No Longer Yours

Chapter 1

"Salem and Sammie, time to get up for school!" dad's deep baritone voice hollers from the hallway outside our closed shared bedroom.

Guess, I should introuduce myself before moving on with my story. My full name is Salem James Anderson and I am 17 years old, gay and out and proud; I have been out to my family and friends and school since I was 14 years old.

I live with my dad, Stephan and my two younger sisters and younger brother; my sisters are Sabine, whose 15 years, Serena whose 13 years and my brother is Sammie and he's 11 years. Our mum, Shannon left us seven years ago and never returned but we don't like to talk about her, especially around my brother and sisters.

We live on a small ranch as this is dad's source of income to raise us and he is an awesome rancher with the four of us kids working the ranch as well along with two hired hands that are here all day since the four of us kids attend school and I am leaving next fall to attend college.

We have five of our own horses plus the five we board for money, along with a dozen cows, a mixture of three dozen chickens and roosters, we sell the eggs too. We also have four goats, two bulls and twelve rabbits that we usually sell some of them for pets or food.

Climbing out of my bed with a groan, not wanting to leave the comfort and warmth of my bed but I guess I need to get my ass in gear since I have chores before heading off to school.

Glancing over at my little brother to make sure he's move as well, to find he is with his own soft groan. Sammie and I milk all twelve cows and the four goats (which we sell all the milk from the cows and goats too except for what we drink and use to make cheese) as Sabine and Serena feed the chickens, roosters and rabbits while Sammie and I milk the cows and goats along with feeding them and the two bulls.

The four of us then feed and groom the ten horses and if we have time enough before showering and heading to school we take the horses out for a ride as we have the other horses follow us while we hold onto the reigns.

"Meet you downstairs for breakfast, alright Sammie?" I ask him as I finish pulling my sweater over my head and down my body.

"Yeah Say, be down there in a minute," he says as he starts dressing himself.

Nodding even though he doesn't see since his head is inside his shirt, I leave our bedroom to make sure Gran doesn't need help fixing breakfast. Oh, I forgot to mention that my grandparents live with us as well.

My grandparents are my dad's parents; Stephan Sr. and Serenity Anderson, former owners of our ranch. Gran and Pops stayed here to help dad raise us when our mother left and even though we're are all older and independent, we don't want them to leave but we know one day they will want to move and won't live with us any longer.

Two hours later all of us have had breakfast, fed and cared for the animals and came back in the house and showered. Now the four of us kids are grabbing our bags for Pops to drive us to school; I have my licecnce but Pops likes to drive us, says it gives him more time to spend with us on the drive to and from school.

We spend time with Gran when we help her in the kitchen, she expects each and every one of us to help her cook at least two meals a week and then her and Pops cook all the meals Sunday together; their time together.

"Come on youngins time for school," Pops hollers from the front door.

The four of us meet him at the front door with our bags and smiles upon our lips; we love spending time with not only Pops and Gran but daddy as well. Us kids and daddy have grown closer to to daddy since mother left and we've also grown closer to his family as well; not just Pops and Gran but daddy's three siblings - Hope, Joy and Samuel all whom are married as well.