Carlo walked into the ball where he had seen the girl which looked like Karen enter. She wore a purple dress like that of a ball dancer, but her head was covered with a hoodie. it was so cold that night and the heavy breeze blew the hoodie on her head which revealed little strips of her golden hair.
" Make sure not to miss her", Carlo said to his men as they disbanded themselves into different corner of the building.
The crowd was much and as soon as she entered the hall, he missed her.
He kept searching and trying to push as much people as possible out of the way to reach her ,but only got trapped in the crowd of dancers.
" Sorry excuse me, out of the way!", he said at some point ,disrupting the dancers which left them annoyed and irritated.
He caught a glimpse of her up the stairs with the huge man who held tight to her hands as they went up.
Following them towards their direction, he bumped into a waiter who carried a tray of fresh wine, which was served in stainless cups and it all went down to the ground.
" Hey! don't you watch while walking! What do I tell my masters now?", the waiter cried out.
" I'm so sorry , I didn't see you coming", Carlo replied helping to pick up the fallen cups and tray and handing them over. He looked up the stairs , but noticed that he had missed them. He went off immediately.
Carlo had an urge to climb the stairs, even though he knew he had lost view of them. He got up to the to the pathway but still couldn't see them.
He walked through lots of drunk men and women who had already drained themselves with liquor.
" This is no place for kids of Karen's age ", he said to himself, thinking about what Karen thought when she came to such a place. He could only hope that she was safe.
He opened each door he came in contact with in the hallway,but only bumped into different adults who were making merry in those rooms.
Standing at the hall way for sometime ,thinking of what to do, he suddenly saw the girl walking out of a room. This time she was alone and from the way she walked, he could tell that she was escaping.
He quickly followed after her, while he called her name lightly, but she wouldn't stop.
She walked down the stairs quickly ,through another exit and he followed her fast. He watched her as she grabbed a rope which was hanged in an open closet, which she quickly wore on her purple gown which she tore fast.
Equally getting rid of the hoodie,she got a veil from the bag of a lady who stood nearby chanting with some friends.
Carlo knew that Karen had never acted this smart, she had spent all her life in the strong pack and had no idea what it
meant to be in danger.
"How could she be able to act this smart", Carlo doubted, but he didn't want to conclude that it wasn't her, since they had so much resemblance from the distance where he was.
" Hey ! Little girl, what are you doing here? This party is not for you!", Someone spoke from a close distance, making steps towards her to get hold of her.
Carlo took note that the people she was trying to get away from weren't after her yet and if he didn't do fast, the man might alert the notice of the people she wanted to run from.
"Hey gentle man, she's my daughter and I brought her to the ball because she was all alone, but we are leaving", Carlo forged.
" But you do know that she is underaged to be in a ceremony as this?", The man asked.
" I know , and I apologize", Carlo said while the man left them.
Carlo takes a closer look at her but discovers she isn't Karen.
" Shit!", He shouted leaving the girl behind, she follows after him immediately.
Carlo got out of the hall very disappointed, he had thought that he had Karen followed,but he mistakenly gone after someone else.
His men ,who saw him leaving the hall, immediately got up with him outside.
" Any news about Karen sir?, we found nothing", one said.
" Excuse me sir, thank you so much for helping me out there",the girl said.
" Its fine , I mistook you for someone else", Carlo replied as he walked out with his men.
Carlo was so devasted about the fact that he couldn't find Karen, he had no idea of what he should tell Maria if they returned back to the pack without her.
" What do we do now sir", one of his men asked.
" Let's just return to our pack, we will be back here tomorrow and we will continue the search", he said.
They exited the pack, making their way through the woods back to the strong pack, when they heard a distant noise.
" What is that?", He asked his men ,who went forward to see what it was.
" I think it's coming from that tree over there", one said ,point pointing towards a branch that kept shaking.
" Who are you? Show yourself now!", Carlo ordered, slowly dragging out his little pen knife from his pocket in defence as they sensed someone was out there.
" It's me Uncle Carlo, please don't hurt me", Karen replied from the tree's branch immediately she recognized the voice of Carlo.
She had sighted some people coming and had felt those strange men were after her, so she took to hide on the tree.
" Karen! Where have you been . I have searched for you all day. You mother and the whole pack have been worried", Carlo said, as he immediately held out his hands to her from the tree, while she jumped into his hands.
" I was abducted, its a long story Uncle, please Let's leave here , they might be after me ", Karen replied as they hurried out.