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.

guy look sort of familiar?" I heard Zac say behind

him as I

grocery store reward one...a rental shop...a membership to a

then, finally, I found his driver’s

of looks like

Zac continued.

a

reading the name on the

he the guy from the clean-up a few days ago?" I slowly spun around to

is this guy’s last name,"

"Noah Kennedy."

turned to look

to him? I’d thought that Miles was an underground businessman or some sort of gang

pull a

he have acquired problematic documents relating to him? But...‘clean up’.That’s how this job had been

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 was because of me? Because of m y accidental lapse in

Noah and pulled out

agreed that talking to the future murder victim was possibly the dumbest thing I could ever do...but I felt we were already past the point of

go, please," he

anything.Just...don’t

Miles?" I

blanked for a moment before

"What about Miles?"

really wasn’t in the mood for people not answering my questions plainly.I’d already had

dagger into the

the knife back out

me repeat myself for the

but managed to huff out a ‘yes’, his

"Howe"

m-my brother,"

eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, already knowing

when was the last time you heard from

up at the bar on Saturday.I think

know where he is, I swear! I’ve been looking for him but it’s like he’s just disappeared....Is that why you’re here? Does this have something to do with him? ...Or the

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

was something that held my curiosity and yet I knew I shouldn’t

questions I had already asked was already

father’s dealings, it was

part of me

or not his death sentence today

asked the question

business was Miles involved

"Rae—."

I repeated, interrupting Zac before he could

an idea this

the

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

rare goods from all over.The best at what

I *definitely* shouldn’t

businessman?" I

looked at me as if

in this city would be shady enough to

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

been a goddamn

wasn’t some random criminal or a rivaling businessman.He was on

...I killed an employee*.

him in at all? Was he trying to run away or snitch on my father? ...Did he find out something he shouldn’t have? And those documents allegedly

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

pause for a moment and stop tunnelling down a thought process that had no end

in, what the hell was I going to do about Noah? And I quickly stood

the jobs I’d had