A Gift from the Goddess

"Rae...I do believe this guy is alive," Zac said.

The two of us were peering into the cupboard, looking at a very tied up and very terrified looking Noah.

"Yep," I replied.

"Right...right....And, just to make sure we’re on the same page here, you are aware that normally I don’t see this part, right? That I come in afterwards?"

"I’m aware."

At the sound of the conversation, Noah immediately started to squirm and plead to Zac with his eyes, hoping that he would help free him.

Not that it would do him any good.

"So, what's the hold up?" Zac asked, still confused.

"Isn’t this just another Thursday for you? I’ve seen you do worse."

He was right.This really wasn’t that abnormal of a job for me to do.

But I gritted my teeth at his question nevertheless, hating how I had ended up in this situation.

"I...can’t," I said, deflating in defeat.

"I can’t do it."

"You can’t...do it...," Zac repeated slowly.

"And why is it—."

"Look, I just can’t, okay?" I said, cutting him off, irritated at all the questions.

"I’ve tried.I even tried again before you got over here.I can’t do it, I can’t do it, I can’t do it.End of discussion."

"...So why am I here? Just tell your dad that —."

"No."

Of course, Zac would suggest that.He didn’t know about every dark secret my father was hiding, only ever seeing as far as he needed to.

"No, I can’t tell him," I said.

"...And you can’t tell him either."

"Rae, the boss is expecting this guy dead," he said, taking a step back to look at me.

"I’m not really sure what’s going on, but you do realise he’ll find out sooner or later, right? You can’t just keep him locked up in a cupboard forever."

"Okay, fine! Fine...," I sighed in frustration, before slowly locking up to meet his eyes.

"...Then you do it."

Immediately, his face paled.

"What?! Rae, no! No," he blurted out.

"I don’t do that."

"c’mon, Zac," I whined.

"It’s not that different from cleaning up.Both have a lot of blood.I can talk you through it.Here...just grab this dagger like this...and then hold it in your hand facing—."

"Raven, stop!"

I'd been trying to get him to wield the weapon but he immediately held his hands up and stepped away.

"Just...chill," he said.

"I’m not going to kill someone."

"Argh! I spun around and angrily started pacing the room, beginning to get more worried as every second passed.I didn’t understand why this had to be so difficult.It shouldn't be this hard.Any other day, I could have done this job with my eyes closed.Why was I struggling to kill one random man? Who even was this guy? A small brown wallet then caught my attention as it sat on top of a table, and I walked over to inspect it.

doesn’t this guy look sort of familiar?" I heard Zac say

him as I went digging through his

shop...a membership to a laundromat? I didn’t

finally, I found

sort of looks like that

Zac continued.

one from a few days

reading the

days ago?" I slowly

guy’s last

"Noah Kennedy."

to look at the man

that Miles was an underground

tried to pull a fast

he have acquired problematic documents relating to him?

to? ...Or was I sent here because he was digging into his disappearance? ...If that were true...then didn’t that mean Noah’s death sentence today

pulled out the cloth I’d stuffed into

that talking to the future murder victim was possibly the dumbest thing I could ever do...but I

let me go, please," he

anything.Just...don’t

Miles?" I asked,

for a

"What about Miles?"

in the mood for people not answering my questions plainly.I’d already had my fill of that

and sunk m y dagger into the wall directly next to his head, causing him to jump in

questions," I hissed, pulling the knife back out to point it

myself

but managed to huff out a ‘yes’, his head quickly

"Howe"

m-my brother," he

closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, already knowing I was going to hate where

was the last time you

the bar on Saturday.I think he’s missing," he

looking for him but it’s like he’s just disappeared....Is that why you’re here? Does this have something

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

curiosity and yet I knew

questions I had already

wasn't to investigate my father’s dealings, it was just to carry

of

find out whether or not his death sentence today was

so I asked the question I knew I

business was Miles involved with?"

"Rae—."

interrupting Zac before he could stop

know how bad of an

was also under the same orders to not

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

rare goods from all over.The best at what he does,

stopped.No, I *definitely* shouldn’t have wanted to

businessman?" I

he looked at me as if I were stupid for

this city would be shady

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

been a

wasn’t some random criminal or a rivaling

...I killed an employee*.

away or snitch on my father? ...Did

what was in them? If they were harmful, then what could make someone want to betray aman as powerful as my father? Someone who would know better than most in this city what going against him entailed? There were too many

needed to pause for a moment and stop tunnelling down a thought

important ‘what’; As in, what the hell was I going to do about Noah? And I quickly stood back up and stepped away, my brain swimming with a million different thoughts as

the jobs