We squeeze past him, and I notice a lingering look pass between him and Rafi. What was it he said about a Nox he had a fling with once?
I blink, my eyes adjusting to the dim light. The basement reminds me of both a giant underground dorm room and a skatepark. It’s not MA pretty down here; it’s literally a hollowed-out concrete room. I can see three beds at the far end, a washbasin, and a door that I presume leads to a toilet. That’s it.
The walls have been plastered with haphazardly hung neon posters, lit by blacklight. It reminds me of an underground rave I went to in New York once. No windows, just UV lighting, and glowing graffiti.
I look up, expecting to see glow-in-the-dark stickers like I used to have in my bedroom as a child, instead there’s a giant waxing moon. And I don’t mean a painting or a corny light, it’s a realistic sky etched above our heads, as if the ceiling is perfectly mirroring the night outside.
I go to say something, but Rafi beats me to it, throwing himself back on a beaten-up old couch.
“We come bearing gifts,” he says, producing a fat nugget of weed out of his coat pocket like a magician pulling a rabbit from a top hat.
Jan leans close to him, sniffs and grins.
“Purple Kush?”
Rafi smirks. “MaryAire, my own strain.”
Jan examines the bag appreciatively. “Moving up in the world.”
A beautiful girl has appeared out of nowhere. This must be Alba. She kisses Luisa hello on both cheeks then stares at Beatriz, Xavi and me, her head tilted to one side like a cat. We stay silent, although I notice Xavi move closer to Beatriz, her shoulders pulled back defiantly.
Just like her brother, Alba’s hair is bright white, and practically glowing in this weird dayglo light. She’s wearing a long white t-shirt that falls to her knees, and is so transparent I can see she’s wearing nothing but a pair of boxer shorts underneath.
“Would it be OK to put the light on?” I ask.
Everyone laughs. Xavi and I are the only ones who don’t get the joke.
“There’s no light here. We’re Nox. It literally means ‘night’ in Latin,” says the girl.
Great, I love being patronized. “I know that, Alba. But why can’t you light a candle or something? Even Vampires like candlelight.”
The dingy blue light of the UV strips highlights her sad expression, and I instantly feel bad for my quip. Alba’s gaze settles on Luisa’s hand in mine, and her thin lips purse tightly.
“So, who’s your friend, Luisa?”
I clear my throat. “I’m Saskia de la Cruz, I’m visiting…”
Alba staggers back, and Jan, who was skinning up a joint beside Rafi a moment ago, is now on his feet.
“Joder!” Jan cries, rounding on Rafi. “You can’t bring Solina’s daughter in here. What the fuck were you thinking?!”
“She’s fine,” Rafi replies, reaching for his hand. Jan pulls away. “She’s been with us for the last three days. Believe me, she hates Solina as much as you do.”
Jan and Alba look at me and I shrug, nodding my head.
They don’t look convinced, but neither do they say anything further. Rafi lights Jan’s spliff before passing it to him, and Alba snatches it out of her brother’s hand, and takes a drag. She holds it between her long black nails that have been filed into dangerously sharp tips. Luisa still hasn’t said a word or let go of my hand.
Beatriz is perched on the edge of the battered couch, and pats it for her boyfriend to join her.
“I’m Beatriz and this is Xavi.”
Accepting the joint from Alba, she takes a tentative drag, then passes it to Xavi who grins, and kisses her neck. She giggles. Alba visibly relaxes, seeing that none of us are any kind of threat.
“So, you both hate my mother?” I ask, by way of conversation.
The room stills and everyone looks at one another. Jan takes a big intake of breath.
“She’s the reason we’re locked up in this shitty basement.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “Locked up?”
“As good as,” Luisa says, leading us to the couch.
“While you guys get to study in the fresh air and daylight, the MA insists we stay down here to hone our skills,” Alba explains.
I sit on the floor beside Rafi’s legs, and pull Luisa down beside me. She shuffles closer, then passes me the joint. Alba remains standing.
“My mother has made you stay down here? For how long?”
“Three years,” Jan says from behind me.
I cough. “What the fuck?”
Only Xavi looks as surprised as I am.
“We’re pretty rare,” Alba says, deadpan. “There are a few other Nox Mages out there, but triplets are practically unheard of. We channel on all three frequencies, and the darkness helps us hone our skills over time.”
“Frequencies?”
Alba sighs at my question and Beatriz jumps in. “As a Nox, you can either talk to the dead, hear the dead, or see them.”
“Alba talks to them, and I hear them,” Jan says. “Our brother, Ramon, he sees them.”
“Is he here? Ramon?” I ask, looking around.
Luisa shakes her head at me, and I fall silent. Xavi taps me lightly with his foot, and I look up. He’s signaling for me to look at the corner of the room. I follow his gaze. Beside the beds is a dark shadow of a man wedged into the corner. His head is bent low, his back straight, and were it not for his bright white hair I’d have thought he was another of the room’s columns.
“Do you ever get to leave?” I stutter, my eyes inadvertently drifting to Ramon.
“Sometimes, for events,” Jan says. “But not of our own free will. We’re not allowed until we’re ready.”
I can’t let this go. “But you can walk out, the same way we walked in?”
“We could,” says Alba. “But it’s frowned upon, and we don’t want to upset the MA.” Her furtive gaze wanders to where Ramon is. “We need
