Only You Know How Too

His Preview To Regret

Wells jumped at the sound of clattering tin and with Stella on his heels, moved to the door the tipped bucket and the fleeing form of the young woman enough of a realization of what had occurred, Just how much had she heard?

“ Look. Stell, I'll talk to her, we'll be out of your hair by the end of the week, it's going to take time though.” Stella seemed happy about that and he picked up the several days' worth of Tupperware containers.

“ I can Imagine the task would be easier if you didn't avoid the girl like a plague for six years.” Wells groaned. Stella had been a friend to him before he'd enlisted, they'd grown up together, and even when they were kids, she had a way of sensing things about people. Not many women would have opened up her home and farm like she had.

“ I know Stells, what was I supposed to do? She didn't remember me, or what she did. She barely knew her own name.” He sighed. “ I guess its up to me to fill in what I can at this point though.”

“ You can't keep her innocent forever Wells, she deserves to know what she's capable of at the very least.” Wells left, slamming the screen door behind him. Stopping on the step, just outside the door. Stella could still hear him.

" I had to grow up fast, Stell, so did you, without so much. She deserves better." He'd run over in the morning, the trip, as usual had taken him just under a half hour. He was getting old. He intended to walk back leisurely though, suspecting what awaited him back at home, and avoiding the worst of the sun.

As he traveled, he recalled the events that had brought him to this point. He'd always wanted to served his country, even as things started to really go to s**t. He foolishly thought that if he worked hard enough, he could make a real difference. Enact real change. That was before he'd even known about his strange durability. He was what the religious nut jobs called a “ Blessed One.” essentially it just means he was faster/ stronger and heartier than the average man, but it made him very good at his work within the Army.

That was until they wanted more of him and started cutting into him to try and find the source of what it was that made him different. When he eventually got free, he left the army, disillusioned and heartbroken, the plans he had for his future all in ruins. A criminal on the run.

But his durability and army training made him particularly skilled at less than legal protection and security detail. A very adept paid thug. He'd worked for a few years for less than reputable people, until just after his 27th birthday he met the dodering old man caring for his two young granddaughters in a long-decommissioned fishery in Nova Scotia. The coot offered him 60 million dollars and about 3 million in gold bullion to protect him and the girls.

He'd seen it as a plush gig, room and board in a nice place, with good people,

and a huge pay out. It didn't hurt that the nature of things had led most of his charges to be quiet, independent beings who kept to themselves.

He didn't know the very Army scientists that wanted to figure out how he ticked, wanted the girls too. But for a very different reason. When they attacked all hell broke loose. The old man ended up shot trying to secure their escape to the boat and died handing over the account details to him.

“ Promise you'll take care of them.” Kicking a stone on the path back to his residence he grumbled. A promise he never should have made, because they didn't even make it too the boat and he had lost one of his charges.

Followed by the other nearly killing them both when the tremendous amount of loss she had suffered in such a short time kicked in.

What was it that kept him around? Guilt probably. He'd been paid massive amounts of money to do something he failed to do and maybe he felt that he didn't deserve to just walk away?

When Stella filled him in that she didn't remember anything he had been torn, fill her in on all that she had lost, let her know the danger that awaited her outside of this relative safe haven, burden her, or, let her live, grow, have hope. He chose not to tell her because if it were him, he'd want the chance to undo it all. And for years, he watched her grow and mature and thrive even while being ostracised. People around her could tell she was different. you could almost smell the trouble written all over her. The majority of the farms other residents hadn't been kind to her. they hadn't been outright unkind either, he would have intervened had that been the case. They mostly avoided the girl out of fear. He did as well though his need for solitude meant he avoided most of them. doing odd. less then legal jobs for Stella kept him busy.

But of course, avoidance could only last so long and the time for peace and healing was rapidly coming to an end. Seemed the Army nut jobs that were looking for her had yet to give up , and were closing in.

North. They needed to head north. If they could pass through Quebec and make it to the bay it wouldn't be hard to bribe a boat to take them to Greenland. Missives from the country had broken through here and there. A safe haven for those who did manage to escape. Those who could afford it.

“ Sun's too hot out here, get inside before you burn. “ He barked at her watching her drop her knees from her chest and un-hide her face upon noticing his arrival at the trailer. A lot can change in a few years, and in the time, he'd hid her away at Stella's and avoided her, she'd grown from gangly awkward teen to a gorgeous young woman. Bright Honey coloured eyes and long dark hair, not the slim tight figure that was the fashion but pump curved in all the right places.He felt dirty looking at her like that,drooling after her. The were so close in age. “ Get some water for us while you are at it. Could use a glass myself, gotta wet the whistle before I dry it out with explanations.”

A nod and she set about doing just that, sighing as he watched her retreat into the trailer, eyes flitting to the shorts she was wearing as she retreated into the trailer's dinge.

“ s**t " He hissed shifting the Tupperware in one had to the other while he shook out his legs a bit to re adjust himself. How long had it been? Too long clearly if he was looking at girl ten years younger than him like that.

“ I'll get Karl to make a trip into town, you'll need warmer clothes for where we are going, Give him your sizes and I'll send a list with what you will need.” As she sat at the little kitchenette table a bit of her tummy peeking out from under her tank top folding over the top of her shorts, the fabric cutting into her softness enough to create about a handful of muffin top.

Farm work had certainly done her body good, but the girl was soft in all the right places and it was already driving him mad.

He sat on the futon a fair distance away from where she sat, and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees.

“ Suppose you have a few questions, Katie. Well pipe up an ask em.” There would be plenty of time to fill in her missing time with what he knew when they traveled it would be easier too just give her whatever information she could handle.

“ My sister... She isn't real, is she?” Now that was surprising! With all she must have overheard of he and Stella's conversation, It was other people she was concerned about. He was almost impressed by the caring she must possess to prioritize that.

“ When she exists, she's as real as you and me. ” He grimaced. Knowing that this blow would be a painful one for a girl that had lost so much already. “ But I saw your sister die. She was shot as we escaped to the boat that brough us here and expired on the boat. When we slipped her body into the water.... You did this.” He motioned too the scar on the side of his face. “ Actually, I should clarify.... You screamed, exploded the boat's motor and took a knock to the head when I jumped in front of the shrapnel.

Watching the silent way she took in and process this information was an interesting experience, devastation, terror and uncertainty, surprise.

A worldwide range of emotion wordlessly.

“ How?” When she finally did speak again it was quieter, her voice cracking through the word's “ O” sound. “ Did I blow up the motor.”

“ No clue. Like your sister appearing after we both watched her die, its just something you can do, I suspect you can do much more too.” The look of terror on her face interesting. It was probably one she was so used to seeing herself. He knew he was. “ You know of the...” 'Blessed ' that the religious nut jobs are always talking about?” She nodded. Of course she did, even if they were mostly religious nonsense, the media that still existed could hardly go a week without writing about them. The few people who seemed, different, stronger than your average human in some way. “ Well, I'm one of them.” He leaned back in the futon and lifted his grungy t shirt, The scars that littered his torso evident, some from the same even that had scarred his face, and some from other jobs, some, much more recent, but it was the one on the upper left side of his chest he wanted to draw her attention too.

"Took two shots to the heart.” He sat up more and twisted lifting the back of his shirt to show the counter part to the same scar on his back. “ Strait through and walked out of the hospital like nothing happened a month later. Or rather walked right into an army lab. Few years later your grandfather hired me to make sure the same didn't happen to you.”

More silence. That was fine. He was happy to give her all the time she needed to understand.

“ So, you've been doing a job for six years?” He laughed, right out loud. A big booming sound that he needed to explain once the feeling passed.

“ Sorry... I just. I told you, you and I have supernatural abilities and your first question after that was if this was a job for me? You have always been a strange bird Katie, but that one got me.” Oh! She didn't like something he said there. Bristling she crossed her arms over her chest unintentionally drawing his gaze there god damn, he needed to get a handle on that.

“ It's Kate.”

“ Yeah, only your grandfather called you Katie.” he smirked as the girl settled at that, hearing about affection from a relative and loved one would do that, even if they didn't recall that affection. “ To answer your question though, Kate. No. Technically the job ended once you turned 18, and the rest of your grandfather's fortune, minus my fee, became yours. It's a tidy sum. If we can get your “ 'Blessed ' ass out of the country, you could live a pretty plush life. Hell, so could I with the fee that old coot offered.”

“ Then why are we still here?” Now that surprised Wells. He knew the girl was ostracized a bit but for the most part she seemed content on the farm.

“ Because the army presence on the coast is thicker than Stella's oatmeal. Even now it'sa shot in the dark that we'd be able to find passage.” The truth, but not all of it. He would have been happy staying put. Stella was an old friend and the closest thing he had to family, and there wasn't exactly a shortage of work for a man of his talents around here. Honestly there hadn't been need to rush. “ But there's not much choice now is there?Army is rounding up folks and its only a matter of time before they stumble onto Stella's farm, hiding me would probably only cost her a broken limb or two.... You though...”

Kate nodded at him like she understood but he doubted she did. They were both ' Blessed' but she was a whole other level.

She had a lot more questions, and he did his best to answer as many of them as he could but he hadn't been with her family long before the events that had brought them here. And that didn't account for the some 16 years of memories before then.

It was dark when he helped her into the sidecar of his bike and dropped her back off at the farm, giving Karl a list of supplies to get while he was there. And slipping several extra hundreds into his hands for the trouble of sending him shopping for clothes with a girl he clearly had no caring for. A small thing to ensure he took the job seriously. More of a kindness to himself then for her more clothes on her the better.

Then he drove into town, Not only did the drive do wonders for his head but with how worked up her mere presence got him, he had plenty of pent-up energy to get out of his system.

Every town had at least one bar, but a lot of the leisurely facilities had closed down when the economy tanked, people still liked music, booze and kitty though and even when a watered-down beer was forty bucks a glass, there was always people willing to splurge a little for a good time.

The bar was deserted though, maybe a handful of other patrons. Likely regulars.

“ Is it possible to get a whiskey Gav?” He asked the grizzled man behind the bar.

“ If ya got the green, can't guarantee quality though, even s**t stuff is hard to get.”

“ I'll take a bottle and whatever girl is on shift upstairs.” Legalization having the effect s*x workers had warned about, young, pretty girls being pressured and trafficked into the industry while men profited from it. Almost every town had a brothel or establishment where of some sort where s*x could be bought by the hour. Wells wasn't often a frequenter of this part of Gav's business, having never really needed companionship badly enough to pay for it. Plus, he didn't really have much trouble usually finding a willing partner without it costing him. But tonight was different. If he was going to travel across two provinces with Katie for company, he needed to get this out of his system.

“ Rachel tonight, the little blond, how long?”

“ As long as it takes.” He slapped eight-hundred-dollar bills on the bar. Two for the girl and six for the bottle. And took the bottle from Gav.

“ Alrighty then. Go on up, sheets are clean enough, I'll send her on up after she's freshened up.

Wells scoffed as he slinked to the back of the bar. Popping the cap off the bottle and taking a swig. Hissing as the burn hit the back of his throat.

“f*****g gasoline” he gagged before taking another swig. It would take several more of that swill before the taste didn't bother him. Once in the room, he scowled at the tacky red satin sheets and four poster bed, neon lights on the wall. Half melted candles on the matching IKEA nightstand full of toys with a drawer that just didn't close all the way. He sighed sitting on the end of the bed setting the bottle down on the floor and set about pulling off his boots. Once both of them were tossed aside with one hand he peeled his shirt off in a arch just as the woman walked in.

“ Hmmmn, it's not every day I get such a good-looking partner.” The blond grinned approaching him in a neon pink fishnet body suit.

A tiny little thing, thin with a nice rack and a pretty face, age appropriate for him at least.Mid 30s too 40s. It was hard to tell, what with how the line of work wore through people.

She sat in his lap grinding her bare crotch against the tent in his jeans as she began helping him out of them.

He'd wake the next morning feeling like hot s**t and slid out of the bed. Regretting everything. Because it hadn't worked how he intended. Memories of gripping the woman's ass as they f****d and wishing it had been plumper and belonging too his charge disgusting him.

“ Hey, you got a couple more hours if ya need bud. “Gav called after him as he left glad to see his bike still out front. Driving back to his trailer with the intention of passing out again, in the comfort of his own bed. Passing the farm truck, just outside of the farm on its way into the city. She sat in the back holding the scrap of paper he had given with a list of items she would need.

He considered a wave and then decided against it. Not sure he could manage to keep his last meal and the gasoline he drank the night before down through his own self loathing.

She was too young for him. She always had been. Part of him had hopped that she'd meet a farm boy and distract herself and in turn him. But she'd kept to herself, Wells couldn't decided if it was because she was shy or just her youth.It was why he'd kept his distance for years while she was at Stella's.

Now though he needed to get a handle on himself and face the demon within him that urged him to do everything he'd hate himself for afterwards.