Kate probed a little more into Howard's new relationship with the girl called Mary.

"So, are you two like… officially an item?" Kate asked. The smile that Howard had been wearing since he'd entered the classroom faltered just a little.

"Erm… well, not yet. I haven't asked her out on an actual date, if that's what you mean. But we're getting closer and closer… we had a really nice chat last night, about all sorts of stuff really… she understands me, Kate, she really understands me… and this morning, Mary caught the bus with me into Elman, which was fantastic. I know that it probably sounds a bit daft, but I felt really proud, sat there with Mary next to me. She's beautiful, Kate, really beautiful… not in the conventional sense, but in a way that means something to me… beauty on a personal level, if you understand what I'm saying." Said Howard. Kate nodded.

"I know exactly what you're saying, Howard." She assured him.

"I thought that you would, Miss Williams. I think that's why you and I have always gotten on so well… you understand me… and I like to think that I understand you, too. We're on the same wavelength, Miss Williams.” Said Howard. Kate reached out and touched Howard's hand. Instantly, he felt an almost electrical charge run through his entire body, which, despite being intense, was also strangely pleasurable.

"Yes, Howard. We are on the same wavelength, aren't we?" Kate Williams replied, before taking her hand from off Howard’s.

Howard shuffled awkwardly in his chair a little.

"So… it's been a while since I last saw you, and I've been meaning to ask… how did your reunion go with that guy you knew from the college that you used to attend?" He asked.

"Oh, you mean Jake? It went well, Howard, really well. It was good to catch up with him after all of these years." Smiled Kate, telling a lie. Yeah, it was really great, spending the whole night trying to fend off a human octopus who'd doubled in girth since I last clapped eyes on him...

"Will you be meeting up with him again?" Asked Howard, half-dreading the answer. Kate laughed nervously.

"No, Howard. It was just a one-off thing. I won't be seeing Jake again." She advised. Howard felt relief wash over him.

"Aw, that's a shame, Miss Williams… the last time we spoke, you seemed really keen on meeting up with him again." Said Howard. Kate straightened up in her chair.

"It's not that big a deal, Howard. Sometimes things in the past should… well, stay in the past." Replied Kate, with a sour edge to her voice. Howard thought about this for a few moments.

"It's not always that easy though, Miss Williams. Not when something that happened in the past continues to define and shape your present." He said.

"What do you mean, Howard?" Asked Kate, with curiosity.

"Oh, nothing. Just me being over-profound again… you know what I can be like at times, Miss." Answered Howard Trenton, standing up from the chair. "I'd better be off… lecture starts in five minutes. Advanced trigonometry. Yuk.” He added. "I'll see you soon. Take care, Miss Williams."

“Yes, you too, Howard." Replied the careers advisor, before Howard scuttled out of the classroom. Kate Williams stared after him for a few moments, feeling a pang of jealousy deep inside. Then she continued with her paperwork.

That evening, Howard travelled back from Elman to Coldsleet on the bus, alighting at the terminus. He was looking forward to getting home, and seeing Mary again. It was a cold night, not to mention very blustery, and Howard dug his hands deep into his coat pockets, shielding them against both the low temperature and the wind. As Howard Trenton walked along the main road that led from the bus stop, he looked to his right, towards the seafront; the ocean wasn't visible at all, as it was too dark, but he could hear the waves as they lapped in against the narrow, pebbled beach. For just a second, Howard entertained the notion of going for a quick walk along the seafront; it was something that he often did, and at all times of the day and night, too.

“No, bugger to that. Not tonight.” He said to himself. Howard just wanted to get home. He pulled some earphones from out of his coat pocket and put them in his ears. Howard reached inside his pocket and turned his mp3 player on, drowning out the nearby sound of the sea.

Howard continued to walk up the main road before turning left, where he crossed the old railway line, that hadn't been used in years. After this, he continued heading forward, passing a small row of shops before coming to another main road; this was Coldsleet's high street. There were a few people hanging about, here and there, but otherwise, it was practically dead. Howard crossed over the road, then followed a side-street that began to climb up a hill. The side-street was dotted with houses. After a minutes walk, Howard came to an alleyway that would lead onto the road where he lived with Lucas, Kay, and now Mary too. Knowing that home was close by, Howard picked up his pace as he walked into the alleyway, completely unaware that he was being followed.

Howard was half through the alleyway when he suddenly sensed a presence right behind him. Before he even had the chance to turn around, Howard felt a powerful fist hammer into the side of his head. He keeled sidewards, ending up against a concrete wall that ran along the length of the alleyway. A tall figure, largely hidden by the dark, reached out, yanking the earphones from Howard's ears. After this, the attacker's hand plunged into Howard's jacket pocket, greedily pulling out his mp3 player. The attacker pushed Howard hard against the concrete wall.

"Have you got anything else? Any money?" Asked the assailant. Howard could just about make out the mugger's face in the dark; it belonged to a young man, probably in his mid-twenties, with sharp, prominent features. It wasn't anyone that Howard recognised from around the town of Coldsleet.

"No." Replied Howard, his voice quivering a little. “That's all that I've got on me.” He said, referring to the mp3 player.

"Well, not any more it isn't… are you sure that you haven't got some money on you?" The mugger repeated, and at this point, he produced a knife from the pocket of his jeans, and held it close to Howard's throat.

"I'm sure." Answered Howard. The attacker stared at him for a while, grunted, and then let go of Howard, before running off down the alleyway, towards the direction of Coldsleet's high street. Howard pushed himself away from the concrete wall, and rubbed at his cheek, where he'd been punched. A warm, familiar feeling flushed through him. Rage. Then Howard grinned to himself. "I'll give you a little bit of a head-start.” Howard said, staring in the direction where the mugger had just fled. Howard sniffed at the night air, taking in the scent of the attacker, which lingered all around him, before slowly retreading his steps, back down the alleyway…

Howard's mystery mugger was actually a young career-criminal from the nearby town of Ruthskin, called Lee Carpenter. Lee's general, golden rule, was to never commit crimes in his home town at all; rather, he would drive out, to the neighbouring communities, and carry out his nasty little thefts, burglaries, and street robberies in those places instead. So far, he hadn't been caught. Or, rather, he hadn't been caught for the current spate of crimes that he'd been committing since arriving in Ruthskin just under a year ago. Sooner or later, Lee knew that he'd fall onto the radar of the local police, and when he did, they'd be taking a great deal of interest in the previous, well-documented criminal activity that he'd been involved in, in other locations outside of the north-west. Capture was inevitable, but it wasn't going to stop Lee Carpenter from either carrying out his crimes, or enjoying the proceeds from them; it was a way of life for the young man, plus it helped fund his various addictions. Lee Carpenter himself doubted that he'd ever be able to change his habits. In fact, he didn’t particularly want to.