Page 66 of Craving Venom

Mark frowns. “The what?”

“There was this guy, right? He had lost his keys one night out on the street. A neighbor saw him looking under a streetlamp, searching the ground. So the neighbor asked, “Hey, where’d you last have them?” And the guy said, “Oh, inside my house.”

Mark gives me a confused look. “Then why was he looking outside?”

“Because that’s where the light was.”

“Okay, what the hell does that have to do with anything?”

“It’s all about perception, Mark. People focus where the light is. Where they think the truth should be. I just have to make sure the light’s shining somewhere else.”

Mark crosses his arms, skepticism still lingering. “So, you’re saying you’re setting up a distraction? Making them see what you want them to see?”

“Bingo. It’s not just about fooling them it’s about making them doubt their own conclusions. Once you plant that seed, the mind does the rest.”

Mark’s brow furrows, his mind working through the implications. “You’re counting on them underestimating you, then?”

“Always. People believe what makes sense to them, and I’m giving them a version of events that fits.”

His frustration starts to shift into something closer to admiration. “That’s risky, Zane. What if it backfires?”

I lean in, voice steady. “Risk is the spice of life. Besides, doubt is more powerful than deception. You don’t just control the narrative—you control the uncertainty, too.”

Mark is still processing, but I’m already moving on. I turn to the mirror, straightening my tie, tilting my head slightly as I inspect the reflection. “So, how do I look?”

Mark snorts, shaking his head. “Like she’d fuck you and then walk straight into confession.”

The second I step onto Veridian University’s campus, I’m reminded why I hate Halloween.

It’s loud. Overrated.

I haven’t celebrated Halloween since I was three. Not because of some tragic backstory, but just because nothing scares me. Not the fake blood splattered on dorm windows. Not the inflatable grim reaper looming over the courtyard.

A plastic skeleton grins at me from the side of the walkway. I stare at it for a beat before throwing a casual punch. The fucker wobbles, then topples over, clattering onto the pavement.

Useless.

I make my way to the front desk. The girl sitting there doesn’t even look up from the computer. She’s too busy running her mouth on the phone.

“Yeah, well, what do you expect?” she huffs into the phone. “Faith always does this. She was supposed to be here, but nooo, she just had to ditch for some stupid Halloween party. Like, bitch, we get it, you wanna dress like a slut and get wasted, just say that instead of pulling the responsible act.”

My jaw tightens.

She keeps going, still hammering away at the keyboard. “And now I’m stuck here doing this bullshit. I’ve spent six hours filing these goddamn student records because the system is garbage. I swear to God, if I have to redo even one more—”

I rap my knuckles on the desk.

Her eyes lift with irritation, but that softens the moment she gets a good look at me. Her fingers slip off the keys. Her lips part slightly.

“Uh—” She hurriedly pulls the phone from her ear and hangs up mid-sentence. “Hi. Can I, uh, help you?”

I lean in slightly, offering a slow smirk. “Sounds like you’re having a rough night.”

“Ugh. You have no idea.”

“Oh, I think I do.” I nod at the screen. “Still not working?”

She groans, running a hand through her hair. “This piece of shit? Barely. I’m almost done filing these records, but it’s so fucking slow.”

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