Avenoir || BTS

43

"I feel sorry for the shape-shifter," Jungkook mutters after seeing my face, "You need to keep calm, okay? There are a lot of variables in this equation. We don't even know what killed Cynthia."

"What do you mean? It was the shape-shifter," I reason. 

"It took the form of Cynthia. Maybe she'd already died and it decided to live her life. Shape-shifters are known to do that too, but very rarely. Shape-shifters are peaceful. They don't kill unless they have to."

"Okay, then."

Minutes later, we were walking through the forest after giving my dad a lame excuse that we were checking out the town. I refused to take a knife, so I have a hammer, which is probably much more gruesome. Jungkook has the very same axe he used to chop firewood. 

So, yes, we look like a team of serial killers prancing through the forest in search of a victim. 

We don't know what we're looking for, and that's the problem. There are a lot of human tracks as well as animal tracks, and nothing seems out of place. Nothing smells like Cynthia, either. Jungkook's phone rings out of the blue, scattering our concentration. 

"It's Yoongi," he tells me. 

He presses the phone to his ear, but there's nothing but an indistinct crackle. 

"The signal's pretty bad out here in the forest," I tell him. 

The ground grows a little softer, and I realize we're approaching a shallow, but wide lake. I have a few memories surrounding this lake, particularly of spending all my time 'frying' old leaves in the water until they turned soggy. 

"Do you think water wraiths live here?"

It's yet another memory, but not of my childhood. I remember Namjoon telling me about water wraiths, their bargains, and a vision that never happened. 

"Maybe they do. I'd rather not find out."

"Are you scared of them?"

"Not really... They're not the kind of beings you mess with. The bargains they make are only in their favor," Jungkook explains. 

"Isn't that what everyone does, though?"

"I'm not sure you understand the depth of their bargains and how terrible the consequences are. It's like the witch's spell for the mermaid in the original tale of The Little Mermaid. You're more likely to turn into sea foam than make the prince fall in love with you. You can seldom gain anything from a water wraith."

"That's not very nice," a voice huffs. 

Both of us freeze, turning to look at the head that had popped out of the water. Their skin was a dead grey, and it seemed oddly human but I could tell that it wasn't.

"Leave us alone," Jungkook orders immediately. 

"My sister is dying. Her torso is stuck in a broken boat and it's bleeding. Your venom has healing powers. Help her and I will help you in return."

"What will you help us with?" Jungkook asks. 

"With whatever you need."

"What's the catch?" I ask. 

The head in the water merely watches us for a few seconds, webbed ears twitching slightly. Her voice is clear and sharp and sounds like crystals clinking together. 

"The offer only stands for a month. After a month, you cannot call me for your favor," she says. 

"Y/N, don't," Jungkook warns, "It could be a trap."

"I don't think it is. She seems worried."

"Even so, there's nothing she has to offer that can help us."

"Careful, vampire. Don't make us hate your kind more than we already do," the wraith warns, "One day, you might find yourself in trouble you can't get out of on your own."

"Is that a threat?" Jungkook asks, braced to fight.

"Quiet, both of you. We don't have much time on our hands," I explain, "I will help you, but you must promise me your aid when I am in need."

"For a month," she adds. 

"For a month, of course," I repeat. 

"What are you doing?" Jungkook asks. 

"Helping her."

"Why?"

He seems so puzzled like he can't imagine why anyone would want to help a water wraith. Maybe he cannot think like a human, a good one. But I can't blame him. Many humans themselves can't think like a good one. I know water wraiths are different from us, but I can't help but see a poor girl wanting to save her sister and what kind of person would it make me if I walked past without caring at all, knowing I could have saved her?

"Why would I not help her?"

Without waiting for his answer, I run into the water and jump. It's strange swimming once I've turned. I don't have to come up to breathe. The wraith in front of us leads us to the opposite shore, where another wraith is stuck in the boat, a chunk of wood gruesomely piercing her abdomen. 

She hisses once she sees us. 

"Calm down, sister. They are here to help."

The other wraith gently tugs out her sister and thick black blood that looks like tar oozes out of the wound. It smells revolting, thankfully. I look behind me at Jungkook, who stood on guard but gave me some space. His hair is pushed back, water running down his neck and into his t-shirt. 

I turn back to the sisters to not lose focus. 

"Your venom," the wraith requests. 

I am unsure how to do this, but it should be instinctual. I'm pretty sure Jungkook would have stopped me if he wasn't sure about it. Unless he absolutely hated water wraiths and wanted me to kill them on accident. 

The wraith whimpers in pain, clutching the wound with her webbed hands as more and more blood starts seeping through. Her sister grabs one of her hands and extends the wrist towards me. I take it and don't think for long, knowing I'd back out if I stalled any longer. I bite into her wrist, my throat automatically closing up as the pungent blood hits my tongue. 

At first, I have no idea what to do, but the blood seems to stop flowing into my mouth and I feel a tug at my fangs. I'm not sure how long to wait, but I've been administered venom to heal my wounds before and take a rough guess with the time. 

The wound starts closing, a little slowly, but the venom is working for sure. 

"Here," the other wraith says. 

She hands me a silver necklace with a cerulean blue crystal dangling from the chain.

"You can summon me with this," she explains.  

"How?" I ask. 

"Once your tear falls on the crystal, I will be at your aid. Thank you for saving my sister."

So I must be in dire need for this to work. And it only works for a month. Maybe this bargain wasn't the smartest one after all, but I'd saved a life. It doesn't matter what I gained in the process.