The vice principal remained silent for a while. He walked around outside in the schoolyard for a long time, cradling me in his capacious hands, until I finally started to calm down and stopped shaking.

"Are you alright?" he asked gently. I could feel his voluminous voice filling his chest as he spoke.

"Yeah," I mumbled, and rubbed my face with my hands to compose myself. "Sorry about that."

"You have nothing to be sorry about," he replied softly. "I understand how scary it is, to be around giants for the first time. I assure you, no harm will come to you here. You're safe." I appreciated his efforts to comfort me, but I didn't believe his words, even if he was being genuine. Even if none of the giants intentionally harmed me, which was a dubious assumption to start with, I had become painfully aware of how easy it would be for one of them, simply by virtue of their great size, to accidentally drop me or smash me. Just the thought of navigating the floor of the school, surrounded by gigantic clomping feet that could crush me like a bug, filled me with dread.

"How am I supposed to get around this place, when everything is so big?" I questioned the giant man, looking up at his face with wide eyes.

"Oh, right. An astute question. We will actually provide you with a bicycle that you can ride all over campus, including indoors. It'll be far more expedient that trying to walk everywhere with those tiny little legs of yours." He let out a good-natured chuckle and looked down at me with a kind smile. "Would you like a tour of the school now? I'm sure knowing where everything is will make your first day much easier."

"Yes, I'd appreciate that," I answered timidly. The giant started walking back towards the central plaza. The students had finished their classes and were pouring out of the main building, so the vice principal waited until foot traffic died down before entering the stone structure. He showed me the now empty classrooms, which other than the giant scale of them were fairly typical, with the exception of a row of human-sized desks elevated on a shelf along the wall, with a staircase to reach them and a bike rack underneath. I had to admit, the design was surprisingly clever. At least while in class I wouldn't be sitting on a desk on the floor, where somebody could accidentally step on me.

Next, we checked out the cafeteria, which had a separate human section of tables tucked away in the corner. Mr. Henderson explained to me that the cafeteria workers would prepare my meals and leave them in a discreet designated area for me, which was a platform near the floor adjacent to the serving area for the giants. Since for now I was the only human student in the entire school, he told me that it wouldn't be practical to have a full serving area for humans, and I would be given prepackaged meals in brown paper bags. Fair enough I suppose. Having suffered a mild degree of food insecurity as a child, I wasn't picky. Food was food.

We passed by the bathrooms, and I was very grateful to see there were entirely separate, private facilities specifically designed for human accessibility. We also popped into the library, which had a modest selection of literature for humans to read on one of the bottom shelves. The giant then carried me back toward the administration offices, where I had met the principal. Reminded of the unpleasant interaction, I shivered and gripped one of the giant's thick fingers in my hands. In response, he curled his fingers around me protectively. The principal was still in his office, focused on paperwork. He looked angry. I sank down lower into the giant's hand, hoping I wouldn't be seen.

Keeping his voice low, so as not to disturb his boss, the vice principal said to me, "This is my office over here, at the end of the hall. If you need anything, don't be afraid to come see me." He held me up to his eye level and gazed at me intently. "I really mean that. Okay?"

I looked back into his expressive brown eyes. They were full of warmth, just like a cup of coffee. "Okay," I echoed quietly. He smiled, and his eyes lit up. He brought his hand back down to his prodigious torso and continued the tour. I swayed back and forth in his hands with every lengthy stride.

We went back outside. By now, the sun was starting to sink down into the horizon, casting long shadows and bathing the earth in the bright, ethereal light of late afternoon. Streaks of orange and pink clouds ornamented the firmament. A mild, warm breeze ruffled my hair. The feeling was lovely, and almost made me forget how messed up my life had become. Almost.

Mr. Henderson was a tall man, even for a giant, not to mention a figure of authority on campus, so he drew attention wherever he went. There were some giant students hanging around in the courtyard around the school, and most of them at least glanced at him as he passed by. Some of them, if they happened to spot my miniscule figure in his hand, looked me over as well. Their reactions were mixed: some confused, some curious, some disdainful. I didn't like the attention: It scared me. At my old school, I had been a troublemaker and an outsider—some might go so far as to label me a "loser"—and therefore I was the natural target for some nasty bullies. Here, being the only human at a school populated by giants, I couldn't avoid being an outsider even if I tried to blend in. I really didn't want to think about the sort of horrors a bully who was a giant could inflict on me.

We made our way to the athletic area behind the school. The school sponsored several sports and extracurricular activities, so the field was crowded with giant students playing football and soccer. Several students were jogging and sprinting on the track, and others took advantage of the basketball court to play with their friends. While I had never been the type of girl to be involved in sports, I was a little sad that I was by default excluded from joining my giant classmates in any sort of outdoor activity, lest I be unwittingly squashed underfoot.

"Our school has a rich tradition of fostering athletic prowess," Mr. Henderson recited, as if he were reading from a brochure. "Although, I'm sorry to say, you won't be able to play." He winced. Clearly, he cared about the wellbeing of his students, and didn't like the idea of a student being excluded from social activities simply by virtue of her physical stature.

"I should also mention, you've been formally excused from attending PE class, so some of your schooldays will be shorter than the rest. We figured you'd get plenty of exercise just from traversing our giant-sized campus." He was right about that, and I certainly wasn't going to complain. I hated PE, and less time in school was an added bonus.

The giant was now skirting the edge of the campus, alongside the tremendous hedges and the buildings housing all the students. I felt some apprehension. How would I handle living and sleeping in a space full of giants? It didn't sound safe or practical. Fortunately, though I didn't voice my concerns, they were swiftly addressed.

"We have a separate dormitory built for humans that you'll be staying in," the giant commented. "However, the dormitory for girls has yet to be constructed, so your building is located next to the housing for the giant boys. I hope you don't mind. I suppose our board of directors assumed we would be getting male students first. On the plus side, you'll have the whole building to yourself, being the only human. Here it is."

I crawled over to the edge of his huge hand to get a glimpse of my new home. The human dormitory, in terms of style and construction, looked identical to the giant dorms, but was positively puny by comparison. The roof didn't even reach the giant's knee. From my vantage point in the giant's hand, the whole structure looked like a dollhouse that the giant could kick over and stomp into rubble if he were so inclined. I wasn't particularly fond of that mental image, especially considering I would be living inside the building.

The giant lowered his hulking mass into a crouch, moving slowly to avoid knocking me over, and placed his hand on the concrete so I could dismount. Relieved to be in control of myself again, I slid off his hand and onto my own two feet. I took in my surroundings from the ground. Everything looked so much larger. The monumental buildings seemed to stretch upwards into infinity. The grass along the sidewalks turned into a forest. The human dormitory next to me, which I thought looked like a toy from the giant's hand, transformed before my eyes into a full-sized structure. I looked up at the giant who towered over me.

"Here's your bike," he remarked, pointing to the bike rack. He spun the front wheel playfully with his index finger. I had to admit, the bike was nice. It was a street bike of a simple design, very plain, painted blue, but still of a decent quality.

"Do you have any questions or concerns for me before I leave?" the giant asked. My mind went blank and I couldn't think of a single thing. I was still overwhelmed with all the new developments that had transpired over the course of a single day. Just this morning, I had been at home, oblivious, having never seen a giant in my entire life. And now I was living among them, surrounded on all sides by a world not designed for me. I shook my head.

"Alright then. It was a pleasure meeting you, Eren. Good luck on your first day tomorrow," the giant concluded. He dug into his pocket and pulled out my bags, setting them down next to me on the pavement. Then, he raised himself up off the ground and stood up to his full, incredible height. I couldn't help but gawk at the colossus that loomed high into the sky. He was so tall, I was surprised his head didn't touch the clouds. He regarded me, the pathetic little creature dwarfed by his gigantic shoe, for a long moment with a pensive expression, then turned away and strode off, his footsteps sending tremors through the ground as he went.

I exhaled a shaky breath. Even though he had been kind and gentle towards me, the giant had still aroused a primordial fear from deep inside me. As if to cement that notion, the earth beneath my feet began to quake as some giant students strolled toward their dorms, and I hurried inside the human building with my bags before any of them could spot me. The floor, the walls, even the ceiling rattled as the group of giants ambled by. They were talking to each other as they walked, and their loud deep voices filled the air and made it vibrate. I cringed and hugged myself tightly with my arms in a feeble attempt to calm myself down. Eventually the footsteps faded into the distance. There was no way I was going to make it through this nightmare. I felt a rising panic threatening to break through my chest.

Trying to force down these overpowering emotions, I distracted myself by scrutinizing my new home. The first thing I noticed was a manila envelope that was on the floor inside the entryway. Since none of the giants could fit in the building, I assumed one of them must have opened the door and tossed the envelope inside for me. I opened the envelope. It contained a packet of papers that included my class schedule, some general introductory information about the school, a promotional pamphlet, and a contact list with emails and phone numbers with all the teachers and staff. My stomach tightened as I realized I didn't have my phone or a computer. I couldn't contact anyone; I was alone.

I held in my feelings, close to bursting, and continued to explore. There was a communal space that was furnished with some used couches and a scratched-up coffee table. A mini kitchen area contained a counter, sink, microwave, fridge, and a cheap plastic table with chairs. Tucked away in a corner was an ancient washer and dryer set. The bathroom resembled a public restroom with toilets and showers. The beds were lined up all in one room, so I suppose if there were other students there wouldn't be much privacy. I had it all to myself though. My stranded, lonely self. At least I had my own space to hide away from the giants if the whole experience became unbearable.

I wondered to myself how the giants got all the furniture inside. Did they hire a human crew to construct the building and bring everything in? I wasn't sure how often, if at all, humans crossed the barrier into giant society. I surveyed the walls and ceiling and noticed an odd seam running along the edges on top. The seam outlined all the rooms in the building, except for one section that was instead a set of monstrous hinges. The mystery was solved. The roof was removable. I wasn't safe here either. At any time, one of the giants could remove the roof, reach in, and snatch me up.

The light outside faded until the darkness of night took over. I could hear giant crickets screeching outside, a little bit too loud to be pleasant. I was hungry, but the absolute last thing I wanted to do was go out among the giants and trek the formidable distance to the dining hall. I was too anxious to even consider it. Instead, I had a cigarette for dinner. I smoked inside, because I didn't give a damn. I had less than a single pack left, so I was going to be forced to quit smoking soon. I doubted I could just sneak out and buy human-sized packs like I did back home.

Could I even leave the campus safely, or was I effectively trapped here? Only time would tell. Cold reality was hitting me hard. I was slipping into fear and despair. I felt horrible, being so small and alone and isolated. My empty belly churned. I prepared for bed. I was emotionally drained and exhausted. I laid down in one of the beds, curled up into a tight ball, and struggled not to cry at my misfortune.