Erika Gets Found

OOC:here it is.

((Kay))

Ruby landed gracefully on the pavement, looking around to see if Mark had beat her or not. She stood for a moment, thinking about whether or not Erika would run away at the sight of them or if she would let them come to her and help her. Erika... was moody. That was the best way to put it. She was still considered a "teenager", but as a super, everyone sort of expected more maturity. If she were to ever get married, she'd have to find someone like Noah who would put up with all the crap that Erika always gave.
___

Erika stared at Noah's' grave, another tear trickling down her cheek. Why had he left her...? Why did he have to go? Erika longed to know the answers to those few questions but she knew they'd never come. She reached out, brushing her delicate fingers over the grave. Her fingers ran along the grooves in which the words were engraved. She still wouldn't or couldn't accept the hard reality. It just... it hurt too much.

Mark gently, in human form, put his arm around Erika. "I know. I know how bad it hurts." Mark said. He looked down at Erika. "I may have given this kid all the crap in the world, but I still loved him. He was like my little brother."

Ruby gave a small smile at how comforting Mark was being, coming up behind the two and putting a hand on Erika's free shoulder. "He's right..." She said softly, looking down at her to find tears trickling down her cheeks.

Erika looked up at the couple, nodding. "I just... I'm alone.." She whispered, gulping. She hadn't felt that alone since her mom died. And that was four years ago, right before she had met Noah.

"There's a big hole in all of our hearts. But Noah wouldn't have wanted us to just stay here all day. Especially you, Erika. Do you really think Noah would want you to be sad? To feel like this?" Mark looked back at Ruby, giving a reassuring smile.

"No... I just can't help it..." She said slowly, wiping her nose on her sleeve as tears dripped off of it.
Ruby looked down at her, catching Mark's smile and returning it. "I know, sweetie. Just.. know that Noah is with you, in your heart. He's never left and never will." She said, knowing it was one of those typical things but Erika was easy to win over with things like that.

"Well, Erika, you've missed a lot of school. Go ahead and go tomorrow, and we'll see what'll happen. We have to readjust back into a normal life, and this is our way of doing it. We're free right now, but mutants and humans don't have the best history together." Mark's muscles flashed for a second, going to rock, stretching and almost tearing his arms. But then he got under control, and they went back to normal. "We just have to go through life, no matter what."

Ruby watched with a bit of concern as Mark's appearance altered in his arm area, but she directed her attention to Erika as it went away. She would ask him about that later.
"Erika, I agree with Mark. You can't miss three months of school for this... you were behind as it was. C'mon," She offered her hand, pulling Erika to her feet. Erika nodded, standing and giving Mark a big hug. "Thank you," She whispered, letting go of his strong, muscular body and hugging Ruby too.

Mark smiled. He was glad that this was his fam-...
He couldn't bring himself to say-or even think of the word. It wasn't his family, he had one. That was his problem. He just couldn't let go of his parents. Or his sister. Or Conrad. But Ruby helped him get away from all of that. "Let's go." He said, a small tingle in the back of his neck. Conrad flashed into his head, a vague memory of his little brother, always tripping, but never falling. He shook his head, clearing his mind of those thoughts.

"Okay," Ruby said, lifting Erika up a bit. "Mark, could you carry her as we go to the school..? I don't think I have the strength today." She said with a bit of a sigh. Erika felt a bit awkward about the situation, but she knew she had to. She felt like she was going to be the new kid at school again.. but it had only been the same amount as a summer.

Mark picked Erika up in his human arms. Slowly, under his clothes, he became a man of stone. The girl in his hands went from not heavy to weightless. He grinned, a weird thing on the Rockslide's face, and then he jumped.

Ruby leaped into the air, zooming in front of Mark, but not too fast so they could move at about the same pace. She watched as Erika bounced a bit in Mark's arms as he jumped, but she seemed a bit happier. Her face was still tear streaked and she was in make-up crisis, but she would help her later. Getting her to school was the first thing on the list at that moment, since she'd been skipping for a while by then.

((Goes off to post in new link now..))