Myths: The Folklore Trilogy

Bonus: Giselle

This is in honor of this book hitting 10k reads!!! I hope you enjoy!!!

~~~~

Giselle stood at the great wooden doors, biting her lip nervously and clutching her books to her chest. She had been at the guild for years, sure, but moving up into her advanced years was a huge deal. None of her other friends seemed worried. This morning when she had expressed her concerns, Marietta just laughed.

"Well doesn't someone look down," a voice said from behind her.

She turned around with a gasp, dropping her books in surprise.

It was a tall, wiry boy with gleaming eyes and a quirked smile. He laughed. "Oh man, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you drop your things." He knelt quickly and began gathering them.

Giselle stood watching him, stunned.

He looked up. "Uh...you all right?" he said teasingly.

She snapped out of her trance. "Yes, sorry," she said, flustered. She dropped to the floor and began gathering the papers that had spilled everywhere.

Finally, they were stacked in her arms again, albeit messily. She and the boy stood up together.

She stared at him, not knowing what to say. She hadn't wanted to have an awkward moment this early in the morning, but knowing herself, she wasn't surprised.

"I'm Juan Marquez," the boy said, sticking out his hand. He glanced at her arms, heavy laden with books. "Ah, nevermind that." He put his hand back down.

She nodded.

He looked and her expectantly.

She frowned, confused.

"And you are...?" he prompted.

"Oh!" she exclaimed with a nervous laugh. "I'm Giselle. Giselle Laroche."

"Beautiful name for a beautiful girl," he said with a wink.

She blushed. "O-oh," she stammered, "okay."

He shifted, putting his hands in his pockets. "So, Giselle Laroche. How come you're standing in front of the door to the lecture hall an hour before the lecture?"

Giselle looked down in slight embarrassment. "I...I didn't want to be late."

He chuckled. "Well, late you are not. Wanna take a walk with me? I mean, beats standing here, doesn't it?"

Giselle hesitated for a moment. Here was the boy she had just met, offering to take a walk with her. It seemed wrong. That had never happened to her before. But yet, a part of her was drawn to Juan Marquez, and she couldn't quite figure out what it was.

So she decided to throw her caution to the wind. What did she have to lose?

"Sure," she said with a smile. "I'll, um, put my stuff over here." She placed her books next to the door and returned. They began walking.

"So," she asked after a moment, "why did you come across the door to the lecture hall an hour early?"

He laughed, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "Well...as much as I'd like to say I was trying to be a prompt student, I'm currently hiding from Professor Trepak."

Giselle giggled. "What did you do?"

He gave her a look. "You don't have to DO anything for Professor Trepak to get mad at you."