The Secrets We Hold

Chapter 19

The next week was filled with chatter about Andre being arrested. Nobody except for my friends and the guardians knew about why he was in prison and quite a few people tried to protest it. Jesse Zeklos and his buddies were some of the people trying to get Andre out as they used to be good friends. The Dragomir's never left the comfort of their home and Lissa would always eat with them rather than coming to the cafeteria to eat with her friends.

On Saturday, an assembly was called by Headmistress Kirova but none of us know why. We assumed that it would be about the Andre fiasco. I met up with Christian, Mia, Eddie, and Mason before making our way to the main building. The room the assembly was in was packed with students. By the stage, the Dragomir's were standing with a few guardians surrounding them. Finding empty seats in the first row, we went to go sit down and I place Adira's carrier on the floor in front of me.

Hearing a fanfare, the room quiets down immediately, recognizing the sound. We all stand out of respect as Queen Tatiana walks out to the stage with a Moroi boy who looks a little bit older than us. I wonder who that is.

Once Tatiana is standing on the stage, we all bow slightly before sitting back down.

"Hello, students. You are most likely wondering why I am here. I am here to address the issue regarding the arrest of Andre Dragomir. A majority of you don't know what happened and I wanted to take this opportunity to explain a little. Last Friday, Mister Dragomir was arrested. I'm not going to explain the charges against him however there was enough proof for action to be taken. He has yet to face trial, but he will next weekend and once the trial ends, you will all know the decision as well. It is such a devastating time for the Dragomir family right now and I hope you will be respectful towards them during this time. Does anyone have any questions at this time?"

Jesse raises his hand. "Why can't you tell us the charges against him?"

Queen Tatiana responds. "It was the family's choice to keep the charges private right now, but once the decision is made at the trial, the charges will be released to the public."

"How long will he be in prison if he is found guilty?" Jesse asks.

Tatiana looks hesitant to speak. "At minimum, he will be in jail for 10 years."

Once nobody has questions, Queen Tatiana makes a closing remark. "I understand that this is a difficult time, but I hope you will all be patient until the trial. Now, I realize that I have not yet introduced the man beside me. This is my nephew, Adrian Ivashkov. He will be staying at the academy for the time being as a guest, not a student. Thank you everybody. You are dismissed."

We all stand to leave and I grab a sleeping Adira before walking. Queen Tatiana stops me, however. "Ms. Hathaway. May I speak to you for a moment?"

I nod my head and gesture for my friends to go on ahead. "What do you need?"

"I wanted to offer my apologizes for what you have gone through. I couldn't even imagine going through what you did. And having a kid on top of that? It must have been very hard for you."

"Thank you for that, Your Majesty. It was difficult but I managed. I love my daughter and to be honest, I probably would have struggled more if it weren't for her. She gave me something to live for."

Queen Tatiana offers me a small smile. "I'm glad. I also wanted to ask you if you would be willing to speak at the trial. We have a recording of the confrontation and Andre admitting what he did, but it could better your chances of winning if you offered a first-hand account."

"Of course. Isn't the trial going to be at the Moroi Court though? I have school."

"Don't worry about that. We will send a private jet for you and the Dragomir's to take to Court. You will be leaving on Wednesday, but I will make sure that your classes are taken care of. And I will make sure there are accommodations for your daughter as well at Court." She says.