Those Beyond the Wall (The Space Between Worlds #2)

by Micaiah Johnson

“About that. You should know they don’t discourage drug use here. Let your provider know if you don’t want it around you, and they’ll do their best.” His surprise is genuine, and I try not to be insulted by it. “I thought this place was about wellness?” “It is. For some people, wellness is a little oblivion. If someone wants to use it to destroy themselves, better to figure out why they want to disappear than just make sure they never hold a blade again.” It’s a line straight out of Exlee’s mouth, but it’s one of my favorites. The House raised me, so I’m indifferent to drug use. Like anything else that doesn’t deliberately hurt others, it’s morally neutral here. Lots of people use with no harm done to themselves or others. Those that do harm themselves, well, I understand how strong the urge to self-destruct can be, no matter what form it takes. But I’ve seen it in people who lift or run until they’re nothing, people who love only those that hurt them, people who spend their pay so quick it’s like they want to starve—not just those who tap their veins looking for a way out. They all have the same thing in common: You can’t solve any craving for excess by stopping the act. You’ve got to solve what made them need, which is a separate thing entirely. Need can make any act harmful. Even love.