AB drabble -- Growth Spurt

[mhalachai]

Title: Growth Spurt
Fandom: Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter (master list here)
Characters: Anita, Micah
fanfic100 Prompt: 049 - Club
abvh100 Challenge: #56 - Childhood (crossposted)
Word Count: 200
Disclaimer: Laurell K. Hamilton owns all things Anita Blake. Only the story is my own.
Rating: PG

~~*~~

Micah found my high school yearbooks. As a rule, I don't keep a lot of mementos, but for some reason those gaudy books have survived all of my moves.

He was fascinated with the grainy picture of me in the eighth grade, taken before my growth spurt. I was just a pudgy little squirt, with wild curly hair and a brilliant smile for the camera.

"What was your biggest memory of that year?" Micah asked, catching me and hauling me, squirming the whole time, onto his lap.

"Biology club," I said. "Let me go!"

He tickled me, and I fell back, laughing. "Seriously," he breathed in my ear.

I stopped struggling and stared down at the book. Slowly, the fond smile slid off my face. "That was the year I accidentally raised my dog, Jenny, from the dead after she was hit by a car." I looked down at the girl I had been, wondering at all that had happened, to make me the woman I was today. "When my necromancy started working. When my step-mother started pulling back from me, when my dad didn't know how to react to me anymore."

Micah hugged me, but somehow it wasn't comforting.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Amazing, touching, mving, wonderful, and other words that I forgot.

You would modt likely write an amazing kid!Anita.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Thanks :) I like writing Anita, she's such a flawed character with self-doubt and denial and obligations.

[catherinecookmn.livejournal.com]

Awww. Poor Anita. And poor Micah, who must feel like crap now for having inadvertently touched on the subject.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

While I'm sure Micah is sorry for making Anita sad, does he feel like crap? I'm not sure. He's learning more about Anita, which is about as easy as balancing a puppy on a teaspoon. Plus he can comfort her.

... it may seem as if I have a very cynical view on Micah here. Huh.

[practical-puss.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry, but 'puppy on a teaspoon' is the cutest mental image ever.
I thought the dogs name was, 'Jenny'.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Puppies are so kewt! :)

And you're right, thanks :)

[catherinecookmn.livejournal.com]

Actually, that's not cynical. It just means that Micah's strong enough to do what needs to be done for and with Anita.

[millebasia.livejournal.com]

Damn. Anita never gets a break, does she? Can't even flip through old yearbooks without thinking sad thoughts.

Lovely ficlet. :)

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Well, the girl's had a rough life. But she always pulls herself up by her bootstraps. Thanks :)

[catherinecookmn.livejournal.com]

Or her bra straps?

Hmm

[stealthyshade.livejournal.com]

You do write a really good Anita.

And when I get home I'm going to try and balance my puppy on a teaspoon.

Re: Hmm

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

And let me know how that works out :)

[vivnow.livejournal.com]

Micah is another character that many people dislike (like Richard). But you know I really like him (both of them).

BTW did you read LKH's blog? (http://syndicated.livejournal.com/lkh_blogfeed/36988.html)

I just thought that it was interesting that she was thinking of doing a Richard/Anita book (but not yet). Instead she is going for another Edward/Anita book that includes Nathaniel and Jason for the ardeur problem. Isn't Anita supposed to be pregnant in the book that comes out in July?

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I like both Richard and Micah as well.

And yes, I read LKH's blog. I saw the story about Edward, and I do have a theory about the baby thing. Maybe I'll write that up tomorrow (my review of the Danse Macabre teaser at the back of Micah). Basically, I think it's a mislead and she's not pregnant.

[(Anonymous)]

Didn't know whwere to post this.

Thanks to you I have found the wonderful art of drabbling. I have a unique problem though. I sometimes can't get 100 words I usualy do fine with just 50 - 75 words.

But thank-you so very much for revealing this drabbling art to me.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Hey, you're welcome! If you're having trouble filling those last 30 words, try adding describtive words :) (I, on the other hand, always have to slice and dice at least 20 words from each drabble. The one above was 165 when I finished, so I just bumped it up to 200!)

[(Anonymous)]

Thankee for the advice.
I've had to crack open a thesaurus with my last drabble. ;)

[ansku]

Ouch. I bet Micah wishes he never asked...

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Yeah. He keeps blundering into the traumas of Anita's past. Poor guy.