Paper chromatography Essay Example for Free

Paper chromatography Essay Aim : to separate and identify of the pigments in leaves by paper chromatography Principle of design: In this experiment, a strip of filter paper containing a small spot of concentrated chlorophyll pigment is dipped in a mixture of developing solvent, the pigments was carried up the strip as the solvents move up. Since the solvents moved at different rates and pigments had different solubilities in them, the pigments gradually become separated. When the solvent was near the top of the paper, the paper was removed. After that, Rf (Relative front) for that substance were calculated. In this experiment, Rf values were used to identify the different substances present in the leaf extract mixture. Instructions: 1. 3 leaves of spinach were ground in pestle and mortar by 2 cm3 of extraction solvent 2. the developing solvent was added into the boiling tube and it just touched the lower edge of the paper strip. 3. The tube was kept stopper to allow it to saturate with the solvent vapour 4. Both sides of paper strip were trimmed to make sure that the sides of paper strip didnt touch the sides of the boiling tube 5. A light pencil line was ruled 20mm from the lower edge of paper strip 6. A capillary tube was dipped into the extract and a small drop of the extract was put in the middle of the starting line. When it was dried, another drop was added and adding was continued until the spot was quite dark. The spot was kept as small as possible. 7. One end of the strip was folded at 90 so that when the paper strip was suspended with a pin from the stopper, the opposite end would just dip into the surface of the solvent. 8. The chromatogram was allowed to develop until the solvent front is 2 cm from the upper edge of paper strip. 9. The paper strip was taken out and a light pencil line was ruled to mark the solvent front. 10. The pigment patches were circled immediately with a pencil. 11. The Rf values for the different pigments in the leaf extract were calculated. Results: The distance that the solvent travels = 9.3cm Rf of the top yellow spot = 8.9/ 9.3 = 0.96cm Rf of the middle orange spot = 6.8/ 9.3 = 0.73cm Rf of the bottom bright green spot = 5.7/9.3 = 0.61cm Rf of the lowest green spot = 4.4/9.3 = 0.47cm Therefore the top yellow spot is carotene pigment, the middle orange spot is xanthophyll pigment, the bottom bright green spot is chlorophyll a pigment, and the lowest green spot is chlorophyll b pigment. Discussion: Chromatography is an effective method of separating the solutes in a solution. Paper chromatography is the process we used to separate various chemicals found in the pigment, in the case is chlorophyll. The four pigments that being separated were chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, xanthophyll II, and carotene. These pigments were each separated at a different point on the paper. This is because of few different factors. First, each pigments has a different mass, and therefore are heavier and cannot travel up the paper as far, or as quickly. In this experiment, the heaviest pigment is chlorophyll b as it is the lowest, and the lightest pigment is carotene as it is the top of all pigments. The second factor was the solubility of the pigment. The least soluble pigment should travel up the shortest distance, and the most soluble pigment should travel up the longest distance. In this experiment, the least soluble pigment was chlorophyll b, and the most soluble one was carotene. The third factor was adsorption, that is the ability to attract other substances strongly and hold on their surface. The pigment with the greatest adsorption ability traveled up the shortest distance, and the pigment with the weakest adsorption ability traveled up the longest distance. In this experiment, carotene had the weakest adsorption ability, and chlorophyll b had the greatest adsorption ability. The strip of filter paper should be freely suspended in the test tube, this is because the movement of the pigment on the paper in contact or near the glass would cause the particles to be attracted to the side such that net charge of the force would be towards the side. The test tube must be stoppered. This is to produce a saturated atmosphere in the test tube. Also, it was to prevent the evaporation of the solvent, which is toxic. Conclusion: There were four pigments being separated from chlorophyll, they were chlorophyll b, which is the least soluble, heaviest and have the greatest ability of adsorption, chlorophyll a, xanthophyll II and carotene, which is the most soluble, lightest and have the weakest ability of adsorption.

Definition Of The Life Cycle Costing Construction Essay

Definition Of The Life Cycle Costing Construction Essay This report emphasizes for identifying critical phases of pre contract cost planning and controlling process in the life cycle of project with respect to the RIBA plan of work how to manage them and how to obtain a maximum turnover of the project within the quantity surveyors role as a cost manager. Hence, this study will discuss significant project pre contract cost planning and controlling process, such as methods of estimates for cost planning for different stages of RIBA work plan, pre-contract cost planning and cost controlling process with respect to the RIBA plan of work a client/consultant may adopt during each stage, the term life cycle costing and related terminology, the quantity surveyors role as a cost manager, in the life cycle of the project. MAIN BODY Explain the methods of preparing estimates for cost planning for different stages of RIBA work plan. What Is Cost Planning? The Cost Planning is a method of cost controlling the cost (Price to client) of a project within a pre-determined sum up to the tender stage. (Page3, Cost studies) Cost Planning give advice to client how much will be project cost. As well, cost planning will advise when the expected expenses will most possible occur. Hence its important for get required project finance and for determining possible project profit. Therefore cost planning process essential to success of project. Methods of Estimating for Cost Planning There are some significant estimating methods uses in construction industry for Cost planning process. Those methods give preliminary estimate, hence Quantity Surveyor has to modify predetermine data considering the followings, such as , market conditions, Size, number of storeys, specification level, inclusions exclusions, service, site foundation conditions and other factors. Conference Estimating Method RIBA Stage A of Options Appraisal and stage B Design Brief, These method uses for preparation of the initial price estimate give to the client. It is based on a cooperative view of a group of persons, and not quantify in any particular way. Financial methods RIBA Stage A of Options Appraisal and stage B Design Brief, This method fixes a cost limit on the building design, according to the unit of accommodation or rental values. For example, Unit method   RIBA Stage A of Options Appraisal and stage B Design Brief, The unit method is multiplies desire standard unit of accommodation by an approximate cost per unit. Not required specific drawings, specifications, only the concept of the project relevant to the required function. For example: Schools costs per pupil enplace Hospitals costs per bed enplace Car parks cost per car space Estimate = Standard units  of accommodation x Cost per unit Cube method   Design Stage This is the superseded method because of inherent disadvantages; this method needs some sketch drawings, historical cost data, and also  important estimator experience. It is based on association between building volume and unit cost. For example: Superficial area method RIBA Stage B Strategic Briefing and also can be used for Stage C This is presently most common use method, its use for early price estimating purposes. The area of each of the floors multiplied by the cost per square meter. Mostly important Storey heights, plan shape and methods for when choose on the rate need be used. For example: Story enclosure unit method This technique use weightings for the estimating the building elements Elemental Cost estimating Detail Design Stage (Production information Stage F) This can use to establish the approximate cost of a construction project. It analyzes, the cost of the project on an elemental basis using from other similar projects. Also provides cost advice during the design process. Detail drawings are required. For example: Approximate Cost estimating Approximate quantities present additional detailed approximate estimate. No particular rules of  measurement exist, Also significantly more information is required from the designer.. For example: Resource analysis (Pre Construction Stage Tender Documentation -G) This method is traditionally adopted by contractors estimators to determine their individual rates for measured items in bills of quantities. All individual measured items are analyzed into its element parts such as labour, materials and plant. This method is not a pre-tender method of price prediction strictly. For example: Explain the pre-contract cost planning and cost controlling process with respect to the RIBA plan of work a client/ consultant may adopt during each stage What Is Pre-contract Cost Planning? Pre Cost planning is very important to successful planning, design and construction of projects and is aimed at providing best value solutions. Essentially it is a pre-costing method of a project. As well as Pre-estimation of a design proposal will give clear picture about the cost to the employer and design team to make decisions regarding the project to make sure value for money. Pre-Contract Cost Planning Process The pre-contract cost planning process according to the RIBA plan of work 1998; it can be described as follows. Graph 2.1 Pre-stage A (Establish the budget) Client is the appointing client management team (Consultants) such as, client representative, cost consultant, according to his requirements. Identify objectives, physical scope of project, standard of quality of building and services, timeframe and establishing the budget. Emphasis nature of clients problems and functional requirements on proposed project. Work Stage A (Options Appraisal) Consultant has to identify of client prerequisite and possible limitation on development and cost of the ideal solution. Prepare technical, functional and cost studies by consultant and then it should enable to the client to take decision on his project weather he can continue the first proposal or could do some changes to the first proposal etc. also select the possible procurement method. Work Stage B (Strategic Brief) Consultant has to prepare initial cost suggestion to the client based on an outline statement of clients needs, also to determine target cost. This establish an initial budget for client Client has to investigate availability of finance for the project and value of money framework. Pre Contract Cost Control Generally Pre contract cost controlling process is implement from this stage according to the RIBA work plan mentioned chart 1.2, Pre Contract Cost Control process give to ensure the cost of the project is within the clients budget or not. Hence pre contract cost control is very essential in a project since it is planning, design finalizing and tendering and selecting a suitable contractor too. Outline Proposals- Stage C Consultant involves preparing outline proposal and estimate of cost as initial cost plan. Investigate the site conditions and preliminary sketches for requirement of cost plan by consultant. Evaluate strategic brief through consideration of time, cost, risk and environmental issues. Establish design management procedures and prepare initial cost plan, project program, and cash flow. Detailed Proposals Stage D At this stage, consultant prepares full detailed proposals for the client, and also prepares firm cost plan detailed elemental cost plan etc. Clint tem evaluate outline proposals for make final decision, Receive design and cost input from client appointed team and extend detailed design solution. Development control submission. Review procurement advice. Final Proposals Stage E Consultant has to prepared final proposal for the project at this stage. Carry out cost check of the design as it develop against the cost plan, hence it Confirmation of the cost limits for the project. Most cost effective in satisfying level of project brief to confirm or put final budget and to check the elemental cost targets. Cost checks design against cost plan. Decide on procurement methods. Consultant, they attending to review design and cost plan. Consultant has to prepare all required submission for legal approvals. Production Information Stage F All legal approvals should have completed when at this stage. This is the assessment of lowest acceptable tender price based on completed contract documents. Ensure that the completed designs are controlled within the cost limits. Prepare all co-ordinate production information including location. Arrange bring together all component drawings, schedules and specifications. Supply all required information for final cost checks of design against cost plan. Explain the term life cycle costing and related terminology. Definition of the life cycle costing According to definition of Hoar and Norman (1990) appropriately defined the life cycle cost of an advantage as the present value of total cost of the asset over its operating life including initial capital costs, occupational costs, operating costs and the cost or benefit of the eventual disposal of the asset at the end of its life. Hence life cycle costing related with the time stream of costs and benefits that flow throughout the life of the project. There are number of term use in industry to identify different stages in the life cycle costing techniques, hence flowing are the specially use in construction industry. Life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) Quantity surveyor assist to prepare this, based on collection and analysis of historic data on actual costs of occupying building (running cost and performance). Life cycle cost management (LCCM) Actually it is derived from life cycle cost analysis and identities, by this way client can be compare building cost and controlling occupancy cost throughout the life of building to get maximum value. Life cycle planning (LCCP) This is as part of life cycle cost management; it is constitute the prediction of total costs of a building, part or individual element taking account of initial capital costs, subsequent running cost and residual values. There are numerous costs associated with acquiring, operating, maintaining, and disposing of a building or building system. Building-related costs usually fall into the following categories: Initial Costs-Purchase, Acquisition, Construction Costs Fuel Costs Operation, Maintenance, and Repair Costs Replacement Costs Residual Values-Resale or Salvage Values or Disposal Costs Finance Charges-Loan Interest Payments Non-Monetary Benefits or Costs Only those costs within each category that are relevant to the decision and significant in amount are needed to make a valid investment decision. Costs are relevant when they are different for one alternative compared with another; costs are significant when they are large enough to make a credible difference in the LCC of a project alternative. For Example: Image of a bar graph showing the 30 Year Cost of a Building. The design and construction are at 2% of the cost, maintenance costs are at 6% and personnel salaries are at 92%. Viewed over a 30 year period, initial building costs account for approximately just 2% of the total, while operations and maintenance costs equal 6%, and personnel costs equal92%.Graphic: Sieglinde Fuller Source: Sustainable Building Technical Manual / Joseph J. Romm, Lean and Clean Management, 1994. Life cycle costing Terminology Explain the Quantity Surveyors role as a cost manager, in the life cycle of the project. Role of the Quantity Surveyor as a Cost Manager Quantity surveyor is the person/ firm who manage the cost relating to the construction projects, such as new constructions, maintenance work and renovations. Quantity surveyor monitors the cost of every aspects of a construction project as a cost manager, as well as seeks to minimize the costs of the project and to make more cost savings while ensuring the total cost of project does not exceed the estimated cost. Furthermore when study about Quantity Surveyors in Cost manger position also have to be identified their duties and Responsibilities properly. Conducting feasibility studies and writing procurement reports. Managing estimating and cost planning activities to include taking ownership of and presenting the final cost plan. Managing the procurement process, ensuring that all stages including pre-qualification, enquiry, analysis, selection and contract preparation are performed effectively. Ensuring that post-contract cost variances and change control processes are managed effectively. Ensuring that cost checking and valuation work is managed effectively. Ensuring the production of monthly post-contract cost reports and presenting them to the client. Value engineering and life cycle costing. Ensuring that final accounts are negotiated and agreed. Taking a lead role in interfacing with the client and other consultants, at all project stages. Working with Associate Directors and Directors to construct bids for new work. Identifying and acting upon opportunities to improve cost management procedures, templates and products.

Where Are You Going? :: Literary Analysis, Joyce Carol Oates

Joyce Carol Oates’s â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?† tells the tale of a fifteen year old girl named Connie living in the early 1960’s who is stalked and ultimately abducted by a man who calls himself Arnold Friend. The short story is based on a true event, but has been analyzed by many literary scholars and allegedly possesses numerous underlying themes. Two of the most popular interpretations of the story are that the entire scenario is only dreamt by Connie (Rubin, 58) and that the abductor is really the devil in disguise (Easterly, 537). But the truth is that sometimes people really can just be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Connie, a victim of terrifying circumstance will be forever changed by her interactions with Friend. Oates drew the character of Connie very well - she possesses many of the qualities that teenaged children share. According to developmental psychologists, adolescents become highly critical of siblings, and peer relationships take precedence over familial ties during these years (Feldman, 455). These traits are apparent in Connie’s unflattering description of her older sister June, â€Å"†¦she was so plain and chunky†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (209) and the fact that Connie spends many nights out with friends, but refuses to attend an afternoon picnic with her family (211). In addition, a teenager’s feelings of self worth are dependent upon the approval of others. Connie displays this as she practices â€Å"†¦checking other people’s faces to make sure her own was all right† (208). And of course there is also the explosion of hormones and corresponding sexual urges and fantasies. Oates makes all of these characteristics clear in her descriptions of Connie’s actions, thoughts and feelings. Rubin attempts to convey the idea that Connie falls asleep in the sun and has a daydream in which her â€Å"†¦intense desire for total sexual experience runs headlong into her innate fear†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (58); and aspects of the story do seem dream like - for instance the way in which the boys in Connie’s daydreams â€Å"†¦dissolved into a single face†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (210), but the supposition that the entire episode is a dream does not ring true. There are many instances in which Connie perceives the frightening truth quite clearly; she is able to identify the many separate elements of Friend’s persona - â€Å"†¦ that slippery friendly smile of his†¦ [and] the singsong way he talked†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (214). But because of the lack of attachment with her own family, and her limited experience in relating deeply to others, â€Å"†¦all of these things did not come together† (214) and Connie is unable to recognize the real danger that Arnold Frie nd poses until it is too late.

Strange Behavior and Ghosts in Hamlet by William Shakespeare Essay

Throughout the play ‘Hamlet‘, we see that the protagonist seems troubled and quite isolated. The Shakespearean play is believed to have been first performed between 1600 and 1601 but not published until 1603. Hamlet is the young prince of Denmark, his mother Gertrude married her brother-in-law shortly after her husband (Hamlet’s father) died. In the Elizabethan era many people believed in supernatural forces and this is displayed within the play when Hamlet’s father returns as a ghost. Many people would argue that Hamlet is possessed and his madness and strange behaviour is partly due to his father’s death and his reoccurrence as a ghost. From the beginning of the play Hamlet seems as if he is emotionally unstable and unable to cope well with his emotions. The audience see this through Hamlet’s sadness over his father’s death. For example ‘I have of late†¦lost all my mirth’ (2,2,280). Hamlet says here that he has lost all of his happiness; this shows us as an audience that he feels empty and has nothing to feel happy or joyful about. Moreover we see that Hamlet is unable to communicate well with others and this backs up the point that he feels isolated and lonely. Shakespeare uses short sharp sentences to show that the character doesn’t want to converse, ‘Words, words, words’ (2,2,189). This is the response Hamlet gives when Polonius asks what book he reads. The reply shows that he doesn’t want to talk and is being quite dismissive when asked questions. Hamlet’s behaviour is obsessive at times in different ways. He is very focused as he is concentrating on fulfilling his late father’s task, which is to kill his Claudius (Hamlet‘s uncle) for betraying him. For instance, ‘A villain kills my father, and for that, I, his son, do ... ...ortant quote that could show that he is pretending is ‘, â€Å"I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw† (2,2,361–362). Here Hamlet basically says he knows what is what in which case he knows when he is seen to be mad. Finally, the way that Hamlet is perceived by the audience is different for everyone and is interpreted in many different ways. The other characters all believe that Hamlet is truly ill or mad, however most critics feel that this was a cover up plan so Hamlet could organise his plan to murder Claudius and the other characters would find it hard to believe Hamlet could murder somebody if he was truly insane. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. â€Å"The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark† Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts. 9th Ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2009. Print

The Development of Musical Literacy in Relation to the Learning of a Primary Language :: Musical Education Music Essays

The Development of Musical Literacy in Relation to the Learning of a Primary Language Many parents demolish their child’s chance to succeed before they send them off to their first day of kindergarten. So much of American society believes more or less that the talent and abilities of a child can only be as good as what was passed onto them from the genes of their parents. Therefore, before they even enter the school system, parents, teachers, and students alike hold high, average, or low expectations for the success of the child. These expectations can be held for all areas of school subject matter, but they tend to especially apply in areas where society considers talent instead of persistence to be one of the chief attributors of success. Such an area is music. I am always amazed at the amount of parents who are willing to say â€Å"Well, I’ve never been able to understand music, and my child certainly could not have inherited any kind of musical ability from me. Therefore, even if they really want to try to learn music, they probably won’t be very good at it.† This kind of rationality can at best set up the child to believe that they have a very small chance of being good at music, and cause them to give it a try anyway, and to keep persisting if they are met with a moderately surprising amount of success. Typically, a child will be resistant against any musical instruction they are faced with if they have been told either verbally or indirectly that they have not inherited any talent for it, and thus continue the cycle of â€Å"Well, I was never good in music, therefore my children won’t be either†. What would happen, however, if children were all raised from birth with the attitude that regard less of their background, they could all achieve amazing measures of success in whatever they tried to do? What would be the outcome of a society that believed talent was something that could be developed upon entrance into the world, instead of a set amount being instilled into a child based upon what they inherited from their parents? First, I would like to show that talent, especially musical talent, can be developed. Second, I would like to offer more successful ways of teaching children to develop these talents.

Terrorism in the Old Testament

Stacy Norton 03 October, 2012 Old Testament Ballard Terrorism and the Old Testament Many terrorist organizations use their religious texts as justification for their acts of terrorism. People even go as far to say that God, as depicted in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, encourages those acts as a way to defend their actions. While it is true that the Old Testament has evidence of God sending out his people to defend his word and his chosen people, it should not be taken as black and white as others would argue. It is important that we study the religious texts in their proper context.When these texts are not read in their proper textual and historical contexts they are manipulated and distorted. My God is a teacher of love and forgiveness and only uses violence as a last resort. This is more evident in the story of Moses and the release of the Israelite's from the Egyptians. The Israelite s were being held captive and tortured by the Egyptian Pharaoh and his people. They we re forced to spend their days as slaves and lived in deplorable conditions and were beaten routinely by the Egyptians. Moses upset that his people were being treated this way sought guidance from God.God agreed to help Moses free his people. God first sent Moses to the Pharaoh to ask kindly for his people's release. The Pharaoh refused. Moses even tried to convince the Pharaoh with the threat of curses being placed on his people. The Pharaoh refused again. Then, after the curses were released, the Pharaoh still held strong and would not release the Israelite s He was willing to have his own people suffer just because he did not want to give up his power over the Israelite s He only relented when the final curse was released and the first born of the Egyptians, including the Pharaoh's, were killed.The Egyptian Pharaoh was given multiple opportunities to prevent his own people's suffering but decided instead that his power was more important. Another part of the bible people like to c riticize is the book of Judges. Especially the story of Samson. Samson was a Nazarene leader with incredible strength. The Philistines wanted to capture him but could not find a way. Samson then fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who then tricked him into telling her the secret of his strength. He told her that if his hair was cut he would lose his power.When Samson fell asleep that night she cut his hair and let the Philistines in to capture him. They shackled him and gouged out his eyes and were planning on offering him up as a sacrifice to their deity. Samson cried out to God for help. He took out his revenge on the Philistines by basically, for lack of a better term, suicidal terrorism. He killed more people that day than in his whole life combined. In conclusion, the bible is not exempt from what some could deem as unflattering to the Christian faith. God does not try to deny that humanity is riddled with faults.But we must instead of looking at specific stories to justif y harming others think about the overall message. He only asks that we try to lead faithful lives. Treat each other kindly . Above all, we must keep his name holy. No where in the bible can we find where he tells us to set out and harm others just because we do not like their culture or religious viewpoints. He teaches tolerance. A most noteworthy verse that I like to remind myself often â€Å"Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. (Matthew 7:1-2)

The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 25

â€Å"Oh, I just want to take a little peek,† Bonnie moaned, looking at the forbidden sketchbook, the one in which Lady Ulma had drawn their high couture outfits for the first party, the one that would be held tonight. Beside it, just within reach, were some sample squares from bolts of fabric in shimmering satin, rippling silk, transparent muslin, and soft, rich velvet. â€Å"You'll get to try it on for the last fitting in an hour – this time with your eyes open!† Elena laughed. â€Å"But we can't forget that tonight isn't playtime. We'll have to dance some dances, of course – â€Å" â€Å"Of course!† Bonnie repeated ecstatically. â€Å"But our purpose there is to find the key. The first half of the double fox key. I just wish there was a star ball that showed the inside of tonight's house.† â€Å"Well, we all know pretty much about it; we can talk about it and try to imagine it,† Meredith said. Elena, who had been fiddling with the star ball from the other house, now put the slightly cloudy orb down and said, â€Å"All right. Let's brainstorm.† â€Å"May I storm, too?† a low, modulated voice asked from the doorway. The girls all turned, rising at the same time to greet a smiling Lady Ulma. Before taking a chair, she gave Elena a particularly heartfelt hug and kiss on the cheek and Elena couldn't help herself from comparing the woman as they had seen her at Dr. Meggar's to the elegant lady she was now. Then, she had been hardly more than skin over bones, with the eyes of a timid wild creature under great strain, wearing a common housecoat, with men's bedroom slippers. Now, she reminded Elena of a Roman matron, with her face tranquil and beginning to fill out under a crown of glossy dark braids held back by jeweled combs. Her body was filling out, too, especially her belly, although she retained her natural grace as she took a seat on a velvet couch. She was wearing a saffron-colored gown of raw silk, with an underskirt of fringed and shimmering apricot. â€Å"We're so excited about the fitting tonight,† Elena said, with a nod toward the sketchbook. â€Å"I am as excited as a child, myself,† Lady Ulma admitted. â€Å"I only wish I could do for you a tenth of what you have done for me.† â€Å"You have already,† Elena said. â€Å"And if we can find the fox keys – it will only be because you helped us so much. And that – I can't tell you how much that means to me,† she finished almost in a whisper. â€Å"But you never thought I could help you when you defied the law for a ravaged slave. You simply wanted to save me – and you have suffered much for it,† Ulma responded quietly. Elena shifted uncomfortably. The cut running down her face had left only a thin white scar along the cheekbone. Once – when she had first returned to Earth from the afterlife – she would have been able to wave the scar away with a simple wash of Power. But now, although she could channel her Power through her body, and use it to enhance her senses, she couldn't make it obey her will in any other way. And once, she thought, imagining the Elena who had stood in Robert E. Lee High School's parking lot and drooled over a Porsche, she would have considered the marring of her face the greatest calamity of her life. But with all the accolades she had received, with Damon calling it her â€Å"white wound of honor,† and her certainty that it would mean as little to Stefan as a scar on his cheekbone would mean to her, she had found she just couldn't take it very seriously. I am not the same person I once was, she thought. And I'm glad. â€Å"Never mind,† she said, ignoring the pain down her leg that still throbbed at times. â€Å"Let's talk about the Silver Nightingale and her gala.† â€Å"Right,† Meredith said. â€Å"What do we know about her? How did the clue go again, Elena?† â€Å"Misao said, ‘If I said that one of the halves was inside the silver nightingale's instrument, would that even give you an idea?' – or something like that,† Elena repeated obediently. They all knew the words by heart but it was part of the ritual, every time they discussed it. â€Å"And the ‘Silver Nightingale' is the nickname for Lady Fazina Darley and everyone in the Dark Dimension knows it!† cried Bonnie, clapping her small hands in sheer delight. â€Å"Indeed, that has long been her sobriquet, given to her when she first came here and began to sing and play on her harps strung with silver,† Lady Ulma put in gravely. â€Å"And harp strings need to be tuned, and they're tuned with keys,† Bonnie continued excitedly. â€Å"Yes.† Meredith, in contrast, spoke slowly and thoughtfully. â€Å"But it's not a harp-tuning key we're looking for. They look like this.† She put down on a table beside her an object made of smooth pale maple that looked like a very short T or, if held on its side, like a gracefully waving tree with one short horizontal branch. â€Å"I got that from one of the minstrels Damon hired.† Bonnie eyed the tuning key loftily. â€Å"It might be a harp-tuning key we're looking for,† she insisted. â€Å"It might be used for both things, somehow.† â€Å"I don't see how,† Meredith said doggedly. â€Å"Unless somehow they change shape when the two halves come together.† â€Å"Oh, my, yes,† Lady Ulma said, as if Meredith had just made an obvious proposition. â€Å"If they are magical halves of a single key they will almost certainly change when the two halves come together.† â€Å"You see?† Bonnie said. â€Å"But if they can be any sort of shape, then how the hell will we even know when we've found them?† Elena asked impatiently. All she cared about was finding what it took to save Stefan. Lady Ulma fell silent, and Elena felt badly. She hated to use harsh language or even appear distressed in front of the woman who had lived a life of such subjection and horror since her early teens. Elena wanted Lady Ulma to feel safe, to be happy. â€Å"Anyway,† she said quickly, â€Å"we know one thing. It's in the Silver Nightingale's instrument. So whatever is inside Lady Fazina's harp, that has to be it.† â€Å"Oh, but – † Lady Ulma began, and then she stopped herself almost before the words were out. â€Å"What is it?† Elena asked gently. â€Å"Oh, nothing at all,† Lady Ulma said hastily. â€Å"I mean, would you like to see your dresses now? This last fitting is really just to make sure every stitch is perfect.† â€Å"Oh, we'd love to!† Bonnie cried, at the same time making a dive for the sketchbook, while Meredith rung a bell pull that brought a servant hurrying in and hurrying away again to the sewing room. â€Å"I only wish Master Damon and Lord Sage had agreed to let me create something for them to wear,† Lady Ulma said mournfully to Elena. â€Å"Oh, Sage is not going. And I'm sure Damon wouldn't have minded – as long as you designed him a black leather jacket, a black shirt, black jeans, and black boots all exactly like the ones he wears every day. He'd have been happy to wear it then.† Lady Ulma laughed. â€Å"I see. Well, there will be enough fantastical styles worn tonight that he may change his mind for the future. Now let's draw the curtains on the windows all around. This gala is to be indoors, with gaslight only, so colors will show true.† â€Å"I wondered why it said ‘indoors' on the invitations,† Bonnie said. â€Å"I thought maybe it was because of rain.† â€Å"It's because of the sun,† Lady Ulma said soberly. â€Å"That hateful crimson light, changing every blue to purple, every yellow to brown. You see, no one would wear aqua or green to an outdoor soiree – no, not even you, with that strawberry hair that cries out for it.† â€Å"I get it. I can see how having that sun hanging there every day would really get you down after a while.† â€Å"I wonder if you can,† murmured Lady Ulma, and then she added hastily, â€Å"While we wait shall I show you what I have created for your tall friend who doubts me?† â€Å"Oh, please, yes!† Bonnie held out the sketchbook. Lady Ulma thumbed through it until she came to a page that seemed to please her. She took up pens and coloring pencils like a child eager to play with beloved toys again. â€Å"Here it is,† she said, using the colored pencils to add a line here and a curve there, but holding the book so that the three girls could see the design. â€Å"Oh, my God!† cried Bonnie in genuine astonishment, and even Elena felt her eyes widening. The girl in the sketch was definitely Meredith, with her hair half up and half down, but wearing a dress – such a dress! Black as ebony, strapless, it clung to the long slim figure perfectly sketched in the picture, emphasizing the curves, enhancing them on top by what Elena learned was called a â€Å"sweetheart† neckline: one that made Meredith's front look like a Valentine's Day heart. It kept close to the body all the way to the knees where it suddenly flared out again, dramatically wide. â€Å"A ‘mermaid' dress,† Lady Ulma explained, satisfied with her sketch at last. â€Å"And here it is,† she added as several sewing women entered, reverently holding the miraculous gown between them. Now the girls could see that the material was of plush black velvet dotted with tiny rectangular metallic golden flecks. It looked like midnight back home, Elena thought, with a thousand falling stars in the sky. â€Å"And with it, you will wear these very large black onyx and gold earrings, these black onyx and gold combs to hold your hair up, and some lovely matching bracelets and rings Lucen has made just for this outfit,† Lady Ulma continued. Elena realized that sometime in the last minutes Lucen must have entered the room. She smiled at him, and then her eyes dropped to the three-tiered tray he held. On the top tray, against an ivory background, were two black onyx and diamond bracelets, as well as a ring with a diamond in it that almost made her swoon. Meredith was looking around the room as if she had stumbled into a private discussion and didn't know how to get out. Then she looked from the dress to the jewels to Lady Ulma again. Meredith was not one to lose her composure easily. But after a moment she simply went to Lady Ulma and hugged her fiercely, then went to Lucen and very gently put her hand on his forearm. It was clear that she couldn't speak. Bonnie was studying the sketch with the eyes of a connoisseur now. â€Å"Those matching bracelets were made just for this dress, weren't they?† she said with a conspiratorial air. To Elena's surprise Lady Ulma seemed uncomfortable. Then she spoke slowly. â€Å"The truth is†¦well, that Miss Meredith is†¦a slave. All slaves are required to wear some sort of symbolic bracelets when they travel outside their households.† She turned her eyes down to the polished wooden floorboards. Her cheeks were flushed. â€Å"Lady Ulma – oh, please, you can't think it matters to us?† Lady Ulma's eyes flashed as she looked up. â€Å"Not matter?† â€Å"Well,† Elena said hautily, â€Å"it doesn't really matter†¦er, yet, because there's nothing to do about it, not now.† Of course, the servants weren't in on the secrets of the Damon-Elena-Meredith-Bonnie relationship. Even Lady Ulma didn't see why Damon didn't free the three girls just in case â€Å"something should happen, may the Celestial Guardians forbid it.† But the girls had formed a solid phalanx against it; it would be like jinxing their whole enterprise. â€Å"Well, anyway,† Bonnie was blathering, â€Å"I think the bracelets are beautiful. I mean she could hardly find anything more perfect for the dress, could she?† – striking at the professional sensibilities of the designer. Lucen smiled modestly and Lady Ulma gave him a loving glance. Meredith's face was still glowing. â€Å"Lady Ulma, I don't know how to thank you. I will wear this gown – and for tonight I will be someone I have never been before. Of course, you've drawn my hair up, or partly up. I don't usually wear it that way,† Meredith finished weakly. â€Å"You will tonight – up and high over that lovely wide brow of yours. This dress is to show off the charming curves of your bare shoulders and arms. It's a crime to cover them, day or night. And the hairstyle is to lay bare your exotic face instead of hiding it!† Lady Ulma said firmly. Good, Elena thought. They've gotten her off the subject of symbolic slavery. â€Å"You'll wear a touch of makeup as well – pale gold on your lids, and kohl to enhance and lengthen your lashes. A touch of golden lipstick, but no rouge; I don't believe in that for young girls. Your olive skin will complete the picture of a sultry maiden perfectly.† Meredith looked helplessly at Elena. â€Å"I don't usually wear makeup either,† she said, but they both knew that she was beaten. Lady Ulma's vision would come to life. â€Å"Don't call it a mermaid dress; she'll be a siren,† Bonnie said enthusiastically. â€Å"But we'd better put a spell on it to keep all the vampire sailors away.† To Elena's surprise, Lady Ulma nodded solemnly. â€Å"My seamstress friend has sent a priestess today to bless all the garments and to keep you from being victimized by vampires, of course. If that meets with your approval?† She looked at Elena, who nodded. â€Å"As long as they don't keep Damon out of the way,† she added jokingly, and felt time freeze as Meredith and Bonnie immediately turned their eyes on her, hoping to catch something in Elena's expression that would give her away. But Elena kept her expression neutral, as Lady Ulma continued, â€Å"Naturally, the restrictions would not apply to your – to Master Damon.† â€Å"Naturally,† Elena said soberly. â€Å"And now for the smallest beauty to go to the gala,† Lady Ulma was saying to Bonnie, who bit her lip, blushing. â€Å"I have something very special for you. I don't know how long I've been yearning to work with this material. I've trudged by it in a shop window year after year, just aching to buy it and create with it. You see?† And the next set of sewing women came forward, holding a smaller, lighter frock between them, while Lady Ulma held up a sketch. Elena was already staring in amazement. The material was glorious – incredible – but especially clever was how it had been put together. The fabric was vivid peacock green-blue, with the most amazing hand stitching to represent a pattern of peacock eyes flaring up from the waist. Bonnie's brown eyes had widened again. â€Å"This is for me?† she breathed, almost afraid to touch the material. â€Å"Yes, and we're going to slick that hair of yours back until you look as sophisticated as your friend. Go ahead and try it on. I think you'll like the way this dress has come out.† Lucen had retired and Meredith was already being carefully encased in the mermaid dress. Bonnie happily began to strip. Lady Ulma turned out to have been right. Bonnie loved the way she looked that evening. Right now she was being given the finishing touches, such as a delicate spray of citrus and rosewater; a fragrance made just for her. She stood before a giant silvered-glass mirror, just minutes before they were due to start off for the gala given by Fazina, the Silver Nightingale herself. Bonnie turned a little, looking at the strapless, full-skirted dress in awe. Its bodice was made – or seemed to be made – entirely of the eyes of peacock feathers, arranged in a spray that was gathered together at her waist, showing off how tiny it was. There was another spray of larger feathers that pointed downward from the waist, front and back. The back actually had a small train of peacock feathers against emerald silk. In front, below the larger, downward pointing spray, a design worked in silver and gold, of stylized undulating plumes, all upside down, made its way to the bottom of the gown, which was edged with thin gold brocade. As if this were not enough, Lady Ulma had had a fan made with real peacock eyes set in an emerald jade handle, with a tassel of softly clinking jade, citrine, and emerald charms at the bottom. Around Bonnie's throat was a matching necklace of jade, inlaid with emerald, sapphire, and lapis lazuli. And around each of her wrists were several emerald jade bracelets that clicked together whenever she moved, the symbol of her slavery. But Bonnie's eyes could hardly linger on them, and she couldn't summon up a proper hatred of the bracelets. She was thinking of how a special hairdresser had come to â€Å"slick back† Bonnie's strawberry-colored curls until, darkened into true red, they were plastered flat against her skull and held in place with jade and emerald clips. Her heart-shaped face had never looked so mature, so sophisticated. To emerald eyelids and kohl-darkened eyes, Lady Ulma had added a vivid red lipstick and had for once broken her rule and cleverly, wielding the brush herself, had added touches here and there of blusher so that Bonnie's translucent skin looked as if she were constantly coloring at some compliment. Delicately carved jade earrings with golden bells inside completed the ensemble, and Bonnie felt as if she were some Princess of the Ancient Orient. â€Å"It's really some kind of miracle. Usually, I look like a pixie trying to dress up as a cheerleader or a flower girl,† she confided, kissing Lady Ulma again and again, delighted to find that the lipstick stayed on her lips instead of transferring to her benefactress's cheeks. â€Å"But tonight I look like a young woman.† She would have kept on babbling, helpless to stop herself even though Lady Ulma already was trying to discreetly dab tears away from her eyes, except that at that moment Elena came in and she gasped. Elena's dress had already been finished by the afternoon and so all Bonnie had seen of it was the sketch. But somehow that had failed to convey just what this dress would do for Elena. Bonnie had secretly wondered if Lady Ulma were leaving too much to Elena's own natural beauty, and was hoping that Elena would be as excited about her own dress as everyone seemed to be about Bonnie's and Meredith's. Now Bonnie understood. â€Å"It is a called a goddess dress,† Lady Ulma explained to the stunned silence in the room, as Elena walked in, and Bonnie dizzily thought that if goddesses had ever lived up on Mount Olympus, they would certainly have wanted to dress this way. The trick of the dress lay in its very simplicity. It was made of milk-white silk, with a delicately pleated waist (Lady Ulma called the irregular tight pleating â€Å"ruching†) which held two simple bodice panels that formed a V-neckline, showing off Elena's peach-blossom skin between them and behind them. These panels in turn were held at the shoulders by two carved clasps – gold inlaid with mother-of-pearl and diamonds. From the waist, the skirt fell straight in graceful, silken folds all the way to Elena's delicate sandals – again designed in gold, mother-of-pearl and diamonds. In the back, the two panels that clasped at the shoulder became straps and crossed over to once again meet at the pleated waist. Such a simple dress, but so magnificent on the right girl. At Elena's throat, an exquisitely designed golden and mother-of-pearl necklace in the stylized shape of a butterfly was inset with so many diamonds that it seemed to blaze with multicolored fire each time she moved and they caught the light. She wore this over the lapis and diamond pendant Stefan had given her, since she had flatly refused to take the pendant off. It didn't matter. The butterfly covered the pendant completely. On each wrist Elena wore a wide bracelet of gold and mother-of-pearl inset with diamonds, creations that they had found in the secret jewel room, obviously made to go with the necklace. And that was all. Elena's hair had been brushed and brushed and brushed until it formed a silky golden tumble of waves that hung below her shoulders in back, and she was wearing a touch of rose-colored lipstick. But her face, with its thick black eyelashes and lighter arched brows – and just now its look of excitement that parted her rose-colored lips and brought brilliant color to her cheeks – had been left entirely alone. Earrings that were just cascades of diamonds peeped through her gold tresses. She's going to drive them crazy tonight, Bonnie thought, eyeing the daring dress with envy, but not with jealousy, instead rather reveling in the thought of the sensation Elena would make. She's wearing the simplest gown of any of us, but she still completely puts Meredith and me in the shade. Yet Bonnie had never seen Meredith look better – or more exotic. She'd also never known what a stunning figure Meredith had, despite her friend's wide assortment of designer clothes. Meredith shrugged when Bonnie told her this. She had a fan, too, black lacquer, that folded. Now she opened it and folded it shut again, tapping her chin thoughtfully. â€Å"We're in the hands of a genius,† she said simply. â€Å"But we can't forget what we're really here for.†