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"It's weird how everything looks almost exactly the same. Except for us, maybe." The Badger next to Jorge rumbled his amusement as he waved to the crowds lining the streets. Jorge simply kept his muzzle frozen in a tight smile.

Angels Boulevard was the main artery through the city, a broad six-lane highway running through most of town, flanked by narrow sidewalks and privacy walls preventing most car noise (and foot traffic) from reaching the high-rise buildings behind them. Barriers were set up to keep the crowds away from the four middle lanes, and it looked like half the city were packed in the space on either side. Animals were cheering and waving signs, drowning out the bullhorn announcing the arrival of Jorge's group. The roar floated up to his ears over a hundred feet up, overwhelming but distant.

He knew that he should be touched that so many came out to welcome the survivors back into society, but he just felt exposed. He wished he could have been quietly ushered to the modified warehouse set up as a "halfway house" for him, share a quiet dinner with his girlfriend Sheera, and start rebuilding his life. That was simply impossible, he had been told.

He wondered, not for the first time, if he'd be able to have a quiet anything ever again.

Give it time, his psychiatrist had said. Eventually, the circus would die down and most animals' curiosity would be satisfied. Citizens would get used to having him around, and he'll get used to living among them again. It would just take a while for everyone to find their feet.

Jorge doubted this. He could never imagine what a "new normal" might look like for someone like him, and Dr. Harris couldn't offer up a very convincing vision that made him feel any better. Even if things settled down, he'd still be way too big for anything resembling normal.

He and the five other Animals with him had been designated as Class D citizens, the last to be reintegrated into society because no one was quite sure if creatures their size would overwhelm the city's infrastructure. Just last week, rumors floated through the survivor's camp that most of downtown had failed the Impact & Tremor Study for Animals over 75 feet tall -- which would put Jorge and his compatriots at least 25 feet over the limit. It would have meant he'd never be able to live in his hometown again. He would have to go to a larger city with better foundations. He would have had to live another few months without Sheera until she could find work wherever he landed. It would have been pure hell, and he wasn't sure he would have been able to hold out. Suicide would be just a rampage away.

Jorge shook his head and flicked his tail, thumping the skyscraper-sized brush against the 140-foot-tall Rabbit behind him. He mumbled an apology without turning his head, admonishing himself silently for even entertaining the thought. Today was supposed to be happy. He could kind of go home, and it looked like everyone in the city came out to welcome him back. In a few short hours, he'd be able to see his girlfriend for the first time in months. He could resume his life. Well, he could start a new one anyway.

"I thought you getting to come back to Kalway would finally cheer you up." Ellis, the Badger who insisted on befriending him, nudged him with a solid elbow. "You're back on your home turf. You get to see your girl, even!"

Jorge sighed. He did not want to have this conversation right now. Ellis had been a college student before the attack, one of those happy Business majors from wealthy families who hadn't learned just how shitty life could be. After the attack, when it was clear that they were going to survive even though their lives as they knew them were over, he still carried on as if nothing was wrong. He made jokes, and made friends, and made the national news with his "inspiring triumph over tragedy through a positive attitude".

He was an alien to Jorge. How someone could go through what they'd been through and not want to die every day was a complete mystery to him.

"It's just a lot to take in," he said, keeping his voice low. He knew that every sound or movement they made rattled the ground for a good block all around them.

"Heh, yeah but so are we." Ellis stared down at the crowds and put his paws on his hips. A small cheer floated up to them when he flexed his chest.

Jorge watched them and shook his head, keeping his voice low. "I know you don't mind being this big, but...I'm still not used to it. I didn't want any of this."

It sounded like the cheering died down slightly, and Jorge wondered if they had heard him. Then his shoulder buckled under Ellis' heavy paw, which gave him a friendly, painful squeeze.

"I know you didn't, Jo. None of us did! But whether we wanted it or not, it's happened to us so we might as well make the best of it. Besides, we're the lucky ones! We didn't die in the attack. We didn't go crazy when we were changing or die because our bodies couldn't handle it. We didn't explode like I heard happened to one of those poor bastards in Crescent Port--"

"Excuse me," came an electronically-boosted voice inside their ears. "I know this is a heavy day for both of you, but a friendly reminder -- this is a celebration of all the things we managed to make right since the attack. Let's try to focus on that."

Jorge immediately scanned the area for any sign of Dr. Harris. He shouldn't have been surprised that she would be patched in to their communication pods, but the fact that there was a device implanted inside their heads capable of enhancing the voice of anyone with the right equipment and matching frequency took some getting used to. He wondered just how much of their conversation she heard, and if anyone else was listening in.

Ellis actually looked admonished. "You got it, Doc. Sorry about that."

"No need to apologize," Dr. Harris said. "It's an emotional time for all of us, which is why it's really important to be positive today of all days. Can I count on you boys to help me out with that?"

"You got it," Ellis rumbled immediately.

"Of course, Dr. Harris," Jorge chimed in even though he didn't believe it. He saw a white, windowless van parked along one of the side streets a block away; that must be where she was. Chances are she was cramped in there with a host of government agents and first responders, just in case something went wrong.

"Excellent," she said. "Have fun, you two. The parade's about to begin."

Jorge kept his eyes on that little van. It was a full-sized vehicle, probably capable of fitting 12 normal-sized Animals inside -- but to him it was the size of a die-cast model, just small enough for him to roll around in his palm. He thought about striding down the block and picking it up to peer inside, imagined the frightened faces he'd see inside. For some reason, he thought the fear would make him feel better, but it just depressed him. It didn't feel right to have people scared of him.

Ellis must have noticed the cloud hanging over him. "Don't worry, bushtail. This'll all be over soon, and you can get back to moping about your lot in life as much as you want." The Badger squeezed his shoulder one more time.

Jorge managed a tight grin and a low chuckle. He wanted to say that moping about his lot in life wasn't his choice; it was simply how he felt. He wanted to say that he wished he could take all of this in stride. Or that he could accept the "good luck" of surviving a traumatic bio-terror attack. Or that he wished he could just be grateful for all of the support and help he had gotten. But he couldn't do any of that; he couldn't even understand how anyone could. It wouldn't do him any good to try explaining that to Ellis; the Badger wouldn't understand. It was best for him to smile, wave, and show everyone the happiness he felt incapable of actually feeling.

Mayor Shepherd took the platform and the university marching band began playing "Hail to the Chief" to signal that everything was about to start. She was a vixen, small and slender, but she had the presence of someone used to being in charge. When she spoke, you listened. When she laughed, you did too -- even if you didn't get the joke. She didn't just command a room, she ruled it.

The crowd hushed immediately, and the Mayor launched into her speech. She spoke about where she was when she first heard about the attack; the dark and confusing days that followed; the visits to the triage centers and overwhelmed hospitals. She spoke about the miraculous recovery of the survivors; their patience and resilience as they navigated a situation no one could prepare for; their determination to rise above the fear and hate that motivated these attacks.

She told the crowd that Jorge and the five other Animals looming over her represented the best that Kalway had to offer. She said that they had all come together to celebrate overcoming tragedy to become bigger and better Animals. The crowd cheered. The band played a cover of a song from some mall-punk outfit that had reinvented itself into a pop-revolutionary act. And, despite himself, Jorge felt some measure of pride and gratitude. The Mayor was just that good.

He rode that feeling as the parade began, grateful to feel something other than the numb despair that had followed him for weeks. It burrowed into his chest and made him feel warm as he waved down to the crowds lining the street just to see him and his fellow survivors. He even leaned down to read some of the banners and signs, to thank his neighbors for their support. Most Animals didn't even shy away when he drew near; instead, they cheered louder, held up their signs a bit higher.

Dr. Harris was a constant companion, chirping in the ears of the kaiju to alert them about potential weak spots in the road or potential crowd hazards coming up. The white van set the pace for the parade, which was a brisk march for everyone else but an interminably slow walk for them.

The glow that Jorge felt lasted for a few hours. As he walked down Angels Boulevard, he saw so many places he used to frequent and realized, with a pang of longing, just how much he'd never get to do again.

He would miss taking walks under the thick trees of the campus park in spring between classes. He'd miss sitting in the patio of Delilah's Cafe and reading his lesson plan over a cinnamon latte. He'd miss the simple delight of holding a book in his hands, leafing its pages, admiring its cover, feeling the weight of it tucked under his arm.

For the rest of his life, he'd have to be incredibly careful just to be able to walk the few streets of his hometown that could bear his weight. He'd never be able to sit beneath the shade of a tree, because most of them barely rose above his hips now. He stopped hearing the crowds around him as he drew inward. His heart ached too much. This was all meant to welcome him back to his life, but all it did was show him in no uncertain terms that it was all over.

He kept waving and smiling to the citizens of Kalway lining the streets, but it was an effort. He kept up light conversation with Ellis and the other kaiju in his group as they slowly made their way to the docks. But the heaviness had taken hold within him again, and he knew it was only a matter of time before it would smother him.

They reached the Kallick River by sundown, and by then Jorge was exhausted. His shoulders slumped and he could barely manage to feign his excitement as balloons floated up to him at the docks, or when the military jets flew overhead. His thoughts were consumed by how impossible it seemed he could go on living.

Each of the kaiju were taken to the modified warehouses that would serve as their homes for now. Ellis was next door to him near the end of the development; a Raccoon he had maybe spoken to twice was his other neighbor. Before any of them had a chance to step inside, a swarm of media bombarded them with questions and requests for photo opportunities.

Dr. Harris fed him the talking points, and the camera-animals told him where to stand and how to pose. He barely had to think; it was easy to slip on the mask and let it do all of the work.

The spotlights were on to illuminate the banks of the river by the time the crowds began thinning. Jorge seized the very first opportunity he had to end the day, ducking into the warehouse and shutting the oversized doors behind him.

The space was roughly converted into an insanely oversized studio apartment, with a skylight that dominated the ceiling (to let in natural light during the day), a catwalk that circled around three walls roughly sixty feet off the cement floor, and a basic set of furniture -- bed, desk, table -- taking up most of the rest. It looked small, but cozy. The sense of relief it brought him felt an awful lot like fondness for his new home.

Jorge caught Sheera standing as close to the door as she could on the catwalk, and without even thinking about it he scooped her up and brought her to his face. He felt the slight pressure around his thumb as she hugged it, and he brought her to his chest slowly, carefully, burying her in the thick ruff of fur there.

"I'm so happy to see you," he said, and he meant it. Then he burst into tears.