You have to look into the future, Ralph explained, and picture what you need. Then you work out which part of the manipulation will achieve it. So say I want to make a mountain grow, Id have to visualize the future, where the mountain is already grown, and manipulate the necessary parts to achieve it. Any idea what your specialism is?

Oliver racked his brains. So far hed only used his to break a table leg and open some steel doors.

Is there a specialism for manipulating materials? he asked. Like wood and steel?

Ralph looked a little blank. Not sure. I mean, an atomic specialism would be able to. Its by far the most powerful but by far the hardest to master. Its also super rare… His voice trailed off and his eyes suddenly widened. Oliver saw a spark ignite behind them. Unless youre the one weve been waiting for!

What do you mean? Oliver asked.

Ralph looked suddenly excited. Were waiting for someone. Someone very special, who will be the most powerful Seer of all. Every time a new kid arrives we think its them but they always end up disappointing us.

Oliver gulped. You dont think it could be me?

Ralph shrugged. Only time will tell. Then he stood suddenly and tapped his stomach. Im famished. Lets go and have dinner.

Oliver stood, too, glancing back at the heavy tome that contained all the theories of space-time hed discussed with Ralph. He knew he would be back to read it as soon as possible. He needed to go through it all with a fine-tooth comb. Its theories had expanded his mind far beyond Einsteins theory of relativity.

But for now, Oliver had to accept his rumbling stomach needed to take precedence.

They left through the L door, and Ralph led him to a door with an F on it. F for food, Oliver presumed.

Ralph pushed open the doors and before Olivers eyes was the most magnificent dining room he had ever seen.

It was just like the other rooms, a huge open space of fifty floors. There were brightly colored tubes crisscrossing all over the place, with conveyor belts inside and small plates of food moving along them. It was like a sushi bar in 3D technicolor.

In the center was a huge concrete column with round glass tables surrounding it at various heights. Oliver watched as kids walked over, sat down and clipped themselves in with seat belts. When the last chair was taken, the table started to rise into the air. The column was some kind of elevator system. Once the glass table reached its position, twenty floors up, it clicked into place. Oliver saw the kids upon it reaching for plates of food from the conveyor belts that were now within reach, chatting happily with each other.

Oliver couldnt believe what he was seeing. Like everything else in the school hed seen so far, even eating was a hurried affair.