Chapter 17:

"Have a nice day young master!", Yolanda shouted Ace had also used these last few weeks to ensure he had learnt every maid and butler's name, as well as have at least one conversation with each one. He now had an idea of each one's situation and had helped where he could, he had attempted to increase their wages but they were having none of it, they insisted that working for such a kind young man was enough, so he stopped attempting to do so. However, he would ensure to give them all some paid holidays and would give all a present for their birthday and other special occasions. Ace understood that these people had and would stay with him for a long time, so having a good relationship with them would only benefit him.

Ace got into the car and looked out of the window during the drive to school. Today was his first day and would begin high school with all his classmates. The difference was, however, that they had been in the same class for a long time, as the Gold Institute catered to children from age 3 up until they graduated from High School, and the prestigious families that took their children were almost set in stone once they began to attend from a young age, this meant that they would all know each other and would probably have cliques and friendships. Therefore, he had to ensure to observe the situation, before making any friends that could bring trouble.

Once he arrived at the gate, he realized how inconspicuous his car was, it was expensive but was also tame in comparison to the gold Rolls Royce and silver Bentleys that also carried children of various families. For now, he blended in and was directed by some older students to make his way to the Assembly Hall, where the Headmaster would give his introduction speech, and they would be separated into classes.

Once he arrived, he was amazed, the Hall could probably seat all students thrice over, which meant that all students could sit in spacious, comfortable chairs. The stands seemed to get higher as they went back, which meant that the students that were so far back, towered over everyone else. He also noticed the disposition of students, he assumed that the older a student was, the further back they seated, and the higher they were in comparison to all other students.

He sat down in his assigned chair in the front row and waited for the Headmaster to begin his speech. He noticed that most students were extremely nervous, trembling hands and sweaty necks did not seem to be uncommon. Ace grinned at this, all of the students were the children of the most prestigious members of society, and yet, they were nervous on their first day of school. Next to him sat a plain young man with brown hair and brown eyes, he could have blended in anywhere, and when he noticed the toned muscles of his arms and shoulders, he assumed that that was what he was being trained for. He knew that some military children came to this school, but usually only the relations to people in high up positions, that could afford or have the connections to get someone into the Institute.

"Good morning to all, I hope you have had a good holiday. You all know me so I won't waste valuable time telling you my name, I run the Gold Institute and as of now, I run you. Do not think that your rich mommies and daddies will be able to save you from punishment, that is not how we run things here. To the new students, you will soon receive a pack that will contain your schedule, information on the school, and the variety of additional courses and clubs that are available. Each one will have a different way of selecting its members, but all that will be explained there. I hope you have a good day.", and with that short speech, he left.

The younger students were astounded, he seemed to not care about them at all, but Ace assumed that it was just a way to control them, these people were all used to getting whatever they wanted, so they would probably tend to behave poorly in school, only by assuring them of the change from Middle School to High School, would he be able to have a modicum of control. Nevertheless, Ace assumed that the control faded the older students got. They would begin to build their organisations and would not have to rely on their parents for everything, at least the best students.

A chaperone soon took them to a hall, where the various packs were arranged in alphabetical order according to their surnames. Ace waited for everyone else to go first, this would be a brilliant opportunity to see the different students in his year. He saw the typical brawny boy pushing through everyone else, and noticed that there was also someone that had waited behind much as he had. He did not turn his head, wanting her to think he had not noticed her, but he made a mental note to commit her face to memory, she could be useful. He stepped up to pick his packet once some more people had left and put it in his bag. Some other students were already opening them, and one clumsier one had even dropped all his things on the floor, to the laughs of other students. Ace quietly observed who was laughing and who was the boy that had dropped his things.

The chaperone soon waved her head for them to follow her, and she led them to another space, this one had chairs and desks arranged for all. Ace quickly went to sit at a desk in the far corner, where he could see all students, even if only their heads.

"Sit down on a desk, and read through the various things you have been given, you will have half an hour to do this, then, you will have to head to your homeroom. Today, you will not have any classes, you are to familiarize yourself with the school and your year mates. It may also be advisable to apply to join any clubs, to ensure they learn of your commitment to the activity they partake in. Good day.", she then left the way they came in, and everyone opened their packets, reading through it.

Ace opened it and began to read, he would read and commit all the information to memory, to ensure no mistakes were made if he could evade them. He began by reading the school Prospectus and the rules students and teachers had to abide by. He ensured to memorise this section word by word, it could be potentially helpful. He then moved on to information on how the school was run. Everything would be recorded and tallied, and you would be ranked in various ways, with class mates, year mates and even the whole school student body. However, your ranking would only be known to you, which meant if you wanted to know another's ranking, you would have to force it out of him. They would be separated into 10 classes of 20 students each, they would be ranked from 1 to 10, 1 being the highest. There seemed to be no benefits to being placed in one class over another, but Ace was not so sure. He then began reading about clubs, everyone could form one but it needed at least 5 students, including the club founder. Everything was available, and one could join as many clubs as they wanted, but the most prestigious ones would probably make all their members be part of only one club. Club members usually had their own ranking, that was independent for each member, so it varied from club to club. Ace assumed that it would also affect your overall ranking.

He then finished up by memorising his schedule, which included the subjects, the rooms and the teachers. He would change classes every time and also change classmates if they were not in the same group ranking he was in. This meant for example, that two students could be in Homeroom 4 but one could be in Biology 5 and the other in Biology 3, they would be in different classes according to their capabilities, but would still be in the same overall group rank. Group rank was essentially the group you were placed in for Homeroom. Class 1 was for the students that were ranked 1-20 overall in the age group, Class 2 from the ones ranked 21 - 40 and so on. This meant that just because you were good at something did not mean you could not be ranked badly in another. Ace though that individual subjects would also have their own ranking.

Ace memorised all the information and looked at the clock on the wall, only 10 minutes had passed and most students were still reading through the information, he wondered if it was different for everyone, or if everyone had the same starting point.

He looked around, trying to find the girl that he had noticed hanging back before, and spotted her after a few seconds, she had hidden herself well in between everyone else, probably trying to blend in. She seemed to be tall for a girl her age and had good posture, her hair was platinum blonde, and Ace wondered as to whether it was real or fake. She seemed to still be reading, and after a few more seconds of observing, he continued looking around the room.