.:*The One Who Protects His Magic*:. || A Bruno Mars Fanfiction

:: 20 ::

Bruno's POV

As the conversation went on, I noticed a change with Elise's demeanor. She was clutching the fork in her hand so tightly that she could break it if she wanted to. If I had to guess, something tragic must of happened for her to react that way. But what was it? What happened with Elise and the guy that was with? "Are you sure you want to tell me? Again, you don't have to if you don't want to."

"It's ok, Bruno." Elise took a deep breath and continued. "I had asked Troy where did he get the money to even make the demo and he told me something I never thought I would hear from him. Troy told me that he was selling drugs in order to make that money and he even borrowed some from the person that he was working for. The person that he got it from was a woman who was known as the Queen of the Slums and ran a drug operation underground. I begged him to not do it anymore because it wasn't safe nor was it a guarantee that someone wouldn't come after him. Troy thought he was invincible and thought nobody wouldn't do anything because he was always on point whenever he did his thing. Unfortunately, he wouldn't get the chance to get his demo to Atlantic Records."

Suddenly, I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I did not like the way she said that.

"Seven days before Troy's graduation, we were out on a date, celebrating that he would be going off to college. We were so happy that day and felt that nothing could damper our spirits that night. While we were walking home, someone had been watching us and out of nowhere, they shot at us. I didn't get hit but sadly, Troy did. Two bullets pierced through both of his lungs and caused severe internal bleeding."

God damn it. I was hoping that story wouldn't end badly but I was sadly mistaken. I can see the hurt in her eyes and how helpless she felt when that happened. I shouldn't have opened my mouth and forced her to talk about something that she obviously wasn't ready to talk about. I held my hand in the hers and caressed her knuckles to show her support.

"But he told me something before he died and it has been my driving force of encouragement for the last twelve years. 'Be a voice for those who don't have a voice and have the magic to create miracles for those who don't believe in miracles.' That's what he said to me. Because of that, Troy's mother blamed me for his death and claimed that I was nothing but a 'whore' who was a nuisance to her son. I willingly took the blame for it and vowed to bring justice for him and his family." Elise couldn't continue anymore because she was trying with all her strength to not crack from the memories. "That in turn made me become a police officer as a way to prevent things like from happening ever again."

"Damn, you went through all of that in high school?" I questioned and she nodded at me. "I'm so sorry. No one should have to go through something like that. Have you ever figure out who was the one responsible for what happened?"

"Yes, but she is making it difficult in finding her. I've been trying to get her for the last five years, but I'm slowly losing hope in that regard. Hunting her down has been a hassle." Elise explained.

"Another woman is responsible for your misery? Man, that's fucked up." I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"I want peace for him and his family. Including myself since I was the one who witnessed it. I'll never have that until she's found and put behind bars. But deep down, I know Troy wouldn't want me to live this kind of life and I'm torn by it. It's so hard and I just..." Elise avoided eye contact with me for a few moments and bit her lip to stop herself from not showing any tears. "I wish I could go back to the days where I was truly happy and didn't have to deal with such horrible things. Do you ever think about that from time to time?" I asked him.

"All the time, Elise." I told her, caressing her left cheek. "But we have to understand that being stuck in the past won't give us the strength we need to move forward. The past will always be there for us to remember, but the present and the future are always on the move." I didn't know how much my words would impact her but I hoped that it would show her that I do care about her feelings. Caring just a little bit for someone can go far in times of need.