Looking straight into the mirror, I smiled sadly at what was left of my single best feature. My eyes, once an amazing shade of ice blue, were red-rimmed, dull, and lifeless. The skin underneath my eyes was sagging and a nasty shade of deep purple. The left eye was also surrounded by the yellowish tint of a faded bruise. Last week, I had blown a guy in an alley. When I asked for the money, he punched me. As he walked away, he called out over his shoulder, "Keep the change."

Reaching up, I grabbed a piece of my hair and rubbed it between my fingers. It felt as nasty...