A Gift from the Goddess

"Are you ready to follow the rules now?"

...Rule number one...obedience.

Always follow the orders from the boss.

No questions asked.I'd broken that rule.I knew I was breaking it the moment I’d chosen to run that night.I knew it would land me here.And yet I still did it.I pulled my body upright from the old bed, more sluggish than I would have liked, and hated how] still felt so sore from the injuries inflicted several days earlier.

‘Days’. That was the key word.

That was how long I’d been trapped in here, alone with my thoughts as it forced me to reflect on every decision I’d made leading to this point.

Because, at its core, that was the true punishment.

It wasn’t the pain.

No, that was always over quickly.

Gavin did a great job of making sure the damage inflicted was swift yet efficient.

Always enough to get the point across and never seeming to even flinch as h e did what he did.

But it was the psychological punishment that truly made it horrific...

‘Days’.I'd been in here...for days.

Alone.

In pain.

Wondering how I’d managed to convince myself that running had been worth it.

Wondering how much longer it would take before punishment was finally over.

And now this was the first thing spoken to me after all that time.

This voice of my father on the other side of the door, asking if I was ‘ready to follow the rules’.

Yes, I was ready.Of course, I was ready.I was about ready to do anything, to say anything, if it meant finally getting out of here.I’d learnt my lesson the minute Gavin had ripped me from my bed.

There was only one authority in my life and that was my father.

It had always been my father.

..Someone I just wanted to be free of.I forced that thought away as quickly as it sprung to mind.

It was thoughts exactly like that which led me t o this moment.

Testing the patience of a man who had none.I wasn’t exempt from the rules because of our relationship.

If anything, this punishment had been necessary.I’d clearly become too complacent in its absence and needed the reminder.

Really, it was my fault.

All my fault.

"Raven?" prompted my father.

Slowly, I swung my legs out of the bed and stood up, taking a deep breath.

The first one I’d done in so long, my chest having felt too sore earlier.

..And I committed to this decision to obey.To obey *him*.

“I’m ready," I replied.

It didn’t take long before I heard it.

The sound of a key clinking for a few seconds before the satisfying click of the lock.

Within moments, I found myself face -to-face with my father after all this time.

"Good," he said, entering the room towards me.

"Because there is work to be done."

..Already? So soon? But, no, that was another incorrect thought.I should b e thinking ‘thank you’, praising how lucky I was to be given another chance.

This was a good thing for me.

A moment to redeem myself.

A moment to show that I was still loyal.

My father held out a manilla folder towards me and I took it, giving a small nod to show how grateful I was.

Forcing myself to believe that very thing.

a clean-up job," he

what

I knew only too

hour, I had packed

attire that made it impossible for anyone to recognise me; this being accomplished via a moveable cloth mask that could be pulled

of the most important things when completing a mission

no one

at least, if they did, then ensuring that they wouldn’t remember my

one wanted to be recognised at a

left my house and swiftly started heading to the location, choosing to stick to

strength made the journey easier, but I'd be lying if I said my injuries weren’t

faster healing, I knew I would

But I persevered regardless.

with only the intent in mind of proving

myself that

time, intending t o enter the run-down looking apartment complex, but as I did so, I felt something that

was a burning in my mind, the

to what I’d experienced on the night of

I wished would

was again, now of all times.I gritted my teeth against the pain and pushed through

the time and I could deal with i t later once

needed to

I slipped through the front door silently,

entering the public area without

late at night but not late enough that people wouldn’t still be around,

deal when this side of town

considered.I

first name, a brief description, a time and

details since it wasn’t something

I didn’t want to push my luck, having

the orders from

to undergo

up the stairs, choosing to avoid the elevator, until I finally came upon the room I was looking for;

conveniently around the corner and somewhat away from the eyes of anyone arriving via

burning in my head hadn’t subsided, something I

it made lockpicking the front door harder

a little bit longer though.I had to hold out for just a

hear sounds coming from aT.V.and smelt the scent of someone located in

guaranteeing the

to do was sneak up and end

job that should be simple enough to complete with the new

cautious steps, testing the floor for any weakness that

Moving closer until—.

‘—you don’t have to..."

behind me, and I instantly crouched to the ground

no one was

almost like a whisper and

if it were

were

wasn’t just

new

difficult to focus a s I looked around, frantically trying to spot

whoever

yet there was definitely

on the T.V could now be heard, along with some light snores coming from the armchair in

wasn’t stemming from the man I was

by the name of Noah.I persisted through the pain and stood back up, walking to behind the

stood right behind

now or

and aimed my dagger, going for a spot that would make

to cause unnecessary

have to do this...You don’t need to

around and lashed my dagger out towards the voice, hoping to silence whoever it was once and

the intense, sharp pain it seemed to bring

it stop

was no

been messing with my head only days

...It was that drug.

drug that Kieran Lycroft had

he’d done to me must have still been in my

my work Scaring me out of doing what I needed to

Had this last punishment been the straw that finally made me break? But I didn’t get a chance to think on it further as I was dragged back into reality, the sound of another mistake waiting to happen then snapping

the fuck?" someone

the hell

around once more and, sure enough,

Awake.

me in his