Tine woke to the rising sun, his body ached, but this time, he knew it would pass.  He had to speak to Leal immediately.  Pulling on the first clothing his hands came to in his trunk, Tine left before any of his year-mates woke. 

Leal sat in his study reading a book when Tine found him. 

“Do you have a minute, Sir?”

“Anytime for you, Tine.  What brings you out so early?”  

Tine slipped into the room and closed the door securely behind him.  “It happened again.”

Leal arched an eyebrow, “What exactly happened?”

Tine related the story up to the point where he blacked out, leaving out Bra-Neche’s name, “I don’t understand, Sir.”

“And you remember nothing more?”

Tine shook his head.

“Take off your clothing, Tine.”

Tine stripped quickly as his aching body let him and stood in his small clothes before his instructor.

Leal studied the marks on the boy; they were consistent with the marks on the other four.  Then he saw them — two puncture marks on the inside of Tine’s thigh.  “These, were they there the other day?”

“Those or another set like them,” Tine replied. “Is that bad?”

“Oh Tine, it is not bad.” Leal smiled at him reassuringly, “It means you are a very special boy.”  He touched the mark gingerly.  “Are you afraid of the one who marks you like this?”

“No, Sir.”

“Do you go willingly?”

Tine shrugged, “I guess so.  The others they seemed to be… in a trance or something.”

“But you were not?”

Tine shook his head.

“Did you want to be there?”

Tine shrugged, “I didn’t know where we were going, but once I was alone with him…”

“You wanted to be there?”

Tine nodded.

“After today things will not be the same for you, Tine.  But I think you have experienced some of that already.”

“Meals?”

Leal nodded, “And there will be other changes too, some will not be so apparent, but they will come.  If he calls you again, will you go?”

“Yes, Sir.”

Leal smiled, “I didn’t expect any other answer, Tine.  Let me talk to some of the others; you go to your classes.  However, if anything else happens, you come to me immediately.”

“Yes, Sir,” Tine stood and left the room quickly and quietly.

Leal put his book away and went off to make his report.  They had a new, although young, Chosen and he would have to be accommodated.