Something had changed in Shane that summer, he just couldn't put his finger on it.

And yet, as the brown haired girl stepped out on stage, and began to sing, Shane's miracle transformation was the furthest thing from his mind.

I've always been the kind of girl
That hid my face
So afraid to tell the world
What I've got to say

She had a great voice, he noticed, but she didn't sound completely confident. Her hand that wasn't wrapped around the mic was visibly shaking.

You can do this. He thought. Just find your voice. You've got this.

But I have this dream
Right inside of me
I'm gonna let it show
It's time to let you know
To let you know

Brown was smirking, leading the oldest band member to wonder what he knew about the mystery girl. Normally Nate was the intuitive one, but Jason was in awe as he watched the teenage girl perform.

She looked so familiar.

This is real
This is me
I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be now
Gonna let the light shine on me
Now I've found who I am
There's no way to hold it in
No more hiding who I wanna be
This is me

At some point, Shane had turned to watch her as well, his eyes full of amazement. "That's the song!"

Jason blinked. The song, it had to be the song that was making him feel connected to the girl! Shane had played it over the phone for them once or twice after announcing that he was on a search for 'the girl with the voice.'

It had to be the song... Right?

Nate was grinning, and he had been all afternoon. He was thrilled to have the old Shane back. "So that must be the girl."

"Ya think?"

Shane pulled the microphone out of Brown's hand.

Do you know what it's like
To feel so in the dark
To dream about a life
Where you're the shining star
Even though it seems
Like it's too far away
I have to believe in myself
It's the only way

Jason still couldn't shake the feeling that he knew his girl.

She's the same age Michelle would have been. He thought, struggling to keep his smile in place. That's why this feels so weird.

This is real
This is me
I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be now
Gonna let the light shine on me
Now I've found who I am
There's no way to hold it in
No more hiding who I wanna be
This is me

As she finished her last note, Shane stepped forward and started to sing.

(Enter first part of Shane's song here)

You're the voice I hear inside my head
The reason that I'm singing
I need to find you
I gotta find you
You're the missing piece I need
The song inside of me
I need to find you
I gotta find you

This is real
This is me
I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be now
Gonna let the light shine on me
Now I've found who I am
There's no way to hold it in
No more hiding who I wanna be
This is me

You're the missing piece I need
The song inside of me

This is me

You're the voice I hear inside my head
The reason that I'm singing

She knew she was forgiven the moment she heard him sing.

Anything that had happened that summer, her lie, their argument, none of that mattered anymore. Slowly, she'd descended the stairs until they were standing side by side, listening to his beautiful voice sing the song he'd written for his 'mystery girl' She had to be dreaming.

Shane Gray, lead singer of the amazing band, Connect 3, was singing a duet with her, Mitchie Torres, a nobody from New Jersey who had lied about everything she was.

She was Shane Gray's 'girl with the voice.' If it was a dream, then it was one she never wanted to wake up from.

Now I've found who I am
There's no way to hold it in

At some point, she had brushed her hand across his arm, never expecting him to take hold of it while he continued to serenade her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Caitlyn working the turntables, and she could have sworn that she saw her best friend offer her a playful wink. She thought back to the day she and Caitlyn had passed by the rock star's cabin, giggling and elbowing each other as they caught sight of the line of girls, each singing their heart out for him. Caitlyn had asked if she was going to join in, but she'd replied that she couldn't possibly be the girl he was looking for, because

Shane had never heard her sing. How wrong she had been.

When Shane realized that she was lying, the hurt and betrayal that had registered on his face, her heart had broken. By the look in his eyes, she knew that none of it mattered. They were going to be okay.

No more hiding who I wanna be
This is me

As the song ended, and the crowd jumped to their feet, cheering loudly, he threw his arms around her. She hugged him back, grateful he was supporting her weight.

The surreal experience had left her feeling light headed, and for some reason, she couldn't shake the feeling that the surprises were just beginning.

She was right, the surprises were just beginning.

First, Peggy's name had been announced as the winner of Final Jam. She'd practically had to push her friend out onstage before joining Caitlyn and Ella, who were jumping up and down. Despite their difference, Mitchie was happy Peggy had won. She had finally stood up to Tess, taking the stage to sing a solo so powerful, it would have been crazy for her not to win.

Tess had actually apologized.

She'd approached them when Peggy was still on stage, leaving Mitchie and Caitlyn struggling to come up with a response after Tess said that she had told Brown the truth, that her bracelet hadn't been stolen. Mitchie did the only thing she could do: she thanked her, and the three girls would be leaving the next day all on good terms.

Shane saved her from embarrassment.

Always a klutz, during the Final Jam 'Jam' Session, she'd tripped, falling to her knees in front of everyone. On the last note he sang, Shane's voice had started to shake as he tried to hold back his laughter. He'd dropped down beside her, leaning in to give her a quick peck on the cheek. He'd caught her blushing, and it had only made him laugh harder.

She was never going to hear the end of it. That was, if she ever saw him again after the summer was over.

Now, she stood backstage, trying to relive the last hour all over again. At the end of the song, Shane had jerked his head slightly, a silent request to meet him there after everything was over. It had been well over twenty minutes, and he was still dealing with the press, but she would have waited forever if he asked her to.

"Mitchie! You were fabulous!"

Mitchie turned to smile as her parents neared her. She hadn't missed them in the audience, her mother's eyes lighting up as she turned to face the rest of the crowd, her father being the first one to jump to his feet as the duet had finished.

"Honey." Connie muttered, squeezing her hand. "I'm sorry you didn't win..."

"But I did." She said. "I won the best summer of my life, thanks to you."

Connie pulled her into a tight embrace, resting a hand at the back of her daughter's hand. They stood there for a few moments, neither saying a word. She broke the hug the moment she caught sight of a shaggy haired rock star descending the stairs with a smile on his face. Connie took hold of Steve's hand, the two sharing a knowing look.

"I'll see you in a few. Okay?"

Mitchie's eyes lit up as she caught sight of Shane. He sauntered over to her, his famous smirk in place. She still couldn't believe she was his 'mystery girl.' It just didn't seem real.

"So I guess my search is over."

"That depends on who you're looking for." She replied with a laugh. She held her hand out. "Hi, I'm Mitchie."

Shane took her outstretched hand. "I'm Shane. You up for a canoe ride later?"

"I wouldn't miss it."

Canoe rides had become their thing since the first day he had dragged her out onto the lake. They weren't very good at it, they were constantly going around in circles, and they'd lost an ore more than once, but none of that seemed to matter to them. They'd had some amazing talks out on that lake, it was during their first canoe ride that she had gotten her first glimpse of the real Shane Gray. It had only lasted a few minutes, as soon as he'd helped her out, his uncle Brown had come to fetch him, and he'd been pulled back into his bad mood.

She liked the real Shane Gray more than anything.

Seconds turned to minutes as the two teens stood there, hands intertwined, laughing for a reason only known to them. Hesitantly, he reached up to push a few stray strands of hair behind her ear, a smile on his face.

"Hey! Shane!"

Shane shot her an apologetic look, laughing as he turned to face his band mates. The oldest member of Connect 3 grabbed the youngest by the arm, pulling him along as he launched himself at the lead singer. The movement sent all four of them tumbling backwards.

"Damn it, Jase." Shane mumbled, still laughing. "Mitchie, are you alright?"

Mitchie giggled in response, and he rolled his eyes. Jason was always doing something to make himself and Nate question his sanity.

"Jason." Nate grumbled, struggling to stand up. "You have got to stop doing that."

Slowly, the three band members got to their feet, each wearing a different expression. Nate still looked irritated, Jason looked pleased with himself, and Shane, who held out a hand to help Mitchie up, just looked amused.

"Sorry." He said, squeezing her hand. "Jason can be a little... Eccentric sometimes."

"Yeah." Nate said. "That's one word to describe him. Shane, that was awesome!"

"Thanks, man." Shane replied, pulling her forward to stand beside him. "Mitch, this is Jason and Nate, my band mates. Guys, this is Mitchie... My mystery girl."

Mitchie blushed. "Hi! It's really nice to finally meet you."

"I guess we have a lot to thank you for." Nate squeezed her hand. "You were amazing up there."

"Thank you-"

"Jason?"

Mitchie suddenly realized that the oldest member of Connect 3 was staring at her intently, his gaze fixated on the silver chain that hung around her neck. Out of habit, she gripped the moon shaped pendent tightly in her first. She'd had the necklace for as long as she could remember, but whoever had given it to her was still a mystery.

"Where..." Jason whispered, his tone a mixture of pain and agony. "Where did you get that?"

Shane and Nate shared an uneasy look.

"Jase." Nate stepped forward to rest a hand on his shoulder. "Don't do this to yourself again."

Shane moved to stand in front of her. "We've been through this a thousand times before, man, and none of the girls were her."

"None of those girls had that necklace." He replied distractedly. "I just... It can't be... Michelle?"

Mitchie's eyes widened at the mention of her first name, and it didn't go unnoticed. No one had ever called that, for reasons unknown to her, she hated the name with a burning passion.

"That's enough Jase." The youngest band member hissed, forcing his arms behind his back. "Get her out of here, Shane. Now."

"C'mon, Mitch." He said, his grip on her hand tightening. "Let's go on that canoe ride."

He began to tow her away, moving to wrap an arm around her waist. She was grateful for the support, knowing full well that without Shane's strong arms holding her up, she would have collapsed.

"Wait!"

Jason shoved Nate back, pausing briefly to shoot his friend an apologetic look. He hadn't meant to hurt him, but there was no time to say sorry. Before Shane could protest, his hand shot out, his fingers locking around her wrist.

The moment he touched her, Mitchie's eyes widened, and Jason could have sworn that he saw a look of recognition cross her face.

"J-Jay?" She asked, her voice sounding strangely childlike. "Jasey..."

Then, her knees buckled, and she fell backwards into Shane's arms.

"Mitchie!" Shane cried, dropping to his knees. He cradled her head in his lap. "Mitch?"

Looking alarmed, Nate took the stairs two at a time to go get help. Jason remained where he was, slowly reaching out to grasp the moon shaped pendent, his eyes widening as he read the inscription written across it.

I love you, to the moon and back.

It was what he had said to her every night before bed. At a time where he should have still been a kid, he had had to take on the role of a parent figure in order to protect her, because their own parents were too busy fighting to even remember that they had three kids who needed them. He'd given the necklace to her on their last Christmas together, and he had never been able to get the look on her face, the way her eyes had lit up, the way she had squealed before throwing her arm around his neck, out of his head.

It couldn't just be a coincidence.

"Mitchie." Shane muttered. "Are you okay?"

Mitchie groaned, slowly cracking an eye lid. "Ugh... Shane? What... What just happened?"

He let out a sigh of relief, keeping a firm grip on her shoulder when she tried to sit up. "I was hoping you could tell me."

"I..." She shook her head. "I don't... Who are you?"

Her last statement had been clearly aimed at Jason. He winced, releasing his hold on her necklace as he began to back away.

It wasn't a coincidence.

The two boys seemed to be having a silent conversation. She couldn't help but notice that Jason still had a pained expression on his face. Shane just looked skeptical as he turned to stare at her.

Could it possibly be true?

Could Shane's 'mystery girl' actually be...

"Mitchie!"

Jason's missing sister?

Connie rushed to her daughter's side, shooting Shane a grateful glance as he pulled the fifteen-year-old to her feet.

"Are you alright, Mija?" She asked, reaching out to cup her cheek. "Nate said you fainted... What happened, honey?"

"I..." Mitchie drew out, shaking her head. "I don't know... One minute, Shane was introducing me to his band mates, and then Jay called me Michelle, and then I was on the ground..."

Nate raised an eye brow as he stepped around Steve. "Mitchie... Did you just call him Jay?"

"Yeah..." She said, sounding nervous. "I... I don't know why I did that..."

Steve and Connie shared an uneasy look.

"Maybe you should go lie down, honey." He muttered. "You look pale, Mitchie."

Mitchie nodded, and Shane knelt down to grab her legs, easily supporting her weight as he began to carry her towards the stairs.

Jason finally broke free from whatever trance he had been in.

"I know why she said that."

All eyes were on him now. Shane paused on the first step, his grip on her tightening slightly. He could only pray Jason wouldn't make another scene, though this time, he believed his friend was finally right.

"Jason?" Brown asked, resting a hand on his shoulder. "What's going on?"

"She called me Jay." He said. "Because her name is Michelle Parker, and she was kidnapped by my mother when she was five years old."

Nate could have sworn that he saw Steve pale. Connie's hands began to shake. For a moment, no one said a thing.

Finally, Steve spoke again.

"You're crazy!" He hissed. "Mitchie is our daughter! What are you trying to accuse us of, huh?"

"I'm not accusing you of anything." Jason replied. "I'm just curious to know why you have a missing child in your custody."

Connie shoved him away. "I don't know who you think you are, but Mitchie is ours, and we're taking her home right now!"

"Like hell you are!"

"Shane. Give me my daughter."

"Get her out of here, Shane. Now!"

"She's our daughter!"

"She's my sister, and I'm losing her again!"

Shane blinked, unsure of what to do, or who to listen to. The girl in his arms was making him question everyone's motive, even Jason, who he considered to be a brother, and a best friend. Finally, Brown wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and cleared his throat to get the room's attention.

"I'm calling the police."