My first class was Biology, a class I shared with Rosalie. We sat together in the back of the class, ignoring the stares of everyone in the room. The class was good; Mr. Jenkins really knew his stuff. I doubt any of the students in the room besides me and Rose had ever noticed the two framed degrees behind his desk, denoting the man's clear knowledge and love for the field of Biology. It really made me wonder why he wasn't teaching at a college.
After Biology, it was off to math. I shared this class with Alice. The math was simplistic and nothing crazy that I had any trouble with. So, for the most part, I just sat there pretending to listen when, in fact, I was listening to some blues music through my system.
After Mathematics, I had English Literature with Jasper. It was fun. We arrived just in time for the class to be going over "The Scarlet Letter," one of my favorites. I went along with the class as they went slowly through the book, making sure to always keep an eye on Jasper.
After getting through a few pages in class, it was time for World History class. I met up with Rosalie in the hallway before we went into the class together. Taking our seats in the back of the class, I couldn't help but smirk as I read what was written on the chalkboard.
After a few minutes, a middle-aged woman entered the class, closing the door to the room behind her. "Good morning, everyone," the woman said before the room responded, "Good morning, Mrs. Wheeler." Mrs. Wheeler smiled as she looked over the room, spotting me and Rosalie at the back. "Ahh, I see my two new students are here with us," she said, seemingly unaffected by our appearance.
Not wasting another second, Mrs. Wheeler turned and pointed to the chalkboard as she paced in front of the class. "Today, we will be starting the second half of this semester's grade: Gringotts. Not just the bank itself, though; we will be going over the effects this one bank has had on the world." Rosalie leaned forward in her seat slightly, intrigued. She knew I founded Gringotts but didn't know much about it other than it had a LOT of money.
"I'm sure most, if not all, of you have heard of Gringotts. It is the world's largest bank." She turned to her chalkboard and wrote at the top, "Gringotts." "Gringotts was founded in Rome somewhere between 120 and 110 BCE." The room filled with whispers as the students grasped the fact that a bank could be so old yet still exist.
"That's right," Mrs. Wheeler said, turning to the chalkboard and writing "120 and 110 BCE" on the board before continuing, "As of this year, 1953, that would be over two thousand years they have existed. A very long time to affect the world." Mrs. Wheeler paused for a moment, allowing the room to settle before she continued.
"Now, I want you all to understand just how much influence Gringotts has had, and continues to have, on the world. They are not merely a bank; they are a financial powerhouse. From the rise and fall of empires to the industrial revolutions, Gringotts has been there, shaping the economic landscape behind the scenes."
She moved closer to the chalkboard, her eyes gleaming with enthusiasm. "Gringotts holds an unimaginable amount of wealth. They are the custodians of vast reserves of rare metals—platinum, palladium, even gold and silver. These resources are not just sitting idle; they are the lifeblood of industries. When Gringotts decides to release a certain metal into the market, it can change the trajectory of entire economies. They have the power to stabilize a failing currency or to spark inflation, simply by controlling the flow of these resources."
The room fell silent, the weight of her words sinking in. "But Gringotts is not just about power. They are known for their fairness and their commitment to helping those in need. For example, during the Great Depression, Gringotts stepped in to provide loans to our struggling nation, helping us rebuild our economy. They didn't do this for glory; they did it because it was the right thing to do."
She turned to the class, her gaze steady. "And yet, despite their immense power, Gringotts remains approachable. They are not some faceless entity hidden behind walls of gold. They are a bank that listens, that understands, and that works to make the world a better place. That's why, even though they could be seen as a threat, most people see Gringotts as a friend. They are the largest, most powerful bank in the world, but they use that power wisely, and not only for their benefit."
Mrs. Wheeler smiled, her eyes twinkling. "So, as we delve into the history of Gringotts over the next weeks, I want you to keep in mind the incredible impact this bank has had on the world. They are not just a bank, they are a force of history."
Rosalie leaned back in her seat, a small smile on her face. "She's good," she muttered under her breath. I nodded in agreement. Mrs. Wheeler really knew how to keep a class's attention. She reminded me of an actor on stage.
"Now, if all of you will open your textbooks to page 73, we will begin." It was fun to look at the world's perspective of Gringotts from a textbook. I never really kept up with what Gringotts did besides what I wanted it to do, or whenever Julius sent me papers to sign. Even then, I barely read them, figuring Julius was doing something important.
But as it turned out, he had actually been up to quite a lot. While Mrs. Wheeler walked the rest of the class through the first page in our textbooks about Gringotts, I went ahead and started to read the rest of what my textbook had on Gringotts. I found out that for the most part, the history was correct. They knew the year Gringotts was founded and the heads of every main bank, past and present.
I also found out through my textbook that Gringotts had built a water pipeline all the way from Egypt to South Africa, bringing fresh water across the country. The next page explained why it had been built. Gringotts apparently bought every mine across the country. "Hearts and minds," I mumbled to myself, realizing Julius had the water pipeline built so people would be less likely to oppose Gringotts now owning every mine on the continent. There was also so much more I didn't know about. Even the textbook I was reading from was donated from the bank itself. Apparently that was a think we did to since we owned a crap tone of printing companies in france.
I chuckled at that. I opened most of them, how could I have forgotten.
Before I knew it, class was over and it was off to physical exercise. The class took place in the school's gymnasium since it was currently raining outside. It was fun to act as if I was struggling like everyone else. My favorite part was when we had to climb a rope as high as we could. I chuckled at the fact that there was no safety involved. If someone lost their grip, they were going to hit the hard wooden floor below.
'I live in a wonderful era,' I thought to myself, grabbing the rope after the guy before me completed the climb. I climbed the rope with ease but acted as if it took me some effort. I shared the class with Emmett, who seemed to want to make everything a competition, but I quickly made sure he didn't do anything stupid.
After P.E., it was off to lunch, where all of us met up in the cafeteria, making sure to grab a table in the corner. We all grabbed trays of food before heading to our table, even though I was going to be the only one eating. Which was fine. One portion on a tray wasn't enough to fill me up, so after eating everything on my plate, everyone started sliding their trays to me. I maxed out at three trays before I had to tap out. Maybe when Liam gets to high school, we can finish all the food.
"This staring is getting old," Edward said from beside me. I looked up at him with a smirk. "Why? I've already gotten used to it," I said, leaning back in my seat, stuffed and ready for a nap. "Maybe it's because you can't read their every thought," Edward said. "All they are thinking about is us, reminding me every second that they are staring at us."
"That sounds like fun," Emmett said with his trademark smile. "Always being able to hear what people are thinking."
Edward scowled, "No…it's not. I'm invading their privacy."
Emmett rolled his eyes, "You make it sound worse than it is. It's not like they are actually thinking about something private."
I saw Edward's eyes sharpen as he got angry. "So, which classes did you enjoy, Alice?" I asked, turning to face Alice and interrupting Edward and Emmett's conversation before it could get heated. "Ohhhh! History was good. We got here just in time to start learning about Gringotts," Alice said happily, giving me a smile.
The rest of lunch continued with me asking each of us which class they enjoyed. The rest of the day was elective classes. My electives were theater, which I shared with Alice, and French since I had the choice between French or Latin.