A/N: Ok, first of all, I have to say to everyone who has reviewed this story that you are absolutely incredible! Your reviews have made me so so so happy! No kidding, each new review makes me bounce up and down in my seat, lol, I know I'm weird, but I get that excited when I read them. :)

And WOW, I wish it was my birthday every day! I got so many reviews for that last chapter, and so many of you guys wished me a happy birthday, I felt so happy (Like crazy insane happy! :)). That was seriously the BEST birthday I've EVER had! And it was largely thanks to you guys and your reviews, so thank you so much!

Anyway, my apologies for taking longer than I thought to update. (I seem to say that every chapter!) I had a bit of trouble deciding the plotline for this one, there are just way too many possibilities! Like, shall Mitchie die, or shall she live? Or shall they get abducted by aliens, or shall they not? Etc, etc.. :) Haha, na just kidding! That's not going to happen. But enough of me rambling on :) Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. :( Sad, but true..

Chapter 5

A Question Of When

The shrill ringing of the phone brought Dee out of her reverie.

Maybe it's news about Shane and Mitchie, she thought hopefully to herself as she snatched it from the cradle. Maybe they've been found!

"Hi, you've reached Camp Rock, this is Dee speaking."

"Oh, hi Dee, it's Nate."

"And Jason!" A voice chimed in from the background.

She tried to hide her disappointment with a smile.

"Oh, hey boys, what can I do for you?"

"Could you put Shane on for us please?" Nate asked after a moment. "We've tried his cell phone, but he's not picking up."

Dee was silent. A million thoughts were running through her mind.

Nate and Jason didn't know that Shane was missing?

What was she supposed to say?

Should she tell them?

"Dee? You still there?"

"Wakey wakey!" Jason exclaimed innocently. "I think she fell asleep," he whispered to Nate, who rolled his eyes and said nothing.

Dee cleared her throat and feigned cheerfulness.

"No, no, I'm still awake Jason. I guess I was in fairyland for a moment, just thinking about things, you know?"

Jason nodded understandingly. "Yeah, I go there sometimes too. It's a nice place, isn't it?"

"Look, this is kind of important, Dee." Nate interjected before Jason could continue. "Is Shane there?" He shot Jason a stern look.

Dee adjusted her grip on the phone and took a deep breath before replying.

"Um, no, he's not here at the moment."

"Oh, okay. Where is he?"

Dee sighed.

"Look, I don't know if I should be the one to tell you this."

"Tell us what?" Nate replied slowly.

"Ooooo! A secret!" Jason cried, his eyes widening in delight. "Tell us Dee! I love secrets!"

Not this secret, you won't, Dee couldn't resist thinking. She ran her fingers through her hair and looked out of the window. The searchers were just disappearing into the forest.

Should she tell Nate and Jason that Shane was missing?

They'd probably be furious with her if she didn't.

But there wasn't any need to worry them about it, was there?

Her conscious finally got the better of her, and she quietly informed the two boys of what had happened to their third band mate. Nate listened intently, and was stunned into silence by the time she had finished. Jason scratched his head in confusion.

"So, can we talk to him, then?"

Dee sighed in exasperation. There was something not quite right about that boy.

"Jason, I just told you. Shane is missing. You can't talk to him, because nobody knows where he is."

"Nobody knows where he is?" Jason repeated blankly.

Nate frowned and finally broke his silence.

"We'll be there as soon as we can."

Caitlyn limped through the forest, muttering under her breath. She was not in a good mood.

Why had she been stuck in a group with Tess? Talk about unfair! Of all the people she despised, Tess had to be top of her list.

"Stupid bimbo," Caitlyn muttered angrily, cursing under her breath.

She looked up moodily.

The girl in question was strolling leisurely through the forest, with Ella and Peggy close behind her.

"Shane!" Tess was calling loudly. "Sha-ane! Where are you?" The sound echoed through the tree's.

Caitlyn scoffed. "As if he'd answer you. If Shane heard you calling, he'd probably run for his life."

Time froze.

Tess stopped walking and turned to face Caitlyn with her eyes narrowed.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Before Caitlyn could reply, Connie bustled up behind them.

"That's enough girls. We're not going to find Mitchie and Shane if we stand here chatting all day, are we? Come on, lets go."

She continued walking along the path and beckoned Caitlyn, Tess, Ella and Peggy to follow.

Tess smirked as she stepped forwards, purposefully treading on Caitlyn's foot.

"You better watch your step, Caitlyn," she said warningly.

Ella and Peggy exchanged nervous glances, but Caitlyn didn't move.

"Is that a threat?" she asked. Her foot was throbbing, but she wasn't going to give Tess the satisfaction of knowing that she had hurt her.

Tess smiled, feigning innocence.

"Of course not," she replied sweetly, but her eyes suddenly darkened. "Just a bit of advice."

Caitlyn let out a hollow laugh and turned away, although she was far from amused. Trying not to put too much weight on her sore ankle, she hobbled down the path after Connie.

It's Mitchie and Shane I should be worrying about, she reminded herself in frustration, but she couldn't seem to get Tess's warning off her mind.

Tess yawned loudly and twirled her blonde hair with her fingers.

"This is boring. Why do we have to be in groups anyway? It's a stupid idea," she drawled spitefully. "I'd rather be trapped in a lion's den than spend the rest of the day with Caitlyn."

She paused for a moment, considering this.

"Although I guess it's kind of the same thing, isn't it? I mean, seriously, she's been so grumpy lately, I wouldn't be surprised if she tried to bite my head off." Tess let out a tinkling laugh and looked at Peggy and Ella, as though waiting for them to agree.

"Well?" She said in annoyance. "Don't you think she's weird?"

"I think she's just worried about Mitchie," Peggy said, uncomfortable under Tess's gaze.

Ella nodded her head solemnly.

Tess rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. Sometimes, I don't even know why I'm friends with you two. I'm going to find Shane on my own, and none of you will get any of the credit for it."

Without waiting for a reply, Tess turned on her heel and strutted into the forest.

He'll be forever in my debt, she thought to herself with a smile, loving the idea that if she found Shane, she could con him into doing anything that she wanted.

But it's not a question of if, Tess corrected herself casually. It's just a question of when.

Shane couldn't disguise the feeling of panic that was swelling up inside him. He looked down at the fragile body in front of him.

At least she's still alive.

He tried to reassure himself, but in vain; Mitchie's ragged breathing had reawakened all of his fears. Her chest rose and fell with rattling gasps, and her face was twisted in pain. She was alive, but only barely.

His eyes widened with fear. He had no idea what to do.

I'm too afraid to move her. What if it makes her worse?

Shane sighed worriedly, and took her hand in his. It was cold to the touch, yet he gripped it tightly.

But I can't just leave her here. I've got to get her to a hospital. She needs medical attention.

"Mitchie?" Shane said hesitantly. He leant over her, so that he was just centimetres from her face.

"Mitchie!" He whispered, desperation obvious in his voice. "Mitchie, come on! Please wake up!"

He squeezed her hand tightly, and smoothed her hair back from her face. His touch was tender.

Shane lightly caressed her palm, praying that she would wake up.

Minutes passed. The forest was silent, apart from the sound of Mitchie's laboured breathing.

He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. Her expression pained him. Seeing her in such agony made his stomach turn over. He opened his eyes. They lingered on her face for what felt like an eternity; he couldn't bring himself to look away. Shane acted on impulse.

He leant forward and kissed her.

A gentle peck on the lips, fuelled by a sudden desire that was beyond his control.

A sudden noise shattered the tender moment.

His heart thumped rapidly as he drew backwards and looked around.

What was that?

But a dense screen of trees surrounded them from all sides.

Shane glanced around uneasily, but the forest seemed frozen.

Nothing moved.

Shane placed a protective hand on Mitchie's shoulder.

That wasn't a natural sound.

There was somebody there.

A/N: Sorry! Haha I couldn't resist leaving you with another cliffy! It's evil I know, keeping you all in suspense till the next chapter. :) I know I promised a few of you that this chapter would be longer, and I honestly intended it to be. But what I had planned would have taken ages to write, and I really wanted to post another chapter today, so I decided to split it into two parts. Next part should be up in a couple of days, so stay tuned! Thankyou so much for reading! :)

PS: You know what would be AMAZING?! If you could click on the little Go button down the bottom left and review! It would be so cool if we could get the review count up to 100! I would probably scream with happiness! LOL, yes, I love them that much!

Much thanks!

Kacee