Chapter 1

Melody's head started to become clearer. She could hear people talking around her. The last thing she remembered was blacking out in the forest. 'I must be back in the facility,' she thought to herself. She wouldn't be allowed the chance to escape again anytime soon. One voice said something very clearly, "the water must have worked, and it seems that she is coming around."

"Are you alright?" A woman asked. Melody opened her eyes to see strangers surrounding her. She sat up and starred in disbelief. A boy chuckled as he spoke, "it was a good thing Dende noticed you." Melody was utterly confused, who where these people? Was this 'Dende' guy the one who had saved her? The boy spoke again, "this was in your neck, it kind of popped out, I sure hope it wasn't too important." He held out his hand with the chip sitting in it. Melody grabbed it and crushed in into dust and let it fall onto the bed spread.

"Where am I?" Melody asked. "You're at Bulma's house," the woman explained. "And where is that?" Melody asked. "Its in West City, don't you know the Capsule Corporation?" the boy asked. "What's a 'capsule?" Melody asked. "You really must not have lived near much technology," the boy joked. Melody just looked down at the blanket that was covering her. "Where ARE you from and how old are you?" the woman asked. Melody closed her eyes, pulled her knees up to her chest, and rested her head on them. "Chi Chi, if she doesn't want to talk about such personal matters, then she doesn't have to." The boy said, suddenly maturely. "Fine Goku, I'll be in the kitchen." Chi Chi said as she left the room.

Goku sat quietly on the edge of the bed. "I really don't know how old I am, or where I came from," Melody said, surprising herself that she actually spoke out to someone. Goku looked over at Melody. "You see, I was used in an experiment when I was young, these people took this weird DNA they had obtained from a guy in a fight that seemed to be non-human. Then they injected it into me to see how a human would react. Just recently, I have started to feel a weird. They wanted to do life-threatening tests on me, so I ran away, and then I blacked out. Before now I had never been outside the fence that surrounded the compound, so I don't know where I was." Melody explained. She looked up at him, for the first time in her life, she felt like she could trust someone.

"You've been through a lot," Goku responded. At that moment, something inside Melody pulsed. She felt a weird sensation go out of her body in waves, like it was some type of signal or something. She could feel something nearby responding to it, but she couldn't tell what it was. She shook her head. "Is everything alright?" Goku asked. "Yea, just fine," Melody lied. Then someone came running into the room.

"Hay Grandpa!" the girl called as she jumped onto the bed. "Grand…." Melody echoed. "Yea, it must seem weird to you," Goku said, acting childish again. "Grandpa got turned from an adult to a child," the girl answered. "I see," Melody said. "Melody, this is Pan, Pan, this is Melody," Goku introduced the two girls to each other. Something smashed in the other room.

Shouting could be heard from the other room. "Don't touch anything!" Chi Chi yelled. "Hay Melody, wanna go check it out?" Pan asked. Melody got out of the bed as Pan stood up. They both left the room with Goku following them

They walked in to see a teenage boy sitting down on a couch in the living room where they had just entered. "What did you get yelled at for?" Goku asked. "I tried to grab some food that mom was making," the boy answered. "Uncle Goten, you should know better than that by now!" Pan exclaimed. "Squirt," Goten came back. "Hay I'm not that small!" Pan complained. "Compared to Goten you sure are," Goku teased. Pan hit Goku on the head. "I'm bigger than you, Grandpa," she said. Goku started to laugh. Something in Melody's heart pained just then. Paining for something she had always missed, but wanted above anything else, a real family.

A real family, people she could relax around and act like herself. Melody really didn't know anything about herself. All she really knew was her name, and what the stupid scientists had told her, but she could never trust them. Unlike if she had grown up around people like them, loving and caring. Melody started to feel extremely sad. She could never have a family, not like the one before her now. A normal family like this would never let such an outcast, like herself, to live with them, she was too different.

While Melody was thinking all of this to herself, Goku had introduced Goten to her. She snapped herself back to reality. "Hello," Goten said. Melody said back oddly, "Ah, yea, nice to meet you." Chi Chi walked into the room speaking, "we should bring down this food; everyone else must be getting hungry." Everyone grabbed a dish of food or two and carried it downstairs and outside.

A lot more people were outside. Melody set down her dish of food on a table and looked around. People were all over, talking to one another. They all looked so happy. She wanted to be a part of it so badly, but she stuck out , she was so different after all. She didn't think anyone would really want to talk to her if they had their friends here. 'Why talk to a weirdo like me' she told herself. Then Pan came up and grabbed Melody's arm and dragged her off.

They stopped when they reached an old man. "Grandpa Hercule, I want you to meet my new friend." Pan said happily. Melody was shocked to be called someone's friend. "Melody, this is my Grandpa Hercule," Pan said. "It's good for you to have a new friend, but I came here to announce something to everyone," Hercule said. "Oh what is it?" Pan asked. "Well, with being the World Champion, I get to know when all the new events are going to happen before the public gets to know," Hercule said proudly. "Grandpa Hercule, stop bragging and get on with it already," Pan wined. "You ruin all of my fun," Hercule complained. "So what is it?" Melody asked. "A Special World Tournament is going to take place next month," Hercule announced, "It seems that these scientists want to show off their new research." "Really? I can't wait to enter!" Pan exclaimed.

"Oh I have heard of that," Melody exclaimed, proud that she understood at least one thing in this outside world. "Yea, I won it when I was just a little girl," Pan explained. "Wow! You must be really strong then," Melody asked. "Well, I'm not as strong as Grandpa or any of the others," Pan answered. "Man, all of that sounds like a lot of fun, wish I could be in it." Melody said sadly. "We can both participate! I bet we both would get in!" Pan exclaimed. "Really?" Melody asked. Both girls got excited and started to walk towards a table to sit. Melody was asking all types of questions about the tournament.

A limo pulled up by the road. Once Pan spotted it, she grabbed Melody's hand again and dragged her off towards it. "Come on, I want you to meet someone else! You like him I just know it!" Pan explained. "Umm, ok," Melody answered. "You look around his age, so I don't see why you two wouldn't hit it off," Pan kept talking.

Soon enough they had reached to where the limo was, but now there was a young man standing in a business suit. At first glance, Melody had a weird warming feeling in her heart that she had never felt before. Speaking of feelings, she was experiencing a lot of new feelings since she had been spending time with these people. Before she was only feeling lonely and angry. Now she was feeling happy, and this other feeling, she couldn't explain it.

"Trunks, this is Melody, Melody this is Trunks," Pan introduced the two of them. "Hello, it's nice to meet you," he said very professionally, he even bowed! "Ah, nice to meet you to," Melody fussed, as she bowed back. Why couldn't she speak properly anymore? And was she actually blushing? "Hay Trunks, I have some really good news," Pan said excitedly. "Tell me in just a bit, I'm going to go and change," Trunks said as he walked towards the house. Left behind him was a strange, floating white orb.

The white orb then suddenly grew arms and legs as it pronounced, "Geru!" "Geru," Pan shouted as the orb flew into her arms. Melody was very confused on what this thing was, but she stayed calm about it. Then Geru spoke "Danger, danger, unknown power nearby, danger, Pan in danger!" "Geru, Melody is my new friend, and she isn't dangerous," Pan told Geru off. "Friend?" Geru copied. "Hello," Melody said oddly. "Melody is Pan's friend and Geru is Pan's friend?" Geru asked. "Yes, you are both my friends," Pan said, making Melody smile. "Then Melody be Geru's new friend," Geru said. Melody felt a bit weird having a white orb with limbs for a friend but she said, "and Geru is my new friend."

Then someone snuck up on Melody, making her jump and scream. At once, a sudden power jump filled the air then disappeared. Everyone at the party who could sense energy powers stopped talking and looked around to where the power had come from. But they soon began talking again. Melody sighed when she turned around to see Trunks standing there. "Trunks, you really shouldn't be going around scarring people like that," Pan preached to Trunks. "What if I told you that you were my initial target," Trunks said. "What?!" Pan said, surprised. "I'm sorry Melody," Trunks said. "I….it….its…..ok…." Melody stumbled. There she was going again, what was coming over her?

"So what were you two so keenly talking about earlier?" Trunks asked. Pan sat down on the ground. "Grandpa Hercule said that there is going to be a special tournament, something about scientists showing off something or whatever, but it will be held in a few months," Pan explained. "Well that's kind of without notice, usually they tell the public eight months before hand," Trunks added. "Are you going to participate?" Melody asked him. "Well," he answered hesitantly. "He won the junior division when he was younger, that's what Grandpa Goku said," Pan said.

Trunks looked a bit embarrassed. He tried to cover it up with going onto a new subject, "Are you planning on entering it, Melody?" "Yea, Pan said I would be able to, but with you guys winning when you're only a little kid, I wont even have a chance against you. Anyways, all the stuff I know is just self-taught defense moves." Melody explained. "Why did you have to just teach yourself?" Pan asked. "Well, I had to make sure that the stupid scientists didn't kill me during the test……ts" Melody stopped herself, just realizing what she had said. "What do you mean?" Pan asked. "Right," Melody said as she looked from Pan's confused look to Trunks' concerned look. "The main point is that I don't know much about fighting, if only I was taught," She stopped herself again. "Well if you need the basics, we can teach them to you," Trunks offered. "Really? You would do something like that for me?" Melody asked.

She actually felt like she belonged with them. She felt like she was the happiest girl in the world.