Chasing Chaos: The Rise of Chaos

Chapter 3: A Lesson in History

Even with the ride to school and the umbrella, Caitlin still managed to become soaked. The winds caused the rain to fall every which way rendering the umbrella useless, and the courtyard was all but a lake at this point. So, Caitlin arrived to homeroom dripping and annoyed.

The scratch on her hand stung and, while it had stopped bleeding, was bright red and puffy. Thankfully it wasn't her dominant hand so she could still hold a pencil, but she had to be very careful not to open doors with it, which she had done twice already.

She plopped down in her desk just as the last bell rang for class to begin. The teacher was already beginning to write equations on the board, his small, neat script covering every inch of the surface. This was always her least favorite class-- Honors Calculus, first thing in the morning. Perfect.

Suffice to say she slept through almost all of first period. By the time the bell rang she was shivering and still damp, but her clothes were beginning to stiffen. It was very uncomfortable.

So it continued for the first half of the day, and as she predicted she gave off a very unappealing smell as her clothes dried. Each hour the principle would announce over the PA system to send students, alphabetically by last name, to the gym to take pictures for the yearbook. Luckily, Caitlin wouldn't need to go until the second half of the day and by then, hopefully, she'd be dry.

It was during fifth period, World History, that her group was called. This was her favorite class by far, both because of the subject and the teacher, Mr. Klepacki. He was a very short man in his late thirties who was one of the few teachers who seemed to enjoy his subject. His classroom was lined with tall bookshelves filled with his personal collection of encyclopedias and books on anything from Alexander the Great or the fall of the Mayans to the Civil Rights movement. Most thought he was overly enthusiastic and resented him because he tended to give out way too much homework-- which he graded far too strictly-- but Caitlin thought he could tell a story better than anyone she knew-- and he knew his stuff front and back.

Despite her previous disposition, she was beginning to find herself becoming more cheerful during the class, ignoring the wound on her hand and even the odd, musty rain-smell she was giving off. Mr. Klepacki was talking about the Romans again today, a topic that fascinated her deeply.

"Last class we spoke about the main Roman deities and their roles within the mythology," Mr. Klepacki said with his usual grin, his hands steepled together before him. He scanned the room as if expecting a reaction, but the room remained silent. Unphased, he continued.

"But most of you have probably gone over these gods in your previous classes. Today we turn our attention to a man named Gaius Julius Caesar, also known by the name which some of you may be familiar with-- Caligula. While his history may be somewhat debated, it is believed that Caligula could be cruel, sadistic, and highly extravagant--"

The PA system crackled and the principal's voice drowned out the rest of Mr. Klepacki's speech.

"Students whose last names end with M through R, please report to the gymnasium for yearbook photos." Another loud crackling ended the announcement.

Mr. Klepacki watched as Caitlin and four others stood to leave.

"Don't worry," he called after them, "I'll post the notes to the lecture online!" No one seemed to hear him as they practically stampeded out of the room.