It looked fake. Likepainted porcelain. But worse was the joints of his fingers. They weren'thuman anymore. More like a doll. What are they called? Ba...l-joints Ithink. And here is the kicker. He could move them, his fingers. Anddespite the artificial look, he still had sensations in them. He wasoddly calm about this change. Despite me trying to tell him how fucked upthis was.It put me on edge for the rest of the day, but fate wasn't done kickingme in the nuts. Mom asked about those lumps that. He hoped, this time, it would be a celebrity he recognized. "Too many goddamn, reality TV stars these days," he muttered.As the lights from Three Crosses Rehab Center faded in the distance, Liv turned to Finn. "I wonder what's going on at the old mine?" I don't know, but it better be something awesome. You're really going to have to work hard to top burning down a house and shooting guns!" I do what I can, but I can't promise anything." Liv grinned. "Hey, um listen. Thanks for helping me out. .." Tina sighed."It was hard and it took a long time," Emily sucked her lips for a moment. "Barbara was what she needed. Without her..."Emily picked up a napkin and wiped her eyes, struggling to keep herself together. She'd kept it all inside for the last three days, since she'd found out about Lisa's disappearance, but now, as she tried to explain to Tina what had happened ... So many bad memories. So much pain in her life and especially her sister's; it was all threatening to spill out of her. I'm not that important; basically a lot of numbercrunching and reports, but they pay really well. I read somewhere thatlighter alcohols provide less of a hangover, not sure how much I believethat, but at this point it's a means to an end.The next shot passes my lips and my eyes linger on my image in the mirrorbehind the bar. I'm okay looking guy. My looks don't usually get in theway of anything. I'm not distractingly handsome or ugly. My failures withwomen usually start when I open or fail to.