Should the IMF attach conditions to the credits its extends to Essay

Should the IMF attach conditions to the credits its extends to developing countries - Essay Example It is a strategy to ensure that the loans are paid back as well as ensuring that the loans will be used effectively (Breen 3). The position that I take regarding the question or discussion at hand is that I support the IMF in attaching conditions to the credits it extends to the developing countries. The fact that if such conditions are not implemented the countries that have been lend the funds may fail to pay them back make me completely support the IMF in adopting such policy reforms that are in IMF conditionality agreements. My argument is that if the IMF does not implement conditionally norms when lending the developing countries loan, they might fail to use the funds effectively and for the given purpose. However, if they happen to use the loan for the initial purposes, they might not implement the economic policies that affirm the loan funded programs. In some sense, without these policy reforms the developing countries may become an aid independently. It means that if the IMF disburses loan on easy financial terms they will definitely expect recipients to be dully differential coefficient to their interest and advice. Lack of IMF to attach conditions in the developing countries, while they lending them loans will cause these countries to be completely dependent of the aid offered to them (Independent Evaluation Office 9). This is because cheap loans that do not have conditions contribute to the addicts’ dependence of financial agencies such as IMF as the solvent for a little performance and i nadequate domestic resource mobilization. The increase in variability of capital flows in the world and especially among the developing countries necessitates the adjustment of the IMF reform programs. Therefore, the need for conditionality agreement when lending out loans in order to restore a balanced capital account, which give greater weight of the financial sector soundness and the allowed exchange rate policy. However, the

HR Audit Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

HR Audit Report - Essay Example 994), â€Å"Although traditional sources of competitive advantage such as the natural resources, technology, economies of scale and so forth create value, the resource based argument is that these resources are increasingly easy to imitate, especially in comparison to a complex social structure such as an employment system. Hence, human resource strategies may be an especially important source of sustained competitive advantage†. The mission of the organization is to â€Å"provide quality bakery products at competitive prices†. The quality consciousness in reflected in the policies of the management in the production, marketing and customer service. But on the other hand the management should also try to evolve new methods to evaluate the cost of various operations more stringent. The assurance of quality should not be increasing the cost and this will tend to push the prices up and high prices will not help the bakery to achieve its mission. The vision of the bakery is â€Å"To be a leading bakery in major cities of the country†. The vision of J Co is not clear and it is very ambiguous in its definition of the exact terms. This kind of vision statement will not help in aligning the organization to wards achievement of goals. Based on the mission and vision, the management of the company has formulated the objectives. The annual objective of J Co bakery is to increase the sales by 10% in the year 2008. To achieve the target growth first an analysis of the planning activities and organizing activities is necessary. The audit of the plans show that J Co has planning done extensively for increasing the sales. But it is lagging behind in its lack of planning in the area of projection of resources required to achieve the sales. The plans do not allocate budget effectively for each retail outlet but only a general allotment of money on a whole. Hence, the personnel in each outlet do not have a clear picture about the allotment of money to carryout their operations and

Lonely Miss Brill the Eavesdropper Essay Example for Free

Lonely Miss Brill the Eavesdropper Essay Miss Brill by Katherine Mansfield is about a middle-aged English teacher who secretly listens to other peoples conversation due to her loneliness. Every weekend Miss Brill goes out to the parade in a park and listens to other peoples conversation because she has nobody to talk to but her fur coat. She treasures her fur coat as if its her pet and has conversations with it. Towards the end of the story, she realizes that nobody likes her, therefore she goes home into her dark room and cries. Katherine Mansfield, uses imagery, characterization, and point-of-view uses these three literary elements to inform the meaning of the lonliness. The author uses imagery for the reader to better understand the story and to create the apperance of her loneliness. In the beginning of the story, the author states She had taken it out of its box that afternoon, shaken out the moth powderrubbed the life back into the dim little eyes. (Mansfield 1)Here, Miss Brill takes out her fur coat and starts to talk to it and pets it as if it is her pet. From this, the reader can can visually interpret that Miss Brill had no friends or family to talk to when she was lonley. Furthermore, towards the end of the story, a girl at the park says, Its exactly like a fried whiting.(Mansfield 4) The reader can visualize the story the author intended on how the little girl at the park makes fun of Miss Brill of her fur coat saying that it looks like fried fish. After hearing this, Miss Brill goes home and cries in her dark room. In addition, the author uses point-of-view for the reader to step into the main characters shoes. In the beginning of the story, when Miss Brill went to the park to watch the parade, the author states Wasnt the conductor wearing a new coat, too? She sure it was new. (Mansfield 1) From this quote, the reader can see that she went to the parade often, enough to know what the bandsmen wore each weekend to perform. Furthermore, the author states But to-day she passed the bakers by, climbed the stairs, went into the little dark room- her room like a cupboardShe sat there for a long time. (Mansfield 4) After coming back from the parade, getting made fun of, she goes to her room in a depressed mood and cries by herself. Lastly, from the begininng of the story, the reader can tell that Miss Brill had a unique personality. From talking and petting her fur coat, to eavesdropping, her character is a bit different from others. Her lonliness could have lead her to eavesdrop on people and have a fur coat as her friend. The author states, This was disappointing, for Miss Brill always looked foward to the conversation. (Mansfield 1), to show her lonliness. In this quote, the reader can see that Miss Brill liked to talk to people and even if she wasnt in the conversation, she would like to listen to them. Furthermore, he author states How she enjoyed it! How she loved sitting there, watching it all! It was like a play. (Mansfield 3) This quote is explaining how she enjoyed the parade as if it was a play. The reader can see that she entertained herself by going to the park every weekend to forget about her loneliness. The author successfully used these three literary elements for the readers to better understand the story, to create the appearance of her lonliness and visualize interpret what the author was intending to say. Authors using literary elements in their story is important because they can send what theyre trying to say to the readers easily with the literary elements. Furthermore, it is important to the readers because the readers can better understand the story and relate the story to the world. Reading this story, readers can understand people who too are lonely and step into their shoes to understand their feelings.

Difference between monetary and fiscal policy essay

Difference between monetary and fiscal policy essay Describe the difference between monetary and fiscal policy in the UK and explain how such policies can be used to achieve different macroeconomic government objectives. The main and most obvious difference between monetary and fiscal policy is that monetary policy is set by the central bank and fiscal policy is implemented by the government. In the case of the UK, monetary policy is decided upon by the Bank of England which since 1997 has been independent from the government. It would be worth considering the two types of economic policy in more detail now before turning to look at how they can be used to help meet macroeconomic government objectives. Monetary policy is the attempt to control macroeconomic variables through the setting of interest rates. It is a rather blunt policy tool as its effects can be felt throughout the economy as a whole. By changing interest rates, the Bank of England is trying to influence the overall expenditure in the economy as well as controlling inflation. Reducing interest rates makes borrowing the more attractive alternative to saving which then leads to more spending in the economy. Lowering interest rates can also make assets such as property increase in value which also leads to more spending as homeowners extend mortgages and consume more. By cutting interest rates, it is hoped that this increased spending feeds through to output and then to employment. Increasing interest rates on the other hand, has the opposite effect by making saving more attractive than spending and therefore overall spending in the economy is reduced. Fiscal policy is controlled by central government. It can be defined as, â€Å"a governments program with respect to (1) the purchase of goods and services and spending on transfer payments, and (2) the amount and type of tax† (Samuelson and Nordhaus, 1998). It involved the government changing levels of taxation and spending in order to influence the level of aggregate demand (AD). The purpose of fiscal policy is to reduce inflation, stimulate economic growth and to stabilise this growth and avoid periods of ‘boom and bust which characterised the economy during the 1980s and early 1990s. If monetary policy is described as a blunt instrument then fiscal policy is a precision tool that can target particular sectors of the economy and population in order to achieve the desired economic changes. Both these different types of policy are working towards achieving different macroeconomic objectives. It would be worth looking at these in greater detail now. There are four major macroeconomic objectives that any economic policy should be working to achieve. These are full employment; price stability; sustainable economic growth and; keeping the Balance of Payments in equilibrium. These four different objectives compete with each other and all achieve different levels of importance depending on the priorities of the government. During the 1960s, the Balance of Payments took centre stage. This was before the global economy made operating with a deficit a viable and sustainable option. Nowadays most governments operate with a budget deficit and the balance of Payments is no longer seen as a top priority for the government. In 2007/2008 the UK government showed a deficit of  £38.7 billion which is around 2.7% of gross domestic product (GDP). The general government debt is around  £614.4 billion which is around 43.2% of GDP (ONS, 2008). In the 1960s such levels of debt would be unthinkable but now they are just part of a global reality. In order to implement social programs and fulfil spending promises, the government is forced to borrow from global institutions. This has become a global reality. These current times of economic uncertainty only increases the amount of borrowing by governments all over the world. Full employment enjoyed similar prominence in the period after the war until the 1980s. Full employment meant that more people were contributing to the economy both in terms of output and through taxation. It also meant that the government had to spend less on social programs. This full employment was aided by a largely industrial economy which started to decline in the 1980s. Thatcher wanted to restructure the economy to make it more efficient and move it away from its industrial base. Full employment is still an important objective and it is one that is gaining prevalence again but during this current recession it isnt a realistic prospect. The current rate of employment stands at 74.1% (ONS, 2009) which is a slight decrease on the previous year. However, as the recession deepens, it is expected that this number will fall even further. Perhaps the most two important objectives for the government at present are sustained economic growth and price stability by keeping inflation low. The government is trying to foster sustainable growth in the economy which means growth without inflation. However, the past year has seen the UK economy slip in to a recession, making any sort of growth impossible. During this recession the level of inflation has fallen but this has not translated into economic growth. It was hoped that that low inflation would mean that spending would increase. However, the current economic climate has seen prices fall so much that consumers are now waiting to see if prices fall even further before spending (Monaghan, 2009). This essay will now turn to look at how the use of monetary and fiscal policy can be used to achieve these macroeconomic objectives. Perhaps one of the most significant changes that the current government introduced was giving the Bank of England independence when it comes to setting interest rates. Before the government was dictating both monetary policy and fiscal policy. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is now tasked with maintaining price stability and also supporting the government in meeting its objectives for growth and employment (Budd, 1998). The government still sets the goals of monetary policy but it is up to the Bank of England to decide how best to achieve this through. The independence of the central bank is considered important for a number of reasons. Firstly, politicians are not experts when it comes to monetary policymaking. Secondly, central banks are more likely to have the interest of the country at heart rather than politicians who may be motivated by implementing populist policies for the sake of winning votes. Thirdly, politicians are unlikely to want to keep to monetary policies when t hey have adverse affects like high unemployment, although this wasnt the case with Thatcher. The final argument for having an independent central bank is that countries that have them tend to have lower levels of inflation (Alensina and Gatti, 1995). This essay will now look at how the MPC goes about meeting its objective of maintaining price stability. The present recession has forced the committee to consider radical solutions to the unique problems that the economy is facing. For the past year, the bank has cut interest rates on six consecutive occasions to the current record low of 0.5%. It was hoped that cutting interest rates to this level would stimulate spending in the economy and that this would translate to economic growth and would keep inflation at the. However, this has not happened because the banks have stopped lending the money usually required to facilitate the spending. This has forced the Bank of England to consider other options. One such measure introduced in the past month was quantitative easing. This idea is the equivalent of printing up large amounts of money, in the case of the UK it is estimated to be about  £75 billion, and throwing it out of a helicopter so that the people below could pick it up and spend it (Elliot, 2009). This is a rather simplistic view of what the Bank of England is trying to achieve. This  £75 billion will be used to buy government bonds and corporate debt over the next three months. By exchanging these bonds for cash that the bank has printed, it is hoped that this will increase the flow of money in the economy. With more cash, banks should start lending once again to other banks, businesses, and customers. This will increase spending in the economy which will lead to economic growth. However, the success of this measure rests on whether customers still want to borrow. The popular conception amongst the public is that we are in this position because we borrowed way above our means. It remains to be seen if once credit is made available again b y banks whether people will take it up again. If they dont, then the banks will be awash with money that will be doing nothing and this will not lead to economic growth but rather to inflation. The Bank of England has to achieve a fine balance. It has to provide enough money to banks to encourage them to lend again at competitive rates but it also has to make sure that there isnt a surplus of money that will send inflation out of control (Kollewe, 2009). Beyond cutting interest rates and printing there is little more that monetary policy can offer to delivering macroeconomic objectives. This essay will now look at how fiscal policy delivers macroeconomic objectives. Fiscal policy can be more fine tuned to target particular sectors of the economy and the population. It does not take the rather blanket approach taken by monetary policy. Perhaps the most effective fiscal policy to achieving macroeconomic objectives is through borrowing and taxation. For example, the government recently cut the lower starting rate of income tax. This encourages people on lower incomes to work more hours because they will be able to keep more of what they earn. This they can either spend or save, based on the level of inflation that is determined by monetary policy. Another measure introduced last year by the government was the 2.5% reduction of the rate of VAT. This was introduced at the end of last year as a way of boosting spending, especially in the run up to the busy Christmas period. However, this has not had the desired effect on household spending which is at its lowest level since 1991 (ONS, 2009). It could be argued that fiscal policy is not as much use as monetary policy to meeting macroeconomic objectives at the present time. The government is trying to stimulate spending in the economy by borrowing more money in order to fund tax cuts and increased spending in social programs. However, the effect of this may be that people are realising that they may face a higher tax burden in the future because of this increased spending and so are saving more in anticipation of this. The government is presently pumping money into sectors of the economy that provide large numbers of jobs. For example, it has just stated that it is prepared to make up to  £2.3 billion available to car manufacturers. The Business Minister, Ian Pearson, stated that this level of investment was necessary to, â€Å"ensuring the industry comes out of the current downturn with the skills and technology needed to be competitive in the global automotive market†. However, the success of this initiative again rests with the consumer. Will they want to borrow to finance things such as cars in the future? The car industry may be facing a downturn that will not recover after the recession. Because the economy is at present shrinking it means that the government is not getting as much income from tax revenues because less people are in work and those working arent getting as much. Welfare spending has had to increase to make sure that the standard of living does not fall in the UK. Those who have lost their jobs as a result of the recession have to be provided for by the state. All of this contributes to a much larger deficit which doesnt fit in with meeting macroeconomic objectives. With the global economic situation seemingly changing on an almost daily basis, it is hard to judge just how effective monetary and fiscal policies are in meeting macroeconomic objectives. It is also hard to judge which is the most effective way of delivering these objectives. This essay would argue that both policies are fairly weak at the moment. In order for monetary policy to work, it requires people to have the confidence to spend knowing that money is always going to be available to them. This could be just a person buying goods in the high street or a business buying services from another business. It would seem that UK consumers are willing to hold on to large quantities of money, even though the central bank has lowered interest rates to such an extent that it makes saving a very unattractive option. Consumer confidence is low, and when it is low people tend to hold on to their money rather than borrowing more. It remains to see just how effective this quantitative easing wi ll be. In many ways it seems that fiscal policy is working against monetary policy at present in achieving macroeconomic objectives. While on the surface it seems logical for the government to be borrowing big in order to fund tax cuts and create jobs, many people see this borrowing as storing up problems for the future because all this borrowed money will have to be repaid at some point. This means that people are saving more instead of spending which the government wants us to do to meet the objective of growth in the economy. In a growing, sustainable economy, both monetary and fiscal policy should serve to benefit each other and they should work for each other in achieving macroeconomic objectives. In a receding economy such as is being witnessed in the UK, there needs to be a delicate balance struck between the two. It would seem that this balance has yet to be achieved and at present they are fighting against each other. Bibliography and References: Alensina, A. and Gatti, R. (1995). How independent should central banks be?, The American Economic Review, 85(2), 196-200. Budd, A. (1998). The Role and Operations of the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee, The Economic Journal, 108(451), 1783-1794. Dunkley, J. (2009). UK given approval for  £2.3bn auto bail-out, The Telegraph, 28 Feb. Elliot, L. (2009). Quantitative Easing, The Guardian, 8 January. Monaghan, A. (2009). UK inflation falls to lowest in lowest in almost 50 years, The Telegraph, 17 Feb. Kollewe, J. (2009). Bank of England cuts rates to 0.5% and starts quantitative easing, The Guardian, 5 March. Moore, E. and Warwick-Ching, L. (2009). Rate cut brings more misery to savers, The Financial Times, 5 March. Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2008). UK Government Debt and Deficit [online] Available from: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?ID=277 [Date accessed: 10 March 2009] Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2009). Employment [online] Available from: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?ID=12 [Date accessed: 10 March 2009]

The Growth of Mothers and Daughters in Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club :: Joy Luck Club Essays

The Growth of Mothers and Daughters in Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club Every twelve months of every year the seasons change from spring, summer, fall and then winter.   The cycle repeats itself every year having similar weather conditions as the previous season before.   Like the four seasons mother and daughter are very similar in the way they change and grow throughout time.   A mother learns from her mother and then passes on her morals and rituals on to her daughters.   As the daughters grow with age they have a tendency to take on many qualities of their mothers such as their cultural ways and some day they will pass these traits onto their children.   Through years of experience and hard work, Amy Tan shows the viewers the experiences of the mother and daughters while growing up in Chinese and American lifestyles. Many of the women in the novel had great characteristics, which represented them as strong and faithful women.   One example of this is An-Mei and her daughter Rose.   When An-Mei was a child her mother was not in her life, she had re-married a man name Wu-Tsing, and she was then known as a concubine.   An-Mei’s mother was the third wife of three and in a Chinese family, re-marrying after being a widow is a shameful act.   An-Mei did eventually meet her mother and she learned a great deal from her.   She was always told to wear her best clothes when she was in the presence of her family and she even taught An-Mei a recipe that was intended to save lives.   Popo An-Mei’s mother was dying and this is what she told her daughter Rose.   â€Å"This is how a daughter honors her mother.   It is shou so deep it is in your bones.   The pain of flesh is nothing.   The pain you must forget.   Because sometimes that is the only way to remember what is in your bones.   You must peel off your skin, and that of your mothers, and her mother before her.   Until there is nothing.   No scar, no skin, no flesh.† (Tan 41)   An-mei’s mother had removed a chunk of flesh from her arm; it had her blood, her mother’s blood, and her grandmother’s blood in it.   In this ritual a life was supposed to be saved, it was considered magic.  Ã‚   An-Mei left with her mother to live with her and her new husband after her popo passed away.

History of the Computer :: Computers Technology Historical Essays

History of the Computer COMPUTER Generally, a computer is any device that can perform numerical Calculations --even an adding machine, an abacus, or a slide rule. Currently, however, the term usually refers to an electronic device that can use a list of instructions, called a program, to perform calculations or to store, manipulate, and retrieve information. Today's computers are marvels of miniaturization. Machines that once weighed 30 tons and occupied warehouse-size rooms now may weigh as little as three pounds (1.4 kilograms) and can be carried in a suit pocket. The heart of today's computers are integrated circuits (ICs), sometimes called microchips, or simply chips. These tiny silicon wafers can contain millions of microscopic electronic components and are designed for many specific operations: some control an entire computer (CPU, or central processing unit, chips); some perform millions of mathematical operations per second (math oprocessors); others can store more than 16 million characters of information at one time (memory chips). In 1953 there were only about 100 computers in use in the entire world. Today hundreds of millions of computers form the core of electronic products, and more than 110 million programmable computers are being used in homes, businesses, government offices, and universities for almost every conceivable purpose. Computers come in many sizes and shapes. Special-purpose, or dedicated, computers are designed to perform specific tasks. Their operations are limited to the programs built into their microchips. These computers are the basis for electronic calculators and can be found in thousands of other electronic products, including digital watche (controlling timing, alarms, and displays), cameras (monitoring shutter speeds and aperture settings), and automobiles (controlling fuel injection, heating, and air conditioning and monitoring hundreds of electronic sensors). General-purpose computers, such as personal computers and business computers, are much more versatile because they can accept new sets of instructions. Each new set of instructions, or program, enables the same computer to perform a different type of operation. For example, one program lets the computer act like a word processor, another lets it manage inventories, and yet another transforms it into a video game. Although some general-purpose computers are as small as pocket radios, the smallest class of fully functional, self-contained computers is the class called notebook computers. These usually consist of a CPU, data-storage devices called disk drives, a liquid-crystal display (LCD), and a full-size keyboard--all housed in a single unit small enough to fit into a briefcase.

The Host Chapter 23: Confessed

The shadow was huge and misshapen. It loomed over me, top-heavy, swinging closer to my face. I think I meant to scream, but the sound got trapped in my throat, and all that came out was a breathless squeak. â€Å"Shh, it's just me,† Jamie whispered. Something bulky and roundish rolled from his shoulders and plopped softly to the floor. When it was gone I could see his true, lithe shadow against the moonlight. I caught a few gasps of air, my hand clutching at my throat. â€Å"Sorry,† he whispered, sitting down on the edge of the mattress. â€Å"I guess that was pretty stupid. I was trying not to wake Doc-I didn't even think how I would scare you. You okay?† He patted my ankle, which was the part of me closest to him. â€Å"Sure,† I huffed, still breathless. â€Å"Sorry,† he muttered again. â€Å"What are you doing here, Jamie? Shouldn't you be asleep?† â€Å"That's why I'm here. Uncle Jeb was snoring like you wouldn't believe. I couldn't stand it anymore.† His answer didn't make sense to me. â€Å"Don't you usually sleep with Jeb?† Jamie yawned and bent to untie the bulky bedroll he'd dropped to the floor. â€Å"No, I usually sleep with Jared. He doesn't snore. But you know that.† I did. â€Å"Why don't you sleep in Jared's room, then? Are you afraid to sleep alone?† I wouldn't have blamed him for that. It seemed like I was constantly terrified here. â€Å"Afraid,† he grumbled, offended. â€Å"No. This is Jared's room. And mine.† â€Å"What?† I gasped. â€Å"Jeb put me in Jared's room?† I couldn't believe it. Jared would kill me. No, he would kill Jeb first, and then he would kill me. â€Å"It's my room, too. And I told Jeb you could have it.† â€Å"Jared will be furious,† I whispered. â€Å"I can do what I want with my room,† Jamie muttered rebelliously, but then he bit his lip. â€Å"We won't tell him. He doesn't have to know.† I nodded. â€Å"Good idea.† â€Å"You don't mind if I sleep in here, do you? Uncle Jeb's really loud.† â€Å"No, I don't mind. But Jamie, I don't think you should.† He frowned, trying to be tough instead of hurt. â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"Because it's not safe. Sometimes people come looking for me at night.† His eyes went wide. â€Å"They do?† â€Å"Jared always had the gun-they went away.† â€Å"Who?† â€Å"I don't know-Kyle sometimes. But there are surely others who are still here.† He nodded. â€Å"All the more reason why I should stay. Doc might need help.† â€Å"Jamie -â€Å" â€Å"I'm not a kid, Wanda. I can take care of myself.† Obviously, arguing was only going to make him more stubborn. â€Å"At least take the bed,† I said, surrendering. â€Å"I'll sleep on the floor. It's your room.† â€Å"That's not right. You're the guest.† I snorted quietly. â€Å"Ha. No, the bed is yours.† â€Å"No way.† He lay down on the mat, folding his arms tightly across his chest. Again, I saw that arguing was the wrong approach to take with Jamie. Well, this one I could rectify as soon as he was asleep. Jamie slept so deeply it was almost a coma. Melanie could carry him anywhere once he was out. â€Å"You can use my pillow,† he told me, patting the one next to the side where he lay. â€Å"You don't need to scrunch up at the bottom there.† I sighed but crawled to the top of the bed. â€Å"That's right,† he said approvingly. â€Å"Now, could you throw me Jared's?† I hesitated, about to reach for the pillow under my head; he jumped up, leaned over me, and snatched the other pillow. I sighed again. We lay in silence for a while, listening to the low whistle of the doctor's breathing. â€Å"Doc has a nice snore, doesn't he?† Jamie whispered. â€Å"It won't keep you up,† I agreed. â€Å"You tired?† â€Å"Yeah.† â€Å"Oh.† I waited for him to say something more, but he was quiet. â€Å"Was there something you wanted?† I asked. He didn't answer right away, but I could feel him struggling, so I waited. â€Å"If I asked you something, would you tell me the truth?† It was my turn to hesitate. â€Å"I don't know everything,† I hedged. â€Å"You would know this. When we were walking†¦ me and Jeb†¦ he was telling me some things. Things he thought, but I don't know if he's right.† Melanie was suddenly very there in my head. Jamie's whisper was hard to hear, quieter than my breathing. â€Å"Uncle Jeb thinks that Melanie might still be alive. Inside there with you, I mean.† My Jamie. Melanie sighed. I said nothing to either of them. â€Å"I didn't know that could happen. Does that happen?† His voice broke, and I could hear that he was fighting tears. He was not a boy to cry, and here I'd grieved him this deeply twice in one day. A pain pierced through the general region of my chest. â€Å"Does it, Wanda?† Tell him. Please tell him that I love him. â€Å"Why won't you answer me?† Jamie was really crying now but trying to muffle the sound. I crawled off the bed, squeezing into the hard space between the mattress and the mat, and threw my arm over his shaking chest. I leaned my head against his hair and felt his tears, warm on my neck. â€Å"Is Melanie still alive, Wanda? Please?† He was probably a tool. The old man could have sent him just for this; Jeb was smart enough to see how easily Jamie broke through my defenses. It was possible that Jeb was seeking confirmation for his theory, and he wasn't against using the boy to get it. What would Jeb do when he was certain of the dangerous truth? How would he use the information? I didn't think he meant me harm, but could I trust my own judgment? Humans were deceitful, treacherous creatures. I couldn't anticipate their darker agendas when such things were unthinkable to my species. Jamie's body shook beside me. He's suffering, Melanie cried. She battered ineffectually at my control. But I couldn't blame this on Melanie if it turned out to be a huge mistake. I knew who was speaking now. â€Å"She promised she would come back, didn't she?† I murmured. â€Å"Would Melanie break a promise to you?† Jamie slid his arms around my waist and clung to me for a long time. After a few minutes, he whispered, â€Å"Love you, Mel.† â€Å"She loves you, too. She's so happy that you're here and safe.† He was silent long enough for the tears on my skin to dry, leaving a fine, salty dust behind. â€Å"Is everybody like that?† Jamie whispered long after I thought he'd fallen asleep. â€Å"Does everybody stay?† â€Å"No,† I told him sadly. â€Å"No. Melanie is special.† â€Å"She's strong and brave.† â€Å"Very.† â€Å"Do you think†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He paused to sniff. â€Å"Do you think that maybe Dad is still there, too?† I swallowed, trying to move the lump farther down my throat. It didn't work. â€Å"No, Jamie. No, I don't think so. Not like Melanie is.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Because he brought the Seekers looking for you. Well, the soul inside him did. Your father wouldn't have let that happen if he were still there. Your sister never let me see where the cabin was-she didn't even let me know that you existed for the longest time. She didn't bring me here until she was sure that I wouldn't hurt you.† It was too much information. Only as I finished speaking did I realize that the doctor wasn't snoring anymore. I could hear no noise from his breathing. Stupid. I cursed myself internally. â€Å"Wow,† Jamie said. I whispered into his ear, so close that there was no way the doctor could possibly overhear. â€Å"Yes, she's very strong.† Jamie strained to hear me, frowning, and then glanced at the opening to the dark hall. He must have realized the same thing I had, because he turned his face to my ear and whispered back softer than before. â€Å"Why would you do that? Not hurt us? Isn't that what you want?† â€Å"No. I don't want to hurt you.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Your sister and I have†¦ spent a lot of time together. She shared you with me. And†¦ I started to†¦ to love you, too.† â€Å"And Jared, too?† I gritted my teeth for a second, chagrined that he had made the connection so easily. â€Å"Of course I don't want anything to hurt Jared, either.† â€Å"He hates you,† Jamie told me, plainly grieved by the fact. â€Å"Yes. Everyone does.† I sighed. â€Å"I can't blame them.† â€Å"Jeb doesn't. And I don't.† â€Å"You might, after you think about it more.† â€Å"But you weren't even here when they took over. You didn't pick my dad or my mom or Melanie. You were in outer space then, right?† â€Å"Yes, but I am what I am, Jamie. I did what souls do. I've had many hosts before Melanie, and nothing's stopped me from†¦ taking lives. Again and again. It's how I live.† â€Å"Does Melanie hate you?† I thought for a minute. â€Å"Not as much as she used to.† No. I don't hate you at all. Not anymore. â€Å"She says she doesn't hate me at all anymore,† I murmured almost silently. â€Å"How†¦ how is she?† â€Å"She's happy to be here. She's so happy to see you. She doesn't even care that they're going to kill us.† Jamie stiffened under my arm. â€Å"They can't! Not if Mel's still alive!† You've upset him, Melanie complained. You didn't have to say that. It won't be any easier for him if he's unprepared. â€Å"They won't believe that, Jamie,† I whispered. â€Å"They'll think I'm lying to trick you. They'll just want to kill me more if you tell them that. Only Seekers lie.† The word made him shudder. â€Å"But you're not lying. I know it,† he said after a moment. I shrugged. â€Å"I won't let them kill her.† His voice, though quiet as a breath, was fierce with determination. I was paralyzed at the thought of him becoming more involved with this situation, with me. I thought of the barbarians he lived with. Would his age protect him from them if he tried to protect me? I doubted it. My thoughts scrambled, searching for some way to dissuade him without triggering his stubbornness. Jamie spoke before I could say anything; he was suddenly calm, as if the answer was plain in front of him. â€Å"Jared will think of something. He always does.† â€Å"Jared won't believe you, either. He'll be the angriest of them all.† â€Å"Even if he doesn't believe it, he'll protect her. Just in case.† â€Å"We'll see,† I muttered. I'd find the perfect words later-the argument that would not sound like an argument. Jamie was quiet, thinking. Eventually, his breathing got slower, and his mouth fell open. I waited until I was sure he was deeply under, and then I crawled over him and very carefully shifted him from the floor to the bed. He was heavier than before, but I managed. He didn't wake. I put Jared's pillow back where it belonged, and then stretched out on the mat. Well, I thought, I just hurled myself out of the frying pan. But I was too tired to care what this would mean tomorrow. Within seconds, I was unconscious. When I woke, the crevices in the ceiling were bright with echoed sunlight, and someone was whistling. The whistling stopped. â€Å"Finally,† Jeb muttered when my eyes fluttered. I rolled onto my side so that I could look at him; as I moved, Jamie's hand slid from my arm. Sometime in the night he must have reached out to me-well, not to me, to his sister. Jeb was leaning against the natural rock door frame, his arms folded across his chest. â€Å"Morning,† he said. â€Å"Get enough sleep?† I stretched, decided that I felt acceptably rested, and then nodded. â€Å"Oh, don't give me the silent treatment again,† he complained, scowling. â€Å"Sorry,† I murmured. â€Å"I slept well, thank you.† Jamie stirred at the sound of my voice. â€Å"Wanda?† he asked. I was ridiculously touched that it was my silly nickname that he spoke on the edge of sleep. â€Å"Yes?† Jamie blinked and pulled his tangled hair out of his eyes. â€Å"Oh, hey, Uncle Jeb.† â€Å"My room not good enough for you, kid?† â€Å"You snore real loud,† Jamie said, and then yawned. â€Å"Haven't I taught you anything?† Jeb asked him. â€Å"Since when do you let a guest and a lady sleep on the floor?† Jamie sat up suddenly, staring around, disoriented. He frowned. â€Å"Don't upset him,† I told Jeb. â€Å"He insisted on taking the mat. I moved him when he was asleep.† Jamie snorted. â€Å"Mel always used to do that, too.† I widened my eyes slightly at him, trying to convey a warning. Jeb chuckled. I looked up at him, and he had that same pouncing-cat expression he'd had yesterday. The solved-puzzle expression. He walked over and kicked the edge of the mattress. â€Å"You've already missed your morning class. Sharon's bound to be testy about that, so get a move on.† â€Å"Sharon is always testy,† Jamie complained, but he got to his feet quickly. â€Å"On your way, boy.† Jamie looked at me again, then he turned and disappeared into the hall. â€Å"Now,† Jeb said as soon as we were alone. â€Å"I think all this baby-sitting nonsense has gone on long enough. I'm a busy man. Everyone is busy here-too busy to sit around playin' guard. So today you're going to have to come along with me while I get my chores done.† I felt my mouth pop open. He stared at me, no smile. â€Å"Don't look so terrified,† he grumbled. â€Å"You'll be fine.† He patted his gun. â€Å"My house is no place for babies.† I couldn't argue with that. I took three quick, deep breaths, trying to steady my nerves. Blood pulsed so loudly in my ears that his voice seemed quiet in comparison when he spoke again. â€Å"C'mon, Wanda. Day's wasting.† He turned and stomped out of the room. I was frozen for a moment, and then I lurched out after him. He wasn't bluffing-he was already invisible around the first corner. I raced after him, horrified by the thought that I might run into someone else in this obviously inhabited wing. I caught up to him before he reached the big intersection of the tunnels. He didn't even look at me as I slowed beside him to match his pace. â€Å"‘Bout time that northeast field was planted. We'll have to work the soil first. Hope you don't mind getting your hands dirty. After we're done, I'll see that you get a chance to clean yourself up. You need it.† He sniffed pointedly, then laughed. I felt the back of my neck get hot, but I ignored the last part. â€Å"I don't mind getting my hands dirty,† I murmured. As I recalled, the empty northeastern field was out of the way. Perhaps we would be able to work alone. Once we got to the big plaza cave, we started passing humans. They all stared, infuriated, as usual. I was beginning to recognize most of them: the middle-aged woman with the long salt-and-pepper braid I had seen with the irrigation team yesterday. The short man with the round belly, thinning sandy hair, and ruddy cheeks had been with her. The athletic-looking woman with the caramel brown skin had been the one bent to tie her shoe the first time I'd come out here during the day. Another dark-skinned woman with thick lips and sleepy eyes had been in the kitchen, near the two black-haired children-perhaps she was their mother? Now we passed Maggie; she glowered at Jeb and turned her face away from me. We passed a pale, sick-looking man with white hair whom I was sure I'd never seen before. Then we passed Ian. â€Å"Hey, Jeb,† he said cheerfully. â€Å"Whatcha up to?† â€Å"Turning the soil in the east field,† Jeb grunted. â€Å"Want some help?† â€Å"Ought to make yourself useful,† Jeb muttered. Ian took this as an assent and fell into step behind me. It gave me goose bumps, feeling his eyes on my back. We passed a young man who couldn't have been many years older than Jamie-his dark hair stood up from his olive-toned forehead like steel wool. â€Å"Hey, Wes,† Ian greeted him. Wes watched in silence as we passed. Ian laughed at his expression. We passed Doc. â€Å"Hey, Doc,† Ian said. â€Å"Ian.† Doc nodded. In his hands was a big wad of dough. His shirt was covered with dark, coarse flour. â€Å"Morning, Jeb. Morning, Wanda.† â€Å"Morning,† Jeb answered. I nodded uneasily. â€Å"See you 'round,† Doc said, hurrying off with his burden. â€Å"Wanda, huh?† Ian asked. â€Å"My idea,† Jeb told him. â€Å"Suits her, I think.† â€Å"Interesting† was all Ian said. We finally made it to the northeastern field, where my hopes were dashed. There were more people here than there had been in the passageways-five women and nine men. They all stopped what they were doing and scowled, naturally. â€Å"Pay 'em no mind,† Jeb murmured to me. Jeb proceeded to follow his own advice; he went to a jumbled pile of tools against the closest wall, shoved his gun through the strap at his waist, and grabbed a pick and two shovels. I felt exposed, having him so far away. Ian was just a step behind me-I could hear him breathing. The others in the room continued to glower, their tools still in their hands. I didn't miss the fact that the picks and hoes that were breaking the earth could easily be used to break a body. It seemed to me, in reading a few of their expressions, that I wasn't the only one with that idea. Jeb came back and handed me a shovel. I gripped the smooth, worn wooden handle, feeling its weight. After seeing the bloodlust in the humans' eyes, it was hard not to think of it as a weapon. I didn't like the idea. I doubted I could raise it as one, even to block a blow. Jeb gave Ian the pick. The sharp, blackened metal looked deadly in his hands. It took all my willpower not to skip out of range. â€Å"Let's take the back corner.† At least Jeb took me to the least crowded spot in the long, sunny cave. He had Ian pulverize the hard-baked dirt ahead of us, while I flipped the clods over and he followed behind, crushing the chunks into usable soil with the edge of his shovel. Watching the sweat run down Ian's fair skin-he'd removed his shirt after a few seconds in the dry scorch of the mirror light-and hearing Jeb's grunted breaths behind me, I could see that I had the easiest job. I wished I had something more difficult to do, something that would keep me from being distracted by the movements of the other humans. Their every motion had me cringing and flinching. I couldn't do Ian's job-I didn't have the thick arm and back muscles needed to really chew into the hard soil. But I decided to do what I could of Jeb's, prechopping the clods into smaller bits before I moved on. It helped a little bit-kept my eyes busy and tired me out so that I had to concentrate on making myself work. Ian brought us water now and then. There was a woman-short and fair, I'd seen her in the kitchen yesterday-who seemed to have the job of bringing water to the others, but she ignored us. Ian brought enough for three every time. I found his about-face in regard to me unsettling. Was he really no longer intent on my death? Or just looking for an opportunity? The water always tasted funny here-sulfurous and stale-but now that taste seemed suspicious. I tried to ignore the paranoia as much as possible. I was working hard enough to keep my eyes busy and my mind numb; I didn't notice when we hit the end of the last row. I stopped only when Ian did. He stretched, pulling the pick overhead with two hands and popping his joints. I shied away from the raised pick, but he didn't see. I realized that everyone else had stopped, too. I looked at the fresh-turned dirt, even across the entire floor, and realized that the field was complete. â€Å"Good work,† Jeb announced in a loud voice to the group. â€Å"We'll seed and water tomorrow.† The room was filled with soft chatter and clanks as the tools were piled against the wall once more. Some of the talk was casual; some was still tense because of me. Ian held his hand out for my shovel, and I handed it to him, feeling my already low mood sink right to the floor. I had no doubt that I would be included in Jeb's â€Å"we.† Tomorrow would be just as hard as today. I looked at Jeb mournfully, and he was smiling in my direction. There was a smugness to his grin that made me believe he knew what I was thinking-not only did he guess my discomfort, but he was enjoying it. He winked at me, my crazy friend. I realized again that this was the best to be expected from human friendship. â€Å"See you tomorrow, Wanda,† Ian called from across the room, and laughed to himself. Everyone stared.