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

ignored him as I went

had a grocery store reward one...a rental shop...a membership to a laundromat?

I found his

looks like

Zac continued.

from a few

reading the name on the

I slowly spun around to

is this guy’s last

"Noah Kennedy."

turned to look at

Miles was an underground businessman or

who'd tried to pull a fast one

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

Noah involved in whatever Miles had been up 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

over to Noah and pulled out the

the dumbest thing I could ever do...but I felt we were already

me go, please,"

anything.Just...don’t kill

to Miles?" I asked, disregarding

face blanked for a moment

"What about Miles?"

for people not answering my questions

down to his eye level and sunk m y dagger into the wall directly next to his head, causing him to

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

myself for the last

to huff out

"Howe"

brother," he

my nose, already knowing I was going

was the last time you heard from

bar on Saturday.I think he’s

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

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

something that held my curiosity and

the questions I had already asked was already way

my father’s dealings, it was just to carry

of

out whether or not his death sentence today was actually because

question I

Miles involved with?"

"Rae—."

I repeated, interrupting Zac before he could stop

an idea this was, just

under the same orders to not pry

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

in town.Gets in supplies and rare goods from all over.The best at what

should have stopped.No, I *definitely* shouldn’t have wanted to keep going....But I couldn’t seem to

businessman?" I

at me as if

course.Who else in this city

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

had been

some random criminal or a rivaling businessman.He

...I killed an employee*.

instructions to bring 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

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

to pause for a moment and stop tunnelling down a thought

was now left with a very 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