Inexplicable

Chapter Twenty

Davina

Jax leaves before Megan and Jonathan get home, giving me time to do the chores I missed the day before. Every few minutes, I'm whisked back to the moment of the kiss, replaying it in my head. I bite back the cheeky smile that keeps forming on my face and attempt to focus on the tasks at hand in an effort to pass the time until I can see him again. I hope he can get the rest he desperately needs.

I catch myself wondering how I can have such strong feelings for someone I just met. Yes, I have known him before, in another lifetime, but I have no recollection. But a part of me thinks I can remember the feelings that used to be there, like they're slowly seeping from their confined cage deep in my mind. But when I think about it too hard, my head starts hurting.

It's beyond frustrating to know that I can't remember an entire chunk of my life. Part of my brain feels empty where I know those memories should be. I wish there were an easier solution to returning them without all of the pain and risk Jax spoke of.

I've also been trying to figure out what Jax did that was bad enough to be punished so severely. I wonder if something happened the night of the ball. Or maybe he was the one who let King Cerberus into the castle? Perhaps he was working for an entirely different enemy. What if my father didn't want him to marry me, so Jax had tried to kill him?

There are so many possibilities that I can't choose which one would be the most likely scenario. Oddly enough, none of the options changed my view of him. I still cared about him. Not love. Not yet.

Maybe one day.

I had just finished the dishes when Megan walked in. She was put together from head to toe. Not a single hair is out of place, and there is no wrinkle in sight, as usual. Today, she wore a black pencil skirt, a white blouse, and a hot pink blazer with matching heels to add a pop of color. "Hello, dear." She hangs her blazer in the closet and places her purse on the table. "I see you're feeling better." She smiles at me, showing her white teeth against her pink-painted lips.

"Yeah," I say, thinking about my moment with Jax in the kitchen just hours earlier. "Yeah, a lot better." I smiled back at her without thinking. I rarely smiled, and she was sure to know something was up. But I just couldn't bring myself to be in my everyday gloomy mood today.

"Maybe too much!" Her lips widened into a knowing grin. "You never smile! At least not like that."

This makes me smile even more despite my efforts to force it back. She puts her hands on each of my shoulders, trying to get a better look at me as I put away the last of the clean dishes. "What did you do today?" She says playfully, taunting me. "Anybody come over?"

"Why would you say that?" I say, but my cheeks redden at her accusation, and my voice rises an octave, completely giving myself away.

"Come on, you are glowing! I'm just trying to figure out what, or perhaps who put you in such a good mood. I like this version of Sapphire. So spill! Was it a boy?"

I scowl at her. "No, it's not a boy!" I can feel the heat radiating off my cheeks, and try to hide my face.

"It is a boy!" She squeals. "He was over today, wasn't he?" I can see the thought cross her mind before she even says it. "Do we need to have the sex talk?" She whispers sex like there's someone else here to hear, and I just roll my eyes.

"That's my queue to go to my room." I will avoid this conversation by any means necessary.

"Oh, come on! We never have girl talk! I want to know everything." She says, beaming at me.

I shrug a shoulder, putting the last bowl away in the cabinet. "There's nothing to know. I just happen to be in a good mood today."

Her eyes narrow at me, but she gives in. "Fine. I'll let it go... for now."

"Great. I'm going to get caught up on homework." I pushed past her to head to my room before she could pry further. I was usually an excellent liar, but my face gave away my secrets when it came to Jax.

"Let me know if you need anything! Or just want to talk! Dinner will be ready in an hour!" She calls after me, but I ignore her as I close the door.

I went to my room, turned on my music, and sat at my desk. I pulled out a clean sheet of paper and began a new drawing of Irredesia. I drew it differently than before. It's more modern, like Jax's version of it. Power Lines ran parallel to the streets, and the people wore more contemporary clothing. There were still street vendors, and the cottages were still stone, and, of course, the castle hadn't changed.

I didn't get to finish before Megan came to retrieve me for dinner. Megan had prepared meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, and corn. As we ate, Megan and Jonathan discussed their business. By the way, they talk, it sounds like business is going well. They plan to release a new seasonal clothing line next month for fall.

The discussion ended when we were all done eating. I was thankful Megan didn't try to pry me for more information or tell Jonathan about the incident earlier. I helped clean up and put dinner away, then headed downstairs to shower and get ready for bed. I was eager to sleep and dream in hopes of seeing Jax.

Unfortunately, I fall asleep quickly and don't dream. I must have been more tired than I thought. It didn't feel like long before I heard a voice.

"Wake up..." It hums. I don't stir. "Wake up..." It says louder. The voice sounded a lot like Jax, so I still ignored it, wanting to sleep a little longer. "Wake Up, Princess." There's a change to the voice, and I realize it wasn't Jax. My eyes snap open to see blonde hair and blue eyes inches from my face. He grins widely. "Hello, Princess."