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.

of familiar?" I heard Zac

as I went digging through his

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

I

of looks

Zac continued.

one from a few

the

the clean-up a few days ago?" I slowly spun around to look at Zac, my

Zac...Kennedy is this guy’s last

"Noah Kennedy."

simultaneously, we both then turned to look at the man tied up

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

tried to pull a fast

to him? But...‘clean up’.That’s how this job

...If that were true...then didn’t that mean Noah’s death

Noah and pulled out the cloth I’d stuffed

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

me go, please,"

do anything.Just...don’t

I

for a moment before becoming

"What about Miles?"

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

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

hissed, pulling the knife back out to point it

repeat myself

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

"Howe"

m-my brother," he

my nose, already knowing I was going to hate where this

the last time you heard

bar on Saturday.I think

it’s like he’s just disappeared....Is that why you’re here? Does this have something to do with

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

something that held my curiosity

had already asked was

investigate my father’s dealings,

part of me wanted to

death sentence today was actually because of

question I

was Miles involved

"Rae—."

Zac before he could stop

would know how bad of an idea this

all, he was also under the same

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

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

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

I

looked at me as if

course.Who else in this city would be shady

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

had been a

a rivaling businessman.He was on

...I killed an employee*.

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

my father? Someone who would know better than most in this city what going against him entailed? There were too many questions already asked and far too many answers left unknown that I shouldn’t go looking

tunnelling down

of the why, I 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

wasn’t like the jobs I’d