Hidden Tracks

by Helen Perelman

  “Well, I . . .” Mitchie felt flustered. Even though the heat wave seemed to be over, her face was suddenly burning up. She wanted to dive under the table and hide. “I haven’t even won a jam yet. Who says that I can win this mystery thing?”

  Caitlyn tapped her arm and winked. “No worries. With me as your partner, you might have a chance!” she told her.

  Mitchie wanted to point out that they didn’t even know if that was what the big deal was, but at that moment, Brown stood up and walked over to the microphone at the front of the room. “Good morning, Camp Rock!” he cried.

  Everyone in the room answered his call with a loud, “Good morning!”

  “Thankfully, the heat wave is over,” he announced. “But that doesn’t mean that we don’t have some of the hottest programs of the summer coming up.” He smiled at his own clever wording. “And I’m excited to announce that one of those begins today. Today is the annual musical-mystery hunt!”

  A loud cheer filled the room, and everyone popped out of their seats.

  “Shane is totally involved in this!” Caitlyn said to Mitchie. “Look at him!”

  Mitchie turned and saw Shane. Caitlyn seemed to be right. He was beaming with pride. Mitchie pursed her lips. She still wasn’t sure what all this had to do with him. Why would he be involved in this particular activity? Returning her attention to Brown, she waited to see what he had to add.

  “Okay, settle down,” Brown said to the campers. “Let me explain for those of you who are new to Camp Rock. The annual musical mystery is like a scavenger hunt, only we use music for the clues. You work in teams of two—which you can choose. And it’s always a highlight with great prizes. And this year is no exception. . . .”

  CHAPTER

  THREE

  Absolute silence filled the mess hall as everyone waited for Brown to announce the prize. The room, which was usually loud and full of the sounds of the clattering of dishes and silverware, was completely quiet.

  “Oh, the suspense is killing me!” Peggy whispered anxiously.

  “Come on Brown!” Lola called out. “Just tell us already!”

  Brown took another moment to look around the room. He loved drawing out the suspense almost as much as he loved telling stories about the famous bands he’d worked with. “The grand-prize winners,” he finally said, “will get to perform a hidden track—on Connect Three’s new CD!” Brown smiled as everyone cheered. “I think that this is a great motivation to win the mystery, and we’re thankful to Shane Gray for coming up with the idea.”

  Brown tried to make a few more announcements, but it was useless. The room was abuzz. At their table, Caitlyn turned to her friends. “Wow, this totally beats last year’s tour of the recording studio!”

  “This is so amazing,” Peggy said, grinning. “I always loved the musical mystery, but this year the prize is extrasweet.” She looked over at Tess, who was lecturing Lorraine and Ella. I’m glad this year I don’t have to be on Tess’s team, Peggy thought. This year, I can do what I want, how I want. She glanced over at Lola. And maybe I can convince Lola to team up with me. I bet we’d work well together.

  At her table, Tess was already plotting. “There is no question. Shane has to pick me,” Tess said, tossing her stick-straight blond hair. “I would be perfect for a bonus track. I have the talent and the star quality all in one package.”

  Ella applied her ultrasheer pink gloss and nodded in agreement. “Totally,” she said. “Talent and star quality.”

  Lorraine cocked her head. She hated to contradict Tess but . . . “Don’t you have to win the musical mystery hunt to get on the CD?” she asked.

  “Whatever,” Tess said, getting up from the table. She waved her hand as though the details didn’t matter. “It’s Shane’s CD. He should have some say in who gets to sing, no matter who wins.”

  “Mitchie, I’m telling you, if it is Shane’s choice, then you have the gig totally sealed,” Lola said in a separate—but almost identical—discussion taking place back at Mitchie’s table. “There’s no way Shane wouldn’t pick you.” At that moment, she felt a bit jealous of her friend. She hung her head and hoped it didn’t show.

  Mitchie looked at her friends who were all staring at her. “You guys, its Shane’s CD,” she said. “But Brown just said that the winner of the musical-mystery hunt is who gets to sing on the track. Not just who Shane feels like having sing.”

  “Mitchie’s right,” Caitlyn said, giving her friend a reassuring look. “He doesn’t get to pick. It’s the winner of the hunt. Fair and square.”

  Tess had gotten up for juice and overheard the last part of their conversation. “We’ll see about that,” she said. “I have a feeling that this hunt is going to be different from all others.”

  Mitchie had to admit that she was kind of bummed out. It would have been nice if Shane had simply asked her to sing on his CD. But when she looked around at all the excitement that Brown’s announcement had created, she knew why Shane had made his decision. The whole dining hall was still buzzing, and Mitchie had a feeling that this was going to be the most competitive musical mystery hunt Camp Rock had ever had.

  CHAPTER

  FOUR

  “Hey, girls! Thanks so much for helping out,” Dee said to Mitchie and Caitlyn later that morning as they walked into Keynote.

  Looking around, the girls mouths dropped open. The place was a mess! There were stacks of rainbow-colored CD cases and tall piles of white envelopes spread across the floor. Normally, the cabin was used for practicing songs or dance moves, but today it was musical-mystery headquarters.

  “I don’t think that we would have gotten this all done by the afternoon if you hadn’t volunteered to help us out,” Dee added. Her usually cheerful expression looked a bit haggard.

  “We’re happy to help,”Mitchie said. Which was true. They had free time on their hands, which they hadn’t expected.

  Usually, she and Caitlyn would have been in the kitchen. Even though Caitlyn’s kitchen-duty punishment for a minor food fight had ended after the first session, she still came back often to hang out with Mitchie and her mom. But lunch that day was a cookout, and there wasn’t much prep work needed. Connie had explained that Dee was stressed out about getting everything ready for the musical mystery. She had suggested the girls go help her instead, and they had happily agreed.

  Even though she ran the mystery hunt each year, Dee liked to keep the clues new and fresh—and that usually meant waiting till the last minute to organize everything. This summer was no exception!

  As soon as Mitchie eyed the piles stacked around Keynote, she realized why her mom had sent them. The hunt was supposed to start after lunch, but from the look of things that wasn’t going to happen. “What do you need us to do?” Mitchie asked.

  Dee pointed to the CD cases and the envelopes. “We need to have each clue in the right case. They are all color-coordinated.” She held up an envelope that had a blue dot in the lower right-hand corner. “See, this one goes in a blue case.”

  “So each team will be a different color? Very clever,” Mitchie said. She sat down on the floor in front of a stack of cases and envelopes.

  “Yes,” Dee answered. “Because there are just too many campers, there will be a few different teams with the same color. But I don’t think that will be a problem. I make it so all the clues are the same—just in a different order. That way everyone isn’t running to the same clue at the same time. But everyone will end up together at the final one.”

  “Which is always the hardest one!” Caitlyn exclaimed.

  Dee laughed. “Well, we have to keep you on your toes!”

  The two friends sat down next to her and began sorting through the colored cases. “This shouldn’t be too bad,” Mitchie said, trying to sound optimistic.

  “It seemed like a great idea,” Dee said, sighing. “But we just decided to do the hunt this morning, so it’s been hard to get everything organized.”

  “No sneaking peeks at the clues,
” Shane said, coming into the room. He winked at Mitchie as he took a stack of the envelopes and cases. “I’ll be watching you!”

  “Very funny,” Mitchie said, laughing. She held up one of the envelopes. “Look, the clues are sealed. No cheaters, no worries.”

  Shane laughed. “I used to have a blast with the hunt,” he said. “I’m sure this year’s is going to be the best yet.”

  “And you’re not saying that just because the prize is singing on your new CD, right?” Mitchie said, teasing Shane. She began to put the yellow-dotted envelopes in yellow cases.

  Shane reached over and tugged playfully at Mitchie’s hair. “Yeah, yeah,” he said. “Say what you will, but the truth is I think that this track is going to help Connect Three more than people realize.”

  Mitchie and Caitlyn raised their eyebrows in disbelief.

  “Seriously,” Shane went on to explain. “To create a CD with bonus tracks that are cool is really hard to do! Our producers are after us to get some material that will be exciting and cutting edge. And that’s what Camp Rock is all about.”

  “That’s what I love to hear!” Brown said as he walked into the cabin. He was beaming. “And with this prize, everyone wins, and that’s what I like to see.”

  “Well, technically, not everyone,” Caitlyn said softly. “But we are sure going to try, right Mitchie?”

  “You bet!” Mitchie exclaimed. “Bring it on! We’re so ready.”

  Shane laughed. “All right, let’s see how you do. This year the clues are hard—and a little tricky.”

  Looking over at Caitlyn, Mitchie smiled. “I think we can handle the pressure. Just you wait.”

  Soon all the clues were safely tucked into the right cases and ready to be placed around camp. That job was reserved for Dee. Caitlyn and Mitchie went off to a salsa class, which was being held at the stage by the lake. It was a beautiful, slightly cooler day, and it was nice to be outside dancing.

  “Hey, are you going to be partners for the hunt?” Lola asked when she saw Mitchie and Caitlyn. She turned her head and smiled at Peggy. “I’ve teamed up with Ms. Margaret Dupree.”

  Peggy laughed when Lola used her “stage name.” At Final Jam, she had debuted her full name. She had wanted to hide the fact that she was performing for the first time as a solo vocalist instead of as one of Tess’s backup singers for as long as possible. Hearing Lola call her that now brought back fond memories.

  When their dance instructor, a pretty brunette named Jessie, cued the music, they all stopped talking and focused on the routine.

  They were in the middle of a particularly hard part of the dance when Dee appeared on the side of the stage. Calling Jessie over, the two spoke in hushed tones. Then Jessie called Lola over.

  “What’s going on?” Caitlyn asked as Lola quickly gathered her things.

  Lola shrugged. “I have no idea,” she said. “I guess I’ll find out.”

  “I hope everything’s okay,” Peggy said. “Come find us after,” she told her. “We’ll be here by the lake, okay?”

  Lola agreed and quickly walked over to Dee. Her heart was racing as she followed Dee away from the lake and down the path heading toward the office. Turning, Dee noticed Lola’s pale face. “Oh, don’t worry, honey,” she reassured her. “You just have a phone call. Shouldn’t be anything to get all worked up about. I promise.”

  Lola breathed a sigh of relief. Doreen, the camp receptionist, looked up from her desk as she entered the office. As usual, the receptionist’s white hair was tied up in a bun at her neck. She’d been working there forever and was like an unofficial grandmother to everyone at camp.

  “It’s Giselle,” Doreen told her. “She says it’s urgent. You can use that phone over there.” She pointed to the far desk by the window. “She’s on line two.”

  Not sure why her mother’s personal assistant would be calling her, Lola grabbed the phone. Giselle never called her at camp. “Hello?” she said tentatively.

  “Hey, babe,” Giselle cooed in her raspy voice. “Listen honey, your mom wanted me to call you to tell you . . .” Then there was a static break that cracked over the phone line.

  “Tell me what?” Lola cried. “Is she all right?” She could just imagine Giselle doing three or four things as she chatted on her headset. While her mom was not a supermega star like Tess’s mother, she was still a major Broadway actress who needed someone like Giselle to keep her schedule straight.

  “Yes, yes, she’s perfectly fine,” Giselle finally answered.

  Her voice sounded far away, and it was difficult to hear what she was saying. Lola strained to listen, but she only got part of what was said. “. . . need to come home.”

  “What?” Lola shouted. She held her breath as she waited to hear Giselle’s response. Of all the times to get a bad cell phone connection! “I need to come home? Wait! Why?”

  Doreen looked up from the papers on her desk, and Lola turned her back to look out the window. She took a deep breath and willed herself not to cry. “Giselle, what’s going on?” Lola asked. “Can I talk to my mother?”

  “Babe, this is a bad connection, I’m sorry.” Giselle’s voice continued to cut in and out. “Your mom is doing a show right now.”

  Lola bit her lip as she listened to Giselle motor on. Normally, any phone calls she received during camp were from her mother directly. This all felt a bit strange. Lola started to bite her nails.

  “Everything is okay,” Giselle said. “No one’s hurt or sick. Just tired. We’ll try you after the show tonight. Maybe the line will be clearer.”

  With that, Giselle hung up. Lola stared at the receiver in her hand. Despite Giselle’s reassurances, it didn’t feel like everything was all right. Giselle had said something about coming home. Was Lola going to have to leave camp? Tears started to run from her eyes. Her head was spinning. She didn’t know how to react, but she did know that if she had to leave Camp Rock early, she would be devastated.

  She took a deep breath and slowly placed the receiver back on the phone base.

  “Lola, is everything okay?” Doreen asked. Lola turned around to see Doreen’s worried expression.

  “I’m not really sure,” Lola responded as she slowly walked to the front door. In a daze, she walked back down to the lake.

  The salsa class was over, and Lola found her friends all hanging out under a tree by the water.

  “Hey, are you okay?” Mitchie called when she spotted Lola. She, Caitlyn, and Peggy ran up to meet her. “What happened?”

  “I think I may have to leave camp early,” Lola said, trying not to cry as soon as she said the words out loud. Camp Rock meant everything to her. For her mom to pull her away now, something must be seriously wrong.

  “Oh, Lola!” her friends cried.

  “Well, you’re not leaving today, right?” Peggy said, trying to cheer her up. Lola shrugged. She didn’t know. But optimistic as always, Peggy persevered. “You can’t leave. You and I are going to win this year’s musical mystery!”

  Lola smiled at her friends. They were right. She didn’t want to think about leaving right now. There was the grand prize of singing on a Connect Three CD that she wanted to collect. If anything could cheer her up, that was it. She joined her friends as they walked toward the beach where the lunch barbecue was set up.

  She would just have to try and figure out Giselle’s cryptic message later.

  CHAPTER

  FIVE

  The line for hamburgers was long by the time the four friends arrived, and Mitchie fanned herself with her plate as she waited. “I know that the heat wave has broken, but it is still so hot!”

  “Well, not as hot as it was last night,” Caitlyn said. “This is just normal hot. At least we aren’t going to dehydrate.”

  “Speak for yourself,” Colby said as he joined his friends on the line. “I’m ready to take a dive in the water.” He strained his neck to look over the crowd. “But first I have to get one of those burgers. They smell so good.”

 
; “Nothing beats a burger,” Barron said from his place in line ahead of Colby. “And the whole outdoor thing just makes it better.”

  “Let’s move along, people,” Sander added. He was standing next to Barron, eager for his lunch.

  “Are you two going to be partners for the musical-mystery hunt?” Mitchie asked. It was no secret that Barron and Sander were a great musical team.

  “You bet,” Sander said. He leaned in closer to Mitchie. “So you better watch your back!”

  Mitchie laughed. “Well, I’ve been warned,” she said. “But you should know, Caitlyn and I want to win pretty badly.”

  “And so do we,” Peggy chimed in. “Lola and I are a perfect team. Not only do we harmonize together, we are going to rock this hunt to first place!” She grabbed Lola’s hand and raised it above her head like a champion.

  Lola appreciated Peggy’s enthusiasm, but she still couldn’t take her mind off the phone call from Giselle. How could her mom expect her to just sit tight without any explanation? She didn’t know if she could wait until tonight to find out what was going wrong. The suspense was totally going to get to her.

  Seeing the expression on Lola’s face, Mitchie realized that her friend was thinking about the phone call. She turned to Lola and put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Lola. I’m sure everything is going to be okay. There’s nothing we can do for the moment, so you just need to enjoy being here now!”

  “Plus, I need you as my partner,” Peggy added, putting her arm around her. She gave Lola a tight squeeze. “I’m sure tonight when you talk to your mom, she’ll explain everything and you’ll feel better. The musical mystery is going to start any minute, and we’re going to win!”

  Lola nodded her head. She looked around at her friends. They were right. She didn’t want to miss out on the musical-mystery hunt. This was an event she had been looking forward to all summer. Her competitive spirit started to kick in. “You’re right,” she said. Then she smiled at Peggy. “You know, I came in second last year.”