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

him as I went digging through his different

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

finally, I

looks like that

Zac continued.

from a few days

reading 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 at the man tied

I’d thought that Miles was an underground

pull a fast one

acquired problematic documents relating to him?

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

to Noah and pulled out

future murder victim was possibly the dumbest thing I could

let me go, please,"

anything.Just...don’t

Miles?" I

blanked for a moment

"What about Miles?"

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

crouched down to his eye level and sunk m y dagger into the wall directly next to his

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

repeat myself

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

"Howe"

m-my brother,"

the bridge of my nose, already knowing I was going to hate

last time you heard

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

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

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

was something that held my curiosity and yet I knew I

I had already asked was already way too

investigate my father’s dealings, it was just to

of

death

the question

Miles involved with?" I

"Rae—."

Zac before he could

of an idea this was, just as

also under the same orders to not

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

wealthy businessman in town.Gets in supplies and rare goods from all over.The best

have stopped.No, I *definitely* shouldn’t

I asked

at me as if I were

in this city would be

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

been a

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

...I killed an employee*.

to run away or snitch on my father? ...Did he find out something he shouldn’t have?

betray aman as powerful as my father? Someone who would know better than most in this city what going against him entailed?

moment and stop tunnelling down a thought process

going to do about Noah? And I quickly stood back up and stepped away, my brain swimming with a million different thoughts as for what

the jobs I’d had