June had long known she wasn't human, but what she did learn in the last few months is that she was a pretty decent actress. She knew that certain members of her species became size vampires when they turned 10, and she had long since realized her son had become a very efficient one. As for why she allowed her own son to take a bit of her height and assets... well, it provided a convenient cover for her awful husband to get his comeuppance. Her husband, Chad's father Patrick, had been nasty to her and their son for years, and June took great delight in seeing him literally cut down to size.
Somehow, Pat had managed to hang onto his job, albeit with reduced hours and pay due to his decreasing size and stamina. He still worked the night shift, taking on whatever odd jobs his manager could find for a 5'4" middle-aged adult who had the physical build of a lanky teenager. Chad's extraordinary growth, meanwhile, meant that his parents were forced to enroll him in a private school - largely because the local district was unable to accommodate the needs of a 7-foot 10-year old. In order to keep the lights on, June decided to work as a delivery driver during the day. Thankfully, she thought, no one really thought her own appearance was awkward. Although she was quite a bit more petite now than she had been, that was largely limited to her strength and body tone. She had only lost three inches, after all, and being 5'1" was still perfectly normal for a woman.
One afternoon, while Pat slept and Chad was at school, June sat in the family's kitchen after another tedious morning of work. She had already changed out of her work uniform and boots into an old shirt, jeans, and a pair of running shoes. The wardrobe all fit her perfectly the night before her son turned 10, but of course it was slightly ill-fitting now. She sighed as she wiggled her toes, which touched nothing but air in the too big shoes, and peered down at her ankles where the oversized jeans were mostly covering the back half of her sneakers. Her friends had noticed the change once or twice, and she had brought a collection of heels and platform shoes in response.
How much longer could she let this carry on out of spite for her husband? She knew this wasn't sustainable. If she got any smaller, she'd need a completely new wardrobe, not just new shoes. Her mind was made up. "No more," she said to herself. "It's time to end the ruse."
June stood up, pausing briefly before closing her eyes and focusing mentally. She located the psychic link that enabled her son to feed on her strength, and snapped it in two. 'Chad will notice, but I'll explain what I have planned later,' she thought. A relieved June then got a second idea. If her son had the genes to be a size vampire, maybe she did as well. They sure didn't come from her human husband.
Her husband! He was going to continue to get smaller while she wasn't, so at some point it'd be obvious that the shared suffering of them both shrinking was over. If her cover was going to be blown eventually, why not do it now and enact a bit more revenge in the process? She focused once more, this time in an attempt to establish a link with Pat. After a few moments, the ability came to the forefront, and she was presented of a vision of her husband sleeping upstairs. 'Now for the bite,' she thought. She latched on mentally to Pat's mind, forming a bond identical to the one Chad had made with both of his parents when he turned 10. Finally, she used her power to begin transferring strength from his body to hers.
Unlike Chad, however, June initially opted for a large withdrawal - an inch and a half to be precise, which would make Pat and her the same height. She felt a rush of energy surge through her body as her muscles regained a bit of the tone they had lost over the previous three months. The most visible change, however, came in the form of an illusion. The kitchen table seemed to be slowly getting shorter; however, of course it was June who was getting taller. Her feet, limbs, and torso gradually and gently lengthened and widened, filling out most of the empty space in her clothing. After about a minute, the energy subsided, and June took another look at herself. Her outfit fit much better; although it still wasn't a perfect fit, at least it no longer looked like she was borrowing a taller woman's clothes. The hem of the jeans now ran along the top of her sneakers, her toes could reach the tips of her shoes again if she stretched, and her shirt now complimented the rejuvenated curves of her body. Satisfied for now, the now 5'2.5" woman headed for the living room to watch TV.
Upstairs, Pat writhed uncomfortably in his sleep, becoming restless as his body retracted into his pajamas. He lost whatever definition he still had in his muscles, looking younger and younger by the second as he dwindled in height. But, like with June, the change lasted for only a minute, and Pat drifted back to sleep, unaware that he and his wife were now the same size, and that unlike her, he was destined for further height loss from two sources.