While, Selye (1956) believes that there are two kinds of stress distress and eustress. Distress is negative stress which can affect peoples health. Eustress is positive stress which can motivate people to reach a goal. Distress expresses the negative consequences of stress. These negative consequences can be separated into three main types: behavioral, psychological, and physiological (Woods West 2010). Initially, for behavior outcomes, people could make more mistakes during the learning and understanding processes. For example, fast food delivery workers can get into accidents more easily when there are too many deliveries to make (Landy Conte 2004). This is because they cannot pay more attention to the situation on the road when they are worried about how they can make deliveries on time. That is very dangerous for workers. Then, the psychological consequences of stress are also serious. Burnout, a common psychology consequence of stress, is a prominent negative effect of stress especially in caring careers nursing and teaching (Landy Conte 2004). For instance, a job which has massive workload and high work demands, usually leads to burnout. Normally, burnout will affect individual achievement. Employees who have low individual achievement will have difficulties facing challenge or difficulties well. It is clear that the high workload and job demands will increase the risk of burnout. In the meantime, some physiological changes result from stress as well. Some early studies reported that stress not only causes heart disease and headaches but also increases blood pressure and heart rate (Arnold et al. 2010). It is hazardous for employees that stress can threaten their life. The negative consequences of stress are easy to uncover, although, many articles have shown that stress can also have a positive influence in workplace. Selye (1956) suggests that a suitable amount of stress can help employee to develop their full potential. Because of eustress, they are good at receiving and acting on positive feedback during work time and they continue to find new challenges in their career development. Consequently, employees can get their goal soon. Stress can encourage employees to be successful in workplace. Nevertheless, most of the time, people spend lots of time studying the negative side of stress instead of the positive. The negative consequences of stress are the main problems that mostly disturb employees in workplace. Because of the negative consequence of stress, nowadays, there are many methods that can reduce or manage stress in the workplace. Some psychologists say that people can use organizational techniques and individual techniques to reduce stress in the workplace. Organizational techniques include changing the organizational climate and providing employee assistance procedure. The organization should make sure that employees are able to adapt to change (Cooper Locke 2000). It is important that employees engage in the decisions leading to change in the workplace. Participation could assist employees in adapting more easily to changes. Employees have a right to express their ideas and opinions. It can help employees to reduce or prevent the stress. Providing employees with assistance procedures means that organizations define employee roles and provide programs about stress management. In order to reduce stress which due to role ambiguity, organizations should give employees a clear job d escription before they start to work. It is an effective way to reduce employees stress. Moreover, appropriate job demands can prevent and reduce work overload and underload. Anther effective way to help employees reduce stress is by providing stress management programs. For example, a survey of 130 workers in Netherlands who engage in a stress management training program reported that it is an effective solution for reducing psychology stress. More importantly, the effects of this program lasted for six months (Schultz Schultz 2002). Accordingly, training programs could be successful in helping employees reduce stress levels in the workplace. On the other hand, Individual techniques for reducing and limiting stress are also important for employees. Since the 1930s, relaxation training has been used as an effective solution for reducing stress. The purpose of this kind of training is decrease the blood pressure. That way, employees begin to feel relaxed more quickly. In addition to the methods already described, biofeedback is another popular technique for reducing stress. Through the feedback of heart rate or blood pressure, people are taught to manage their internal state. Biofeedback can also be used to control brain waves. Keeping calm is an essential element of reducing stress. As a consequence, both organizational techniques and individual techniques are effective ways for helping employees to reduce stress. However, in fact, the organizational techniques are easier than individual techniques to enforce in a company. In conclusion, stress, an increasingly public problem, bothers most employees in modern society. Some psychologists claim that stress is a reaction and stimulus. It is a kind of psychological or physiological response shown when people face challenges or a threatening situation. There are internal causes individual personality and external causes work-related causes. Work-related cause is the main cause for producing stress in workplace. Selye (1956) demonstrates that eustress is one kind of positive stress. Eustress can motivate employees to improve themselves and get their goal. Other researchers, however, say that stress only has negative effects on employees, such as disease and burnout. In accordance with the negative effects of stress, the measures of reducing stress are divided into two categories: organizational techniques and individual techniques. These techniques deal with the stress due to work-related causes and individual personality causes. In the workplace, not only the employees but also the organizations leaders should be concerned about reducing stress.

Pearl: A Product Of Nature :: essays research papers

Pearl is one of the most interesting and mysterious characters of the novel The Scarlet Letter. One tends to wonder why Pearl is the way she is. Why does she act so strangely and so differently than all the other characters? She acts this way because of a relationship she has with the force of Nature, which Hawthorne personifies as sympathetic towards sins against the puritan way of life. Because of this trait Hester's sin causes Nature to accept Pearl. Finally, Pearl's acceptance of Nature is what causes her to act the way she does.First it is necessary to examine how nature is identified with sin against the Puritan way of life. The first example of this is found in the first chapter regarding the rosebush at the prison door. This rosebush is located "on one side of the portal, and rooted almost at the threshold"(36) of the prison. The prison naturally is the place where people that have sinned against the puritan way of life remain. Then Hawthorne suggests that the roses of the rose-bush "might be imagined to offer their fragrance and fragile beauty to the prisoner as he went in, and to the condemned criminal as he came forth to his doom, in token that the deep heart of Nature could pity and be kind to him"(36). This clearly states that Nature is kind to prisoners and criminals that pass through the prison doors. Hawthorne strengthens this point by suggesting two possible reasons for the rosebush's genesis. The first is that "it had merely survived out of the stern old wilderness..."(36), while the second reason is that "there is fair authority for believing [the rose-bush] had sprung up under the footsteps of the sainted Ann Hutchinson..."(36). By Hawthorne's wording it appears as if he is emphasizing the second reason because he suggests there is "fair authority." Connecting the rosebush originating from Ann Hutchinson, an outcast from puritan society, shows the connection with Nature and sin against puritan way of life. This rosebush symbolizes the sympathy of Nature towards the very people Puritan society has condemned.The idea illustrated by the rosebush can therefore be applied to the specific character of Pearl. Because Pearl was expelled from Puritan society Nature sympathizes with her. Nature's sympathy and partiality with Pearl can be seen with the sunshine in the forest. Pearl attempts to "catch" the sunshine and according to Hawthorn "Pearl .

Primary Education in Turkey, Morocco, Egypt, Greece, and the United States :: Essays Papers

Primary Education in Turkey, Morocco, Egypt, Greece, and the United States Throughout this program I have been confronted with many images and facts about primary education that I will not soon forget. The sounds of young Turkish children reciting "I am a Turk, I am strong"; the image of six year olds in Morocco learning to memorize the Qur'an before they can read or write; the idea of community schools in Egypt where students and parents learn together to benefit and bring prosperity to the community as a whole; and, finally, the idea that art is so important to Greek culture that it is one of the five major goals of primary education. These are all interesting things, they are all things I never would have expected to learn through this program, and they have made this topic and project more meaningful for me. I chose the topic of primary education not only because I am studying to be a teacher, but also because there are a lot of controversies and new ideas that are coming into American education currently, particularly the acts and ideas of No Child Lef t Behind, and I was curious to research how other countries were dealing with the same issues that we see in the educational system of the United States. I started my learning plan with the goals of seeing how primary education was structured in each of the countries we were visiting (Turkey, Morocco, Egypt, and Greece) both theoretically as well as how effective the actual practice of education was, to see what the situation regarding the primary education of girls was in each of the countries and what differences existed in the education of the two genders, to find out the unique solutions each country had found for their own educational system that addressed their country's own specific challenges, to see the role that nationalism and religion played in the primary education of students in each of the countries, and finally to come to the grand finale of the purpose of primary education in each of the countries, to use that information to help me better understand primary educati on, and to compare these findings to the purpose of primary education in the United States. In my project today I plan to lay out seven aspects of primary education, explain how each of these aspects is carried out in the four countries we visited, and then to speak about how each aspect influences the cultures of Turkey, Morocco, Egypt, and Greece.

Shadow Kiss Chapter 18

Eighteen EVERYTHING BECAME FUZZY after that. I had vague impressions of moving in and out of consciousness, of people saying my name, and of being in the air again. Eventually, I woke up in the school's infirmary and found Dr. Olendzki looking down at me. â€Å"Hello, Rose,† she said. She was a middle-aged Moroi and often joked that I was her number one patient. â€Å"How are you feeling?† The details of what had happened came back. The faces. Mason. The other ghosts. The terrible pain in my head. All of it was gone. â€Å"Fine,† I said, half-surprised to be saying those words. For a moment, I wondered if maybe it had all been a dream. Then I looked beyond her and saw Dimitri and Alberta looming nearby. The looks on their faces told me the events on the plane had indeed been real. Alberta cleared her throat, and Dr. Olendzki glanced back. â€Å"May we?† Alberta asked. The doctor nodded, and the other two stepped forward. Dimitri, as always, was a balm to me. No matter what happened, I always felt a little safer in his presence. Yet even he hadn't been able to stop what had happened at the airport. When he looked at me like he was now, with an expression of such tenderness and concern, it triggered mixed feelings. Part of me loved that he cared so much. The other part wanted to be strong for him and didn't want to make him worry. â€Å"Rose†¦Ã¢â‚¬  began Alberta uncertainly. I could tell she had no clue how to go about this. What had happened was beyond her realm of experience. Dimitri took over. â€Å"Rose, what happened back there?† Before I could utter a word, he cut me off. â€Å"And do not say it was nothing this time.† Well, if I couldn't fall back on that answer, then I didn't know what to say. Dr. Olendzki pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. â€Å"We only want to help you.† â€Å"I don't need any help,† I said. â€Å"I'm fine.† I sounded just like Brandon and Brett. I was probably only one step away from saying, â€Å"I fell.† Alberta finally regained herself. â€Å"You were fine when we were in the air. When we landed, you were most definitely not fine.† â€Å"I'm fine now,† I replied stonily, not meeting their eyes. â€Å"What happened then?† she asked. â€Å"Why the screaming? What did you mean when you said we needed to make ‘them' go away?† I briefly considered my other fallback answer, the one about stress. That sounded completely stupid now. So, again, I said nothing. To my surprise, I felt tears build up in my eyes. â€Å"Rose,† murmured Dimitri, voice as soft as silk against my skin. â€Å"Please.† Something in that cracked me. It was so hard for me to stand against him. I turned my head and stared at the ceiling. â€Å"Ghosts,† I whispered. â€Å"I saw ghosts.† None of them had expected that, but honestly, how could they have? Heavy silence fell. Finally, Dr. Olendzki spoke in a faltering voice. â€Å"W-what do you mean?† I swallowed. â€Å"He's been following me for the last couple of weeks. Mason. On campus. I know it sounds crazy – but it's him. Or his ghost. That's what happened with Stan. I locked up because Mason was there, and I didn't know what to do. On the plane†¦ I think he was there too †¦ and others. But I couldn't exactly see them when we were in the air. Just glimpses†¦ and the headache. But when we landed in Martinville, he was there in full form. And – and he wasn't alone. There were others with him. Other ghosts.† A tear escaped from my eye, and I hastily wiped at it, hoping none of them had seen it. I waited then, not sure what to expect. Would someone laugh? Tell me I was crazy? Accuse me of lying and demand to know what had really happened? â€Å"Did you know them?† Dimitri asked finally. I turned back and actually met his eyes. They were still serious and concerned, no mockery. â€Å"Yeah †¦ I saw some of Victor's guardians and the people from the massacre. Lissa's†¦Lissa's family was there too.† Nobody said anything after that. They all just sort of exchanged glances, hoping perhaps that one of the others might shed light on all this. Dr. Olendzki sighed. â€Å"Could I speak with the two of you privately?† The three of them stepped out of the examining room, shutting the door behind them. Only it didn't quite catch. Scrambling off the bed, I crossed the room and stood by the door. The tiny crack was just enough for my dhampir hearing to pick up the conversation. I felt bad about eavesdropping, but they were talking about me, and I couldn't shake the feeling that my future was on the line here. † – obvious what's going on,† hissed Dr. Olendzki. It was the first time I'd ever heard her sound so irate. With patients, she was the picture of serenity. It was hard to imagine her angry, but she was clearly pissed off now. â€Å"That poor girl. She's undergoing post-traumatic stress disorder, and it's no wonder after everything that's happened.† â€Å"Are you sure?† asked Alberta. â€Å"Maybe it's something else†¦Ã¢â‚¬  But as her words trailed off, I could tell she didn't really know of anything else that would explain it. â€Å"Look at the facts: a teenage girl who witnessed one of her friends getting killed and then had to kill his killer. You don't think that's traumatic? You don't think that might have had the tiniest effect on her?† â€Å"Tragedy is something all guardians have to deal with,† said Alberta. â€Å"Maybe there's not much to be done for guardians in the field, but Rose is still a student here. There are resources that can help her.† â€Å"Like what?† asked Dimitri. He sounded curious and concerned, not like he was challenging her. â€Å"Counseling. Talking to someone about what happened can do worlds of good. You should have done that as soon as she got back. You should do it for the others who were with her while you're at it. Why doesn't anyone think of these things?† â€Å"It's a good idea,† said Dimitri. I recognized the tone in his voice – his mind was spinning. â€Å"She could do it on her day off.† â€Å"Day off? More like every day. You should pull her from this entire field experience. Fake Strigoi attacks are not the way to recover from a real one.† â€Å"No!† I had pushed open the door before I realized it. They all stared at me, and I immediately felt stupid. I'd just busted myself for spying. â€Å"Rose,† said Dr. Olendzki, returning to her caring (but slightly chastising) doctor mode. â€Å"You should go lie down.† â€Å"I'm fine. And you can't make me quit the field experience. I won't graduate if you do.† â€Å"You aren't well, Rose, and there's nothing to be ashamed of after what's happened to you. Thinking you're seeing the ghost of someone who died isn't too out there when you consider the circumstances.† I started to correct her on the thinking you're seeing part but then bit it off. Arguing that I'd really seen a ghost wasn't probably going to do me any favors, I decided, even if I was starting to believe that was exactly what I was seeing. Frantically, I tried to think of a convincing reason to stay in the field experience. I was usually pretty good at talking myself out of bad situations. â€Å"Unless you're going to put me in counseling 24/7, you're just going to make it worse. I need something to do. Most of my classes are on hold right now. What would I do? Sit around? Think more and more about what happened? I'll go crazy – for real. I don't want to sit on the past forever. I need to get moving with my future.† This threw them into an argument about what to do with me. I listened, biting my tongue, knowing I needed to stay out of it. Finally, with some grumbling from the doctor, they all decided I would go on half-time for the field experience. It proved to be the ideal compromise for everyone – well, except me. I just wanted life to go on exactly as it had. Still, I knew this was probably as good a deal as I'd get. They decided that I'd do three days of field experience a week, with no night duties. During the other days, I'd have to do some training and whatever bookwork they dug up for me. I'd also have to see a counselor, which I wasn't thrilled about. It wasn't that I had anything against counselors. Lissa had been seeing one, and it had been really useful for her. Talking things out helped. It was just†¦well, this was just something I didn't want to talk about. But if it came down to this or being kicked out of the field experience, I was more than happy to go with this. Alberta felt they could still justify passing me on half-time. She also liked the idea of having counseling going on at the same time I was dealing with fake Strigoi attacks – just in case they really were traumatizing. After a bit more examination, Dr. Olendzki gave me a clean bill of health and told me I could go back to my dorm. Alberta left after that, but Dimitri stuck around to walk me back. â€Å"Thanks for thinking of the half-time thing,† I told him. The walkways were wet today because the weather had warmed up after the storm. It wasn't bathing suit weather or anything, but a lot of the ice and snow were melting. Water dripped steadily from trees, and we had to sidestep puddles. Dimitri came to an abrupt stop and turned so that he stood right in front of me, blocking my path. I skidded to a halt, nearly running into him. He reached out and grabbed my arm, pulling me closer to him than I would have expected him to do in public. His fingers bit deep into me, but they didn't hurt. â€Å"Rose,† he said, the pain in his voice making my heart stop, â€Å"this shouldn't have been the first time I heard about this! Why didn't you tell me? Do you know what it was like? Do you know it was like for me to see you like that and not know what was happening? Do you know how scared I was?† I was stunned, both from his outburst and our proximity. I swallowed, unable to speak at first. There was so much on his face, so many emotions. I couldn't recall the last time I'd seen that much of him on display. It was wonderful and frightening at the same time. I then said the stupidest thing possible. â€Å"You're not scared of anything.† â€Å"I'm scared of lots of things. I was scared for you.† He released me, and I stepped back. There was still passion and worry written all over him. â€Å"I'm not perfect. I'm not invulnerable.† â€Å"I know, it's just†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I didn't know what to say. He was right. I always saw Dimitri as larger than life. All-knowing. Invincible. It was hard for me to believe that he could worry about me so much. â€Å"And this has been going on for a long time too,† he added. â€Å"It was going on with Stan, when you were talking to Father Andrew about ghosts – you were dealing with it this whole time! Why didn't you tell anyone? Why didn't you tell Lissa †¦ or †¦ me?† I stared into those dark, dark eyes, those eyes I loved. â€Å"Would you have believed me?† He frowned. â€Å"Believed what?† â€Å"That I'm seeing ghosts.† â€Å"Well†¦ they aren't ghosts, Rose. You only think they are because – â€Å" â€Å"That's why,† I interrupted. â€Å"That's why I couldn't tell you or anybody. Nobody would believe me, not without thinking I'm crazy.† â€Å"I don't think you're crazy,† he said. â€Å"But I think you've been through a lot.† Adrian had said almost the exact same thing when I asked him how I could tell if I was crazy or not. â€Å"It's more than that,† I said. I started walking again. Without even taking another step, he reached out and grabbed me once more. He pulled me back to him, so that we now stood even closer than before. I glanced uneasily around again, wondering if someone might see us, but the campus was deserted. It was early, not quite sunset, so early that most people probably weren't even up for the school day yet. We wouldn't see activity around here for at least another hour. Still, I was surprised to see Dimitri was still risking it. â€Å"Tell me then,† he said. â€Å"Tell me how it's more than that.† â€Å"You won't believe me,† I said. â€Å"Don't you get it? No one will. Even you †¦ of all people.† Something in that thought made my voice catch. Dimitri understood so much about me. I wanted – needed – him to understand this too. â€Å"I'll†¦try. But I still don't think you really understand what's happening to you.† â€Å"I do,† I said firmly. â€Å"That's what no one realizes. Look, you have to decide once and for all if you really do trust me. If you think I'm a child, too na?ve to get what's going on with her fragile mind, then you should just keep walking. But if you trust me enough to remember that I've seen things and know things that kind of surpass those of others my age†¦well, then you should also realize that I might know a little about what I'm talking about.† A lukewarm breeze, damp with the scent of melted snow, swirled around us. â€Å"I do trust you, Roza. But†¦ I don't believe in ghosts.† The earnestness was there. He did want to reach out to me, to understand†¦but even as he did, it warred with beliefs he wasn't ready to change yet. It was ironic, considering tarot cards apparently spooked him. â€Å"Will you try to?† I asked. â€Å"Or at the very least try not to write this off to some psychosis?† â€Å"Yes. That I can do.† So I told him about my first couple of Mason sightings and how I'd been afraid to explain the Stan incident to anyone. I talked about the shapes I'd seen on the plane and described in more detail what I'd seen on the ground. â€Å"Doesn't it seem kind of, um, specific for a random stress reaction?† I asked when I finished. â€Å"I don't know that you can really expect ‘stress reactions' to be random or specific. They're unpredictable by nature.† He had that thoughtful expression I knew so well, the one that told me he was turning over all sorts of things in his head. I could also tell that he still wasn't buying this as a real ghost story but that he was trying very hard to keep an open mind. He affirmed as much a moment later: â€Å"Why are you so certain these aren't just things you're imagining?† â€Å"Well, at first I thought I was imagining it all. But now †¦ I don't know. There's something about it that feels real†¦ even though I know that isn't actually evidence. But you heard what Father Andrew said – about ghosts sticking around after they die young or violently.† Dimitri actually bit his lip. He'd been about to tell me not to take the priest literally. Instead he asked, â€Å"So you think Mason's back for revenge?† â€Å"I thought that at first, but now I'm not so sure. He's never tried to hurt me. He just seems like he wants something. And then †¦ all those other ghosts seemed to want something too – even the ones I didn't know. Why?† Dimitri gave me a sage look. â€Å"You have a theory.† â€Å"I do. I was thinking about what Victor said. He mentioned that because I'm shadow-kissed – because I died – I have a connection to the world of the dead. That I'll never entirely leave it behind me.† His expression hardened. â€Å"I wouldn't put a lot of stock in what Victor Dashkov tells you.† â€Å"But he knows things! You know he does, no matter how big an asshole he is.† â€Å"Okay, supposing that's true, that being shadow-kissed lets you see ghosts, why is it happening now? Why didn't it happen right after the car accident?† â€Å"I thought of that,† I said eagerly. â€Å"It was something else Victor said – that now that I was dealing in death, I was that much closer to the other side. What if causing someone else's death strengthened my connection and now makes this possible? I just had my first real kill. Kills, even.† â€Å"Why is it so haphazard?† asked Dimitri. â€Å"Why does it occur when it does? Why the airplane? Why not at Court?† My enthusiasm dimmed a little. â€Å"What are you, a lawyer?† I snapped. â€Å"You question everything I'm saying. I thought you were going to have an open mind.† â€Å"I am. But you need to too. Think about it. Why this pattern of sightings?† â€Å"I don't know,† I admitted. I sagged in defeat. â€Å"You still think I'm crazy.† He reached out and cupped my chin, tipping my face up to look at his. â€Å"No. Never. Not one of these theories makes me think you're crazy. But I've always believed the simplest explanation makes sense. Dr. Olendzki's does. The ghost one has holes. But, if you can find out more†¦then we may have something to work with.† â€Å"We?† I asked. â€Å"Of course. I'm not leaving you alone on this, no matter what. You know I'd never abandon you.† There was something very sweet and noble about his words, and I felt the need to return them, though mostly I ended up sounding idiotic. â€Å"And I won't ever abandon you, you know. I mean it†¦ not that this stuff ever happens to you, of course, but if you start seeing ghosts or anything, I'll help you through it.† He gave a small, soft laugh. â€Å"Thanks.† Our hands found each other's, fingers lacing together. We stood like that for almost a full minute, neither of us saying anything. The only place we touched was our hands. The breeze picked up again, and although the temperature was probably only in the forties, it felt like spring to me. I expected flowers to burst into bloom around us. As though sharing the same thought, we released our hands at the same time. We reached my dorm shortly after that, and Dimitri asked if I'd be okay going in on my own. I told him I'd be fine and that he should go do his own thing. He left, but just as I was about to step through the lobby door, I realized my overnight bag was still back at the med clinic. Muttering a few things that would have gotten me a detention, I turned around and hurried back in the direction I'd just come. Dr. Olendzski's receptionist motioned me toward the examining rooms when I told her why I was there. I retrieved the bag from my now-empty room and turned into the hall to leave. Suddenly, in the room opposite mine, I saw someone lying in bed. There was no sign of any of the clinic's staff, and my curiosity – always getting the better of me – made me peek inside. It was Abby Badica, a senior Moroi. Cute and perky were the adjectives that usually came to mind when I described Abby, but this time, she was anything but. She was bruised and scratched up, and when she turned her face to look at me, I saw red welts. â€Å"Let me guess,† I said. â€Å"You fell.† â€Å"W-what?† â€Å"You fell. I hear that's the standard answer: Brandon, Brett, and Dane. But I'll tell you the truth – you guys need to come up with something else. I think the doctor's getting suspicious.† Her eyes went wide. â€Å"You know?† It was then that I realized my mistake with Brandon. I'd come at him demanding answers, which had made him reluctant to share anything. Those who'd questioned Brett and Dane had faced similar results. With Abby, I realized that I just had to act like I already knew the answers, and then she'd give up the information. â€Å"Of course I know. They told me everything.† â€Å"What?† she squeaked. â€Å"They swore not to. It's part of the rules.† Rules? What was she talking about? The royal-bashing vigilante group I'd been picturing didn't really seem like the type to have rules. There was something else going on here. â€Å"Well, they didn't have much of a choice. I don't know why, but I keep finding you guys afterward. I had to help cover for them. I'm telling you, I don't know how much longer this can go on without someone asking more questions.† I spoke like I was a sympathizer, wanting to help if I could. â€Å"I should have been stronger. I tried, but it wasn't enough.† She looked tired – and in pain. â€Å"Just keep quiet until everything's set, okay? Please?† â€Å"Sure,† I said, dying to know what she'd â€Å"tried.† â€Å"I'm not going to drag anyone else in. How'd you even end up here? You're supposed to avoid attracting attention.† Or so I assumed. I was totally making this up as I went along. She grimaced. â€Å"The dorm matron noticed and made me come in. If the rest of the Man? finds out, I'm going to get in trouble.† â€Å"Hopefully the doctor'll send you on your way before any of them find out. She's kind of busy. You've got the same marks as Brett and Brandon, and none of theirs were that serious.† So I hoped. â€Å"The†¦uh, burn marks were a little tricky, but they haven't had any problems.† It was a gamble in my game here. Not only did I have no clue about the specifics of Brett's injuries, I also didn't actually know if those marks Jill had described on him were burns. If they weren't, I might have just blown my insider act. But, she didn't correct me, and her fingers absentmindedly touched one of the welts. â€Å"Yeah, they said the damage wouldn't last. I'll just have to make up something for Olendzki.† A small flicker of hope shone in her eyes. â€Å"They said they wouldn't, but maybe†¦maybe they'll let me try again.† It was at that moment that the good doctor returned. She was surprised to see me still there and told me I needed to get back home and rest. I said goodbye to both of them and trekked back out into the cold. I barely noticed the weather as I walked, though. Finally, finally, I had a clue in this puzzle. Man?.