Page 12 of The Exorcism of Faeries

Atta tucked her lips between her teeth. SoColinwas the twat. “Hey.”

“You got a call from your advisor. She said it was important.”

“Yeah, thanks, Colin. What’s the number?”

“You got paper? I don’t have all day.”

“You’re a real ray of sunshine, you know that?”

“Fuck off.”

“Wait. Yes, I have paper.” She did not.

Colin rattled off the number one time, and the phone clicked. Thank goodness Atta had a decent memory. She glanced at the clock. 4:55. The offices would close any minute.

Atta dialled the number quickly and set to picking the dried blood from under her fingernails.

“Trinity Student Offices,” a chipper voice came over the line.

“Yes, this is Atta Morrow for Mrs O’Sullivan.”

“Hold please.”

Atta tapped her foot against the linoleum and twirled the curly phone cord with her finger. Siobhan came up behind her, speaking loudly at first, then lowering her voice when she saw the phone sandwiched between Atta’s shoulder and ear. “We’re headed out, hun. Lock up after theTBBvan?”

Atta nodded and wished her employers a good evening.

“Atta!” Mrs O’Sullivan’s voice came over the phone cheerfully and Atta stood up straight. “Have I got good news for you.”

The advisor rushed through the name of a professor, a classroom, a building, and a time, and instructed Atta to come by her office again in a couple of days to get the keys to her new place.

“TAs all cohabitate in their respective college’s House, near the professor’s office. It helps with late-night grading and things of the sort.”

A vague map of campus etched itself in Atta’s mind and she tried in vain to calculate how having all of her classes in the Botany building was going to work with living and working around the Medical College’s buildings. Maybe she was mistaken about the location.

“Professor Murdoch doesn’t often stay on campus late, so you won’t likely need to be close by, but the lodging included with the position is only in the TA Houses. Yours is called Briseis House.” She rattled off another building and location and Atta looked around frantically for a pen and paper, momentarily distracted by the interesting name of her new student accommodations.

It was what she got for being an arse and lying to Colin about having a pen handy.

“Thank you, Mrs O’Sullivan. I don’t know how to repay you.”

“Just keep your grades up and don’t let Murdoch scare you off.”

Scare her off? A horn blared out the back door and Atta jumped. “Yes, of course, Mrs O’Sullivan.” She looked over her shoulder at the door. “I have to be going now.”

“See you, dear.”

Atta hung up the receiver just as a meaty fist banged on the back door, rattling it on its hinges. “Bring out ya’ dead! Bring out ya’ dead!” The voice outside was muffled, but he used the same crass joke every night and every night it made Atta laugh.Monty Pythonhad been a favourite film of hers growing up.

“You’d think that would get old,” she said to Carl by way of greeting and the big oaf grinned.

“Nah.” He lumbered in past her, looking at the body count list she handed him. “Whatcha got for me? Only twoTBBs tonight?”

Atta nodded, already wheeling one toward him.

“Think the Plague is lettin’ up then?”

“I don’t think so, Carl.” She said the words gently. Carl had lost his sister to the Plague a couple of years prior, and it was why he began working for the service that incinerates the bodies in the first place. He’d told Atta his life’s story her first shift at Gallaghers’ before term began. He was a sweet guy and she didn’t want to upset him, but saw no point in lying to him, either. Lies were a rare currency meant for the Garda and politicians and pricks like Colin to keep them out of your business—but you had to know how to wield them. That’s what her gran taught her, anyway.

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