Nwakaego sat on the bare ground in front of her hut crying loudly, a small group of women had gathered around her, everyone wearing long faces. The older women in the group trying to console her.

Nwakaego lamented, "Who have I offended? Who is it that cannot forgive me? My only child. Ofu anya ejim afu uzo!" she beat her chest as she continued crying. "Gods of our land! Are you going to watch and do nothing?"

"Mama it's okay,” Ekeoma rubbed the exposed portion of Nwakaego's, she sat behind her on a stool. "We will find her soon."

They-Esomchi, Ugo, Akunna, Nwakaego and Ekeoma-had arrived at her compound at the crack of dawn, to meet an empty house with no signs of Ada. Nwakaego had broken down in tears and had been crying ever since, her loud wailing calling attention to her plight.

Esomchi and his father had reported the missing girl to the Igwe and a search party was immediately set up to go look for the missing girl.

The Igwe had declared that no girl should move about alone at night until Ada was found. The gong and the voice of the town crier was still heard as he related the message.

"I am sure she will be found.” Akunna comforted.

The women in the compound kept offering words of comfort, telling her not to give up hope. Some had even gone back to their homes to offer sacrifices for Ada's safety.

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"Ogadi! Ogadi! Ogadi!" Olamma called at the top of her voice as she ran into Ogadi's compound.

Ogadi ran out to meet her, "Olamma o gini? Are you trying to pull down my father's compound? What if my parents were home?"

Olamma grabbed her hand as soon as she was within reach and pulled her out of the compound. They both ran to the back of her father's compound

"Nne take it easy, what is going on?"

When they were well out of earshot Olamma stopped, taking her time to look around to make sure they were not overheard and no one was passing by. "Ada is missing!"

For a while there was silence, neither of them spoke. Suddenly Ogadi jumped and let out a scream of joy. "Really? Like she is missing? Gone?"

Olamma looked at her friend like she had just sprouted a second head. "So you did it? I knew you never liked her but to go to this length just so you can get her out of the way? Ogadi that is appalling and beneath you."

Ogadi was shocked, she looked at her friend in confusion."I have no idea of what you speak—"

Olamma laughed hard and bitterly for a while, "you are really going to look me in the face and lie? How did we get here? How did you get here? How could you?"

"Olamma you speak in parables, speak clearly." Ogadi said looking even more confused.

"You kidnapped Ada—" Ogadi rushed her to friend and slapped her right hand over her mouth interrupting her.

"Are you crazy? By the gods who put such thoughts in your head? You know me better than even my own mother." she ended before taking her hand off Olamma's mouth.

"So you didn't do it?" Olamma looked at her suspiciously her arms folded across her chest.

"No I did not! why would you even think such a thing?" Ogadi asked looking hurt.

"Well you wanted to get rid of her, you said so yourself and when I told you of her disappearance your reaction didn't exactly help your case." Olamma was relieved to know her friend was innocent.

"Olamma, I wanted her out of they way and I couldn't help it when I heard the news but I didn't do it." she assured her "How did you even know?"

"The news is all over, poor girl! Her mother will soon cry herself to death."

"Yes poor her but lucky me,” Ogadi clapped her hands in glee."

“Where is Esomchi? Poor man must be so heartbroken, I have to go to him, I have to comfort him, he needs me." She declared as she skipped away.

Olamma looked at her friend in shock as she left, that girl couldn't  be serious she thought. She had really left her standing in a path to go comfort a man over the loss of the friend that she was happy about.

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Ada and the other girls were led to the huts at the end of the semi circle, they were then divided into two groups. The hut she was allocated was very beautiful, it had beautiful decorations of white and black painted patterns on the inside and outside. The hut was spacious enough to accommodate all the girls.  There was a row of sleeping furs to a sector of the huts.

Ada flopped onto one of the furs,"I am tired." she mumbled to herself as she stretched on the furs.

"You are not the only one," a girl said as he dropped to the floor beside Ada. "I am Nmachi, what is your name?"

"I am Ada, from Mbachi village." Ada replied as she lay on her tummy to look at the girl beside her, she was taller than her and slim, she had a beautiful face and her body said she did a lot of heavy work. Her hair was cut close to her scalp. "Why is your hair so short?”

"I cut it,"  the girl replied without blinking, that was the first time Ada heard of a girl cutting her hair that short. She fingered her own locks on her head.

"Why... " She was trailed off as girls came into the room bearing trays holding steaming bowls of food, more that one girl's stomach rumbled.

"Eat and drink." The leader- Ada assumed she was the head because her uniform was slightly different  from the other servers  spoke, "clothes will be delivered to you very soon, so you can wash and change." They disappeared as quickly as they had appeared.

Nmachi pulled a bowl towards her and was about to dig in when Ada held her arm, “what if it's poisoned?”

"I will happily die this way,” Nmachi said before digging into the bowl of vegetable yam porridge. She moaned in delight "This is so good, you should try it."

Ada looked around the hut, how long has it been since her disappearance, she wondered how her mother was faring in her absence. She had to find a way to get out of here and return home. To do that she needed strength, she pulled a bowl towards her and cautiously took a bite then another and another. Nmachi was right, it really was delicious. “Do you know why we are here?”

"Maybe they want to start a harem." A girl at the extreme said. "The man that spoke to us is a real eye catcher." Some girls laughed at her statement

"I really don't care, I have not had food this good in years and the furs are so soft." Nmachi said as she emptied her bowl.

"My mother is going to be really worried. I can't imagine what she is going through, how is she going to survive?" Ada dropped her bowl as tears blurred her vision. The mood in the hut changed and soon tears began to flow, the girls cuddled together tying to draw comfort from each other as they cried.

Their moment was cut short when the servers from earlier returned, this time with a basket for each girl which they deposited at the foot of their furs.

"There is a bathing hut behind this one, please get cleaned up and rest. You will be addressed shortly." The head server spoke again, she turned to leave when a question stopped her.

"What is your name?" Ada asked as the hard server was about to leave. Her clothes were not as fancy as the men from earlier but they indicated a position of some sorts.

"That would not be necessary and I would not entertain any more questions." She replied before leaving, the other maids leaving with her.

Ada said nothing as she dug into the basket like the other girls around her, it contained some wrappers, beads, combs and toiletries. She took a whiff of her soap, the sweet scent tingling her nose.

How am I going to escape this place if the help can’t even tell me her name. I need information, how many days will it take for me to get home? Where exactly are we?

"Finally!" Nmachi’s happy voice pulled her out of her thoughts. “I am going to bath, are you coming?"

Picture above Is Obinna,here is another picture of him