Empyrean Iris Story Collection Vol. 3

Crystal Snow and Ice

Europa glowed beneath him like a white marble against black tarmac, to think that something so massive could remind him of a childhood that seemed so small. It was almost a comforting feeling, and as he looked down at the planet below he realized that he was feeling better than he had, almost in years.

Leaning against the window it didn't surprise him to realize how much he and his brother were alike, easily bored and with a thrust for adventure. The one key difference between the two of them was Adam's undying optimism and belief in people which made him, personable but potentially gullible at times.

Thomas on the other hand had often been described as acerbic, moody and unpredictable.

He would have blamed genetics for his proclivity to fall into trouble, but he knew he couldn't. The rest of his brothers, and sister were upstanding citizens. Maya the worlds best mom and weekend adventurer, David an aerospace engineer, Jeremy a hoverbike mechanic, and his younger brother who was acting fleet admiral of the UNSC and GA space fleets.

Thomas, on the other hand, had lost his way for a while.

He tried not to let that get to him, the success of his siblings. His sponsor had talked with him for long hours about harboring anger directed at other people, which he was really avoiding directing at himself.

Things for Thomas had started small, during his formative schooling years he had 'fallen in with some bad people' they, like him, seemed angry at the world for no other reason than it deserved to be angry at. Perhaps he felt that his parents didn't pay enough attention to him, or that his brothers were doing better than he was, or any number of things that had made him angry in the first place.

He couldn't really remember now.

They had taken him out to cause trouble, hanging out in rough areas, where they spent most of their time making their own adventures. He had some good memories from those times which involved urban exploration and camping at the edge of the woods. It might all have been fine if he had never met Todd, their school's aforementioned drug dealer.

At first, they had just been friends. Thomas had turned down his offers to smoke knowing that his mother – who had a nose like a bloodhound – would smell it on him instantly. When that didn't work the other boy had gone to selling him edibles pointing out that his mother would never know the difference.

Of course, at that time the sale was completely legal, there was nothing against the law being done between the boys, and he wouldn't be stinking up his mother's house, so he decided to go for it. it made him feel better for a little while. He might have continued on like that and been just fine. He didn't really have a desire for anything else, and there were plenty of people just like him who were fine and never strayed into more dangerous territory.

Perhaps it was because Thomas was an idiot, or maybe because Todd saw an opportunity to make more of a sale off him.

I got some new stuff in, its really good. I know you'll like it.

He promised that it would relax him, help him take the edge off his anger.

Thomas had refused for so long, but all it took was one bad day to turn his life upside down.

Before he knew it, he was seeing Todd regularly with all the money his minimum wage job could by. The other boy had never had any issue milking him for more and more money. And every time he got something knew in, Thomas was the first person he would go to, urging him to 'try it, I know you're going to love it.'

Thomas had tried almost everything you could think of cocaine, meth, LSD, Ecstasy, tranquilizers, but eventually it was prescription opiates that caught him in their trap, and when he could no longer get those from reputable sources, he turned to the next best thing.