𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐞. (newtmas au)

part three.

So, this is a 'gathering'. Beforehand, Thomas had heard the word thrown around here and there by a few of the people here and he had his expectations. He expected some sort of assembly, like in school, everyone sat in an audience, perhaps a few from other groups of people like them if they existed with one person (possibly Brenda) at the front bossing them around. Whatever it was that he had been thinking before he was led into a smaller version- almost identical- of the main breakfast room, it definitely wasn't this. Chairs stood in a circle in the centre of the room and there were a couple windows on either side- however, the room itself didn't look particularly bright or inviting. It was obvious the people here didn't want to make their existence obvious. When he had first walked in, a waft of leather and vanilla hit his nose, which was a strange juxtaposition to the overall atmosphere the room gave and he had sat down in one of the chairs, followed by everyone else.

To his left, sat Brenda and to his right was Teresa. The smokey-eyed girl gave Thomas' vacant hand which wasn't on his thigh a quick squeeze, followed by a quick whisper, Thomas wasn't completely sure what Teresa had said, but he assumed it was something along the lines of 'good luck'. Minho had said something similar before he had met Teresa, Willow, Brenda and Newt, and Thomas wasn't quite sure why they kept wishing him luck, how bad was it really? What could actually go so horribly wrong in this small, dimly lit room?

After everyone had sat down, the actual talk began, Thomas seemed to compare it to debate club back in highschool. Debate club for superheroes. Mint.

"Right everyone, so as someone decided to get shitfaced last night we are going to do the introductory gathering now, to show Thomas here everything he needs to know." Brenda started, confidence filling her voice. Everyone else stayed silent and she continued. "So firstly, a bit of backstory. We call ourselves Arcanes. The word itself meaning understood by few, mysterious-secret. And that's what we are. We are less than 1% of the population so if you're here- you're pretty rare man. Anyways, you'll probably learn more along the way but on to the fun part, we're gonna show you what we can do." She added with a small clap and a giggle, as if this was the most exciting moment of the day.

Brenda closed her eyes and lifted an arm forwards, towards the centre of the circle and pointed her finger. She began to slowly spin it in circles until Thomas could begin to see a small smoke-looking structure forming around her hand. Swiftly, she moved her arm quicker and she snapped her eyes open, smiling at the miniature, floating tornado she had created, and with a click of her fingers, it was gone. Just like the fire that Minho had created a day ago in the basement.

"Aerokinesis."

Thomas stared in awe at the girl next to him, then stretching his fingers out and examining his hands. He wondered what he could do, perhaps he could summon a deadly tornado whenever he wanted to, although, the more he thought into it, the more that the power made him feel slightly sick and he decided to reply to Brenda instead.

"woah."
"Yeah pretty cool huh? The other's are even better though, mines just pretty powerful."

Thomas nodded and shifted his head to Teresa's direction, she replied with a smile and tucked a small curled strand of auburn hair out of her face and behind her ear.

"So, I have geokinesis, and it like means i can do stuff with plants and earth, like create them. it's cool." She let out a small breath and held out her hands. Thomas watched intently, a delicate, lilac flower appearing on the dark haired girl's soft palm and she smiled softly at it, content with what she had created. "Here." Smiling, she reached over and with her tongue touching her top lip she placed the flower in Thomas' hair.

"Thank you."

Remembering what Minho had said before, about him not supposed to show his powers to Thomas before the gathering, he decided to play along with the game. "So, Minho..yours?" Hopefully that sounded somewhat believable. Regardless, the boy sat opposite him smiled in approval and did something pretty similar to what he had done in the basement- placed his hand out, palm facing upwards and within seconds, a tiny golden flame appeared. It was oddly fascinating to Thomas, a kid who had been obsessed with superheroes and used to jump around his garden pretending he could move things with his mind or shoot demons with fire and ice. He wondered what his power was, or if he even had one and that the Arcane's were wrong about him all along.

"Okay Min, enough showing off let me show him mine." Willow said, elbowing Minho in the side, who then rolled his eyes and snapped out the flame on his palm.

Thomas watched Willow intently, attempting to guess what she was about to do. Suddenly, without her moving a muscle, the flower that Teresa had put in his hair was floating in front of his face, spinning. Thomas' eyes widened, Willow on the other hand was still slumped in her chair, but her lips were curled in a small grin. And the flower then returned back behind his ear where Teresa had put it before.

"Telekinesis?" Thomas asked, feeling pretty confident with his guess.

"Damn right." Willow winked.

Thomas looked over to Madison, of course he already knew that she could heal but he didn't know how to play it out as if he didn't already know, so instead he just looked at her in hopes that she'd sort out the situation.

"Yeah, I can heal things, i'd demonstrate but you seem pretty healthy to me right n-"

"Minho. Don't shoot a fireball at me i know you're going to." Thomas interrupted, the prying feeling digging into his temple momentarily.

"How did you?"

Thomas shrugged at Minho, honestly, he had no idea how he knew the boy's plans.

"My turn." Newt chimed, sticking his hand out and before Thomas' eyes, a parade of miniature  snowflakes spiralled in the centre of the circle. They moved their way towards him until he could feel their cool air around his face and a few brush lightly along his cheeks as if he had just stepped outside on a Christmas day when Winter had broken and snow had began to fall. "Cryokinesis. Ice."

Thomas simply stared in awe at the six people - Arcanes- around him, everything about them was so...eesome and selcouth, something of a dream. The way that they could create or do such impossible, yet beautiful things with their minds fascinated him dearly. A strange, euphoric feeling rushed through him momentarily and a smile crept onto his face..

Until the pain was back, a needle poking into his skull. Words, thoughts, something imprinted into his head, ringing over and over like an early morning alarm until he spoke- the smile once formed leaving and being replaced by a inquisitive frown.

"What if you have two powers." He spluttered, and looked directly at Newt who's face had drained completely devoid of colour. Brenda turned her head and replied in a calming voice, almost too calming as if she had been practicing the phrase.

"That's orphic, if you have two powers you're biorphic, three powers - triorphic." She sighed and scratched the back of her neck "but non of us here are orphic Thomas."

She was lying.
Pain.
Needles.
Alarms.
Words.

"He is."

Thomas was pointing directly at Newt.