Villains free essay sample

This paper describes satanic characters in literature. This essay looks at evil and its corrupting forces in literature, citing Miltons Paradise Lost and Shakespeares Othello. It goes on to discuss the motives of Gandhi and those in the anti-slavery movements, attempting to explain why good will ultimately prevail. From the paper: Both John Milton and Dr. Martin Luther King were clergymen who based their works, writings and speeches on the principles set forth in Christianity. While it might seem to be a difficult task to find a villain in real life who is suitable for comparison to Satan one in whom personal characteristics are so base that they are better seen as completely nonexistent it is not difficult to find such a creature in literature. The character of Lago from Shakespeare?s play, Othello, fits this description well. Not only can Lago be compared to Satan in Milton?s Paradise Lost, but the character of Othello can be compared to an innocent Adam a person who is doing perfectly well before the devil moves in and brings hell with him. We will write a custom essay sample on Villains or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page

US Trade Barriers and Globalization essays

US Trade Barriers and Globalization essays Traditional international trade involves a complex system of trade barriers to ensure the protection of domestic industry and its workers interests. The trade impediments and subsidies include protective tariffs, import quotas, non-tariff barriers i.e. licensing, and export subsidies. Originally, a countrys economy acted independently of other nations. The growing trend ever since the establishment of GATT in 1947 is globalization. In globalization, a country acts as a part of a free trading community consisting of member nations around the globe. As a trading community, trade problems can easily be resolved through negotiations rather than a trade war (McConnell 104-105). The US government employs the use of protective tariffs and export subsidies to protect and aid domestic industry. The two types of tariffs used on imports are the Antidumping (AD) duty and the Countervailing (CVD) duty. These duties shield domestic industry from foreign competition. By raising the price of imports, domestic products become more attractive to the consumer, i.e. the phrase Buy American!. Export subsidies are government payments made to domestic producers. The payments allow lower operating costs, enabling producers to compete on the world market with similarly priced goods and services. An example is US subsidization of agriculture to boost the US food supply on the world market (Import). The Department of Commerce (DOC) oversees the establishment and maintenance of trade orders, i.e. policies implementing tariffs, non-tariff barriers, import quotas, and subsidies. These orders are continually updated as new trade issues arise. Under the DOC is the International Trade Administration (ITA) which ensures the protection of domestic industry from international trade for both imports and exports. Within the ITA is the Import Administration (IA) which specifically handles the imports for ITA. Both the DOC and IA work tog...

Areas That Need Improvement Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Areas That Need Improvement - Literature review Example In addition, I would improve my presentation skills in order to come up with an exceptional paper. I would polish on my referencing and fluency of the content. I would also work on the structure of the content and ensure that the ideas flow throughout the paper. In order to achieve good grades at this level, there are certain skills that in need to hone. Perfecting my skills in searching online journals, referencing and planning and managing an academic dissertation can really help to boost my grades. Having proficient skills in searching online journals will enable me to effectively carry out extensive literature searches. Research at Masters Level requires students to use specialized information sources and the ability to easily search for them is of paramount importance (Kim 2008). Online journals are some of the sources that are used at this level and therefore, students must have the necessary search skills in order to be able to access these materials and use them in writing their research papers. Skills in referencing and avoiding plagiarism are very important at this level since students are expected to conduct research and write properly referenced papers. These papers should be free of plagiarism and acknowledge the author. Good referencing and avoiding plagiarism earns students good grades. It is important to polish my skills in paraphrasing and quoting in order to avoid plagiarism in my papers. Plagiarizing is regarded as cheating and it automatically leads to failure. At Masters Level, writing dissertations is mandatory. Therefore, skills in planning and managing an academic dissertation are very important. A proper dissertation will require skills in choosing a good topic, developing research questions, conducting an organized and methodical research and proper reporting of the research (Kim 2008).

Neoliberalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Neoliberalism - Essay Example The citizens of Mexico are usually precluded from exercising their rights and inhibited from accessing justice in their system. The fact therefore that the people of Chiapas, who Speed uses in her study and who were involved in the Zapatista movement have in more ways than one framed their struggles in the context of enforcement of human rights. Human Rights and the Neoliberal Rule Interesting similarities could be drawn to the fact that the most controversial foreign policy decisions by the administration of the United States in the recent years usually get defense from unique quarters. These policies have always been defended on the basis that the government is spreading democracy and enforcing the realization of human rights. Most of these policies are considered neoliberal. One characteristic of neoliberalism is that it has a cultural system. This system focuses on the priority of the individual. Consequently, the values and discourse of individual freedoms and the notion of meri tocracy will lead to the establishment of neoliberal policies, governance and a rule that is neoliberal in nature. Mexico is one of the major traders under NAFTA. One significant factor of most of the transnational projects in the Latin America has focused on the tensions of development of neoliberal project. In the development of neoliberal rule therefore, strong attachments can be seen between the human rights movement and the explosion of a strong constitutional review that is more focus on bills and judicial reviews about the same time when there are developments in neoliberal reforms. Most of the works in neoliberal reforms and globalization embrace the idea that most administrations in the world try to adopt policies that are imposed upon them by the world. Most trading partners in the world on the other hand would not be willing to do trade with regimes that are oppressive and lack the respect for human rights. It is therefore clear that for such policies to be adopted there has to be a movement stimulating the recognition and realization of human rights and freedoms. Consequently, the recognition of such rights ultimately reproduces neoliberal rule and policies that come with it in several aspects of the administration. Human Rights as a Tool of Resistance to the Neoliberal State and the New Global Order Countries’ cultures, markets and politics no longer operate with the boundaries but also without and at international levels. One common and complimentary interest to the global order is the concept of neoliberal rule and policies that come with it. There are different stand points from which globalization is contested. During the cold war, it was characterized by localized global conflicts and national struggles became the proxies from which the United States and the Soviet Union fought their wars. Today, the resistance movements are framed, interpreted and attributed to grievances to neoliberal globalization and the institutions that govern it . This is because as the states develop and there is a stronger and higher recognition of human rights, most of the protests are influenced by the national economies and the administrative policies in the country but one way or the other, they are deflected by the new global order. This has seen the

Free trade is the primary force driving economic development Essay

Free trade is the primary force driving economic development - Essay Example Trade liberalisation has become a focal point of many economic forums across the globe. Globalisation has made it easier for countries to look beyond their own borders for economic growth. Countries have recognised the fact that economic growth is a collective effort and all the countries need to work together on this front. Although many developed countries are still practising protectionism, they have realised the importance of free trade in economic development. Several bilateral agreements and multilateral agreements have been signed by many countries to allow flow of goods amongst the member countries. In most of the cases countries that have participated in free trade agreements have experienced rise in living standards, growth in income. This growth curve experience by several countries due to free trade agreements is clear indication of the importance of free trade agreement in economic development. Multilateral agreements drafted under World trade organisation (WTO) and Gene ral Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) are aimed at influencing nations to opt for trade liberalisation. There are many bilateral agreements which have been formulated between nations geographically located near to each other. Trade liberalisation is a well negotiated procedure where each party, agrees to make some concession in opening up their markets for foreign goods. Free trade has a huge impact on improving the quality and infrastructure of the host as well as the foreign country. Due to free trade, industry standards are raised high in order to compete with global scenario (Buckley & Boulle, 2008, p. 185-189). 2. Evolution of Free Trade Policy and Its Mechanism The international trade, especially during world war two suffered a huge loss. Most countries were involved in conflicts arising mainly due to trade disputes. These trade disputes were mainly caused by the discriminations and trade restrictions implied by the several countries to protect their markets from foreign p layers. It was in 1948 in Havana that a conference was held on trade and employment under the flagship of United Nations. The formation of International trade organisation (ITO) was a landmark in the attempt by international community to form an agency overlooking international trade issues. ITO was dissolved later as it did not get the green signal from the US congress. The US congress on the other hand opted for an ad-hoc agreement like General agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). In 1947 at Geneva GATT was agreed on and signed by 23 countries. GATT was legally effective from 1948. GATT thereby is an agency which overlooks the rules and international laws governing international trade. All the trade disputes amongst the signatory parties are resolved by GATT. The most effective clause in GATT is the MFN clause, under which all participating nations are forced to treat all signatory nations as equal in all trade policies. GATT emphasises on influencing signatory countries to redu ce their tariffs and abolish any concessions given to a specific country. Though GATT gave more stability than ITO, it was often tainted by complaints from developing countries. Developing countries often complained about the policies formulated in GATT. The developed countries were often seen to follow protectionism in their trade policies. The formation of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in 1964 was a direct implication of the dissatisfaction amongst the developing countries regarding GATT (Singh & Singh, 2005, p.1-9). One of the greatest outcomes of the Uruguay Round was the formation of World Trade Organisation (WTO). WTO was

Power and the Group: Meaning and Contex t in The Lottery Essay

Power and the Group: Meaning and Context in The Lottery There is power in any group consensus. As long as the group thinks as a group they gain authority and power over single voice. The group deflects the problems of the individual by diffusing responsibility thoughout its members. Diffusion of responsibility allows the group to think as an entity. Over time, the entity develops a set of mores. Mores within the group are very strong. The group takes on characteristics and functions as if it were possessed of individuals, but because its responsibility is to remain all knowing, all-powerful and obs equious. Claiming responsibility would in effect threaten the entity, so instead the entity threatens the individual that says I am responsibly for myself. Groups cry out, â€Å"it isn’t fair† while the individual cries out â€Å"it isn’t right† so it was for Tessie Hutchinson. Shirley Jackson’s essay, â€Å"The Lottery† is a tale wherein an appointed official conducts a yearly lottery, presumably to ensure good crops and health throughout the village. The head of each family draws a ticket from a lottery box. One family draws the marked ticket. The individual members within the family then draw again, determining the winner. At first it seems surprising that when stripped to i ts essential elements that the story holds the attention of the reader, but because the audience identifies with the details of the town, the villager, even the drawing of lottery tickets, we, like the group process itself, become part of the fiber of the story. The audience takes in stride that Jackson clues us in on a sinister undercurrent by the gather ing of boys who â€Å"made great pile of stones in one corner of the square and gua... ...remains in effect, he can deflect responsibility for poor crops and ill health onto the mystery of an outdated belief system. The reader may think that we are above such beliefs, but consider the tobacco industry’s self-serving lies and how many lives have ben doomed by them. Then ask yourself, how many parents and children sit in courtrooms or mental institutions thinking, â€Å"it isn’t fair, it isn’t right†? Works Cited: Jackson, shirley. â€Å"The Lottey.† The Norton Anthology of Literature By Women. . Ed. Sandra M. Giubar New York: Norton, 1985. 1872-1880. Nebeker, Helen. â€Å"The Lottery†: Symoblic Tour de Force†. American Literatur. Vol. 46. No. 1. [March, 1974] 100-107. Oehschlaeger, Fritz. â€Å"The Stoning of Mistress Hutchinson: Meaning and Context in â€Å"The Lottery†. Essays in Literature. Vol. XV. No. 2 [Fall 1998] 259-265.

The Hunters: Phantom Chapter 26

The day passed with much research, but with very little in the way of results, which left Elena feeling increasingly concerned for her comatose friend. By the time night fel and Aunt Judith cal ed to wearily inquire whether Elena's family would see her at al that day, they had sorted through the first bag of papers and Alaric had gone over a third or so of what seemed to be the notebook in which Caleb kept the record of his magical experiments, grumbling about Caleb's terrible handwriting. Elena frowned, flipping through another stack of papers. Looking through the pictures and clippings confirmed that Celia hadn't been among Caleb's planned victims. If the phantom had targeted her first, it must have been because she was rich in whatever emotion this phantom fed off. â€Å"Snippiness,† Meredith suggested, but she was careful to say it out of Alaric's hearing. The clippings and printouts also showed that Caleb was indeed obsessed with Tyler's disappearance, and that he had evidence and memories of two different time lines for the same period – one where Fel ‘s Church had been fal ing apart and Elena Gilbert had been dead, and one where everything had been just fine, thanks in the smal Virginia town of Fel ‘s Church, including the continuing reign of the senior class's golden girl, Elena. In addition to Caleb's own double memories, which covered only the summer, Tyler had apparently talked to him over the phone the previous fal and winter about the mysterious events surrounding Mr. Tanner's death and everything that fol owed. Although it didn't sound from Caleb's notes like Tyler had mentioned his own transformation to werewolf and conspiracy with Klaus, just his growing suspicions of Stefan. â€Å"Tyler.† Elena groaned. â€Å"Even though he's long gone, he manages to make trouble.† Alaric's examination of the notebook so far had proved that they were right that Caleb was a magic user, and that he was planning to use his magic both to take vengeance against them and to try to locate Tyler. But it hadn't shown how he had summoned the phantom. And despite Alaric's bringing any likely looking note, incantation, or drawing to Mrs. Flowers for inspection, they had not yet discovered what kind of spel Caleb had been doing, or what purpose the roses served. Stefan escorted Elena home for dinner, then returned to continue helping the others. He'd wanted to stay with Elena, but she had a feeling her aunt would not appreciate a lastminute dinner guest. The second Elena stepped through the door, she could feel Damon's lingering presence and remembered how, just hours ago, they had stood upstairs, holding each other. Al through the meal, while she told Margaret a bedtime story, and then during her last cal to Meredith to check on the rest of the group's progress, she'd thought longingly of him, wondering whether she would see him tonight. That in turn set off pangs of guilt related to Stefan and Bonnie. She was being so selfish, keeping Stefan's brother's return from him, and thinking of herself while Bonnie was in danger. The whole cycle was exhausting, but stil she couldn't contain her exuberance that Damon was alive. Alone in her room at last, Elena ran a brush through her silky golden hair and pul ed on the simple cool nightgown she'd wo rn the night before. It was hot and humid outside, and through her window she could hear the crickets chirping busily. The stars were shining, and a half-moon floated high over the trees outside. She cal ed good night to Aunt Judith and Robert and climbed into bed, fluffing the pil ows around her. She half expected a long wait. Damon liked to tease, and he liked to make an entrance, so he was quite likely to wait until he thought she would be asleep, and then sweep into her room. But she had barely turned off the light when a piece of darkness seemed to separate itself from the night outside her window. There was the faintest scuff of a footstep on the floor, and then her mattress groaned as Damon settled himself at the foot of her bed. â€Å"Hel o, love,† he said softly. â€Å"Hi,† she said, smiling at him. His black eyes glittered at her from the shadows, and Elena suddenly felt warm and happy, despite everything. â€Å"What's the latest?† he asked. â€Å"I saw a lot of fuss going on at the boardinghouse. Something got your sidekicks in a tizzy?† His tone was casual y sarcastic, but his gaze was intense, and Elena knew he had been worried. â€Å"If you let me tel everyone you're alive, you could be with us and then you'd know everything that's going on firsthand,† she teased. Then she grew somber. â€Å"Damon, we need your help. Something terrible has happened.† She told him about Bonnie, and about what they had discovered in the Smal woods' garden shed. Damon's eyes flamed. â€Å"A phantom's got the little redbird?† â€Å"That's what Mrs. Flowers's mother said,† Elena answered. â€Å"Stefan told us that he'd known of a rage phantom somewhere back in Italy.† Damon made a little pfft! noise. â€Å"I remember that. It was amusing at the time, but nothing like what you've been describing. How does this theory of Stefan's explain Bonnie's being taken? Or the appearance of the names when someone is threatened?† â€Å"It's Mrs. Flowers's theory, too,† Elena said indignantly. â€Å"Or her mother's, I guess. And it's the only one that makes sense.† She could feel Damon stroking her arm with the most featherlight touch, and it felt good. The hairs prickled on the back of her arms, and she shivered with pleasure in spite of herself. Stop it, she thought sternly. This is serious business. She moved her arm out of Damon's reach. He sounded amused and lazy when he next spoke. â€Å"Wel , I can't blame the old witch and her ghost mother,† he said. â€Å"Humans mostly stay in their own dimension; they learn only the tiniest piece of what's happening, even the most gifted of them. But if Stefan behaved like any self-respecting vampire and didn't go around trying to be human al the time, he'd have a little more of a clue. He's barely even traveled to the Dark Dimension except when he was dragged there to sit in a cage or save Bonnie. Maybe if he had, he would understand what was going on and be able to protect his pet humans a little better.† Elena bristled. â€Å"Pet humans? I'm one of those pet humans, too.† Damon chuckled, and Elena realized he had said that purposely, to rile her up. â€Å"A pet? You, princess? Never. A tiger, maybe. Something wild and dangerous.† Elena rol ed her eyes. Then the implication of Damon's words hit her. â€Å"Wait, are you saying this isn't a phantom? And that you know what it actual y is? Is it something that comes from the Dark Dimension?† Damon shifted closer to her again. â€Å"Would you like to know what I know?† he said, his voice like a caress. â€Å"There are a lot of things I could tel you.† â€Å"Damon,† Elena said firmly. â€Å"Stop flirting and pay attention. This is important. If you know anything, please tel me. If you don't, please don't play games with me. Bonnie's life is at stake. And we're al in danger. You're in danger, too, Damon: Don't forget, your name's been written, and we don't know for sure that whatever happened on the Dark Moon was the attack on you.† â€Å"I'm not too concerned.† Damon waved his hand disparagingly. â€Å"It would take more than a phantom to hurt me, princess. But, yes, I know a little more about this than Stefan does.† He turned her hand over and traced her palm with cool fingers. â€Å"It is a phantom,† he said. â€Å"But it's not the same kind we saw in Italy long ago. Do you remember that Klaus was an Original? He wasn't sired like Katherine or Stefan or I was; he was never human. Vampires like Klaus consider vampires like us who started out as humans to be weak half-breeds. He was much stronger than us and much more difficult to kil . There are different types of phantoms, too. The phantoms who are born of human emotions on Earth are able to intensify and spur on these emotions. They don't have much consciousness of their own, though, and they never get very strong. They're just parasites. If they are cut off from the emotions they need to survive, they fade away pretty quickly.† Elena frowned. â€Å"But you think this is another, more powerful kind of phantom? Why? What did Sage tel you?† Damon tapped her hand with one finger as he counted. â€Å"One: the names. That's beyond the powers of an ordinary phantom. Two: It took Bonnie. A regular phantom wouldn't be able to do that, and wouldn't get anything out of it if it could. An Original phantom, though, can steal her spirit and take it back to the Dark Dimension. It can drain her life force and emotions to make itself stronger.† â€Å"Wait,† Elena said, alarmed. â€Å"Bonnie's back in the Dark Dimension? Anything could be happening to her! She could be enslaved again!† Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as she thought of how humans were treated in the Dark Dimension. Damon squeezed her hand. â€Å"No, don't worry about that. She's there only in spirit – the phantom wil have her in some kind of holding cel ; it'l want her safe. I think the worst thing that could happen to her is she'l be bored.† He frowned. â€Å"It'l sap her life force, though, and that'l weaken her eventual y.† â€Å"You think that being bored's the worst thing that could happen to her†¦ oh, at least until it drains al her life force? That's not good enough, Damon. We have to help her.† Elena thought for a moment. â€Å"So phantoms live in the Dark Dimension?† Damon hesitated. â€Å"Not in the beginning. The Original phantoms were relegated to the Dark Moon by the Guardians.† â€Å"Where you died.† â€Å"Yes,† Damon said caustical y. Then he rubbed the back of her hand in a silent apology for his tone. â€Å"Original phantoms are kept inside some kind of prison on the Dark Moon, just itching for a chance to get out. Like genies in a bottle. If something broke the prison wal , their ultimate goal would be to make it to Earth and feed on human emotions. After the World Tree was destroyed, Sage said things changed, which would make sense if an Original phantom managed to escape as things shifted after the destruction.† â€Å"Why come al the way to Earth, though?† Elena asked. â€Å"There're al those demons and vampires in the Dark Dimension.† She could see Damon's smile in the shadows. â€Å"I guess human emotion is extra-delicious. Like human blood is. And there aren't enough humans in the Dark Dimension to make a real y good meal. There are so many humans on Earth that an Original here can just keep on gorging on emotion and growing ever more powerful.† â€Å"So it fol owed us from the Dark Moon?† Elena asked. â€Å"It must have hitched a ride with you when you came back to Earth. It would have wanted to get as far from its prison as possible, so an opening between dimensions would have been irresistible.† â€Å"And it was freed from its prison when I used my Wings of Destruction and blasted the moon?† Damon shrugged. â€Å"That seems to be the most likely explanation.† Elena's heart sank. â€Å"So Bonnie's vision was right. I brought this. It's my fault.† He brushed back her hair and kissed her neck. â€Å"Don't think of it that way,† he said. â€Å"How could you have stopped it? You didn't know. And I'm grateful you used the Wings of Destruction: That's what saved me, after al . The important thing now is to fight the phantom. We need to send it back before it gets too powerful. If it gets a real foothold here, it can start influencing more and more people. The whole world could be in danger.† Elena half consciously arched her neck to one side so that Damon could get a better angle, and he gently traced the vein on the side of her neck with his lips for a moment before she realized what they were doing and nudged him away again. â€Å"I don't understand, though. Why would it tel us who it's going after next?† she said. â€Å"Why does it give us the names?† â€Å"Oh, that's not its own doing,† Damon said, and kissed her shoulder. â€Å"Even the most powerful phantom has to fol ow the rules. It's part of the spel the Guardians put on the Original phantoms, when they relegated them to the Dark Moon. A safeguard in case the Originals ever escaped. This way, their prey knows they're coming, and it gives them a fair shot at resisting.† â€Å"The Guardians imprisoned it,† Elena said. â€Å"Would they help us send it back?† â€Å"I don't know,† Damon said shortly. â€Å"I wouldn't ask them if I could help it, though. I don't trust them, do you?† Elena thought of the cool efficiency of the Guardians, of the way they had dismissed Damon's death as irrelevant. Of the way they had caused her own parents' death. â€Å"No,† she said, shivering. â€Å"Let's leave them out of it if we can.† â€Å"We'l defeat it ourselves, Elena,† Damon said, and caressed her cheek with his hand. â€Å"Stop it,† Elena said. â€Å"We have to concentrate.† Damon stopped trying to touch her for a moment and thought. â€Å"Tel me about your little friends. Have people been tense? Fighting? Acting out of character?† â€Å"Yes,† Elena said immediately. â€Å"No one's been acting like themselves. I can't put my finger on it, but something's been wrong since we got back.† Damon nodded. â€Å"Since it probably came with you, it makes sense that it would have targeted you and those connected to you as its first victims.† â€Å"But how do we stop it?† Elena asked. â€Å"What do these stories you've heard about the Original phantoms say about recapturing them once they've escaped from their prison?† Damon sighed, and his shoulders slumped a little. â€Å"Nothing,† he said. â€Å"I don't know anything more. I'l have to go back to the Dark Dimension and see what I can find out, or if I can fight the phantom from there.† Elena stiffened. â€Å"It's too dangerous, Damon.† Damon chuckled, a dry sound in the darkness, and Elena felt his fingers run through her hair, smoothing the silky strands, then twisting them, tugging them gently. â€Å"Not for me,† he said. â€Å"The Dark Dimension is a great place to be a vampire.† â€Å"Except that you died there,† Elena reminded him. â€Å"Damon, please. I can't stand to lose you again.† Damon's hand stil ed, and then he was kissing her gently, and his other hand came up to touch her cheek. â€Å"Elena,† he said as he reluctantly broke the kiss. â€Å"You won't lose me.† â€Å"There has to be another way,† she insisted. â€Å"Wel , then we'd better find it, and soon,† Damon answered grimly. â€Å"Otherwise the entire world wil be at risk.† Damon was saturated with Elena. Her sweet, rich scent in his nostrils, the throbbing beat of her heart in his ears, the silk of her hair and the satin of her skin against his fingers. He wanted to kiss her, to hold her, to sink his fangs into her and taste the heady nectar of her blood, that vibrant blood that tasted like no one else's. But she made him go, although he knew she didn't real y want to. She didn't say it was because of his little brother that she pushed him away, but he knew anyway. It was always Stefan. When he left her, he transformed graceful y into a large black crow again and flew from her bedroom window to the quince tree nearby. There, he folded his wings and shifted from one foot to another, settling in to watch over her. He could sense her through the window, anxious at first, her thoughts churning, but soon her pulse slowed, her breathing deepened, and he knew she was asleep. He would stay and guard her. There was no question: He had to save her. If Elena wanted a chivalrous knight, someone who would protect her nobly, Damon could do that. Why should that weakling Stefan have al the glory? But he wasn't sure what came next. Despite Elena's begging him not to go, heading into the Dark Dimension seemed like the logical next step in fighting this phantom. But how to get there? There were no easy paths. He didn't have the time to journey to one of the gates again, nor did he want to leave Elena's side long enough to travel there. And he couldn't expect to find something as useful as a star bal again by chance. Plus, if he did get there, being in the Dark Dimension would have special dangers for him now. He didn't think the Guardians knew he had come back from the dead, and he didn't know how they would react when they did. He'd rather not find out. The Guardians didn't care for vampires much, and they tended to like things to stay the way they ought to be. Look at how they had stripped Elena's Powers when she came to their attention. Damon hunched his shoulders and fluffed out his iridescent feathers irritably. There had to be another way. There was the slightest rustle underfoot. No one without the sensitive ears of a vampire would have heard it, it was so cautious, but Damon caught it. He snapped to attention and peered sharply around. No one would get to his princess. Oh. Damon relaxed again and clicked his beak in vexation. Stefan. The shadowy figure of his little brother stood beneath the tree, head tilted back, gazing in devotion at Elena's darkened window. Of course he was there, standing by to defend her against al the horrors of the night. And just like that, Damon knew what he had to do: If he wanted to learn more about the phantom, he'd have to give himself over to it. He closed his eyes, al owing every negative feeling he'd ever had about Stefan to wash over him. How Stefan had always taken everything Damon wanted, had stolen it, if he needed to. Damn Stefan, Damon thought bitterly. If his brother hadn't come to town earlier than him, Damon would have had a chance to make Elena fal in love with him first, to be the one to reap the utter devotion he saw in her eyes when she looked at Stefan. Instead, here he was, second-best. He hadn't been enough for Katherine either; she had wanted his brother, too. Elena, tiger to the kitten Katherine had been, would have been the perfect mate for Damon. Beautiful, strong, wily, capable of great love, they could have ruled the night together. But she had fal en for his lily-livered weakling of a little brother. Damon's claws clenched the branch he sat on. â€Å"Isn't it sad,† a quiet voice beside him suggested, â€Å"how you try and try, but you're never enough for the women you love?† A cool tendril of fog touched his wing. Damon straightened and looked around. Dark fog was winding around the quince tree, just at Damon's level. Below, Stefan stood unaware. The fog had come for Damon alone. With a private smile, Damon felt the fog envelop him, and then al was darkness.