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.

sort of familiar?" I heard Zac say behind

I ignored him as I went digging through

membership to

finally, I found his driver’s

of looks

Zac continued.

a few

reading the name on the

Kennedy.Wasn’t he the guy from the clean-up a few days ago?" I slowly spun

this guy’s

"Noah Kennedy."

both then turned to look at the

what was his connection to him? I’d thought that Miles was an underground

pull a fast one

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

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

over to Noah and pulled out the cloth I’d stuffed

agreed that talking to the future murder victim was possibly the dumbest thing I could

me go, please,"

do anything.Just...don’t kill

Miles?" I asked, disregarding

a

"What about Miles?"

not answering my questions plainly.I’d

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

hissed, pulling the knife back out to point

me repeat myself for the

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

"Howe"

brother," he

closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose,

when was the last time

on Saturday.I think he’s missing," he hurriedly

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

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

was something that held my curiosity and yet

had already asked was already

to investigate my father’s dealings,

a part of

out whether or not his death sentence today was actually because of

the question I

business was Miles involved

"Rae—."

interrupting Zac before he could

bad of an idea this was, just

he was also under the same orders to not pry too

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

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

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

I

looked at me as if

course.Who else in this city would be shady

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

had been a goddamn

or a rivaling businessman.He was on the

...I killed an employee*.

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

father? Someone who would know better than most in this city

stop tunnelling down a thought process that had no

‘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 I’d had