My whiny belly woke me up as it complained for breakfast. I sighed and forced myself out of bed. I figured it was better to get an early start on my first day. The last thing I wanted was to be late to class, to be the new kid with all the giants staring down at me. I tested out my new school uniform. To my surprise, the cloth was comfortable and loose-fitting. Maybe wearing a uniform wouldn't be so bad after all.

Once I was ready, I steadied myself and hesitantly stepped outside, after checking to make sure no giants were nearby. The world was bathed in the soft blue light of early dawn as the sun began to rise from its slumber. Morning dew sparkled in the grass forest. I hopped on my bike and headed out. There was a slight chill in the air, but the coolness felt pleasant on my skin. I quickly became lost in the labyrinth of sidewalks. Seeing everything from the ground as opposed to the sky confused my sense of direction. I spied the main building off in the distance, towering into the heavens, but I couldn't cut through the tall grass directly to reach it.

Eventually I found my way to the courtyard, a boundless open space with a gigantic fountain in the middle that made an Olympic swimming pool look like a cup of water. Some giants were milling about, waiting for class to start, and I went out of my way to avoid them and stay out of sight if I could. The double doors that made up the entrance to the school were propped open, so I was able to get inside without incident.

Biking through the hallways was a little more dicey. While the hallways felt extremely wide and long to me, as a human, the giants were also absolutely massive and filled the space, leaving little room for me to freely pass by. Even worse, most of them were oblivious to my existence, and stomped right into my path of travel. I weaved through the maze of giant shoes and legs until I made it to the cafeteria, gasping for breath and roiling with trepidation at the dreadful thought of being stepped on.

Breakfast smelled amazing. I could almost taste the heavenly aroma of bacon, sausage, eggs, and biscuits. My stomach grumbled. I dismounted my bike and snuck past the queue of colossal giants waiting to be fed. I couldn't help but feel puny and insignificant. I wasn't able to see people's faces without craning my neck back and staring far above. I would probably become more acquainted with people's shoes than their faces. Nobody seemed to notice me, the skittish little creature scrambling across the floor. Even if I screamed, I doubted I would be heard over the clamorous roar of giant voices.

Disturbed by this thought, I finally made it to the deserted human section of the cafeteria and walked over to the platform where my breakfast was supposed to be. There was nothing. I stood there awkwardly, looked around, scratched my head. I waited for a while, to see if maybe the lunch ladies were just running late, but nobody came. The giant students were starting to leave the cafeteria to go to their respective classrooms. I didn't want to be late, so I rushed over to my bike and left for my first class of the day. I'd come back for lunch, I guess. I could make it until then.

Luckily for me, my first class was just across the hall, so I didn't have to dodge too many giant shoes to get there. I parked my bike, went up the stairs, claimed a desk, and waited for class to start. Other students stomped in, shaking the human desks slightly, chatting noisily and laughing with their friends. I sat motionless, drooping down in my seat, grateful to be ignored. I stuffed down the fear that was rising inside me at seeing so many giant people in one place.

The teacher, a heavyset middle-aged woman, marched in and started class. First period was math. Ugh. I struggled to pay attention with my hungry belly as she droned on. She wrote a jumble of numbers and letters and symbols on the chalkboard that I couldn't make heads or tails of. She directed the students to open their textbooks to a certain page and ran through some sample problems, calling on students as the lesson progressed. I glanced around at the other students as they focused on their work. I was never issued any textbooks. Was I supposed to have one? I was tempted to ask the teacher, but the thought of drawing attention to myself gave me a stab of fear. Furthermore, the giantess didn't acknowledge me or look my way at all, as if she didn't know I was there. I became increasingly baffled and anxious as the lesson dragged on.

Finally, the bell rang. From the schedule I had been given, I knew I had ten minutes to get to my next class. However, the stampede of giants rushing out the door and through the halls would make such a feat difficult and dangerous. I collected my bike and waited for an opening, my heart palpitating fast. I dived into the sea of legs and shoes and pedaled like my life depended on it—which it did, because one wrong move would instantly turn me into a red stain on the bottom of someone's shoe.

Somehow, miraculously, I survived and got to class with only seconds to spare. Second period was English, and the experience was roughly the same as my first class. The teacher discussed some reading material I hadn't read and assigned homework to read a passage from a textbook I didn't have. I had trouble focusing with how hungry I was. The giants in the room failed to notice me, just like before, although I realized if somebody was looking my way I might not see them, since their heads were so high up above my plane of vision.

The bell sounded off again, signaling the start of lunch. I didn't have to rush this time, so I waited until the foot traffic had died down before going back to the cafeteria. I was disappointed to find, yet again, no meal waiting for me to pick up. I wasn't sure what to do. I sat down at one of the tables to wait a little while. Lunch was a full hour, so maybe the food just wasn't ready yet. I watched, alone, as the gargantuan students around me talked with their friends, laughed, and ate their meals. I considered raising a fuss with the giant kitchen staff, but I was far too intimidated to even try.

As most of the giants finished eating and left, the lunchroom started to gradually empty out. I tried to work up the courage to ask for food, but I felt myself drowning in a soup of terror, anxiety, distress, and pain. I became aware that one of the giants was staring at me. He was a tall, pale, lanky giant with freckles, wavy red hair that almost reached his shoulders, and green eyes. I tried to avoid glancing at him but his stare never faltered. He stood up, holding his tray of half-eaten food, and began prowling towards me. I started to panic. I didn't know what to do. He squatted down to get closer to my level and I almost fell out of my chair.

"Well, what do we have here?" the giant teen queried with a sneer. His tone was snarky, not friendly. "You didn't get any food, did you? Are you hungry?" He flashed his teeth in an icy smile. I noticed his canines seemed larger than they should be, even when taking into consideration his gigantic size.

I knew he had been observing me, sitting here in the lunch area with no food, so I couldn't deny the veracity of his assertion. "Y-y-yes," I stuttered. My body quivered against my will.

He set his tray down in front of me. "You're free to take some of my food, if you'd like." I froze up. I was hungry, but not that hungry. His smile deepened, but his eyebrows arched down in anger. Before I could react, he reached out his hand and ensnared me in his fist. I yelped and fought against his grip, but my struggles were in vain. He grinned wider, showing off more of his giant teeth.

"Here, have some yogurt," he jeered. He dropped me headfirst into his yogurt cup with a plop. The yogurt filled my mouth and nose and I couldn't breathe. I flailed about until my head resurfaced, gasping for air. The thick, creamy substance clung to my hair and skin. I was thoroughly disgusted.

The giant laughed cruelly and dipped a plastic spoon into the cup, lifting me out with the utensil. I was small enough to fit comfortably into the curved end of the spoon. I hoped desperately he was done teasing me and would end there, but to my horror he raised me up to his lips.

"No," I whimpered. "You wouldn't... please don't..."

He showed off his immense teeth, gleaming with moisture. "Oh, but I would!" He gleefully opened his mouth and slipped the spoon inside. I belted out an unholy wail as his cavernous mouth closed around me, trapping me in hot, humid darkness. He slurped me off the spoon and sucked the yogurt off my body. His huge meaty tongue explored my tiny frame, rubbing against me and squeezing me against his teeth. I was quickly saturated with saliva. He forced me in between his molars and pressed his rows of teeth together, as if he were going to bite down and crush me, but didn't actually chew me up.

I was petrified. Would he swallow me? Did giants eat humans? I had naively assumed they wouldn't, considering they had made a school for us to commingle, but I realized there was nothing physically stopping them from doing so. I was small enough to easily slide down his throat into his stomach, like a dollop of yogurt. He wouldn't even need to chew. I screamed and scratched at the flesh and teeth smothering me, but there was nothing I could do. I was helpless.

Thankfully, he spat me back out into the yogurt cup and laughed derisively. I coughed and sucked in mouthfuls of clean air. He glared down at me, shivering and covered in fluid, with the upmost scorn and contempt.

"Disgusting, lowly human," he snarled. "You don't deserve to be here with us superior giants, you filthy little shrimp." He tossed the cup carelessly to the ground and stomped off. The cup had tipped on its side, and I stayed where I had fallen in a puddle of yogurt. The bell rang for class, but that was far from my mind. The cafeteria grew quiet since mostly everyone had left.

I didn't bother getting up. I felt worse than I ever had in my entire life. I was garbage; I deserved to be laying here in garbage. I almost wished that giant had just eaten me, so I'd be dead and I wouldn't have to be here anymore. Nobody would miss me anyways. Dad had abandoned me, and now Mom had dumped me here to get rid of me. Apparently none of the students or teachers cared if I was here or not, I was too inferior to be noticed, and if they did see me they hated me. I sobbed, great big heaving sobs that wracked my whole body.

In the distance, I heard voices. I absolutely did not want to be discovered in this pathetic, lowly state. I tried to quiet my sobs, but by now the dam had burst and I couldn't stop the flood of tears: They poured out of me with howls and moans and heaving, shuddering breaths. The pain even became physical, a sharp stabbing pain in my chest. I was broken beyond belief. I just couldn't take it anymore.

"I know I'm a little late, but is there any food left?" a deep voice rumbled. "Oh, thank you! I appreciate it!" I recognized that voice. Mr. Henderson, the vice principal. I felt another pang in my chest. My devastated heart felt like it was going to explode. Again, I attempted in vain to cease my wailing, but somehow it managed to grow louder instead, as if a wild animal was clawing its way out of me.

"Do you hear something?"

I was desperate to not be found, but by now I was completely out of control. The floor vibrated with approaching heavy footsteps. A familiar giant black shoe thumped down near the entrance to the cup. My breath caught in my throat for a moment, followed by chest spasms and another uncontrollable sob. A shadow fell over me and the walls of the plastic cup compressed with pressure from giant fingers. I felt a wave of nausea as the cup was thrust hundreds of feet into the air. I screwed my eyes shut. I didn't want to look, didn't want to be seen. I pleaded silently to for him to just leave me alone. But it was too late: I couldn't hide now. I was exposed and powerless.

"Wha... Eren?! What are you doing in there?" his enormous voice boomed. I looked up through my tears at his shocked face, so huge and close, and continued to sob violently. I felt so ashamed. I was a disaster. A mess of tangled emotions flickered across his face—confusion, horror, sadness, anger. I turned away in shame and cringed, still crying. Giant fingers wrapped around me and gently removed me from the cup. Despite how filthy I was, he enveloped me in his hand and carried me away.