This chapter opens with a flashback to a time not long ago, when all the children of the clan were born with magical powers. The narrator tells us that they received a response from the Secret Society saying that the girl is "as a blank book," meaning that she is unable to remember the secrets of her birth. They decide to work their magic on the girl, so that she will not forget them. They hope that they will be able to break her spirit, but the narrator says that he himself has made the decision to grant the girl her powers. He tells us, "I made a decision . . that day, the first decision I'd ever ever made . for myself ." The narrator then goes on to tell us that he has just returned from a swim and feels lonely.