Kyle had much to learn.

What he learned just now, concerned Dr. Eric Spizer and his propensity for making painful examples of students who "raised raucous," or "acted unwisely." Unwise can mean a great many things to a man like Dr. Spizer, but within the context of his classroom, his word was law. Law, son. You know what the law is, or you're headed to prison. Mark my words! A credo to live upon, wise sentiments, every last one.

The venerable Mr. Spizer was no Doctor, not of anything. No Ph.D., M.D., or other trumped-up honorific prettied up his name. No sir. He wore the prefix with a sneer, trying in his own way, to belittle its import, saddle it with blocks of weighty sarcasm. Just good 'ol Mr. Spizer, showing those stuffy academics what for. Some students questioned his involvement in any type of school, convinced as he was, that every human below the age of thirty would eventually wrestle stale bread from mice in a cold jail cell. But on that, they were possibly misled by his inspired rants.

Mr. Spizer certainly held no love for the lesser subjects. Things like Mathematics, English, and especially Art, deserved only disdain. Reading, alone, escaped his wrath merely because it enabled students to peruse books, which held the secrets of History. History, he'd once said, is the backbone of society. Without it, we are doomed to spin like a wobbly dreidel on the edge of a table. Round and round we'll repeat the same mistakes until we careen into oblivion. He wasn't strictly wrong about that, but even the principal thought Spiteful Spizer had gone too far. His command of ancient cultures, obscure dates, and frightfully accurate recall, was actually renoun in many academic circles before he retired to Tammond Dale. Many likened him to a History savant.

And it was that single-minded resolve that drove the man, if not into madness, then a disjointed reverie that utterly consumed him. It wasn't that he didn't care, or truly hated other professions, but his love and aptitude for things past, absolutely obliterated any human piece of the old man, qualities to which others could understand or relate. In the end, he was a floppy caricature, ultimately predictable, one-dimensional, and insipid. He'd become a veritable tome of useless or fascinating facts, and nothing else.

As a result of such addictive captivation, he'd become slovenly. At first glance, an onlooker may see a fat, jolly old man waddling down the street, red-cheeked and gay. It was only upon closer inspection, that the real truth shattered that rosy image. His cheeks were red because he strained with every step, to haul his ponderous bulk even a few yards. He smiled a stained grimace, crazed with zealous effort. Everyone who knew Eric Spizer were never mislead by his otherwise innocuous demeanor; this old dog's bite and bark were equally vile. His past with influential historians gave him a rather unfair ability to pull strings. He'd talk, and you'd walk. Maybe once upon a time, he was a redeemable, though misunderstood soul; these days, he wallowed gleefully in his foul reputation.

Simply put, the man was thoroughly despicable. Worse, as the new kid, Kyle knew none of this, and was simply unprepared for Spizer's tirade. His first clue was when everyone in class looked at him in guilty shock, each teen implicitly certain Dr. Spizer would turn around and unleash a slew of veiled insults at Kyle before demanding detention and possibly a written apology.

Kyle, of course, didn't understand what, if anything, he'd done wrong. Really, it was probably just a mistake in tense. His reaction, if anything, was perfectly valid! In fact, he'd say so if Spizer allowed a verbal opening.

"Young man," he accused, "do you understand you've just interrupted my class? This lecture I'm providing to educate and enlighten your otherwise dreary lives? What right do you have? Hmm?"

Not good. Bad. Worse. "I was just–"

"You were just about to accuse me of being wrong. I can see it written in your face. But let me explain a few things to you... Kyle. This is one of the few times I'll discuss current events in my class. Why? Because these events happen to relate to other, more surreptitious and esoteric details that naturally foreshadow the relevant persons and significant periods in my syllabus. If you knew this, you'd see this without my prompting.

"Furthermore, I'll give you one, and only one free pass, due to your relative novel outburst in relation to being uninitiated for more than a week or two." Apparently Mr. Spizer was feeling generous; an occasion usually cause for celebration. "But now that you've made yourself heard, I have a few questions I'm sure you'll have no trouble answering, with your unimpeachable knowledge of history."

Uh-oh. Not a good sign. "I, uh–"

Don't get ahead of yourself, boy. I haven't even asked you a question, or explained what I expect you to know!" He paused then, thinking possibly of some obtuse, unknowable, and impossible question to levy at Kyle. It didn't take long. "So tell me, Ser, what do you think of Germany."

"I–"

"So impatient!" Spizer growled. "Let me finish! The Germany you know is but a pale shadow of its rich history before it was broken and effectively dismantled as the result of demands imposed by the victors of the first World War. Thoroughly trounced, embarrassed, and disparaged, they required a champion. We effectively enabled Hitler by so badly belittling and persecuting Germany, that their only hope of regaining national pride, involved throwing off our yoke of oppression.

"Now think of Japan. An imperialistic nation if ever one existed, taking advantage—yes, taking advantage of Germany's lust for redemption, to enable their own burgeoning campaign of subjugation over China. What do you get? Hmm?" Kyle was about to interject, but Spizer had merely paused for effect; he was on a roll. "You get disparaging collusion. Japan doesn't care one whit what happens in Europe. But the resulting instability incurred by a worldwide war? Who would have time to stop them? From their perspective, who cares if China is conquered by Japan? Asia is Asia. Their xenophobia and underestimation of our involvement will be their downfall, I assure you. But, in the meantime..."

Kyle's head was spinning. Too many obscure words which he only had a passing familiarity were assaulting him like a flurry of body-blows. He was disoriented and confused, and should Mr. Spizer choose now to ask a question, he'd be finished. Luckily the man was a freight train when he'd gained momentum, and liked the sound of his own voice besides. Kyle was safe, for now.

Kyle must have appeared on the verge of interrupting, as the teacher directed a glare in his direction and spat a preemptive Shhhh! "Now, my question for you, Kyle, if you really did catch all that, is this: if history is any guide, how will this war end?"

Jesus. Jesus Christ! Is that all? Kyle relaxed inwardly. He knew this answer, and obviously Dr. Spizer was presenting the scenario as a rhetorical question. Japan, Germany, and how everything ended. Definitely a piece of history everyone knew.

Without Rue distorting Tammond Dale utterly beyond his comprehension, his answer would have been right too.