How are staff recruitment practices affecting Al Rayyan bank's Research Paper

How are staff recruitment practices affecting Al Rayyan bank's performance - Research Paper Example In this way, the bank’s recruitment process can negatively be perceived, as of its failure in promoting diversity, equality and fairness. This problem could negatively affect the bank’s image in the market but also its performance since employees who are not appropriately skilled could not respond to the needs of their position. Employers use different selection methods to recruit and select appropriate people for the organization, because it is not possible to extract maximum output from the employees if they are not hired according to the right selection process. Positivistic paradigm will be adapted for the research that supports quantitative research approach. The present research will apply regression analysis to evaluate questionnaire. Moreover, Cronbach Alpha will be used for testing validity and reliability of the responses, which will be collected from the employees of the bank. For evaluating interview with HR manager, Thematic Analysis will be used by the res earch for making the result more authentic. The sample size of the questionnaire will be 50, and it will be based on simple random sampling. On the other hand, the HR manager of Masraf Al Rayan bank will be interviewed to find out the relationship of recruitment and selection process with performance of the bank. The establishment of effective recruitment policies is often considered as a key criterion for the success of organizations in the global market. In highly competitive industries, such as the bank industry, banks tend to use recruitment processes, which have been successfully used by competitors. Still, there are banks that prefer to keep their recruitment process simple, probably believing that the ability of each employee to respond to the needs of his position can be only proved in practice, i.e. after exposing the employee to daily organizational problems. It has been seen from past empirical studies that

Global crime's Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Global crime's - Research Paper Example This paper attempts to present a brief overview of cybercrime, beginning with its varying definitions, how it evolved and became dangerous, its types, and past real-world instances. Cybercrime involves criminal acts that are committed using computer networks such as the internet (Bidgoli, 326). These criminal acts include the disruption of other computer systems using viruses and worms, gaining unauthorized access to confidential files, creating and distributing pornographic films based on children, stealing identity, stalking, and a host of other thefts and frauds. There are many ways in which cybercrime can be defined. This is because cybercrime is not a new â€Å"type of conduct† but an extension of criminal behavior that is already existing (Edelbacher, Kratcoski, and Theil 122). Cybercrime could be defined as â€Å"any crime in which a computer is the agent, facilitator, or target of the crime† (Edelbacher, Kratcoski, and Theil). This definition however is not completely representative of cybercrime. A more extensive definition was given by the Council of Europe’s Budapest Convention on Cyber Crime that defined cybercrime as – Offences against the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of computer data and systems, that is, offenses against computer data and systems, including illegal access to a computer system, such as â€Å"hacking† (Article 2), the illegal interception of the transmission of computer data (Article 3), data interference, that is, the damaging, deletion, deterioration, alteration or suppression of computer data (Article 4), system interference, that is, hindering of the functioning of computer systems (Article 5), including denial of service attacks, the misuse of devices (Article 6) – the production, sale, procurement, or otherwise making available of devices of data (e.g., hacking tools) for purposes of committing the above offences

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Essay Example for Free

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Essay The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is not just the story of a brilliant but flawed man who succumbs to temptation, it is also the story of a man who is a victim of his own society and culture. In The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde it seems that an upstanding gentleman is pressured by his society and own endeavours into ultimately separating the apparent bodies of good and evil. However the cause of the eventual, tragic demise of Dr Jekyll is rather complex and it is not enough to excuse his actions by placing the blame solely upon the restrictive society of late Victorian London. There seem to be other significant factors that can explain Jekylls actions and depict his character more clearly therefore providing a wider spectrum for determining as to what extent he is a victim or not. As one is given a description of what life in London was like for a man of such high status a sense of sympathy is developed towards Jekylls plight and also upon reading his Full Statement of The Case the reader is given a mostly honest insight into Jekylls mind; this again, brings forth some sympathy because he explains the pressures of society and the repression of his pleasures which condemn him to a profound duplicity of life. Also despite the understandable reasoning behind Jekylls actions the reader is confronted with the facts that he brutally murdered Sir Danvers Carew and he had intended to commit such crimes in order to satisfy his pleasures. The contrasting feelings tend not to give a clear view of whether or not Jekyll was indeed a victim of his society but the novel does show that he was flawed in his wish for undignified pleasures. There is a notion that Jekyll is solely to blame for his actions disregarding the circumstances, for it seems that the duality in himself was not normal and quite extreme; therefore he turned towards science and calculated his methods of achieving utmost respectability and satisfying his pleasures which were known to him as undignified and at one point monstrous, but yet he becomes unable to withstand the temptation of what is perceived to be the perfect solution despite its immorality. The society and culture in late Victorian England is conveyed as one that is wholly unsympathetic to anything shameful that is conducted within anyones own private life. For example if a man of such status, like Jekyll, was to be found frequenting brothels and indulging in public drinking a scandal would have certainly been made out of the situation and his reputation would have been ultimately destroyed. The society entirely disregards privacy and so, many upstanding gentlemen satisfy their urges for pleasure very discretely and make certain that no one comes to hear of their ventures. Then when we come to hear of Dr Jekyll having a very prestigious position in society and dignified reputation it seems as though he is held captive by such fortune. For very many years he has repressed his urges and subdued his taste for pleasure and so this portrays an extremely grave life and one of little joy. Jekylls only form of liberation was to have two bodies; one in which to satisfy his pleasures and one in which he could hide from them as the respectable doctor whose reputation would never tarnish. Taking only this into account it does seem as though he is a man imprisoned within his reputation and forced to take this course of action. Society is to blame up to an extent. Upon realising that Jekyll had carried out the senseless, brutal murder of Sir Danvers Carew in which the victim was trampled and bludgeoned to death until the bones were audibly crushed, it is rational to immediately condemn his actions. Society may have driven him to conceal his pleasures within a separate body but by no means does the social restriction excuse Jekylls need for such evil a crime. In Jekylls Full Statement of the Case he also admits that what were his undignified pleasures now turned towards the monstrous; he was now loosing control of his sense of morality. The statement Jekyll is a victim of his own society and culture, I feel, is too strong. There are many reasons for his wish and eventual accomplishment of separating what he believes to be good and evil bodies and therefore one cannot wholly excuse or condemn him. In Dr Jekylls full statement of the case he seems to explain his actions and motives and feelings but also takes a sorrowful tone as if asking for forgiveness and is quite apologetic. As he describes the pressures within his society and how he has repressed his pleasures a degree of sympathy is aroused within the reader. London, for a respectable gentleman, is portrayed as a strict society in which scandals can be easily procured for very little and as a result reputations are destroyed. Jekylls main flaw is that he consistently treats Hyde and himself as two entirely separate beings whereas, in fact, they are coupled within Henry Jekyll. Despite Jekylls honesty in his full statement of the case he remains ignorant to the fact that the two bodies of, quite simply, good and evil are actually one and whereas Hyde is pure evil Jekyll is both good and evil but he still sees Jekyll as his body of good and Hyde as the embodiment of evil. It is proved, I believe, that Jekyll is both good and evil for he himself states that as he drank the tincture his virtue slumbered and if he had approached his discovery in a more noble spirit, he would have come forth an angel instead of a fiend; Jekylls own evil produced Hyde. Henry Jekyll aimed to create a separate body free of social pressure and accomplished this; ironically the thing that was to liberate him led to his own imprisonment and ultimately his death. It is tragic that the society and its pressures led him to his fatal discovery, however many of those pressures were Jekylls own need for utmost respectability and subdued wish for undignified pleasures. The duality within himself forced the suppression of the evil but when it became unbearable his pleasures verged towards more than just the undignified but the monstrous; for example the brutal murder of Sir Danvers Carew which one cannot help but feel disgusted and contempt for Hyde, who it is revealed, is Jekyll. Jekylls subconscious evil intent meant that he procured evil and despite the circumstances I believe that Jekyll was a victim of his own need for two lives both of which were extreme in nature and the society which restricted him was not responsible for the eminently evil that he brought forward.

Principles And Misconceptions In Interpersonal Communication Education Essay

Principles And Misconceptions In Interpersonal Communication Education Essay This paper discusses about final paper communication with interpersonal relationships. It also addresses the five concepts that were most important for the successful communication with interpersonal relationships. This paper details the brief discussion about the communication with interpersonal relationships in the organization. It also provides the critical thought to communication with the selected five concepts and also examines about these five concepts to the successful of communication with the interpersonal relationships. This paper concludes with this final paper by providing the effective supporting points to the successful communication with interpersonal relationships. Introduction The interpersonal communication was tool for the successful of organizational products and services. One way of defining interpersonal communication was to compare it to other forms of communication. The interpersonal communication helped to understand that why human being behaved and communicated in different ways to construct and negotiate a social reality. This was the process that human being used to communicate with their ideas, feelings and thoughts to another person. The interpersonal communication skills can be improved through knowledge, practice, reflection and feedback. There are several concepts that were most significant to successful communication with interpersonal relationships. The five concepts were explaining the principles and misconceptions in effective interpersonal communications, identifying the barriers to effective interpersonal interactions, recognizing how words have the power to create and affect attitudes, behaviour and perception, defining emotional intelligence and its role in effective interpersonal relationships, understanding the impact of gender and culture on interpersonal communications. These five concepts were proving the successful solution for the communication with interpersonal relationships. The interpersonal communication was also based upon these five concepts. These concepts and the roles of each concept on interpersonal communication will be explained in below. These five concepts also provided better advantages and effective skills to the interpersonal communication in order to develop them. This paper will be addressed the advantages and skills to the communication enhancement with interpersonal relationships. I. Principles and misconceptions in interpersonal communication This was the important concept in order to make the successful interpersonal communication. The four types of principles in interpersonal communication were that interpersonal communication was inescapable, interpersonal communication was irreversible, interpersonal communication was complicated, interpersonal communication was contextual. The first principle was that interpersonal communication was inescapable and in this case, the communication was not through only word but through tone of voice, gesture, posture and facial expression etc (Peter Hartley, 2002). Human being can constantly receive the communication from other in this first principle. This principle was also the basic principle of communication that referred the people was not mind readers. The second principle was that interpersonal communication was irreversible and the effect of this principle was inevitably remained. For example, once a word gone out of your mouth, you can never swallow it again. According to this statement, this principle was not reversible. The third principle was that interpersonal communication was complicated and because of variable involved, even simple requests was extremely complex. The statement proved the complex of interpersonal communication that if a message can be understood in different ways, it will be understood in just that way didnt the most harm. The fourth principle was that interpersonal communication was contextual and this referred that the communication didnt happen in isolation. The context included psychological context, relational context, situational context, environmental context and cultural context. These were the principles of interpersonal communication. Misconceptions of interpersonal communication The misconception of interpersonal was that interpersonal communication solved the problem. The misconception stated that the communication can be able to solve the problems of talking and listening. The second misconception was that interpersonal conceptions were always a good thing and this misconception states that communication was magic portion for all lifes ailments. The interpersonal communication was common sense that can make the extensive repertoire of skills for making informed choices in interpersonal relationships. Interpersonal communication was always face to face that referred the interpersonal communication had entered the face to face encounters among people in order to cultivate the interpersonal skills. II. Barriers to effective interpersonal interactions Physical barriers The physical barrier was the barrier to the effective interpersonal interactions and this barrier included the lack of interpersonal proximity to human being. This barrier to effective communication may seem obvious and their implications that should not be ignored. The immediate physical barriers can lead the lack of communication and implication of physical barriers prevented the effective communication interactions (Richard West, 2010). Emotional barriers The emotional barriers to the effective interpersonal were motivated by fear. For example, an emotional barrier was an inability to trust someone with your thoughts, feelings and ideas due to a fear of judgment from others and this barrier caused excessive fear, mistrust and nervousness to the interpersonal communication. Cultural and language barriers The cultural and language barrier was the barrier to the effective communication interactions. Every culture and the language have its own customs for interpersonal communication from how to address human being to spatial differences when speaking face to face. These differences will be the barriers to the interpersonal communication that can be caused the misunderstanding among people. These language and culture barrier also caused the negative conversation among the group of speakers. III. Recognizing the effective of words to interpersonal communication Words often influenced people for decades, delivering the courage to enhance people and the word have the capacity to building the people positively as well as negatively. The attitude, behaviour and perception of people based upon that how the word influenced them in the world for the better creation. The wrong words can be hurtful that led the negative conflicts and confusion among the people and but the rights words at the right time can make all the differences for someone. The wholesome word provided the grace in order to creating the excellent attitude, behaviour and perception of interpersonal relationships. The words can either empower the attitude, behaviour and perception of interpersonal communication and also positive words made them quit. The word create the positive statement and the statement was the group of word in order to create the better understanding to people in the case of shaping the positive attitude, behaviour and perception among interpersonal relationships. The words have the power to creating and affecting attitudes, behavior and perception in making the interpersonal communication better. The words also played a vital role in the case of influencing the communication with interpersonal communication. The word was the tool that must be considered when achieving the impact and the impact was upon the audience or listener in the interpersonal communication. The attitudes, behaviour and perception of people were based the effectiveness of words while communicating with others and because the word can make positive and negative effects among people. The familiar or the effective words can affect the attitudes, behaviour and perception of people positively. If the word was unfamiliar, then attitude, behaviour and perception affected negatively while communicating with others. It was the smallest element that may be uttered in isolation with the pragmatic content and this word created the better attitude, behaviour and perception to human being while communicating with others. The communication can deliver the effectiveness of word from others and it will provide the solution to make the positive attitude, behaviour and perception. The positive statement of word can only create attitude, behaviour and perception by motivating other positively. When the words were delivered from one and the listener will observe and think about the statement (Sandra D. Collins, 2008). If the statement of words was positive, then listeners will change their attitude, behaviour and perception positively that will lead the positive effect to human being. If the words led the negative statement to the listener, then listener will act with negative attitude, behaviour and perception. This led the negative environment to the listeners. Hence the words have the power to create and affect the attitudes, behaviour and perception positively as well as negatively to human being. IV. Role of emotional intelligence to interpersonal relationships The emotional intelligence was the ability for identifying, assessing and controlling the emotions of interpersonal relationships. The emotional intelligence was usually measured by means of using the maximum performance tests and it had the stronger relationships with the traditional intelligence. This emotional intelligence also played a vital role in the case of shaping the interpersonal relationships. Building the emotional intelligence skills boosted and enriched the interpersonal relationships. The emotional intelligence controlled the negative emotions such as anger, confusion for the enhancement of interpersonal relationships. The emotional intelligence helped in the case of understanding personal motivations, feelings and needs that helped in understanding how to communicate effectively in the interpersonal relationships. It played a positive role on interpersonal relationships and because of this emotional intelligence was having the significant way to explaining the interpersonal relationships. This emotional intelligence provided the interpersonal relationships to understand the difference between the damaging and effective communication. This also allowed the opportunities for transforming the conflicts into an opportunity for building the relationships. This emotional intelligence process can manage the stress, emotions, nonverbal communications, humor and conflict resolution for enhancing the interpersonal relationship. This emotional intelligence was also the primary source of human energy, aspiration and drive, activating innermost feeling in interpersonal relationships and the prior experience and belief system enhanced relationships (Mary Barrett, 2006). This emotional intelligence included the five domains in the case of enhancing the interpersonal relationships. The five domains were contributing more to the interpersonal relationships that were self-awareness, emotional maturity, self-motivation, empathic understanding and quality communication. These domains provided the facing capability to fears, anxiety and anger and also delivered the ability to breakthrough solutions for making decisions. These domains were also used for making sensitivity feeling and concerns and managing the emotions that based upon the empathy and understanding to build the mutual trust in interpersonal relationships. V. Understanding the impact of gender and culture in interpersonal communication This was the also the concept in the case of enhancing the communication with interpersonal relationships. The gender and culture also shaped the communication with interpersonal relationships. The culture and gender were the essential part of conflict resolution and the culture and gender shaped the perceptive, attributions and ideas of interpersonal communication. The culture and gender were very powerful in the case of resolving the conflicts with interpersonal relationships. The gender made the enhancement to the enhancement of interpersonal communication by making the styles in communication. The gender can be delivered the emotions and feelings while making the communication with others and hence this will lead the positive environment among the interpersonal relationships. The cultural genders shared the race, ethnicity, nationality and these were raised from cleavages of generation, socioeconomics and sexual orientation, political and social affiliations. The gender and culture were the two factors in the case of making the general identification. The impact of gender and culture on interpersonal communication reminds human being that different cultures have different expectations. For example, eye contact, boy gestures, physical touch, and aspects of importance will be differed and this differentiation was based upon the cultures and genders. It was possible to know that the value, attitude and behaviour as well as communication styles will be differed when interacting with people. The racial and ethnic diversity in marriage also affected the interpersonal communications. The roles of gender influenced the all kinds if behaviours especially within specific cultures. The interpersonal communication in marriage was the best example and that showed the impact of gender and culture on interpersonal skills. Conclusion The concepts of interpersonal communications and the concepts of interpersonal communications were discussed and the components were detailed. The critical thoughts of this paper were examined and five significant components to the enhancement of communication with interpersonal relationships were included. The concepts and ideas of each component to the interpersonal communication or relationships were studied. The essential points of principles, barriers, emotional intelligence, and impact of gender, culture were examined and the supporting points were concluded.

Influence of Indian Warfare on the Development of the United States Arm

Influence of Indian Warfare on the Development of the United States Army Throughout history, when two or more armed groups oppose one another in battle, certain tactics are transferred from one to the other. These tactics are usually perceived by either group as superior to their own. This process of transferring tactics often occurs over a length of time, and usually encompass a number of conflicts between the groups. This is a natural phenomenon for armed forces that mimics the Darwinian Theory of Evolution; the strongest survive, the weak die. For a group to become the strongest in armed conflict, it must employ superior tactics and doctrine over its enemy. One method that an armed force uses to become stronger is to adapt the superior tactics of its enemy, incorporating them into its own doctrine. Today, the United States Army is undoubtedly the strongest armed force in the world. This has not occurred without the Army also adapting tactics used by forces which opposed it throughout its development. One such opposing force were the American Indians. The history of opposition between these two groups can be traced back to the conflicts that occurred between the Amerindians and the English Colonists, whose militias were the ancestor of the U.S. Army. The colonial militia was an institution of the English that was imported to their colonies in the New World in the sixteenth century. The colonial militias thrived, however, as those of England faded into relative non-existence in the seventeenth century while a new, professional army was developed in their place. No colony could afford to develop a professional armed force because every able-bodied man had to devote all his energy to the economic survival of the colony. ... ...ll, William G., et al, comps. American Military History. Army Historical Ser. Washington: GPO, 1989. Coakley, Robert W., and Stetson Conn. The War of the American Revolution. Washington: GPO, 1975. Fennell, Jr., Charles C. "The Civil War: The First Modern War." The American Military Tradition. Ed. John M. Carroll and Colin F. Baxter. Wilmington: Scholarly Resources,Inc., 1993. 3-22. Mahon, John K., and Romana Danysh. Infantry Part I. Army Lineage Ser. Washington: GPO, 1972. Overy, David H. "The Colonial Wars and the American Revolution." The American Military Tradition. Ed. John M. Carroll and Colin F. Baxter. Wilmington: Scholarly Resources,Inc., 1993. 3-22. United States. Dept. of the Army. Soldier's Manual of Common Tasks - Skill Level 1. Washington: GPO, 1990. Weigley, Russell F. History of the United States Army. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1984.

Postmodern Theory: Critical Interrogations Essay -- Evolution, Social C

â€Å"Postmodern† is a complicated term, and so are â€Å"postmodernity†, â€Å"postmodernism† and â€Å"postmodernist†, and every other term one might come across in the way of evolution. According to Andreas Saugstad (2001) different postmodern theorists may have contrasting opinions and thinkers from different areas may have contrasting definitions of the term â€Å"postmodern†. Thus, the postmodern debates influenced the cultural and intellectual scene in many areas throughout the world. These terms have been used in literature, social studies, philosophy, arts and architecture. On the same hand on cultural level, discussions emerged whether modernism was dead or not and what kind of postmodernism was inheriting it. In the philosophical sphere, according to Steven Best and Douglas Kellner(1991), the erupted discussions were also concentrating on whether or not the traditions of modern philosophy had ended, and many theorists began pra ising a new postmodern philosophy related with Derrida, Jean-Francios Lyotard, Nietzsche, Baudrillard and more. Furthermore, the postmodern debates produced innovative, social and political theories, as well as theoretical struggles to define the multilayered postmodern phenomenon. On the other hand, according to The American Heritage Dictionary (1991) the postmodern can be described as â€Å"relating to art, literature and architecture, that reacts against earlier modernist principles, as by reintroducing traditional, classical or modernist elements of style to the extremes.† According to Steven Connor(1989) the â€Å"postmodern† terminology was firstly used by a number of writers in the 1950s and 1960s, however the concept can’t be said to have taken shape until the 1980s. As Hans Bertens(1995) poin... ...ations. 1st ed. Macmillan education ltd. London. Connor, S, 1989. Postmodern Culture: An introduction to theories of the contemporary. 2nd ed. Oxford: London University. The Free Dictionary. 2013. Postmodern. [online] Available at: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/postmodern [ Accessed on 05 November 2013] Andreas Saugstad, 2001. Postmodernism: What is it and What is wrong with it? [online] Available at: http://www.slideshare.net/sgummer/what-are-the-characteristics-of-postmodernism-and-its-faults [Accessed on 10 November 2013] Glossary Terms. 2003. Encyclopedia of Marxism. [online] Available at: http://www.marxists.org/glossary/terms/g/r.htm [Accessed on 10 November 2013] Vineet Prakash, 2007. Essay on Postmodernism. [online] Available at: http://www.preservearticles.com/201106127844/1125-words-free-sample-essay-on-post-modernism.html [Accessed on 08 November 2013]

Twilight 6. SCARY STORIES

6. SCARY STORIES As I sat in my room, trying to concentrate on the third act of Macbeth, I was really listening for my truck. I would have thought, even over the pounding rain, I could have heard the engine's roar. But when I went to peek out the curtain – again – it was suddenly there. I wasn't looking forward to Friday, and it more than lived up to my non-expectations. Of course there were the fainting comments. Jessica especially seemed to get a kick out of that story. Luckily Mike had kept his mouth shut, and no one seemed to know about Edward's involvement. She did have a lot of questions about lunch, though. â€Å"So what did Edward Cullen want yesterday?† Jessica asked in Trig. â€Å"I don't know,† I answered truthfully. â€Å"He never really got to the point.† â€Å"You looked kind of mad,† she fished. â€Å"Did I?† I kept my expression blank. â€Å"You know, I've never seen him sit with anyone but his family before. That was weird.† â€Å"Weird,† I agreed. She seemed annoyed; she flipped her dark curls impatiently – I guessed she'd been hoping to hear something that would make a good story for her to pass on. The worst part about Friday was that, even though I knew he wasn't going to be there, I still hoped. When I walked into the cafeteria with Jessica and Mike, I couldn't keep from looking at his table, where Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper sat talking, heads close together. And I couldn't stop the gloom that engulfed me as I realized I didn't know how long I would have to wait before I saw him again. At my usual table, everyone was full of our plans for the next day. Mike was animated again, putting a great deal of trust in the local weatherman who promised sun tomorrow. I'd have to see that before I believed it. But it was warmer today – almost sixty. Maybe the outing wouldn't be completely miserable. I intercepted a few unfriendly glances from Lauren during lunch, which I didn't understand until we were all walking out of the room together. I was right behind her, just a foot from her slick, silver blond hair, and she was evidently unaware of that. â€Å"†¦don't know why Bella† – she sneered my name – â€Å"doesn't just sit with the Cullens from now on.† I heard her muttering to Mike. I'd never noticed what an unpleasant, nasal voice she had, and I was surprised by the malice in it. I really didn't know her well at all, certainly not well enough for her to dislike me – or so I'd thought. â€Å"She's my friend; she sits with us,† Mike whispered back loyally, but also a bit territorially. I paused to let Jess and Angela pass me. I didn't want to hear any more. That night at dinner, Charlie seemed enthusiastic about my trip to La Push in the morning. I think he felt guilty for leaving me home alone on the weekends, but he'd spent too many years building his habits to break them now. Of course he knew the names of all the kids going, and their parents, and their great-grandparents, too, probably. He seemed to approve. I wondered if he would approve of my plan to ride to Seattle with Edward Cullen. Not that I was going to tell him. â€Å"Dad, do you know a place called Goat Rocks or something like that? I think it's south of Mount Rainier,† I asked casually. â€Å"Yeah – why?† I shrugged. â€Å"Some kids were talking about camping there.† â€Å"It's not a very good place for camping.† He sounded surprised. â€Å"Too many bears. Most people go there during the hunting season.† â€Å"Oh,† I murmured. â€Å"Maybe I got the name wrong.† I meant to sleep in, but an unusual brightness woke me. I opened my eyes to see a clear yellow light streaming through my window. I couldn't believe it. I hurried to the window to check, and sure enough, there was the sun. It was in the wrong place in the sky, too low, and it didn't seem to be as close as it should be, but it was definitely the sun. Clouds ringed the horizon, but a large patch of blue was visible in the middle. I lingered by the window as long as I could, afraid that if I left the blue would disappear again. The Newtons' Olympic Outfitters store was just north of town. I'd seen the store, but I'd never stopped there – not having much need for any supplies required for being outdoors over an extended period of time. In the parking lot I recognized Mike's Suburban and Tyler's Sentra. As I pulled up next to their vehicles, I could see the group standing around in front of the Suburban. Eric was there, along with two other boys I had class with; I was fairly sure their names were Ben and Conner. Jess was there, flanked by Angela and Lauren. Three other girls stood with them, including one I remembered falling over in Gym on Friday. That one gave me a dirty look as I got out of the truck, and whispered something to Lauren. Lauren shook out her cornsilk hair and eyed me scornfully. So it was going to be one of those days. At least Mike was happy to see me. â€Å"You came!† he called, delighted. â€Å"And I said it would be sunny today, didn't I?† â€Å"I told you I was coming,† I reminded him. â€Å"We're just waiting for Lee and Samantha†¦ unless you invited someone,† Mike added. â€Å"Nope,† I lied lightly, hoping I wouldn't get caught in the lie. But also wishing that a miracle would occur, and Edward would appear. Mike looked satisfied. â€Å"Will you ride in my car? It's that or Lee's mom's minivan.† â€Å"Sure.† He smiled blissfully. It was so easy to make Mike happy. â€Å"You can have shotgun,† he promised. I hid my chagrin. It wasn't as simple to make Mike and Jessica happy at the same time. I could see Jessica glowering at us now. The numbers worked out in my favor, though. Lee brought two extra people, and suddenly every seat was necessary. I managed to wedge Jess in between Mike and me in the front seat of the Suburban. Mike could have been more graceful about it, but at least Jess seemed appeased. It was only fifteen miles to La Push from Forks, with gorgeous, dense green forests edging the road most of the way and the wide Quillayute River snaking beneath it twice. I was glad I had the window seat. We'd rolled the windows down – the Suburban was a bit claustrophobic with nine people in it – and I tried to absorb as much sunlight as possible. I'd been to the beaches around La Push many times during my Forks summers with Charlie, so the mile-long crescent of First Beach was familiar to me. It was still breathtaking. The water was dark gray, even in the sunlight, white-capped and heaving to the gray, rocky shore. Islands rose out of the steel harbor waters with sheer cliff sides, reaching to uneven summits, and crowned with austere, soaring firs. The beach had only a thin border of actual sand at the water's edge, after which it grew into millions of large, smooth stones that looked uniformly gray from a distance, but close up were every shade a stone could be: terra-cotta, sea green, lavender, blue gray, dull gold. The tide line was strewn with huge driftwood trees, bleached bone white in the salt waves, some piled together against the edge of the forest fringe, some lying solitary, just out of reach of the waves. There was a brisk wind coming off the waves, cool and briny. Pelicans floated on the swells while seagulls and a lone eagle wheeled above them. The clouds still circled the sky, threatening to invade at any moment, but for now the sun shone bravely in its halo of blue sky. We picked our way down to the beach, Mike leading the way to a ring of driftwood logs that had obviously been used for parties like ours before. There was a fire circle already in place, filled with black ashes. Eric and the boy I thought was named Ben gathered broken branches of driftwood from the drier piles against the forest edge, and soon had a teepee-shaped construction built atop the old cinders. â€Å"Have you ever seen a driftwood fire?† Mike asked me. I was sitting on one of the bone-colored benches; the other girls clustered, gossiping excitedly, on either side of me. Mike kneeled by the fire, lighting one of the smaller sticks with a cigarette lighter. â€Å"No,† I said as he placed the blazing twig carefully against the teepee. â€Å"You'll like this then – watch the colors.† He lit another small branch and laid it alongside the first. The flames started to lick quickly up the dry wood. â€Å"It's blue,† I said in surprise. â€Å"The salt does it. Pretty, isn't it?† He lit one more piece, placed it where the fire hadn't yet caught, and then came to sit by me. Thankfully, Jess was on his other side. She turned to him and claimed his attention. I watched the strange blue and green flames crackle toward the sky. After a half hour of chatter, some of the boys wanted to hike to the nearby tidal pools. It was a dilemma. On the one hand, I loved the tide pools. They had fascinated me since I was a child; they were one of the only things I ever looked forward to when I had to come to Forks. On the other hand, I'd also fallen into them a lot. Not a big deal when you're seven and with your dad. It reminded me of Edward's request – that I not fall into the ocean. Lauren was the one who made my decision for me. She didn't want to hike, and she was definitely wearing the wrong shoes for it. Most of the other girls besides Angela and Jessica decided to stay on the beach as well. I waited until Tyler and Eric had committed to remaining with them before I got up quietly to join the pro-hiking group. Mike gave me a huge smile when he saw that I was coming. The hike wasn't too long, though I hated to lose the sky in the woods. The green light of the forest was strangely at odds with the adolescent laughter, too murky and ominous to be in harmony with the light banter around me. I had to watch each step I took very carefully, avoiding roots below and branches above, and I soon fell behind. Eventually I broke through the emerald confines of the forest and found the rocky shore again. It was low tide, and a tidal river flowed past us on its way to the sea. Along its pebbled banks, shallow pools that never completely drained were teeming with life. I was very cautious not to lean too far over the little ocean ponds. The others were fearless, leaping over the rocks, perching precariously on the edges. I found a very stable-looking rock on the fringe of one of the largest pools and sat there cautiously, spellbound by the natural aquarium below me. The bouquets of brilliant anemones undulated ceaselessly in the invisible current, twisted shells scurried about the edges, obscuring the crabs within them, starfish stuck motionless to the rocks and each other, while one small black eel with white racing stripes wove through the bright green weeds, waiting for the sea to return. I was completely absorbed, except for one small part of my mind that wondered what Edward was doing now, and trying to imagine what he would be saying if he were here with me. Finally the boys were hungry, and I got up stiffly to follow them back. I tried to keep up better this time through the woods, so naturally I fell a few times. I got some shallow scrapes on my palms, and the knees of my jeans were stained green, but it could have been worse. When we got back to First Beach, the group we'd left behind had multiplied. As we got closer we could see the shining, straight black hair and copper skin of the newcomers, teenagers from the reservation come to socialize. The food was already being passed around, and the boys hurried to claim a share while Eric introduced us as we each entered the driftwood circle. Angela and I were the last to arrive, and, as Eric said our names, I noticed a younger boy sitting on the stones near the fire glance up at me in interest. I sat down next to Angela, and Mike brought us sandwiches and an array of sodas to choose from, while a boy who looked to be the oldest of the visitors rattled off the names of the seven others with him. All I caught was that one of the girls was also named Jessica, and the boy who noticed me was named Jacob. It was relaxing to sit with Angela; she was a restful kind of person to be around – she didn't feel the need to fill every silence with chatter. She left me free to think undisturbed while we ate. And I was thinking about how disjointedly time seemed to flow in Forks, passing in a blur at times, with single images standing out more clearly than others. And then, at other times, every second was significant, etched in my mind. I knew exactly what caused the difference, and it disturbed me. During lunch the clouds started to advance, slinking across the blue sky, darting in front of the sun momentarily, casting long shadows across the beach, and blackening the waves. As they finished eating, people started to drift away in twos and threes. Some walked down to the edge of the waves, trying to skip rocks across the choppy surface. Others were gathering a second expedition to the tide pools. Mike – with Jessica shadowing him – headed up to the one shop in the village. Some of the local kids went with them; others went along on the hike. By the time they all had scattered, I was sitting alone on my driftwood log, with Lauren and Tyler occupying themselves by the CD player someone had thought to bring, and three teenagers from the reservation perched around the circle, including the boy named Jacob and the oldest boy who had acted as spokesperson. A few minutes after Angela left with the hikers, Jacob sauntered over to take her place by my side. He looked fourteen, maybe fifteen, and had long, glossy black hair pulled back with a rubber band at the nape of his neck. His skin was beautiful, silky and russet-colored; his eyes were dark, set deep above the high planes of his cheekbones. He still had just a hint of childish roundness left around his chin. Altogether, a very pretty face. However, my positive opinion of his looks was damaged by the first words out of his mouth. â€Å"You're Isabella Swan, aren't you?† It was like the first day of school all over again. â€Å"Bella,† I sighed. â€Å"I'm Jacob Black.† He held his hand out in a friendly gesture. â€Å"You bought my dad's truck.† â€Å"Oh,† I said, relieved, shaking his sleek hand. â€Å"You're Billy's son. I probably should remember you.† â€Å"No, I'm the youngest of the family – you would remember my older sisters.† â€Å"Rachel and Rebecca,† I suddenly recalled. Charlie and Billy had thrown us together a lot during my visits, to keep us busy while they fished. We were all too shy to make much progress as friends. Of course, I'd kicked up enough tantrums to end the fishing trips by the time I was eleven. â€Å"Are they here?† I examined the girls at the ocean's edge, wondering if I would recognize them now. â€Å"No.† Jacob shook his head. â€Å"Rachel got a scholarship to Washington State, and Rebecca married a Samoan surfer – she lives in Hawaii now.† â€Å"Married. Wow.† I was stunned. The twins were only a little over a year older than I was. â€Å"So how do you like the truck?† he asked. â€Å"I love it. It runs great.† â€Å"Yeah, but it's really slow,† he laughed. â€Å"I was so relived when Charlie bought it. My dad wouldn't let me work on building another car when we had a perfectly good vehicle right there.† â€Å"It's not that slow,† I objected. â€Å"Have you tried to go over sixty?† â€Å"No,† I admitted. â€Å"Good. Don't.† He grinned. I couldn't help grinning back. â€Å"It does great in a collision,† I offered in my truck's defense. â€Å"I don't think a tank could take out that old monster,† he agreed with another laugh. â€Å"So you build cars?† I asked, impressed. â€Å"When I have free time, and parts. You wouldn't happen to know where I could get my hands on a master cylinder for a 1986 Volkswagen Rabbit?† he added jokingly. He had a pleasant, husky voice. â€Å"Sorry,† I laughed, â€Å"I haven't seen any lately, but I'll keep my eyes open for you.† As if I knew what that was. He was very easy to talk with. He flashed a brilliant smile, looking at me appreciatively in a way I was learning to recognize. I wasn't the only one who noticed. â€Å"You know Bella, Jacob?† Lauren asked – in what I imagined was an insolent tone – from across the fire. â€Å"We've sort of known each other since I was born,† he laughed, smiling at me again. â€Å"How nice.† She didn't sound like she thought it was nice at all, and her pale, fishy eyes narrowed. â€Å"Bella,† she called again, watching my face carefully, â€Å"I was just saying to Tyler that it was too bad none of the Cullens could come out today. Didn't anyone think to invite them?† Her expression of concern was unconvincing. â€Å"You mean Dr. Carlisle Cullen's family?† the tall, older boy asked before I could respond, much to Lauren's irritation. He was really closer to a man than a boy, and his voice was very deep. â€Å"Yes, do you know them?† she asked condescendingly, turning halfway toward him. â€Å"The Cullens don't come here,† he said in a tone that closed the subject, ignoring her question. Tyler, trying to win back her attention, asked Lauren's opinion on a CD he held. She was distracted. I stared at the deep-voiced boy, taken aback, but he was looking away toward the dark forest behind us. He'd said that the Cullens didn't come here, but his tone had implied something more – that they weren't allowed; they were prohibited. His manner left a strange impression on me, and I tried to ignore it without success. Jacob interrupted my meditation. â€Å"So is Forks driving you insane yet?† â€Å"Oh, I'd say that's an understatement.† I grimaced. He grinned understandingly. I was still turning over the brief comment on the Cullens, and I had a sudden inspiration. It was a stupid plan, but I didn't have any better ideas. I hoped that young Jacob was as yet inexperienced around girls, so that he wouldn't see through my sure-to-be-pitiful attempts at flirting. â€Å"Do you want to walk down the beach with me?† I asked, trying to imitate that way Edward had of looking up from underneath his eyelashes. It couldn't have nearly the same effect, I was sure, but Jacob jumped up willingly enough. As we walked north across the multihued stones toward the driftwood seawall, the clouds finally closed ranks across the sky, causing the sea to darken and the temperature to drop. I shoved my hands deep into the pockets of my jacket. â€Å"So you're, what, sixteen?† I asked, trying not to look like an idiot as I fluttered my eyelids the way I'd seen girls do on TV. â€Å"I just turned fifteen,† he confessed, flattered. â€Å"Really?† My face was full of false surprise. â€Å"I would have thought you were older.† â€Å"I'm tall for my age,† he explained. â€Å"Do you come up to Forks much?† I asked archly, as if I was hoping for a yes. I sounded idiotic to myself. I was afraid he would turn on me with disgust and accuse me of my fraud, but he still seemed flattered. â€Å"Not too much,† he admitted with a frown. â€Å"But when I get my car finished I can go up as much as I want – after I get my license,† he amended. â€Å"Who was that other boy Lauren was talking to? He seemed a little old to be hanging out with us.† I purposefully lumped myself in with the youngsters, trying to make it clear that I preferred Jacob. â€Å"That's Sam – he's nineteen,† he informed me. â€Å"What was that he was saying about the doctor's family?† I asked innocently. â€Å"The Cullens? Oh, they're not supposed to come onto the reservation.† He looked away, out toward James Island, as he confirmed what I'd thought I'd heard in Sam's voice. â€Å"Why not?† He glanced back at me, biting his lip. â€Å"Oops. I'm not supposed to say anything about that.† â€Å"Oh, I won't tell anyone, I'm just curious.† I tried to make my smile alluring, wondering if I was laying it on too thick. He smiled back, though, looking allured. Then he lifted one eyebrow and his voice was even huskier than before. â€Å"Do you like scary stories?† he asked ominously. â€Å"I love them,† I enthused, making an effort to smolder at him. Jacob strolled to a nearby driftwood tree that had its roots sticking out like the attenuated legs of a huge, pale spider. He perched lightly on one of the twisted roots while I sat beneath him on the body of the tree. He stared down at the rocks, a smile hovering around the edges of his broad lips. I could see he was going to try to make this good. I focused on keeping the vital interest I felt out of my eyes. â€Å"Do you know any of our old stories, about where we came from – the Quileutes, I mean?† he began. â€Å"Not really,† I admitted. â€Å"Well, there are lots of legends, some of them claiming to date back to the Flood – supposedly, the ancient Quileutes tied their canoes to the tops of the tallest trees on the mountain to survive like Noah and the ark.† He smiled, to show me how little stock he put in the histories. â€Å"Another legend claims that we descended from wolves – and that the wolves are our brothers still. It's against tribal law to kill them. â€Å"Then there are the stories about the cold ones.† His voice dropped a little lower. â€Å"The cold ones?† I asked, not faking my intrigue now. â€Å"Yes. There are stories of the cold ones as old as the wolf legends, and some much more recent. According to legend, my own great-grandfather knew some of them. He was the one who made the treaty that kept them off our land.† He rolled his eyes. â€Å"Your great-grandfather?† I encouraged. â€Å"He was a tribal elder, like my father. You see, the cold ones are the natural enemies of the wolf-well, not the wolf, really, but the wolves that turn into men, like our ancestors. You would call them werewolves.† â€Å"Werewolves have enemies?† â€Å"Only one.† I stared at him earnestly, hoping to disguise my impatience as admiration. â€Å"So you see,† Jacob continued, â€Å"the cold ones are traditionally our enemies. But this pack that came to our territory during my great-grandfather's time was different. They didn't hunt the way others of their kind did – they weren't supposed to be dangerous to the tribe. So my great-grandfather made a truce with them. If they would promise to stay off our lands, we wouldn't expose them to the pale-faces.† He winked at me. â€Å"If they weren't dangerous, then why†¦ ?† I tried to understand, struggling not to let him see how seriously I was considering his ghost story. â€Å"There's always a risk for humans to be around the cold ones, even if they're civilized like this clan was. You never know when they might get too hungry to resist.† He deliberately worked a thick edge of menace into his tone. â€Å"What do you mean, ‘civilized'?† â€Å"They claimed that they didn't hunt humans. They supposedly were somehow able to prey on animals instead.† I tried to keep my voice casual. â€Å"So how does it fit in with the Cullens? Are they like the cold ones your greatgrandfather met?† â€Å"No.† He paused dramatically. â€Å"They are the same ones.† He must have thought the expression on my face was fear inspired by his story. He smiled, pleased, and continued. â€Å"There are more of them now, a new female and a new male, but the rest are the same. In my great-grandfather's time they already knew of the leader, Carlisle. He'd been here and gone before your people had even arrived.† He was fighting a smile. â€Å"And what are they?† I finally asked. â€Å"What are the cold ones?† He smiled darkly. â€Å"Blood drinkers,† he replied in a chilling voice. â€Å"Your people call them vampires.† I stared out at the rough surf after he answered, not sure what my face was exposing. â€Å"You have goose bumps,† he laughed delightedly. â€Å"You're a good storyteller,† I complimented him, still staring into the waves. â€Å"Pretty crazy stuff, though, isn't it? No wonder my dad doesn't want us to talk about it to anyone.† I couldn't control my expression enough to look at him yet. â€Å"Don't worry, I won't give you away.† â€Å"I guess I just violated the treaty,† he laughed. â€Å"I'll take it to the grave,† I promised, and then I shivered. â€Å"Seriously, though, don't say anything to Charlie. He was pretty mad at my dad when he heard that some of us weren't going to the hospital since Dr. Cullen started working there.† â€Å"I won't, of course not.† â€Å"So do you think we're a bunch of superstitious natives or what?† he asked in a playful tone, but with a hint of worry. I still hadn't looked away from the ocean. I turned and smiled at him as normally as I could. â€Å"No. I think you're very good at telling scary stories, though. I still have goose bumps, see?† I held up my arm. â€Å"Cool.† He smiled. And then the sound of the beach rocks clattering against each other warned us that someone was approaching. Our heads snapped up at the same time to see Mike and Jessica about fifty yards away, walking toward us. â€Å"There you are, Bella,† Mike called in relief, waving his arm over his head. â€Å"Is that your boyfriend?† Jacob asked, alerted by the jealous edge in Mike's voice. I was surprised it was so obvious. â€Å"No, definitely not,† I whispered. I was tremendously grateful to Jacob, and eager to make him as happy as possible. I winked at him, carefully turning away from Mike to do so. He smiled, elated by my inept flirting. â€Å"So when I get my license†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he began. â€Å"You should come see me in Forks. We could hang out sometime.† I felt guilty as I said this, knowing that I'd used him. But I really did like Jacob. He was someone I could easily be friends with. Mike had reached us now, with Jessica still a few paces back. I could see his eyes appraising Jacob, and looking satisfied at his obvious youth. â€Å"Where have you been?† he asked, though the answer was right in front of him. â€Å"Jacob was just telling me some local stories,† I volunteered. â€Å"It was really interesting.† I smiled at Jacob warmly, and he grinned back. â€Å"Well,† Mike paused, carefully reassessing the situation as he watched our camaraderie. â€Å"We're packing up – it looks like it's going to rain soon.† We all looked up at the glowering sky. It certainly did look like rain. â€Å"Okay.† I jumped up. â€Å"I'm coming.† â€Å"It was nice to see you again,† Jacob said, and I could tell he was taunting Mike just a bit. â€Å"It really was. Next time Charlie comes down to see Billy, I'll come, too,† I promised. His grin stretched across his face. â€Å"That would be cool.† â€Å"And thanks,† I added earnestly. I pulled up my hood as we tramped across the rocks toward the parking lot. A few drops were beginning to fall, making black spots on the stones where they landed. When we got to the Suburban the others were already loading everything back in. I crawled into the backseat by Angela and Tyler, announcing that I'd already had my turn in the shotgun position. Angela just stared out the window at the escalating storm, and Lauren twisted around in the middle seat to occupy Tyler's attention, so I could simply lay my head back on the seat and close my eyes and try very hard not to think.