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.

look sort of

I went digging through his different

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

then, finally, I found

sort of looks like that

Zac continued.

a few days

I said, reading the

guy from the clean-up a few days ago?" I slowly spun around to look at

Zac...Kennedy is this guy’s last name," I

"Noah Kennedy."

simultaneously, we both then turned to look

that Miles was

who'd tried to pull a fast one over my

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

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

to Noah and pulled out the cloth

murder victim was possibly the dumbest thing I could ever do...but I felt we were already past the point of no

me go, please," he immediately started

anything.Just...don’t

Miles?" I asked,

a moment

"What about Miles?"

my questions

eye level and sunk m y dagger into the

hissed, pulling the knife back out to

myself for the last

to huff out a ‘yes’, his

"Howe"

m-my brother," he

nose, already knowing I was going

was the last time you

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

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

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

my curiosity and yet I

I had already asked

investigate my father’s dealings, it was just to carry out his

of me wanted to

his death sentence today

so I asked the question I

Miles involved with?" I

"Rae—."

Zac

how bad of an idea this

under the same orders to

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

for that wealthy businessman in town.Gets in supplies and rare goods

have stopped.No, I *definitely* shouldn’t have wanted to keep

businessman?" I asked

if I were stupid for

course.Who else in this city would be shady enough

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

had been

some random criminal or a rivaling

...I killed an employee*.

to run away or snitch on my father? ...Did

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 many questions already asked and far too many

tunnelling down a thought process that

regardless 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

the jobs