"Thank you," I said instead, and his eyes widened.
"For what?" Astrid asked softly.
"For giving me a reason not to kill myself," I told her, but my eyes were on Dai-Jin's. "I still want to die, don't get me wrong. But now I have a reason to stay alive. Just the possibility of it not being an accident… that's enough for me. And-"
Out of nowhere, Adèle, Astrid, and Pravya scream in horror, and I flinched, stopping mid-sentence.
"What? What is it?" Dai-Jin yelled, turning his back to me, but with his right arm covering me, as if to protect me. I must be hallucinating.
"Snake!" They screamed, pointing at the vases' box.
Horrified, the girls ran back to my bathroom, and Diego followed them, looking as terrified as them. Silas shielded our sister and slowly stepped away from the island with her, both dead silent, fear blooming in their eyes. "Get her out," Silas mouthed to Dai-Jin in pure terror.
["What'ssssss wrong with thossssse humanssssss, Misssssy?"]
Before I could react, Dai-Jin turned to me, and when he was going to grab me from the ground and up into his arms, I pushed him. "Yeji," he whispered, frustrated, "that's a fucking black mamba, it's one of the most dangerous serpents in the entire fucking world, I cannot let you die. I don't know how it got here, or why it's in the box of your family's ashes, but I need to get you to safety. And,"
"What's your Korean name?" I interrupted him.
His eyes burned with confusing, "It's not time for that, Yeji."
I held his right hand, making him halt, "What is it?"
Cursing under his breath, he sighed, "Moon Seok-jin."
"Moon Seok-jin," I tasted the name in my lips, and he gulped. "Seokjin," I called again and he went stone rigid, "do you trust me?"
After a second, when I thought he would say no, he said, "Yes."
Swallowing my surprise, I put myself in front of him, "That's a horrible decision, Seokjin, but okay," I couldn't help adding. "I know you will you think I lost it, but… just… stay quiet for a bit, okay?"
"What," I pressed my indie on his painfully soft lips.
"Trust me," I whispered, and though I could tell he was wary, he nodded, then I turned to Raibh. "Raibh, what are You doing here? You do know we're not in Sofia anymore, right?" I spoke in Bulgarian.
"What are you doing?" Dai-Jin gasped behind me, as I helped him leave the closet slowly, since he's clearly scared. "You know this snake?"
"It's a serpent," I corrected him, "they are an acquaintance," then I switched from English to Bulgarian again. "Why were you in the box?"
["I wassssssss protecting your family for you, Missssssy. I got ssssscared of sssssssome human sssssssstealing their assssshessss, and decided to guard them myssssssself,"] their words made my heart melt. ["I wassssssss ssssssscared when I heard what you attempted. And when the human named Daniel came, asssssss he wasssssn't able to tell me how you were, I sssssssstayed in the with their assssshesssss. When your human uncle sssssssaw I wassssssn't going away, he told me to ssssstay in the box with the vasssssssses if I wanted to ssssssee you."]
"Raibh," I pouted, finally getting Dai-Jin out, but he refused to let go of my hand. "Ahjussi, you're safe now," I told him in English, "let go of my hand, it still hurts."
"You're in pain, ajumma?" He gasped, worried.
Why can't he be an asshole all the time? "Yes. Now shoo," I pushed him back inside the bedroom where the others were, all still shivering in fear. "Stay here, they won't harm you, they are a friend of mine."
"Sera," my sister cried scared when I walked inside the closet again, "be careful. That animal is dangerous."
"Not to me," I countered, inside the closet. "Come here, Raibh," I told them in Bulgarian, raising my arms up like one would do to a child.
["I'm hungry, Missssssy. It'sssss been dayssss ssssssince I ate."]
"You're hungry? What do you like to eat?"
Dai-Jin squeak, "It's hungry?" He yelled in English, automatically letting the others who don't speak Bulgarian in pair with what I'm saying. Which is actually very cool of him.
The girls cried, "It doesn't eat humans, right?" Adèle asked scared.
["I appreciate ratsssss, ssssquirrelsssss, sssssmall birdssss, and batsssss,"] they purred, coming to my hand, then up in my arm, shoulders, and down to my body, serpentining their way around my tiny waist like a belt, and pausing their head on my right shoulder. ["Chicken too."]
"You have quite the menu," I chuckled, caressing their part that was hugging my waist, automatically marking my curves. "Let's take the rats out of the equation, because they are my friends. That leaves squirrels, small birds, bats, and chickens."
"Jesus Christ, ajumma, it's on you," Dai-Jin gasped horrified, and they all jumped away from me as I strode inside the bedroom. "I feel faint."
"Don't be dramatic, ahjussi, Raibh is harmless," I scoffed at him in English. "Aren't you harmless to my companions, Raibh?" I asked them.
["I'll never hurt any human you care about, Misssssssy. Only your enemiesssssss. I'm on your ssssssside, I'll protect you!"]
I blushed, "Cute. Just don't ask for my hand in marriage," I played and turned to Dai-Jin as he stared at me in dismay, him and the others. Well, that was expected, they will probably call me a freak. "Raibh said they will never hurt any human I care about, only my enemies, and they are here to protect me. It was thanks to Raibh I found eomma's audio and later you."
"You… you are talking to it?" My sister asked, stunned.
"I know," sigh, "it sounds insane, and you will think I'm crazy, but yes, I can talk to Raibh, and to ravens," I pointed at the window, where that raven still was waiting for me, which is uncommon. "You're still here!"
["Of course, Mischief. I worry about you."]
"What's your name? We haven't met, have we?" I asked in English since it clearly speaks in it, which is easier here.
["No. I'm not from Bulgaria, but some of my friends are. My name is Sluaghadh Lachlainn o'Creachmhaoil. My nickname is Lok."]
"Sluaghadh Lachlainn o'Creachmhaoil," I tasted the name in my tongue, "that's old Irish, isn't it, Lok?"
It croaked in affirmation, ["It's the human equivalent to it, yes. Your pronunciation is amazing, better than any other human."]
"Thanks, Lok. Are you a male?" It croaked positively. "He/Him it is." I side-eyed Raibh, switching to Bulgarian, "Can you only understand me if I speak in Bulgarian, Raibh? Or can I talk with you in English?"
["You're the only human I can underssssssstand in whatever human language you sssssspeak, Misssssy. Any other human, I can only underssssssstand if they sssssspeak in Bulgarian!"] Wonderful.
"Now that's awesome," I grinned, back to English. "I'm not in suicide mode anymore, Lok," I turned to him, still in the window. "You told me I'm safe here and that these humans won't harm me, I trust you more than I do them, so I'll stay down. You can go now, I feel tremendously better than before now that I have someone to turn my anger to."
["I'll go, but I'll stay perched in the rooftop. I'll be here for you."]
That was all he said before flying out of the broken window, so, I turned to my brother, "Can you get me 25 squirrels?"
"W-w-why?" He swallowed.
"Raibh is hungry, they eat squirrels, small birds, bats, and chickens. Rats too, but I'm not giving them any rats, I'm friends with them, they are cute. So, I think squirrels would be a-"
"No, please," Pravya gasped and I almost flinched. "No squirrels."
"Don't kill any small birds either," my sister hurried to say.
["What are thossssse female humansssss ssssaying, Missssy?"]
I clicked my tongue, "They cut your diet to bats and chickens. Is that okay with you, Raibh?" They all gasped when I spoke in English.
["Do you care about thossssse humanssssss, Misssssy?"]
"The ones who asked are my little sister and her girlfriend," I spiked in Bulgarian again, not wanting them to listen to what I'm saying, that is, Dai-Jin did, but I feel like he will keep between us. "So, yeah."
["Then I'm okay with it. I love chicken!"]
Letting out a sigh of relief, I turned to them again, "Chicken then."
["Three chickensssssss, pleasssssse. Raw. No featherssssss."]
"Three," I raised three fingers. "They want them raw, featherless." But then I felt faint, my vision blackening for an instant, and I almost fell to the ground, that is, had I not grabbed onto the bed, my knees wobbling.
"Ajumma!" "Sera!" "Sister!" "Yeji!" They all gasped together.
"Raibh," I whispered, sitting back on the bed, consciousness all but slowly leaving me, "be agreeable with them, don't harm anyone, let them help me," I felt my eyes heavy. "I feel… I feel faint… I-" blacked out.