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

rental shop...a membership to a laundromat? I didn’t even

then, finally, I found his driver’s

of looks like

Zac continued.

one from a few days

said, reading the name on

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

guy’s last

"Noah Kennedy."

look at the man

I’d thought that Miles was an underground businessman or

who'd tried to pull a fast one

have acquired problematic documents relating to him?

Noah involved 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 y accidental lapse in control?

and pulled out

agreed that talking to the future murder victim was possibly the dumbest thing I could ever do...but I felt we were already past the point

me go, please," he immediately started

do anything.Just...don’t

to Miles?" I

blanked for a moment

"What about Miles?"

answering my questions

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

hissed, pulling the knife back out

repeat myself for the

to huff out

"Howe"

m-my brother," he

of my nose, already knowing I was going

the last time

bar on Saturday.I think

know where he is, I swear! I’ve been looking for him but it’s like he’s just disappeared....Is that why

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

was something that held my curiosity and yet I

questions I had already asked was

dealings,

of me wanted to

out whether or not his death sentence today was

question I knew

business was Miles involved

"Rae—."

I repeated, interrupting Zac before he

know how bad of an idea this was, just as I

was also under the same

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

that wealthy businessman in town.Gets in supplies and rare goods from all over.The best at what he does, in my opinion.Even

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

I asked

at me as if I were stupid

course.Who else in this city would be

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

been a goddamn

some random criminal or a rivaling

...I killed an employee*.

at all? Was he trying to run away or snitch on

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

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

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 as for what I

like the jobs I’d had