A/N: Sorry this chapter took a while for me to put up! I've been pretty busy lately with school and stuff, but I continued to write as often as I could. So here it is! The third chapter of Harder To Breathe, hope you like it )

Chapter 3

Afraid

Connie was roused from her slumber by a knock at the door.

She rubbed her eyes sleepily and sat up, glancing at the alarm clock.

1:43AM

I must've dozed off, She thought, smiling wearily. It doesn't surprise me with all the excitement that's happened.

Another knock at the door interrupted her thoughts, and jolted her back to the present.

As the nights events rushed back to her, she was suddenly alert.

Her daughter was missing. Could it be?

Connie leaped out of bed with a sudden surge of energy, and her stomach tingled in anticipation.

Please be my Mitchie, she prayed silently. Please!

She twisted the handle and swung the door open.

Her heart sank.

Shane and Caitlyn stood outside.

Connie tried to hide her disappointment with a smile.

"Oh good, you're back. Come inside! It must be freezing out there."

The night was indeed chilly, and dark storm clouds loomed in the sky. A rumble of thunder made them all jump, and Connie ushered the teenagers into the cabin. The silence was tense. They stood awkwardly for a moment, no one wanting to say what they were thinking.

The very thought of it made their insides turn over.

Mitchie was still missing.

What had happened to her? Where could she be?

The silence was lost when Connie noticed Caitlyn's ankle.

"Caitlyn! What happened?"

"Oh, it's nothing Mrs. Torres. I tripped and I must've twisted it or something. But don't worry, it's alright."

Connie was already kneeling by her side and examining it thoroughly.

"It doesn't look alright to me."

"It looks pretty bad, Caitlyn," Shane agreed. "Maybe we should take you to a doctor."

Caitlyn shook her head. "At two in the morning? No, it's fine. Honestly."

A flash of lightning illuminated the night for a brief moment, and their eyes were all drawn to the window. Another crash of thunder sounded, making Caitlyn shudder.

"All I want to do right now is go back out there and search for Mitchie."

The three were silent for a moment. This was the first time Mitchie's name had been mentioned since the teenagers had returned. When Connie finally looked up, her eyes were brimming with tears.

"No Caitlyn, not with your ankle like that. You'll only make it worse. Besides, it looks as though a storm is coming on, and it wouldn't be good to-"

"That's exactly my point," Caitlyn interrupted stubbornly. "A storm's coming. And Mitchie's stuck out there in this horrible weather! She could be freezing to death as we speak! You're her mother! Don't you want to find her?"

Shane looked at Caitlyn warningly.

Tears were now rolling down Connie's cheeks; it was obvious that Caitlyn's last remark had upset her.

Connie stood up abruptly, and turned her back on the two teenagers. Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment.

I don't want them to see me like this.

"I'll get you an icepack for that ankle, Caitlyn," Connie said.

And with that, she walked hurriedly from the room, closing the door behind her.

The second she was gone, Shane turned on Caitlyn.

"That was a stupid thing to say."

Caitlyn looked away for a moment before answering.

"I know," She admitted, biting her lip nervously. "I'm just worried about Mitchie."

"We're all worried, Caitlyn." Shane said sombrely.

"It's after two in the morning now." Caitlyn continued restlessly. "Something terrible has happened to her, I know it!"

Rain was now beating a steady rhythm on the roof, distracting the two for a moment. When Shane finally pulled himself away from the window, there was a determined glint in his eye. He turned decisively to Caitlyn.

"I'm going to find her."

"Now?" Caitlyn replied slowly, raising her eyebrows in surprise.

Shane nodded firmly. "I can't stand just sitting here, waiting for something to happen. You're right, someone's got to go out and find her before the storm gets any worse."

Caitlyn nodded in agreement.

"I want to come with you."

"No, Caitlyn, we've already discussed this. Mrs. Torres will be back soon, and she'll see to your ankle. I'll go find Mitchie."

"Alone?"

"Of course. I'll be fine."

A brief silence followed.

"What shall I tell Mrs. Torres?" Caitlyn asked, as Shane stood up to leave.

He hesitated.

"Nothing. Just tell her I've gone to bed. She'd be nervous if she knew I was going out into the storm, and I don't want to worry her."

Caitlyn watched him go with a tingle of unease.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

Mitchie was huddled beside a tree, thankful for any shelter she could get. Her eyes burned with tears, and she allowed a raspy cough to escape her lips. Every single breath was torture. Her chest felt so constricted, she expected it to burst at any moment. She had no idea what time it was, but she had more important issues to deal with at the moment.

The storm.

Lightning illuminated the night for a brief second, and Mitchie hugged herself tighter. A deep grumble of thunder echoed through the forest, and rain was pounding the ground at her feet. She was soaked through. Her clothes clung to her skin, making her shiver uncontrollably. This was so unfair. What had she done to deserve this?

Mitchie sucked in a feeble breath, and leaned back against the tree trunk. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks. She clasped her hands together and waited. For what? She had no idea.

Rescue? Daylight?

She hoped they would come soon- because she didn't know how much longer she could hold on for.

An hour later.

Shane was drenched. He sat under a tree, in an attempt to escape the treacherous weather. It was raining harder now. The wind was howling in agony, but it didn't sound anywhere near as miserable as Shane felt.

I should have listened to Caitlyn, he realized with a pang of anxiety. Coming out here was stupid. No one would be able to find Mitchie in this weather. You'd have to be a fool to try.

He put his head in his hands.

That's me, he thought with a faint smile. A fool.

What was I thinking?

Shane scrutinized his surroundings, squinting to see through the thick screen of rain.

Nothing was familiar.

He had no idea where he was.

Apprehension filled him.

He had come out here to rescue Mitchie, and now he needed rescuing himself.

He grinned sardonically. Great, Shane, just great. Real clever of you.

A roar of thunder reverberated through the air, and a bolt of lightning flashed blindingly. Shane looked up. The storm was right on top of him.

He had gone in the opposite direction that he and Caitlyn had went in earlier, but there was still no sign of Mitchie. Shane sighed deeply as he got to his feet, ignoring the weather and continuing his search through the forest.

He hoped she was OK.

"Where's Shane?" Connie asked as she closed the cabin door, icepack in hand.

Caitlyn froze awkwardly. She was terrible at lying.

"Oh, um, he went back to his cabin. To bed. He said he was tired."Connie looked at her suspiciously, but before she could say anything, Caitlyn continued.

"Mrs. Torres, I'm sorry about what I said earlier. About Mitchie. I didn't mean it. I was just worried, that's all. And I'm sure she's fine."

Connie sighed, and gently rested the icepack on Caitlyn's swollen ankle.

"Don't be sorry, Caitlyn. You were right. Something bad must have happened to her, or else she'd be back by now. She's my daughter, and I'm worried too, but we have to wait till daylight. Going out into this storm would be foolish."

Caitlyn avoided Connie's eyes. No one said anything for a moment; they were both lost in thought. Caitlyn hesitated, but finally broke the silence.

"Maybe we should call the police."

Connie looked up into Caitlyn's eyes and nodded reluctantly. "Maybe we should."

Mitchie could feel her body being drained of energy. She was weak. Daylight was another hour away, and the storm's fury had lessened, but she didn't have the strength to move. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think straight. Her head was spinning.

Mitchie tried to stand, but her knees buckled and she collapsed to the ground like a rag doll.

She sucked in a feeble breath, coughing and spluttering.

She couldn't hold on any longer.

The scenery faded before her eyes as she felt herself being swallowed up by blackness.

A/N: So that's the third chapter done, thanks for reading. ) A review would make my day! So if you feel that way inclined, click the pretty purple button on the bottom left and tell me what you thought. Any ideas for what you would like to happen next? Tell me! I'd love to hear them. More drama coming in the next chapter, so stay tuned! And thanks again,

Kacee )