Chapter 3. Something's Up!

Jasmine's heart thuds in her chest as she struggles to process what she's seeing. She can't take her eyes off Max, and her mind races with questions.

What is happening to him? What's causing the black vein? Her thoughts are interrupted when her instincts kick in, urging her to remove Max's sunglasses.

Without hesitation, she reaches out and pulls them from his face, revealing his eyes. Her breath catches in her throat as she takes in the dark black hue of his irises.

They're unlike any she's ever seen before, and a sense of unease washes over her. The blackness seems to consume his eyes, and she can't help but wonder what it means. As she stares at Max, she realizes that something is seriously wrong, and she doesn't know what to do.

“What?” Max’s eyes widened with curiosity. Jasmine's frustration boils over, and she lashes out at Max.

"All this while you claimed to have not seen the black crystal," she accuses him. Max looks at her, confused and a little lost.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he demands.

Jasmine's frown deepens as she replies, "Have you looked at yourself in the mirror recently?" Max shakes his head, not understanding where Jasmine is going with this.

"The blackness of your eyes and the black veins in your hands," she adds. Max's eyes widen in shock as her words sink in.

"What?" he screams out loud, his voice betraying his panic as he rushes towards his car to make use of his rear mirror. Max was startled when Jasmine walked in on him.

She looked at him sternly and asked, "What do you have to say about your new look?"

Max seemed confused and replied, "I have no idea! It's freaking me out." He looked downcast and added, "What the hell is wrong with me?" He kept staring at himself in the mirror.

Jasmine interrupted his thoughts and said, "I should be asking you where the hell is my black crystal?"

“Does this black crystal of yours have anything to do with my eyes and my veins? Max curiously asked. Jasmine’s fingers came in contact with Max’s veins as she felt the black veins, she couldn’t resist but started feeling Max’s warm body.

“What the hell are you doing?” Max queried, looking confused.

“We are still in public,” he whispered.

“Shhh, this is not the time to speak,” she said cuddling Max from behind. “Be still,” she added.

As he muttered to himself, confusion was etched all over his face. "I don't get it," he repeated. "We should be having a serious discussion about my sudden transformation and your supposed black crystal."

Jasmine, on the other hand, was visibly agitated. Her search for the black crystal was of great importance to her, and Max's interruption was not helping her cause.

"I am trying to locate my black crystal, and your disruption isn't helping," Jasmine lashed out at Max while turning away from him in annoyance.

"Are you suggesting that I have your black crystal inside my body, or did I mistake it for breakfast?" Max's response was equally biting, "You'd better start looking somewhere else," he said harshly before storming out.

"Where do you think you're going?" Jasmine asked, following Max closely.

"Your obsession with the black crystal is driving me insane. I'm going back to my friend Philip," Max replied in frustration. "I'm sick and tired of it already," she furrows her brows.

"I'm not going to give up on finding my black crystal," Jasmine declared firmly, grabbing Max's hand. She was determined to locate the crystal, no matter what it took. Max, on the other hand, had had enough of the constant search and was ready to give up.

Without warning, Jasmine punched Max hard on his chest, causing him to raise his hands in defense.

"What was that for?" Max asked, bewildered.

"We should be focused on finding my black crystal, not just wandering around with your so-called friend," Jasmine replied, her expression turning sad. She was growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress in her search, and Max's lack of commitment was only making things worse.

"I need to talk about the changes I'm experiencing, not just this black crystal that I know nothing about," Max insisted.

"If you know nothing about it, why are your eyes black with dark veins running all over your hands?" Jasmine asked pointedly. Max was surprised by the revelation.

"Does this black crystal have anything to do with my black eyes and dark veins?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.

The possibility of a connection between the two was not something he had considered before.

“If you know where my black crystal is, please let me have it because you can’t just be manifesting black eyes and dark veins without coming in contact with the black crystal!” Jasmine cried out.

Max focused his gaze on her and replied plainly. “I have told you I have not come across this crystal of a thing. I have not seen it, I have not touched it, and please try not to pull my pants down in public.”

“You humans are so ungrateful and will never stop lying,” said Jasmine as she turned to face the other direction. She glanced over her shoulder and continued.

“That’s why for eons I have so much avoided coming in contact with the humans." Max stared as his eyes widened—wondering what she meant by ‘you humans and eons of years.’ Before he could utter the volume of questions in his mind, she was nowhere to be found.

*****

“Hey asshole!” said Mr. Lewis, Max’s neighbor. He leaves in the next yard. He was shocked to see Max sleeping on his porch. He started killing Max, yelling, “Asshole I am talking to you!”

 Max jumps up to his feet, feeling ashamed of himself. “Oh shit! Not again,” he muttered under his breath. This isn’t the first time he’s found himself waking up in front of his neighbor’s house.