Chapter Five: The Room, Dinner, the Basket, and Bath Time

            The room blew her mind. It was a huge playground, looking exactly like the one at the APEX Center. She had loved going there when she was a kid and a teenager. She still fit in every little tube and under every little log. She loved it there, and now, she knew her ‘kids’ would love it, too. Though, the minute she opened the door and turned the light on, they already were on it: climbing over, under, left, and right over everything. She closed the door behind her, already deciding to crawl with them through everything. Soon, though, they got bored and tired once again, so she picked them both up, going back to the kitchen.

            When she was feeding them their dinner, that’s when she heard the doorbell. She had a feeling who it was, and so, with no hesitation, she walked to the door, opening it to see a man getting in the car. She waved at him, seeing him wave back through the back window of the car. She looked down, smiling when she saw the new addition to her soon-to-be-big family. She picked the basket up and took him to the kitchen where the other two were sort of playing with their dinner. They stopped when they heard her walk in, though, pretending to be innocent.

            Though, once they saw the basket, their faces lightened up instantly, as if they knew who had come. She set the basket down near them, pulling back a thin blanket to see only one baby holding a letter. The baby glared at her, making her smile back since she could never take an adorable baby’s angry face serious.

            “May I have the letter, sweetie?” She cooed softly. The baby’s glare lessened and he gave her the letter. She opened it, reading it aloud.

            “‘Dear our Youthful Wolf Shield, I am terribly sorry about this, but only one child could come this time. As you know, we gave you Xiumin and Luhan to take care of since they are the oldest and seemed to protect the younger ones. However, the new addition you have is much more protective. His name is Wu Yi Fan, but he prefers Kris. He is very protective and weird for a young baby, but he’s a really good kid to the others. At times, we let them loose in the same room and they huddle, talk to each other, and play with each other as if they were brothers; which they are, technically since they all have the same father (more on that later).

            ‘Anyway, Xiumin, Luhan, and Kris are the most protective. Even though another one is also protective, he is one of the younger ones. The rest should warm up to you fast, besides Kris and the other one. That was why we only gave you one baby; he is very hard to deal with. We hope you have a great time with this one, and remember: don’t bring them back.

            ‘Sincerely, Mr. Lee Soo Man.’” She looked at Kris, seeing he was smiling at her as she was reading, though he immediately stopped when she looked at him. “Hey, Kris, I am guessing you don’t want to call me Umma for a while, so I will go make you something to eat.” She then turned to Xiumin and Luhan. “Don’t make any messes for Umma, okay?”

            “Ne,” they said, nodding. She went into the kitchen, deciding to make herself and Kris some soup Xiumin didn’t like so she’d have food for all of them while Kris, Xiumin, and Luhan were in the other room, talking to each other with few words she could understand.

            “Hyungs! You’re alright!” Kris said to them in baby talk, Julie only understanding a muffled and adorable ‘hyungs’ she assumed was from Kris.

            “Why wouldn’t we be?” Xiumin asked back.

            “Well, you weren’t at our playtime yesterday, so we were all worried.” They nodded and watched Kris climb out of his confinement. “Why are you here? Why are we here?”

            “We’re all staying here, of course!” Luhan answered happily as he grabbed his spoon with his food covered hands. He began to feed himself as they all watched each other. “You are too! You have to. Umma’s in the kitchen making you food.” Kris scowled.

            “She’s not my Umma,” he said back. “Never.”

            “Well, she’s ours, then,” Luhan answered. “She’s taking care of us and treats us like her own. The others are coming as well, and will call her Umma, too. I am sure of it! Especially Tao.”

            “Why would he do such a thing?”

            “Didn’t you hear me? She’s all our Umma now. She’s smart and nice to us. She feeds us, too.”

            “I will never call her ‘Umma’ and she will never be my mother!”

            “Well, than you better get away now,” Xiumin said seriously. “Because she’s all we’ve got now, and she definitely will not bring us back to that orphanage.” Kris stared at him for a moment, processing everything. “I suggest you get to know her; she really is a mother to us both. She won’t leave us forever. Not like the others.” Kris nodded and sat on the table, waiting for his ‘Umma’ to come back.

            Julie soon walked out of the kitchen, smiling as she carried two bowls of soup, one with a lot and one with very little. Of course, they noticed this, and for a second Xiumin and Luhan were worried she’d give Kris the small portion while Kris began to doubt his brothers. Julie, though, put their worries at ease, putting a big spoon in the little portion and a small one in the big portion.

            “So you can feed yourself, Luhan?” She asked with a smile on her face as she began to feed Xiumin, then Kris (blowing on it to make sure it was okay), then back to Xiumin and so on. Luhan nodded, scooping up the food. She laughed and fed the others, sometimes eating her own food, gulping it down so she could feed them both. Soon, they were all fed and took their bowls – or plate in Luhan’s case – and placed them in the sink before grabbing a towel, wetting it, and wiped off their hands and faces, being careful to wipe Kris’.

            He watched her as she wiped him off. She seemed as though she cared about them all and didn’t look like she could kill a fly. Soon, they were let down from their chairs, Xiumin and Luhan hugging her legs and sitting on her feet so they wouldn’t have to walk. Kris watched, amused and shocked that his brothers would behave like this.

            “Kris?” Julie brought him out of his thoughts. He looked up at her to see her holding her hands out. “Min-Min and Luhannie didn’t want me to hold them when they first met me, but they’re not you, so I figured…would you like me to hold you?” She said it hesitantly, bracing herself for the ‘Aniya’ or angry look from him. He stared at her for a while, before opening his arms, making her smile and scoop him up, placing him on her hip. She walked slowly to the bedroom to grab their pajamas and diapers. I took them to the bathroom, setting Kris down on the floor with Xiumin and Luhan before starting their bath. When it was warm enough, she put the plug in, put in some toys, and undressed the boys, Kris last. When Xiumin and Luhan were in the tub, she looked at Kris. He was looking at the boys playing in the tub, making Julie smile, she picked him up, placing him on the counter. “Arms up.” He followed her instructions and was soon in the tub with the others, their diapers in the trash and their clothes folded neatly next to their new ones, even Kris’ clothes the orphanage had dressed him in before dropping him off here.

            They played for a bit and began to wash their hair. Once she put on the conditioner, she washed them as they still played and talked to each other. Though, when she was splashed with the water, she stopped. They looked at her, their eyes widening in fright and shock. Julie just looked down at her now wet shirt, not minding that it was becoming see through since she had hurriedly put on a white shirt and black sweat pants earlier that morning. She didn’t really mind, but they seemed to, since they were trying to wipe it off as if it was just a piece of food or a string of fabric or hair. She just laughed at their worried faces and took her shirt off, beginning to wash them again in only her sports bra and sweats. They seemed to look relieved that she didn’t mind and just went back to playing as she washed them. Soon, she rinsed their hair, unplugging the tub as she wrapped them all into burritos again with the towels she snagged from the cupboard under her bathroom sink. She managed to carry them all and the clothes to a different room she had found earlier.

            She set Kris and Luhan down in a play pen while she took Xiumin a little ways away to a changing table the bedroom had. She changed Xiumin and the other two. After that, she took them back to her room, laid them down on the bed, and started to go into the bathroom. She figured that they’d either play or fall asleep.

            “Umma,” Luhan said. Julie looked back to find them sitting up, staring at her.

            “Umma’s going to take her own bath, okay? Go to sleep, or play with your brothers,” she answered before walking into the bathroom, leaving the door open. She began the bath, took off her clothes, and got in. When she was getting the boys dressed, she realized that she was long overdue for a bath and that she had to get up early for her classes tomorrow.

            As she began to wash herself, she heard feet against the hard wood floor, coming towards the bathroom. She didn’t worry, though. To her, it was obvious it was the boys, and she had bubbles up to her chest, so they wouldn’t be scarred for life. She just continued, shampooing her hair. The door opened and the boys’ heads peeked in, looking around the room. When they saw her, they immediately broke out into grins, even Kris. They quickly waddled towards her, grabbing onto the side of the tub. She smiled, and leaned over the tub, grabbing the conditioner and a cup while she was at it. They watched her as she rinsed her hair of the shampoo and began to put in conditioner.

            “Umma! Bubbles,” Luhan yelled, giggling as he played with the soap bubbles.

            “Yes, Luhannie, bubbles,” she said, smiling. She then grabbed some of the bubbles and blew them over the boys. They giggled and laughed as they landed in their hair and on their shoulders. They continued to play with the bubbles they had on them as she continued to wash herself.

            When she was done, she drained the tub. When it was all drained, she grabbed her towel from the ground and wrapped it around herself, stepping out of the tub with bubbles all over her body. She grabbed another towel and wiped her legs, shoulders, and arms from all the bubbles, then wrapping that towel around her hair. Soon, she felt Xiumin and Luhan sit on her feet once again, making her immediately pick up Kris. Kris huddled close to her, placing his head in the crook of her neck with one arm over her shoulder and the other next to him. She carried them to her room, put Kris on the bed, and then Xiumin and Luhan. Then, she went into her closet, grabbing a nightgown, throwing it over her head, and then laid down with the others, her right arm over them all. When she was close to sleep, seeing the other three were already asleep,

The dong doorbell rang throughout the house with the sound of tires screeching as the people left the property.