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

I went digging through his

had a grocery store reward one...a rental shop...a membership to a laundromat? I didn’t even know those had

I

of looks like

Zac continued.

one from a

said, reading the name on the

I slowly spun around to look at Zac,

guy’s last name,"

"Noah Kennedy."

to look at

Miles was an underground businessman or some

who'd tried to pull a

acquired problematic documents relating to

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

pulled out the cloth

victim was possibly the dumbest thing I

please,"

do anything.Just...don’t kill

Miles?" I asked, disregarding

face blanked for a moment before

"What about Miles?"

the mood for people not answering my questions plainly.I’d already had

into the wall directly next to his head, causing him to

I hissed, pulling the knife back out

me repeat myself

out a ‘yes’, his head quickly

"Howe"

m-my brother,"

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

the last

never showed up at the bar on Saturday.I think

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

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

my curiosity and yet I knew I

the questions I had already asked was already

job wasn't to investigate my father’s dealings, it

part of

not his death sentence today was actually because

the question I knew I shouldn’t

business was Miles involved with?" I

"Rae—."

repeated, interrupting Zac before he could

of an idea

under the same orders to not pry too

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

in town.Gets in supplies and rare goods

should have stopped.No, I *definitely*

I

looked at me as if

else in this city would be shady enough to need

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

been a goddamn

criminal or a rivaling businessman.He was on the freaking

...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

better than most in this city what

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

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 for

wasn’t like the jobs