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.

this guy look sort of familiar?" I heard Zac say

ignored him as I

had a grocery store reward one...a rental shop...a membership to a laundromat?

finally, I found his driver’s

of looks

Zac continued.

a few days ago.You

reading the name on the

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

this guy’s last

"Noah Kennedy."

then turned to look at the

his connection to him? I’d thought that Miles was an underground businessman or some sort

tried to pull a fast one

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

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? "Ah

out the cloth I’d

future murder victim was possibly the dumbest thing I could

please,"

anything.Just...don’t

to Miles?" I asked,

face blanked for a moment before

"What about Miles?"

I really wasn’t in the mood for people not answering my questions plainly.I’d already had

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

the knife back out to point it at

myself

out a ‘yes’, his head quickly bobbing

"Howe"

m-my brother,"

eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose,

last time

on

looking for him but it’s like he’s just disappeared....Is that

That caught my attention.

‘Business’.

my curiosity and yet I knew

already asked

job wasn't to investigate my father’s dealings, it was just to carry out his

part of me

or not his death sentence today was actually because of

asked the question I knew

was Miles involved with?" I

"Rae—."

repeated, interrupting Zac before he could stop

know how bad of an idea

all, he was also under the same orders

"Smuggling," Noah answered.

rare goods from all over.The

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

businessman?" I

me as if

this city would be shady enough to need

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

An employee.

been a

wasn’t some random criminal or a

...I killed an employee*.

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 pertaining

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 answers left unknown that I shouldn’t go looking

needed to pause for a moment and stop tunnelling

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

wasn’t like the jobs