Unfortunately, not all the surprises at Pierpont were pleasant. Esme’s history teacher was none other than Dr Percival Rank, who had tortured Vince in assembly, and who seemed hell-bent on using his Gift to make students’ lives as miserable as possible. Whenever he wanted to make a particular point, his voice boomed out so loud that Esme’s ears rang afterward. And if he ever caught students whispering to one another, he took it upon himself to amplify their private conversation.
As Rank strode into class one morning, he seized upon the voice of a boy murmuring to Vince: ‘You’ve got a crush ON LILLIAN?’
Vince went bright red and shrank into his seat. Lillian, next to Esme, glanced over at Fern as if to say, ‘I wish I had your Gift right now.’
A rare, sickening smile creased Rank’s pinche
