Obsessive ~ Noah Foster [1]

Chapter Sixteen// Shiva the Destroyer!

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"Necrophilia is a problem."

--Keiran Wilcox

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After Emma and I were done being interrogated by the biggest bitch in Lakewood, we drove back to Noah's. Of course, as my mom talked to Emma's, they decided that I take the job as Maggie's assistant.

"Don't worry, my mom's not gonna make you touch a body." Emma laughed, hopping out of the car. I did the same, and closed the car door. "I'm still gonna have to look at them..." I trailed off. "Think of it like this; this way you're kind of like a spy for us on the inside." Emma shrugged. "Yeah, sure." I rolled my eyes. "I'm still not touching a dead body." I whispered. Emma giggled, and opened the door to the comic-book store. I followed in after her. "Noah, we're back!" Emma called, closing the door behind us. "Oh, good! What happened?" Noah popped out from behind the counter. I jumped, my hands in the air. "Really, Arielle? Your hands are gonna save you?" Noah frowned at me. "Oh, shut up." I glowered at him. Noah and I began to banter, our voices going over each others.

"Because you're the expert on Kung Fu?!" Noah yelled.

"Yes, actually I am!"

"Oh, yeah? What classes did you take?"

"None of your business!"

That was when until came around the counter, and we were in each other's faces, still yelling at each other. "Guys!" Emma yelled. We both looked towards Emma, who had her arms crossed. "We don't have time for this." Emma scoffed. "But he--"

"I don't care." Emma told me. "Noah, did you set up like I asked?" Emma asked him calmly. "Yes, I did." Noah looked back in my green eyes with his, and glowered, before walking past me, brushing my shoulder with his.

Emma and Noah sat down on the couch, before the big TV's, and I took a seat next to Emma on purpose. "So, you just stick the SD card into this, and..." Emma was already grabbing the small white thing that was connected to Noah's laptop. His laptop was connected to the TV. "Are you absolutely sure about this?" Noah asked. "I'd rather know than wonder." Emma whispered, using Noah's laptop to start the video. "I gotta be honest, I still have some moral ambivalence." Noah said. "Well, no one's making you watch it." I leaned over Emma to tell him. "Well... I wouldn't want you two to carry that burden with you guys all by yourselves." Noah said. "Look, Noah, I just want the truth." Emma told him. "Okay..." Noah sighed. "Truth."

We all turned our eyes to the screen. "In glorious HD... here we go." Noah said. Emma pressed a button, and suddenly Audrey was on the screen. She was in her car, and her hands were tightly on the wheel. "Stop filming me!" She growled at the camera person. "No, you need to see yourself. You don't even know if Nina did this." The camera person said. "Of course she did it! She has been torturing me my entire life. Not anymore!" The camera got closer to Audrey's face, as she yelled. "If we do this, we are even worse than Nina."

"So what, I supposed to just keep taking it? Screw that! People like Nina dump on everyone and you know what happens to them? Nothing. They marry billionaires and wear Prada in their climate-trashing yachts!" I stared wide-eyed at my friend on screen. I hadn't known she had so much hate for her. "Because karma doesn't just happen! Sometimes, you have to take it into your own hands." Audrey told the camera, starting the car. "Audrey, please!" The girl behind the camera cried. "Tonight, I'm Shiva the Destroyer, and I'm coming for that sorry bitch! When I'm done, she'll never bully anyone ever again! I said, turn that off!" Audrey grabbed the camera, and the camera went blank. "Audrey, what did you do?" I sighed.

We sat in silence for at least two minutes, before Noah spoke. "Why'd you make me watch?" Noah put his head in his hands. Emma and I both looked at him in annoyance. "I can't unsee that now. I can't."

"It can't be how it looks." Emma whispered. "You mean how it looks like premeditated murder? I mean it, I need, like, a Men in Black brain wipe."

Well, it looks like she hated my cousin... a lot. And it looks like she was coming for her... On September 30th. The night Nina died." I murmured. "Arielle... you can't possibly think that Audrey killed Nina--" Noah started. "What if she did?!" I stood up. "What if--Oh, God, what if Detective Bitch was right!?" I felt myself starting to hyperventilate. "No, no, no." Emma and Noah stood up. "You know Audrey! She's your friend!" Emma grabbed my shoulders. I nodded slightly. "She's my friend... but every killer is someone's friend, Emma!" I told her, beginning to shake. Maybe Audrey was just as much of a freak as Nina told me she was. But she was your friend before, too, Arielle. I told myself. Yes, I was friends with her when we were younger... and that girl on video wasn't who Audrey was. "Arielle...?" Noah whispered. I stared at the ground. "You're right." I said. "Audrey's innocent. And as much as she hated Nina..." I trailed off. "She was angry." Noah said. I nodded. "I mean, I always thought Audrey was capable of murder. But like in a "Isn't my best friend badass" kind of way." Noah told us. "Noah." Emma seethed. "She didn't do it."

"Please, take it and go." Noah said. "I gotta think, and I don't want it here."

xxx

Emma decided to keep the video, and I wasn't gonna argue with her. Noah was pissed, and I was scared. Audrey couldn't have done it. Right? No, she couldn't have. It's impossible. My phone rang loudly, and I nearly fell off of my bed. "Hello?" I answered. "Arielle!" Emma yelled in my ear. "What?" I groaned. "My mom! My mother is Daisy!" Emma exclaimed.

"Okay, what? Who the hell is Daisy?!" I cried. "The girl that Brandon James was obsessed with!" Emma told me. "Emma, slow down. How do you know this?"

"I'm at the police station right now, and I'm gonna tell them that Audrey didn't do it!" Emma told me quickly. "With what proof, Emma?" I sighed. "I--I-- mine." Emma stuttered. "I'm on my way. Don't say anything stupid." I told her. I hung up the phone, and raced out of my room. I ran down the stairs, and grabbed my sister's car keys that hung at the door. My mother was sleeping, and my sister... I didn't know where she was at that moment, but I raced out of the door, and into the cold night.

When I got to the police station, I saw Audrey coming out of the police station with a man, who I was assuming was her father. I parked the car. Badly, and hopped out. "Audrey!" I yelled. She looked my way, and I ran towards her, murmuring a couple profanities as I did, due to my leg. "Arielle?" Emma was a little away from her. "Oh, my God! Audrey, if you tell me that you're getting life in prison, I am so sorry!" I wrapped my arms around her, and she returned the hug. "No, Arielle. I am not going to prison." Audrey laughed slightly. "Really?" I let go of her, and looked at her face. "Really. Emma, here, had a very compassionate statement, and she--" Before Audrey could finish, I hugged her fiercely again. "I'm sorry I doubted you!" I said in a rush. "You doubted me?" Audrey asked, before her face changed. "You guys watched it, didn't you?" Audrey frowned. "Uh... I, on one hand, thought it was quite hot." I giggled, pulling away from her. "Why, thank you." Audrey laughed. "Why'd you keep it?" Emma asked suddenly. "I don't know... I guess I needed to remind myself never to act like that again." Audrey shrugged. "And it's the last video I have of her..." Audrey said. "Well... here." Emma handed her the SD card. "Thank you. For not telling." Audrey smiled. "Cue sad hug montage?" I asked. They both smiled at me, and enveloped me in a hug. I smiled, and hugged them back. "Uh... Arielle, did you drive here?" Emma asked suddenly. "Yeah... it's a mess. I think I hit a parked car on my way here. My sister's gonna kill me."