When Jess returned to work on Monday, the lodge's atmosphere was somber. She kept expecting to see Sigyn around the corner, so began a long day of reoccurring disappointment.

"Rumor says she was hiding illegal guns," said Dora, Jess' older coworker as they turned over the suite. There was not much work to be done, so Jess helped Dora finish work in half the time. She also didn't mind how much Dora loved to talk. Most of it was the usual rambling of bored, middle-aged white women, but Jess always kept her ears open in case she stumbled across a useful tidbit of information.

"She doesn't seem like the gun-owner type," Jess said while straightening the blankets.

"She doesn't seem like anything!" Dora responded with a judgmental chuckle. "That girl is a mystery. She seems like a respectable young woman, and then you see her bring a bunch of strangers into her room." She held a hand over her bosom. "Heaven knows I keep to my business, but sometimes things are overheard. And the things I overhear..." she shook her head. "Not entirely respectable."

Jess paused in the middle of her chore. "Like...a different person every night?"

"More like different people every night. The Lord says thou shalt not judge, but I certainly can't ignore."

When it was time for her break, Jess decided to sit in the cafe area with her journal. With her phone in front of her, she sketched some of the symbols in the photos of Sigyn's diary.

A voice made her hand flinch, drawing a sharp line down the page.

"Apologies, Jess!" Kark said from over her shoulder. "I wanted to check if you needed anything."

When Jess politely declined, Kark was about to continue with his cleaning when he noticed the picture on her phone. "What's this?"

"Just some old writing I came across," Jess said, pulling the phone away. "I was trying to figure out what it meant."

Kark stared at the sketches on the page, eyes slightly wide with recognition.

"You know what it is?" Jess asked.

"Nope!" Kark said with more emphasis than necessary. "I have no idea what those symbols mean."

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Jess' eyes narrowed, seeing straight through him. "Please, tell me."

Kark sighed. "Curiosity is a good thing until it isn't." Kark pulled up a chair to sit across from her at the table. "You are so invested in learning the truth."

"Ever since I got here, this feeling's been nagging me. I can't explain it, but I can't think about anything else. It's like I'm caught in the middle of a big mystery I have to solve. I've never felt anything like this. It's exciting, and I keep worrying it will end out of nowhere."

"I know this story." Kark leaned back in his chair. "Long ago, a human fell in love with a Jotun. Do you know who the Jotun are?"

Jess nodded, remembering the name from the stories her mother used to read to her.

"Both the human and the Jotun came from well-off families and were destined to inherit land and wealth. But once they found each other, they could think of nothing but being together. And the more time passed, the further they drifted from their old lives. They ignored one simple fact: a human and Jotun cannot be together."

Jess rolled her eyes. "So this is all a Romeo and Juliette thing?"

Kark blinked. "Oh...um...maybe? I haven't heard of that one."

"You don't know Romeo and Juliette? The Shakespeare story?"

Kark's confusion did not go away. In fact, it worsened. Jess couldn't help laugh.

"You don't know who Shakespeare is? One of the most famous playwriters in history?"

"I...don't get out much. Anyway, the Jotun and human spent so much time together that they neglected their duties at home. One day, the Jotun had to return to Jotunheim but promised they'd come back. The human waited for days, then months, growing more and more worried. They did not know that a year in Jotunheim was almost a century on Earth. By the time the Jotun returned, the human had died, believing the Jotun had abandoned them. Both of them lost their family, their friends, their land, and everything in their name, for a love that could never be."

"Why didn't the human just go live in Jotunheim? If that were me I wouldn't hesitate."

"Jotunheim is a dangerous place for humans."

Jess leaned forward in her chair, fighting to keep a straight face. "Because of the dragons?"

"Amongst other things." Kark's voice was as steady as ever, making Jess wonder if he was either a master of sarcasm or completely insane. "My point, Miss Mikkelson, is sometimes it's better to leave things a mystery."

"That's easy for you to say. My sister and father think I'm a disappointment and my life's going nowhere. I'm sorry if I need a distraction now and then."

"You're a clever girl. I'm sure you can find the wonder in any place you look. All you have to do is choose where. There are so many mysteries in this world. Don't lose yourself to one that can never be answered."

As Kark returned to cleaning, Jess studied him as if waiting for another clue to drop. It was obvious he was hiding something, and she was ready to uncover it. She had begun climbing a mountain. She didn't know its name or exactly how tall it was, but the view at the top must be spectacular. All she had to do was find the next foothold to pull herself a little closer to the top.

But sometimes there was nothing left to do but wait. So her break ended, and she went outside to the supply shed to clean the ski equipment.