A Different Kind of Family Pt. 01

The following story has been edited from the original in order to comply with this website's guidelines. Note that only Part 1 has been edited. Please contact the author if you have any questions.

***

CHAPTER 1

***

I was eight years old when my parents died. They had come to America just before I was born, eking out a living as hired farm hands in California before moving on towards the Great Plains. This was the land of opportunity, but life was not easy in Middle America for a couple of uneducated Chinks and two small children.

Still, all of their hopes and dreams were for our success. My younger sister and I attended local schools as often as possible, and every extra penny they had went into providing for our educational needs. They dreamed that I could grow up and be a doctor or lawyer, live a better life.

We were on our way to a new job in the next state over when my dad fell asleep at the wheel. He and my mom had been driving in shifts for the last two days straight in order to make it to the new job on time. Our battered truck flipped into a ditch, and the next thing I knew, Child Services was delivering me to a dusty building where a weather-beaten couple was waiting for me. A sign by the road read "Masters Farm".

A kind but overworked and exhausted social worker was talking to my new foster parents. They were signing some paperwork and then the social worker handed them a check. She turned and pointed to me. "His family died in an accident off Route 47. We don't have any record of where they were headed or where they were coming from. Just a family of undocumented Chinese. But the boy's got a US birth certificate; he speaks perfect English, and responds to the name 'John'."

'Responds to' is right. My name is "Chon". Hell, they had my birth certificate which spelled it out for them. But after trying to get that point across for several minutes I just gave up. John sounded close enough to Chon anyways.

The social worker gave me a tight smile and then climbed into her car, driving away in a cloud of dust. My new father, a big man, bellowed in my general direction, "Johnny, get over here, boy!"

Oh how I missed my teddy bear at that moment. I hadn't seen it since the accident. So with my eyes downcast to the dirt, I had nothing to hug but myself as I trudged forwards and followed my new parents into the house.

They sat me at a worn but serviceable dining table, and settled into the chairs opposite me. I did my best not to cry while they laid down the ground rules. First off, I was to call them "Master" and "Ma'am." Ma'am went on to place a bowl of pea soup before me, which I ate quickly and hungrily while Master explained my situation.

"The government is only giving us pennies a month for you, and you'll damn near eat that much alone. So you've gotta earn your keep around here, see? You'll have chores all day every day, starting at six o'clock. You come right here and see me every morning and I'll tell you what you need to do for the day. Except on Sundays. That's the Sabbath. Understand?"

I just nodded my head yes.

Before I realized it, the side of my head was splitting in pain and Master was leaning over me, his open palm cocked for another slap. The tears were flowing freely from my eyes now. "You say 'I understand, Master.'"

"I understand, Master," I managed to burble out.

"Smart boy. Now part of the deal is that you'll get some schooling. Now I think that's a waste of time for a farm boy, but a deal's a deal; otherwise they'll stop giving me checks for you. Understand?"

"I understand, Master."

"Good. You learn fast. I like that. Now when you're finished with your supper, Katie'll show you where you're sleeping."

For a moment I thought he was referring to Ma'am, but even as he said this, Ma'am turned and hollered out the backyard, "Katie! Get in here!"

Moments later, a young girl about my age came running, fear in her eyes as she stopped in front of Ma'am, rigidly at attention. "You'll wash up Johnny's bowl and then take him to the Barn. Understand?"

"I understand, Ma'am."

"And you say hello to Johnny."

Katie turned to look at me. Her eyes were the clearest blue I could imagine. "Hello Johnny. Pleased to meet you." She came forward and scooped up my bowl, quickly moving to the sink to begin washing it. I noticed some light bruises fading on her arms and face. Nothing serious. But I understood this was a family that believed in corporal discipline.

Master explained, "Social workers brought us Katie last year. She's a good worker. We're hoping you'll be a good worker too." He turned and looked to his wife. "Heck, maybe we should get us a coupla more orphans and we won't have to do nothing 'round here no more!"

The bowl and spoon were quickly put away, and then Katie came to me. She took my hand in hers, and led me out the back door. From that first day, I couldn't take my eyes off her. She reminded me of a doll I'd once seen in a toy store. Strawberry blonde hair, round cheeks, bright blue eyes. I'd never been at a school long enough to make real friends before. I hoped she would be my friend.

***

The first week was really rough. It took me a while to get used to saying "Master" and "Ma'am" after everything I said, and I had the bruises to prove it. They weren't bad people, mind you. It was just their idea of discipline. And there were so many things to learn. I'd never really worked a farm before. As a kid, I'd usually just help my parents picking fruit or small jobs like that. We'd be around for planting or for harvest, then move on to the next job. All the tasks I was used do doing were handled by other hired help. Now I was suddenly expected to milk cows, saddle horses, and do all the daily things involved in running the place.

Already I was starting to learn the Rhythms of Life: Tragedy, happiness, sadness, love. One day I'm crying. The next, I'm laughing at one of Katie's little jokes. Life goes on.

In hindsight, the overwhelming nature of my new life was a blessing in disguise. It kept my mind off of my family. I never got to mourn them, I was just forced to adjust and keep on living. Kids are pretty resilient that way.

Katie really helped me out. She was patient in teaching me everything, and always willing to help when I got in over my head. We slept in the barn loft, with warm hay and a quilt. And when the nightmares from the car crash came to me, I would find Katie wrapping me in a warm hug, and then sleep would come a little bit easier after that.

After three months, she was already the longest friend I'd ever had. Even more than that, Katie was my new "sister". In public, I referred to the Masters as my Ma and my Pa. Townsfolk got a big laugh out of a little Chinese boy having a white sister and parents.

School would come few days and far in between. I knew how to read and could pick up the math pretty well. But whenever I'd just start to make friends or get the hang of things, the farm would call me back and I'd lose a lot of the progress I made. Same with Katie.

Time began to just fly by. With my daily routine on the farm, every day blended into the next. I never knew the exact date; but I knew when Sunday came, because it was my one day of rest (mostly). And I could count the number of winters we'd made it through.

It was the middle of my sixth winter on the farm when I snuck into the house to swipe some bread. It was still very early in the morning, the sun not yet up, and the Masters were usually still asleep at this hour. I glided through the door and down the hall with practiced ease.

I knew it was against the rules to steal. But I was really hungry and I'd only been caught but a few times doing this. The last couple of years had not been very good for the farm, and the Masters had cut back a little on feeding Katie and me. You would think that on a farm, the last thing we'd run short of was food. But I was starving. I was in the kitchen, the cupboard open and the loaf within reach when I heard a scream.

Instantly, I froze, thinking I'd been caught. Then after a few heart-pounding moments, I closed the cupboard and turned around to find myself alone in the kitchen. Then the scream came again.

I was afraid to move, but some noble male part of me ordered that I investigate and protect. So I grabbed a rolling pin and padded down the hallway. The walls closed in on me in the darkness, and just then a cloud passed in front of the moon, plunging me into an even deeper pitch of black. For a fourteen-year old boy, the unknown is a dreadfully scary thing. And my mind conjured up evil monsters lurking behind every corner in the dark. My blood racing, I hesitated, teetering on the edge of turning about and fleeing for my life.

But then the moon came out again, and I breathed a little bit easier. Gathering up my courage, I started up again. When the third scream came, directly from the Masters' room, I hurried to their door. I was afraid I'd lost my second set of parents. The door was open, just a crack, and I got down to peer inside.

Just when I was about to push in the door, Master yelled, freezing the blood in my veins. But when I managed to look inside, Ma'am was just kissing Master. What was with all the yelling and screaming? I was very confused, and sat there with my jaw hanging open, trying to understand.

Just when you think you've got everything figured out around this place... Well, apparently there was no harm done, unless the Master caught me out of bed and in the house. And then there would be much harm done on my poor body. So as quietly as possible, I retreated back to the barn, and prepared myself for the day's start.

Katie wanted to know where our bread was. I only told her that the Masters were awake, and I had run away.

***

The next morning, I woke up in my usual position: stretched out across the hay, with Katie's strawberry-blonde head pillow on my arm. Her body was already starting to develop, and from my vantage point, I realized I could see the soft swells of her breasts starting to peek from the neckline of her shirt.

I couldn't quite organize the thoughts in my head. Even when I was looking away, I felt the urge to turn back and examine Katie's body once again. At first I felt I was doing something wrong. After all, I felt uncomfortable whenever Master was looking over my shoulder while I was doing some new task. And I knew that staring in general was considered rude. But this was Katie. She was my sister in a way. She was family. And that made it okay.

Katie was already awake when I began my examination of her body, and when she realized I had joined her in the world of consciousness, she moved my other arm off of her hip and turned around to face me.

"Good morning, Johnny."

Many hours later, after a long day of work, we washed up and settled into our hay bed for the evening. I lay awake in the darkness, staring at the roof, when I started thinking about what the Masters were doing that previous morning. Why had they been yelling and screaming?

For some reason, the train of thought prevented me from going to sleep. I looked to Katie, as if she could help me figure it out. But she had already gone to sleep. Already, I could see she was becoming quite "cute". Oddly enough, I had never thought of her in that way before. She was never a "girl" to me, just "Katie". But now, I could see how she would soon grow into the body of a woman.

As I watched her sleep, my face started to heat up, my breath not coming as easily as it normally did. My heart was pounding, and in shame and confusion, I tore my eyes away from Katie, turning around and facing the wall, willing my thoughts towards something else.

Fidgeting, I started mentally reciting my chore list for tomorrow, going over every little detail and every little step of my tasks. Eventually, I tired out and fell into a fitful sleep.

***

It was a few days later, a Sunday actually. Most Sundays, the Masters let us sleep in, and wouldn't come to get us until about nine o'clock to get ready for church. Since we normally woke up with the sun, those extra hours were the highlight of our week.

Katie and I woke up in our usual position: stretched out across the hay, with Katie's strawberry-blonde head pillow on my arm. My other arm was wrapped around her belly, holding her tightly.

The sun had just risen, and so we were awake when the morning rays entered our barn. But being a Sunday, we just lay there and enjoyed the time off. I snuggled in closer and let the sweet smell of Katie fill my nostrils while I left my eyes closed.

Perhaps a half an hour later, Katie turned around and stared into my eyes, her head still pillowed on my arm. "Johnny, I want to try kissing again."

We had tried it a few times a year ago after watching the Masters do it. After all, if was easier to experiment with each other instead of trying to find someone from school. But kissing just felt funny, and a little awkward. It was nothing special and so we didn't see what the point was.

So when Katie asked me, I looked at her kind of confused. But if she wanted to try something, sure, why not? There was no harm in it. "Um, okay."

She leaned forward, puckering her lips the way we'd seen Ma'am do, and pressed her lips to mine. Last time we'd done this, it was nothing special. But this time? Something electric was jolting through my body, and I found myself pressing my lips back at hers with a burst of energy. Instinctively, my arms wrapped around her body, my palms finding a good grip on her butt cheeks.

It was all over too quickly. Katie backed up, her eyes bright. We both smiled, wondering at how different that had felt. I wanted to try it again. But then she simply turned around, snuggling in against my body again. We cuddled in bed the way we had always done for warmth and in friendship. Somehow, this felt very different.

Two weeks later, the Masters moved Katie to a bedroom inside the house. Ma'am's health wasn't so good. They needed Katie to start becoming a housemaid. Besides, I was strong enough now that I could handle all our farm chores myself. And then I was on my own again.

***

Several more winters went by, and Katie had grown up into a beautiful woman. I didn't see that many girls to compare, just a few at school or around town and the matrons at church. But still I could tell that she was far more attractive than anyone else I had ever met. Now that she worked inside the house, she was able to keep clean, and her skin was clearer and softer than I ever remembered.

Katie had developed into a lithe version of the classic hourglass figure: tall, slender, and curvy in all the right places. She had an especially buoyant bosom that turned the heads of every male that saw her, and Ma'am made sure that every one of Katie's dresses and blouses had a high neckline to keep her breasts out of sight.

I'd caught glimpses of them myself, but only glimpses. In the privacy of our barn loft, Katie and I would sneak away to practice kissing. She would loosen the ties to her constricting dresses, allowing the upper slopes of her breasts to come into view. I didn't know exactly why, but seeing the shallow valley begin between the two mountains did more to get me hard than anything else. And Katie learned early on to tease me with these glimpses and get me to kiss her with greater passion.

Matched with a cute face and big blue eyes, Katie was the unquestionably the prettiest girl within a hundred miles. The Masters had to work extra hard to keep away all the boys who wanted to court her.

For my part, I went out of my way to threaten anyone who made unwelcome advances at my Katie as well. I'd grown up over the past few years, a steady American farm diet leading me to not only be taller than the Master, but also be stronger and more muscular. I didn't have to work very hard to make a boy think twice about annoying Katie.

I also realized then that I'd been at the farm for most of my life. It was the only permanent home I'd ever had, and it was time for me to start taking an active responsibility in the place. Master was getting on in years, and couldn't move as easily as he used to, so I had taken over some of the duties in charge.

Master would bring me to meet our business partners, and I was making friends with our customers and suppliers. Plus, it turned out I had a knack for the business things. With me in charge, we were starting to turn a healthier profit. It was a good thing too, as Katie and I had both reached the age where the government stopped sending checks. More and more every month, Master was looking on me as the son he never had, and I was earning his respect.

One day, after bringing home a particularly good check, Ma'am called on Katie to bring me an iced cold glass of lemonade.

"Johnny, you're the new Man of the House!" Ma'am glanced at Master coming through the door behind me, a wink and a teasing grin on her face. "Isn't he Katie? Johnny's all grown up into a fine young man!"

Katie just smiled at me, her eyes sparkling as her gaze went up and down my body. "Yes, Ma'am. He has."

I stared for a moment at her, her hair pulled into twin braids, a demure blouse and skirt doing little to hide her gorgeous figure.

Master just settled his heavy hand on my shoulder, breaking my reverie. "You're doing good, Johnny. Just don't let it go to your head. Understand?"

"I understand, Master. I won't."

I agreed not to get an inflated ego. But my confidence was booming, and it showed in the way I carried myself around the farm, as if now I was the master of my own domain.

That very afternoon, I was taking a cold shower in my usual spot towards the back of the barn. It wasn't much more than a jerry-rigged cold-water hose inside a wooden partition. But with the heat of those days, it was quite refreshing.

I grabbed the towel off the hook, and began to dry myself off when the door opened. Instinctively, I covered myself with the towel, and Katie stood there with an impish smile on her face, carrying a fresh towel of her own.

"You done yet? You've been in here for ten minutes already!" I watched her eyes lazily trail downwards from my face. I was then thankful the cold water made sure I wasn't going to get an embarrassing tent in my towel for at least a minute or two.

"It's all yours."

I stepped out, and Katie stepped in and began to shrug out of her dress even before I closed the door. Thing was, the door was just a few pieces of wood Master and I had slapped together, and we weren't too careful about making sure there were no gaps between the wood pieces. From my particular vantage point, I could see little bits and pieces of Katie's naked form right through the gaps, and my imagination was filling in all the perfection that I couldn't actually see. She had the most beautiful breasts, firm yet soft, round yet perky. Her fit body had a trim waist, and a wonderfully shaped ass. The view was so much more than just a hint of her cleavage.

As quiet as I could be, I simply stood there and watched, catching brief glimpses of pink flesh while my heart started beating faster and faster. It didn't even occur to me that if I could see her form through the slits, she too could see me. But all too quickly, Katie was done, the sound of water fading as she turned it off.

Shaking my head, I turned around and headed back to my loft. I'd recently discovered masturbation... and this was a fresh experience for my dreamy visions.

***

"Johnny, why are my breasts so fascinating?"

I half-choked on the piece of apple I was chewing on. Katie and I were sitting at the table, catching a breather after lunch in the main house. Ma'am had already retired to her room for a quick nap and Master had already headed out to the fields with a stern reminder for me to join him in ten minutes.