A/N: Hello again! Thankyou so much to all those of you who reviewed the first chapter of my story! You guys are so sweet, and inspired me to keep going! To the many of you who favourited it/ added it to story alert, thanks also! Although I would appreciate it if you could review too? :) It only takes a few seconds, and I get such pleasure out of reading them even if they're only a few words! You guys make my day, so I hope you enjoy the next part of Harder To Breathe! :)

Disclaimer: OK, if the Writer of Camp Rock is reading this, don't panic. I know I do not own any of the characters, they're still all yours, I'm just borrowing them for this story. :)

Chapter 2

LOSING HOPE

Shane hurriedly snatched his jacket from the back of the chair and draped it over his shoulders. He was still in his pyjamas, but that was the least of his worries at the moment; it was nearing midnight and Mitchie was still missing.

As he checked his appearance in the mirror, Caitlyn tapped her foot impatiently. Shane looked up. He had forgotten she was still there.

Caitlyn shot him a look of pure exasperation. "Shane! What are you doing? It's midnight, Mitchie's missing, and you're worried about how you look?"

Shane forced himself away from his reflection. "Sorry, bad habit," he muttered, as he strode towards the door.

"Coming?" He called over his shoulder.

Caitlyn seemed to be in a trance. Her expression was strangely vacant; she hadn't heard a thing he had said.

Shane frowned and scratched his head. Must be a girl thing, he told himself.

"Coming?" He repeated loudly.

Caitlyn jumped and her face resumed the same melancholy expression of a few minutes ago.

"Yeah, coming," she replied slowly, before following him into the night.

Connie paced backwards and forth in her cabin. She sighed worriedly, and glanced at her watch for what seemed to be the millionth time in the last few hours.

Nearly Midnight.

She collapsed on the bed, burying her head in her hands.

This was every mothers worst nightmare.

Where was Mitchie?

This wasn't like her daughter at all. Mitchie had never stayed out so late without telling anyone. Connie could not shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.

Mothers intuition, she thought grimly as she looked out the window.

The moonlight gave the ground an eerie glow. She scanned the outskirts of the forest intently for any sign of her daughter.

Nothing.

A pang of anxiety filled her as the truth began to sink in; her daughter was missing. She may never see her again. Connie fought back a sob.

She felt so helpless. Here she was, stuck in her cabin, while Mitchie lay out in the night somewhere, hurt, or worse.

Connie winced. It pained her to think about it, but one question bothered her relentlessly: What had happened to her daughter?

Her mind was in turmoil, and the chaos of her thoughts soon overwhelmed her.

What happens if Mitchie never comes back?

It'll be all my fault. I should've listened to her more, kept an eye on her.

I could have prevented this!

The events of earlier were still vivid in her brain, but reminiscing only made her even more apprehensive..

Flashback (An hour earlier)

"It's OK, Mrs. Torres, I think I know where she is. I'll go find her."

The look in her eyes was sincere, but Connie knew that Caitlyn had only said that to reassure her. It had been hours since anyone had last seen Mitchie, how could anyone possibly know where she was now?

Connie sighed wearily. "Thankyou, Caitlyn. I'll come with you."

Caitlyn shook her head. "No, it's OK, I'll be fine. You should stay here in case Mitchie comes back."

Connie bit her lip doubtfully.

It was 11pm, and the woods was no place for a fifteen year old girl at night.

Caitlyn saw her hesitate, and hastened to reassure her.

"Mrs Torres, seriously, I'll be fine. It's Mitchie we should be worrying about."

This did little to set Connies mind at rest.

"Caitlyn, I appreciate you wanting to help, but I don't want to be responsible for letting you go off into the forest alone. It's nearly midnight, and you never know what could happen."

Caitlyn was not to be deterred.

"Then I'll take someone with me."

Connie sighed tiredly, but a small smile played at the corner of her lips. Boy, this girl was determined.

She eyed the young girl briefly, and upon seeing the fiery glimpse in her eye, finally relented.

"Oh, all right. But be careful," she cautioned, as Caitlyn turned to leave.

"I will."

End of Flashback

Connie broke down in tears. She was having deeper regrets now.

What if something happened to Caitlyn too? She would never be able to forgive herself.

The tears continues to stream down her face, and she made no attempt to brush them away.

This was all her fault.

Mitchie's condition was slowly deteriorating; her body shook with every breath.

She was a miserable sight.

She sat with her knees drawn up to her chest. Her hair was tangled with leaves and her face was streaked with muddy tears. Scratches adorned her bare arms, and her wheezing resonated through the forest.

She needed her inhaler. Desperately.

Mitchie sucked in a thin breath and looked up wearily.

But dawn was hours away. And until then, there was no way she could find her way back to camp. Her eyes had adjusted to the blackness but it was still too dark to see more than a few feet ahead. Another raspy cough escaped her lips and her eyes burned with tears. Mitchie was in no condition to travel; even walking a few steps was difficult. Her breathing had become even more laboured as the night went on, and she was slowly losing hope…

"Mitchie!"

Shane and Caitlyn explored the forest path, yelling out Mitchie's name in the hopes that she would hear them and respond. So far, with no success.

An hour had passed now, it was well after midnight by the time they stopped for a rest. They were exhausted, and their voices were hoarse from shouting.

Their flashlight was nearly out of battery, which only added to their frustration.

This was definitely not going to be as simple as they had thought.

"Shane, this isn't working. We're not going to find Mitchie if we just keep looking on the path. She's obviously not here."

"So what do you suggest we do then?"

"Look somewhere else! We've gone up and down this path twice already. It's getting ridiculous."

Shane sighed and ran his hands through his hair, but he knew Caitlyn was right. "Fine. Where else would she be?"

"She's got to be here somewhere. In the forest. Just not on the paths."

"Right. So we'll go off the paths then."

"Right," Caitlyn echoed. "Do you think we should go back and get another flashlight?"

Shane looked down at the feeble light their torch was producing, but shook his head.

"Na, it'll last for another hour at least. That should be enough."

They left the path and continued walking, dodging trees and shrub as they went. Every so often, they would yell out Mitchie's name, but it became less and less as their voices got croakier and croakier.

Suddenly, a shriek pierced the air.

Mitchie?

A groan from the ground beside him obliterated this thought.

"Caitlyn! What happened? Are you OK?"

Shane looked concerned as he shone the torch over her. She lay in a crumpled heap, her face twisted in pain.

"My ankle," she gasped. "I tripped on something. I think I twisted it."

Shane knelt down beside her and inspected her ankle carefully.

"It's starting to swell. Can you walk?"

Caitlyn nodded gingerly as he helped her to her feet. "I think so."

However, her face contorted with agony when she placed her weight on it, and Shane grabbed her arm so she wouldn't fall again.

She brushed it aside.

"No, it's OK. I can walk. Let's keep going."

Shane's eyes crinkled in worry, and he shook his head.

"No, you'll only make it worse. Why don't I take you back to Mrs. Torres cabin? You can rest there."

It was Caitlyn's turn to shake her head.

"No, really Shane, it's fine. Just a little sprain. I want to keep going."

"Caitlyn," Shane said warningly. "Don't be stupid. A badly sprained ankle isn't going to help Mitchie. I'm taking you back."

Caitlyn wanted to argue, but Shane looked so determined that she finally relented.

Bickering wouldn't do any good, anyway.

"Oh fine." She sighed. "But what are we going to tell Mrs. Torres?"

Shane contemplated this as he draped Caitlyn's arm over his shoulder and helped her limp slowly back through the trees.

"I don't know. But if Mitchie's not back by dawn," he said seriously, "I think we should call the police."

This remark seemed to stun them both, and they walked the rest of the way back in silence...

A/N: Sorry if this chapter was a bit boring, but I needed it all to be said. Please don't lose hope in this story, I guarantee there is a LOT more drama to come! What will happen to Mitchie? Will anyone be able to find her before it's too late? It'll all be in chapter 3!

Thanks for reading :) Please review.

Kacee