In this chapter, we are introduced to a number of characters who have been introduced in previous chapters. The first of these characters is a young girl named Anika, who has just arrived at the school. She is the daughter of the headmaster, who is also the father of the school's founder, a man named Nestor. Nestor tells Anika that she is a good student and that she will be a good teacher. He also tells her that Nestor's father is dead. Anika asks Nestor to tell her about his father's death, but Nestor refuses to do so, saying that he is too busy with his own life to worry about hers. He tells her to be patient, and she agrees to listen to him.