Lost (Book Five of the Melody Series)

The ISASD

Melody's POV

"So, where do you want to go?" Dad asked me. I shrugged. "I dunno. It's so strange, being in a new...body."

"I know where we need to go," Ella said. "Home."

"How do you handle staying home all the time?" Dad asked her. "Don't you get bored with the same-old-same-old stuff?"

"Uh, no, not really," Ella seemed a bit surprised. "I find ways to entertain myself. I don't really need a time machine to entertain myself?"

"Yeah, but don't you find it lame, staring at the same surroundings?" I had to smile. Ella wasn't getting that Dad did not like staying still, and Dad wasn't getting that Ella didn't get that. Nor was he getting that not everyone moved around as often as he did.

"What are you smiling about?" River muttered to me. I quickly explained, and she said, "That's your father."

"Oh, but isn't it?" I stifled a yawn. I had a horrible night sleep the night before-only about a few hours-and checking my watch, it was about nine in the morning. Huh.

"Alright, here's the plan-I'm going to take Ella home, then maybe River, then I'll take you somewhere fun. How's that?" Dad leaned against the console.

"Sounds like a plan," I said with a grin. "Introduce River to Grandma Piper, too, while you're at it."

"Not in a million gazillion years" was his reply as he turned around. I had to sit down in the jump seat as the TARDIS flew us back home. Not only that, but I was still recovering a bit from regenerating, and I had just stood on my feet for a rather long time, so my legs were extremely shaky. "Let's not go somewhere where there's not much walking, though; I can't really stay on my feet for long."

"Got it," Dad said as the TARDIS shuddered to a stop. Ella opened the TARDIS door and turned around, saying, "Be careful, you too; I don't want to find out that you've being dealing with Sontarans or whatever."

"We make no promises," I called back. She rolled her eyes and left the TARDIS, letting the door bang behind her. Dad called, "Oi! Be careful with the doors; she's a living being, not a cupboard!"

I felt something building up inside me, and I swallowed. River noticed and said soothingly, "That's just the excess regeneration energy, you need to let it out."

"That's weird," I opened my mouth to say, but the thing that was building up had forced itself out, and I watched as the golden gas-regeneration energy-floated away. "Okay, that's weird. That's just plain weird."

"You'll get used to it," Dad called from the console. "Now, where do you want to go?"

"I don't know. I honestly do not know. It's strange-I'm still getting used to it. It's like...my mind wants to go to somewhere like the Winchester Mansion, because I wanted to earlier, but yet, it doesn't really interest me, like I want to go, but not as badly as before...oh, just surprise me, alright?"

"Alrighty, then! River, do you want to come?" Dad glanced at River. She shrugged. "Oh, what the hell. Why not?"

Dad grinned and ran around the console. "I'm allowing the TARDIS to pick the place this time. I trust her opinion."

So naturally the minute we open the TARDIS doors we hear a flashing siren and a voice over the loudspeaker, "Red Alert. We have intruder. Red Alert."

"Well, that's not good, is it?" I muttered.

"No, that's not. Let's hope that the people-"

"-or something," I muttered.

"-are nice," Dad said cheerfully. Of course. Almost nothing could bring him down.