Real Family

"Who knew Kids came with So much Paperwork"

*My friends told me they liked my story and it made me happy

When I ran out of the room, the first place I went to was the attic. Meeting with the boys had made me realize how stupid I was. I was sixteen years old and still living in the orphanage, it was stupid to think I could rely on Katie, it was stupid to think I could be adopted before I became an adult, it was stupid to think I could have a family.
I shook my head as if the action itself could get rid of my thoughts, grabbing an old black backpack that still smelled of weed and cigarette smoke from the last home I had been in. Throwing my clothes, toothbrush, some other necessities I found on the floor, and a blanket into the bag, I quickly zipped it up rushing to open the door only to find Katie on the other side. "Katie?" I asked as she gave me an annoyed look then spotted the bag on my back. Her gaze softened and she leads me towards my bed, "Mia, honey I know it's frustrating living here, but you can't lash out on your potential adopters. Or run away from your problems." She attempted to put a hand on my shoulder but I shrugged it off, "why would they even choose me? What if they do and James starts to hate me because he thought he was going to get adopted?" James was one of my only friends here and to think he would hate me made my heart clench. "He won't hate you if anything he'll be happy for you."

"But if they choose me I'll hate myself"

~
   I sat on the couch in the living room, backpack thrown on the ground and Uno cards in my hand as I played with James. Katie was busy talking to the seven boys so to try and calm my nerves we decided to play the stupid card game, "I won." James yelled throwing down his last yellow card, jumping up and running around the room with his arms thrown in the air. Katie then appeared in the corner of the room, a smile on her face as she watched our interaction. "James why don't you go give Mia a hug goodbye," I froze at her words, waiting for the punch line of the joke to come, but it never did. James ran up to me jumping into my arms, "Mia that's so exciting!" He gave me a bright smile that slowly started to fade as he squeezed me tighter, "don't forget about me." My eyes widened at his word as I wrapped my arms around his waist, "never."
  Katie and I walked side by side into her office, the seven boys immediately stopped chatting as they saw us enter. Katie ducked behind her desk, pulling out a stack of paperwork and handing it to Namjoon. "You just need to fill these out and we've already done a background check so you'll be free to go,"  I watched as he winced at the large packet in front of him, distributing the papers between the seven of them. "Who knew kids came with so much paperwork?" He nervously chuckled, some of the boys joining in. But when he noticed that Katie and I weren't laughing he stopped then cleared his throat. I gripped my backpack strap tighter questions running through my mind, why would they choose me? The only thing that kept me sane was knowing that they would sooner or later bring me back, no one wanted a teenager. Because there were so many of them they were able to finish the paperwork in under ten minutes. They all stood up from there seats glancing at me, "don't you need to go pack?" The younger looking one, Jungkook I think, asked. Shaking my head I replied, "I have all my stuff." Their eyes widened slightly as if they couldn't believe I could fit all my belongings in the small backpack. Thankfully they dropped the subject and Katie led us towards the door, I slipped on my torn black and white sneakers then turned towards Katie as she enveloped me in a hug. "Hey, don't give up on them so easily. Give them a chance maybe you'll like it." I nodded at her words, but deep down I knew it would never work. "We should probably get going" Namjoon spoke, glancing down at his phone and typing something before tucking it in his pocket. "I'll be driving so there's enough room for us." I turned to Katie one last time, giving her a small wave just as Tae opened the door. Screams suddenly filled my ears, high pitched cries of 'I love you', and flashes of bright cameras blinded me as the boys had stepped outside. But as soon as they saw me, everything seemed to go quiet. I stood fixed in my spot staring at the large men, who I assumed were security guards, groups of fans on the sidelines and press with cameras and writing pads. Then, everyone seemed to start yelling at once, louder than before, and if it wasn't for someone's hand grabbing mine and leading me towards a large black ford I wouldn't have been able to move. I looked down spotting Jin's hand, and before I could pull away he was opening the car door. I jumped in quickly just as another flash went off, and voices of reporters screamed out questions. Shuffling into the backseat of the car I clenched my backpack to my chest, breathing became a struggle as my eyes started to blink rapidly as if the bright flashes were still there. The slam of the car door caused me to jump as all the boys filled in.  Taehyung sitting closest to me, and Jungkook next to him while Jin, Jimin, and Hoseok sat in the middle. Namjoon driving, and Yoongi sitting in the passenger seat. "Sorry, we probably should have warned you about them," Jin spoke from the row in front of me, "we love our fans but they can get really overwhelming." Tae spoke giving me a gentle smile while Yoongi hissed out from the front, "especially the press." I cleared my throat, licking my lips before speaking, "so, um, where are we going?" Namjoon locked eyes with me in the rear view mirror, "were actually heading towards our apartment in Seoul, that's where you'll be living."
   The trip to their house was long, especially considering that Seoul was only an hour away, but the car ride felt like hours. I had pressed my body as tight to the window as possible, discreetly trying not to touch Tae. "We don't bite Mia" I nervously looked at the two who had bright smiles on their faces, and instead of being put at ease I only tensed further.
"So you guys are a band," wow way to state the obvious Mia, "you must be pretty famous, what type of music do you guys produce?"
"Have you never heard of us before?" Jungkook asked while I shook my head no. "Were a Kpop group so are songs are a combination of English and Korean lyrics." Jhope spoke up from the seat in front of me.
"That's cool," I added, sinking in my chair when no one tried to continue the conversation. Jimin then let out a sigh of relief mumbling a 'thank God, we're here,' which only slightly stung.
I was the last one out of the car, struggling to hop over the seats and not trip over my own two feet. But as soon as I was stable on the concrete, a surprised gasp was leaving my lips at the house, scratch that mansion in front of me. Ivy and ferns grew through the crevices of the old winding stone path, which led directly to the colossal structure. Thick, lushes trees, swaying gently in the chilly winter wind. At its threshold stood the delicate marble fountain, the water frozen over and small icicles hanging from its wave.
"Seriously?" I asked, turning to the boys only to find that I was standing alone in front of the house, whipping my head around I found most of them already walking inside. "Cmon Mia, we'll show you your room." I hesitantly nodded, jogging over to him and into the building. The inside of the mansion was even more awe-striking then the outside. Pieces of abstract art hung from the white walls that contrasted to the wooden flooring. "Why don't we take you up to your room then we can give you a house tour?" Tae started leading me towards the stairs rushing up a flight as I awkwardly tried to keep pace with him. Once I reached the top of the stairs, the floor opened up to a large living room like area, plasma tv, and leather couches placed in the middle of the room, dividing to a small hallway that connected to four rooms. "Your room is the second one on the left," He leads me far down the corridor and opened a door to reveal a gorgeous room, complete with a restroom, queen bed, desk, ottoman, and closet. Gasping as I walked in I softly sit on the bed, dropping my backpack and running my hands over the soft blankets, marveling at the beautiful room. I had never even had my own room before. "Sorry it's not much, we didn't want to decorate it in case you didn't like it. But maybe we can get some room stuff this weekend."  Tae purposely left out the part that none of the boys wanted to be decorating a room for a child that none of them wanted. "I'll leave you to get settled, come downstairs when you're done." Tae left the room, leaving me sitting alone in one of the biggest bedrooms I had ever been in. Everything seemed so nice here, the house, and some of the boys, maybe the rest would start to like me too. I quickly pinched myself at my thoughts, why would anyone want to keep you when all you are is a problem. I stood up from my sitting position on the bed, exciting my room and walking down the staircase, fingers trailing down the black railing. The boys all sat at a large island mumbling to themselves and as I got closer five heads turned to me. I then took notice of how two were missing, Yoongi and Jimin.
"Are you hungry Mia?" Jin asked pulling out a set of pans while I shook my head. "No, but the-," as if on cue a rumbling erupted from my stomach causing me to wrap my arms tightly around my waist. Most of the boys started to laugh while an embarrassed flush spread over my checks. "I'm sorry-" Hoseok interrupted me a chuckle laced into his words. "There's nothing to be sorry about, what would you like to eat?"
"Could I have ramen?" One of the boys, the youngest, Jungkook started to laugh at my words. "Seriously Mia, not to brag or anything but, we're kind of rich." I looked down at the white marble island that matched the countertops, a shiny chandelier hanging from the ceiling, black lined cabinets, fridge, and stovetops lining the kitchen area. I doubted that they were just-'kind of rich'. "Do you really just want ramen?" I nodded, my stomach started to gurgle once again just as Taehyung stood up from his seat, "I'll put it in the microwave."