LOST AND FOUND | A Camp Rock Story |

Chapter One.

Caitlyn nearly passed the sign for Camp Rock while she hummed along to the song playing on the radio. She cursed her lack of concentration but managed to turn just in time.

"And that was Mitchie Torres' new summer hit Like Lightning. Be sure to stay tuned for Connect 3's latest single on the way after the break..."

With that announcement from the radio station, Caitlyn hit the power button on the radio with a little too much force. Silence seemed to flood her little car as she got glimpses of the lake through the trees.

It wasn't that she didn't like her friend's music. She loved it. She just didn't like reminders of it at the moment. The silence was better than the constant reminder that it felt like her own life was floundering, and on the brink of complete failure.

She felt like kicking herself, this was not how she was supposed to be thinking. It was supposed to be a summer of no distractions, one where she could work on herself. It was supposed to be a fun summer of personal growth and making new friends and...

She rounded the corner and was greeted by cars and buses of excited students, their screams were loud enough to block off her own stream of thought. She took the turn toward the staff parking lot and parked her beat up old car.

She sat there for a moment, still not believing that she was back. In Camp Rock. She hadn't been back since the summer with the Camp Wars. It had been the platform for her. To bigger and better things. She couldn't come back the summer after her senior year because she got a dance job straight out of high school and had never looked back.

Until now.

Now look at her, she thought, sitting in her car, back at camp, no job, very little prospects and a broken heart.

A sudden sharp knock on her window made her jump. She held back a scream and mumbled curses as she opened the door and was met by Brown smiling down at her.

" 'Ello Poppet, good to see you. You alright?"

And that was why she was back, she had to remind herself. Brown had heard about her career changing injury and offered her a summer job. He might have been the Gray's uncle, but it had always felt like he was her uncle too. With her parents touring with artists most of her life, Camp Rock was the one fairly constant place in her life, she had practically grown up there every summer. It was where, as Dee had always put it, she had 'found her sound'.

She had developed her love of everything to do with and around music here. She had made the lifelong friends. So when Brown rang her and asked her back and she was lying in bed feeling sorry for herself, she jumped at the chance.

It was her chance to regroup, get away for a bit, make some well-needed money, and decide where to go next. Because Camp Rock never failed to lead to somewhere good.

Or rather, that's what she reiterated to herself as she got out her car and gave Brown a hug. "I'm getting there Brown," She admitted, though hoping to avoid the mention of her ankle or a certain cheating ex-boyfriend, "Thanks again for this, I really..."

"Nonsense Caitlyn, I'm glad to be of help. And I'm happy to see you again!" He said with a smile, "Sorry for the lack of introduction, but the place is buzzing today, you alright to get settled in? The keys to your cabin are just inside." He nodded behind him to the 'staff only' cabin. "You have roommate, but I haven't seen her turn up yet, I'll see you in the mess hall for orientation later yeah?"

"Yeah, of course. Thanks again Brow-"

"Ah ah." He said as he wagged his finger at her, "None of that, I'll see you later." He said as he turned and half-walked, half-jogged, down the path and toward the stream of incoming campers.

She waved at his retreating figure and grabbed her bag from the front seat of her car and made her way up the steps and into the staff cabin. There was files everywhere, papers scattered on every surface, including the walls, notice boards, the various sofas and chairs and on top of the stack of guitars in the corner. She spotted her name on top of a notice board cluttered with keys hanging on pegs and grabbed her set before consulting the map that sat next to it on the wall.

It took her by surprise, just how much Camp Rock had expanded. Sure, she had heard from the Gray brothers and from her friends who had been back to visit, giving guest lessons and surprise performances, that the place had gone from strength to strength. She just never guessed that it had gotten this big. The camp now stretched nearly the entire way around the lake. It housed a newly refurbished mess hall, and a host of new camper cabins, an entire area of cabins for the staff, new recording studios and updated music hall, and everything a burgeoning musician could possibly want.

She tried to memorise her way to her cabins and the mess hall at least before running back out to her car and unloading her suitcase from the trunk. She made her way along the pathway and down by the lake before climbing a slight slope up to the cabins that were spotted around the green.

She double checked the number on her key, 3. She rolled her eyes at the utter irony of it. She finally found her cabin, and was trying to unlock the door when her name was called.

"Caitlyn!" And her heart gave a lurch because she would know that voice anywhere.

It hit her like a tonne of bricks. Nearly knocking her out of her standing. After all this time, his voice calling her name could still make her heart skip a beat.

She turned to find him walking towards her cabin. A slightly different haircut, darker clothes, and looking very jet-lagged. But it was still the Nate she had always known.

"Nate Gray!" She smiled at him as he bounded up the steps and had her encased in his arms before she even knew what was happening. Not that she minded too much.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, after letting her go and she tried to pretend that she didn't miss his arms around her the second after he let go.

"I could ask you the same question Gray." She retorted, "I'm actually here for the summer, as a camp counsellor. Again. I guess." She laughed.

"No way." He said with a grin, "I'm here for the summer too."

Her stomach did a flip, so much for no distractions.

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