A/N: Thanks for the lovely reviews! Enjoy the next chapter :)

"You ran away?" Nate gasped, staring at Caitlyn in wide mouthed surprise. "Why?"

"Nate." Caitlyn looked up at him in frustration. "I've just told you the story, haven't I? Do I need to repeat myself again? Alana and-"

"Oh. Right. Sorry." He frowned for a moment. "It just seems so unlike you."

"If only you knew," Caitlyn smiled sadly.

"So, nobody knows? I mean, like-"

"I left them a note. Alana and my Grandmother," she added when Nate looked confused. "I told them I was leaving. I'm fifteen, that's old enough to look after myself anyway. I doubt they'll come looking for me."

"But surely they're worried?" Nate probed. "It's been weeks since you left, how do they know if you're okay or not?"

Caitlyn shrugged. "They won't care. Trust me, it's better this way. Alana hates me with a vengeance; she always has and she always will. She was probably jumping up and down with glee when she read the note that I left them, saying I had left. If I ever went back there, she'd just make life even more of a misery for me." She laughed bitterly, and Nate squeezed her hand tighter. "At least now I can actually have a life. You have no idea how it feels to be kept under supersonic radar all the time."

"I'm sure it couldn't have been that bad."

"It was."

The honesty shone defiantly in her eyes, making Nate shudder with sympathy. He snuggled a bit closer to her, still watching her intently. "Does Brown know?"

"No one at Camp knows. Except for you," she said, eyeing him sternly. "You won't tell anyone, will you?"

"Not if you don't want me to."

"I don't want you to."

"Then your secret is safe with me," Nate grinned. He glanced at his watch and muttered a curse under his breath. "Shit, I've got to go. Emma will be here in an hour."

Caitlyn raised her eyebrows. "But it's only five in the morning. What is she-"

"Her flight lands at six thirty, I have to pick her up from the airport."

"Oh." Caitlyn pursed her lips together. "Can I come with you?"

Nate looked suspicious.

"Why?"

"I want to meet her."

"Are you sure you feel up to it?" Nate asked hesitantly, unwinding his hand from Caitlyn's and standing up from the bed. "You still don't look very good."

Caitlyn flushed. She knew she probably looked terrible. The last time she had seen her reflection in the mirror she had barely recognised herself; her newly short hair, the dark circles plaguing her eyelids, pale skin, emotionless expression, everything... It had not been a pretty sight. Inwardly she knew she was still not completely back to normal either, but the turmoil of her mind was nowhere near strong enough to stop her from wanting to meet Emma.

"I feel just fine," she lied, biting her tongue.

"Really? How's your ankle?" Nate questioned, still wary. Why did he have the feeling that bringing Caitlyn with him was not such a great idea?

"It's okay," she replied, looking down at the cast covering her foot as she did so.

It was another lie, of course; her ankle hurt like hell. But Nate didn't need to know that.

"Well, I guess you could come with me," he sighed after a moment. "Are you sure you feel up to it?"

Caitlyn nodded firmly, and Nate reluctantly helped her up from the bed. "And do you promise that you'll be good?"

"Of course," Caitlyn assured him, her eyes shining indignantly. "I'm always good."

"Jason! Just the man I wanted to see," David cried, strolling over to the Connect Three member who was standing alone in the hospital cafeteria. They clasped hands and Jason grinned, having no idea who the man was but being far too polite to ask.

"I was wondering if you could do me a favour," David said, his eyes locking on to Jason's persuasively.

"A favour?" Jason repeated. "Sure, um, what is it?

David launched into a tale about Tess and how she had been asking insistantly about Connect Three. "She's just dying for an autograph, and since you're her favourite band member Jason, she would love if you could come and visit her in her hospital room, maybe get a photo, have a quick chat, that sort of thing. What do you think?"

Jason blinked in confusion. "You know Tess?"

David looked stunned for a moment before letting out a throaty chuckle. "So sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. Tess is my little sister," he said, eyes shining. "I'm David Tyler."

"Oh. I'm Jason Green," Jason replied happily, reaching out to re-shake David's hand. David forced a smile and removed his hand quickly from Jason's grip.

"So what do you think?"

"About what?"

"About visiting Tess!" David cried, trying not to let his temper get the better of him.

"Oh," Jason breathed. "Well yeah, I guess I could. But-"

"Great!" David boomed, clapping Jason on the back . "Excellent. Well, how about now?"

"Actually I'm just waiting for-"

David interrupted by flinging his arm around Jason's shoulders and leading him down the hospital corridor.

"She'll be so pleased."

Jason nodded in agreement, looking slightly uneasy.

Uh-Oh.

He was about to visit Tess Tyler. Why did he have the feeling that this was not such a good idea?

"Tessie, darling!" a voice cooed from the darkness.

Tess felt her eyelids flicker open.

Suddenly a bright flash lit the room, making her groan and cover her face with her hands.

"Tessie," the same voice said, and this time Tess felt a warm hand on her arm. "Did you miss me?"

That voice. She knew that voice.

Tess forced herself to open her eyes again. She inhaled deeply as a strong wiff of perfume caught her senses.

"Mother?" she murmured blearily as TJ Tyler's face came into view.

TJ beamed and whirled around to face the gaggle of photographers and reporters that waited eagerly behind her. "Take a photo of me and my daughter together," she instructed importantly, snuggling in beside Tess and pulling her best depressed face. "I expect this story to be on the front page tomorrow," she ordered a man in the corner that Tess recognised as her mothers publicist. He nodded and lapsed into a deep conversation with the woman next to him.

Tess blinked in confusion as another flash went off. "What-?"

"Sorry it took me so long to get here, sweetheart," TJ apologised, though her voice showed no sincerity at all. "I had a very important event to attend, and then I couldn't get a direct flight here, they tried to put me in business class," she scorned, admiring the large diamond on her finger. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm-"

"I spoke to your father and brother earlier," Tess's mother continued without waiting for an answer. "They seem to think we're going to have a court case about all this."

"Well, I don't think-"

"I think it's a good idea. It's not like we need the money, but what those kids did to you was atrocious! Pushing you over a cliff, I've never heard of such behaviour. It'll teach them a lesson, and I guess you can never be too rich, either," she laughed.

"Can we ask your daughter a few questions, Mrs. Tyler?" a reporter cried, moving forward. Tess frowned indignantly when her mother nodded her approval. Did Tess's own consent not even matter?

"Go ahead," TJ said, stepping away as the bunch of people surged forward to surround her daughter.

"What were you thinking when you first regained consciousness?"

"How bad were your injuries?"

"How long did it take for you to be rescued?"

"Will you ever go back to Camp Rock?

Tess narrowed her eyes. "What are all these people doing here?" she asked her mother heatedly, ignoring the reporter's questions.

"Why, they're getting your side of the story, darling! It'll be in all the papers tomorrow, it's good press for the court case."

"I don't want them here," Tess sulked, crossing her arms over her chest. "Make them leave."

Her mother frowned. "Now, Tessie, that's not very nice. These people are on our side. Don't you want-"

Suddenly there was a shout from one of the reporters and the crowd spun around, the room erupting in fresh flashes of light from the cameras.

Jason stood in the doorway, his mouth open wide with surprise as the reporters proceeded to bombard him with questions

Before he had a chance to object, David pushed him gently into the room.

"Ah, Jason!" TJ cried gleefully. "We've been waiting for you to arrive! Everyone, this is Jason. I'm sure you know him from the band Connect 3? Well, he's a witness to my daughter's accident, and he's offered to testify against the teenagers who pushed her over the cliff."

Jason's mouth dropped open in astonishment as the camera flashes went off in another frenzy.

"You can go in now, dear," Connie told Shane as she stepped outside Mitchie's hospital room door.

Her face was streaked with tears, happy tears, at finally being able to speak to her daughter and hold her in her arms again. Seeing her eyes wide open and blinking, hearing her sweet voice, everything felt like a miracle after she had been trapped in a deep coma for days. Even the mere thought of her daughter made her smile and she squeezed Shane's hand comfortingly. "She's been asking about you."

"Really?" Shane asked, his heart pumping furiously with adrenaline. He stood up from his seemingly nonchalant position against the corridor wall, lost in thought.

Mitchie.

It felt like forever since he had last seen her. "How is she?" he questioned anxiously.

"Well, she's very drowsy at the moment. The doctors said it's all the medication, and of course the fact that she's just emerged from a coma. It can have some... side effects," Connie finished, trailing off into silence. But before Shane could ask anymore questions, she gestured towards the doorway, indicating he should go inside.

When Shane stepped into the room he didn't notice any of the surroundings; not the view, nor the huge assortment of flowers and cards, nothing. All he had eyes for was Mitchie.

She was propped upright in bed, her eyes fixed expectantly on the doorway. Her face was still a chalky shade of porcelain and her usually lustrous hair lay lank and knotted to just below her shoulders, having not been brushed for days. But despite her stricken appearance, Shane felt a pang of longing in his stomach when his eyes met hers. Mitchie's eyes seemed to light up too, contrasting strongly with the dark circles etched beneath them. Shane walked over to the bed, suddenly nervous.

What if she hated him?

He sat down on the edge of the bed, his eyes never leaving hers.

There was a soft silence.

"I'm glad you're awake," he said finally.

"Me too," Mitchie whispered gratefully. "Shane, thank you. For everything." She seemed to take a lot of time forming her words and her voice sounded raw and hoarse, but Shane still thought it was the sweetest thing he had ever heard. "Mum told me what happened; she said that you were the one that found me. Shane...I...I don't know how I can ever repay you. I'd probably be dead now if it weren't for you."

"Don't say that," Shane told her gently. "You don't have to repay me for anything, I'm just glad you're okay. Besides, I wasn't much of a hero in the end, I got us both lost."

Mitchie laughed, a quiet tinkling laugh, and Shane couldn't help but smile. "So how are you feeling?" he asked after a contented silence, scrutinising her closely for the first time.

She looked even worse up close.

Her skin had a faint bluish tinge to it, and her forehead was dampened with tiny beads of sweat. He instinctively moved a little closer to her, waiting for her answer.

"I don't really know," Mitchie admitted slowly. "I.. Kind of numb, I guess."

Shane nodded understandingly. "You've been in a coma for days, so I'm sure that's to be expected. What was it like?" he asked suddenly. "To be in a coma? Can you remember it?"

Mitchie closed her eyes for a moment and leant back against the head rest before opening them again. "I... There's not much that I can remember," she murmured. Her eyes began to well up with tears and Shane felt his breath catch in his throat.

She was crying.

"Please don't cry, Mitchie," he whispered tenderly, moving even closer towards her as the first tear overflowed and raced down her cheek.

She reached out for his embrace like a small child would reach for their father, and Shane obeyed, wrapping his arms around her gently and holding her close.

"Shhh..." he hushed her sobs, rocking her backwards and forth in a soothing motion.

They stayed locked together like that for a long time.

Mitchie kept her face buried in Shane's shoulder, liking the feeling of him stroking her hair and rubbing her back in small comforting circles that only he could make feel so good.

When they finally broke apart Shane kept hold of her hand, and they began to delve deeper into conversation.

They were clearly comfortable in each others company, their voices rising and descending in sweet crescendos.

But Mitchie could tell by the expression on Shane's face that there were still things he wasn't telling her.

"Shane?" she asked finally. "What's wrong?"

"Huh? Nothing," he assured her, squeezing her hand tightly.

But it was a lie.

They both knew it.

There were so many things that Shane was too afraid to tell her, too afraid to ask.

He didn't want to upset her again.

"Shane, just say it," Mitchie told him firmly. "I can handle it."

"I... I was just wondering..." he trailed off into silence, only to be prompted to continue by a nod from Mitchie. "About...Tess," he admitted.

"Tess?" Mitchie asked, a hazy image of the blonde diva of Camp Rock forming in her mind. "What about her?"

"About what she did to you... What she was going to do...."

Mitchie furrowed her eyebrows in obvious confusion and Shane hastened to explain.

"When... I found you in the forest. And Tess... She took you to... to the cliffside," he said, biting his lip as he uttered the final word. "I was just wondering... What happened?"

Mitchie frowned, struggling to conjure the memory to her mind. "She took me to the cliffside? Why?"

"I don't know," Shane said, his voice edged with frustration. "I was hoping you could tell me."

"Shane... I don't remember."

"You don't remember the cliffside?"

"No, I don't," she admitted, a frustrated tear threatening to work her way down her cheek again. "I'm sorry. It's hard, and it's... it's not just that, Shane. I don't remember... anything. I can't remember anything after running into the forest."

A/N: Thanks for reading!

Righto, this is what I want to know: Do you want to find out what Tess's dad did to her in the next chapter?

Or should it be dragged out a bit longer?

What do you think? I'm leaving this up to you, so please let me know =)

Free cyber cookie if you review! I love hearing your guys opinions ;)

Hugs,
Kace

PS: The extremely talented .ConverseWithMyDress. and I have started a new story together! She's an amazing writer, so please go check it out, it's called Paranoid. (It's on my page under my stories) Here's the summary:

Is Mitchie really seeing faces in the darkness or is she just being paranoid? When everything begins to spiral out of control will her friends believe her? Or will it already be too late? SMITCHIE, NAITLYN.

Please and thank you :)

Hope you're doing well, love you all!

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