A/N: For the moment Annabell still can't understand Train so when he speaks to her it will be in italics.
I don't own any Magic Roundabout characters used in this story, they belong to Serge Danot. I just own Annabell.
Annabell smiled seeing Zebedee talking with most of the villagers once they arrived.
"Morning all." She greeted bouncing over.
"Morning Annabell, morning Train."
Train gave a nod from his spot under the nearby tree.
"So with the weather getting even hotter I believe a trip to the river is in order." Zebedee said.
There were murmurs of approval at the idea.
"Sounds like a brilliant idea." Florence smiled.
Even Train gave a pleased nod at the idea.
"Nice cool water, plenty of shade. Let's get going."
Annabell looked unsure at the idea.
She'd been to the lake before and the water was a bit too deep for her liking, especially since she couldn't exactly swim.
"Let's hope there's still water left." Dougal muttered climbing aboard.
"You ok there Anna?" Dylan asked noticed she seemed off.
"Hm? Oh er yeah, just didn't get much sleep because of the heat." She replied.
"You don't have to go in the water if you're not comfortable. Just be aware is Zeb's about, he might find a way of soaking you." Dylan warned.
Annabell groaned.
"Don't. He finally got me with one of his tricks this morning." She muttered earning a laugh from Dougal.
"Told you he would get you eventually."
Annabell only rolled her eyes.
"Let's just get going."
The ride was mostly quiet, Annabell taking note of how the scenery was changing.
Soon enough Train pulled up at the water's edge, Annabell only really looking up hearing a loud splash.
Of course Dougal had taken a running leap into the water and was happily swimming in the more deeper part of the water.
"Be careful Dougal." Florence warned, walking over towards him.
Everyone soon made their way towards the water to enjoy the cool water.
Annabell however settled down under a nearby tree to watch the others.
"Nice to see my ledge is still here from last year." Brian smiled soon settling down on a small ledge just inside the lake.
It was only small but it made sure he could enjoy the water without risk of being swept away.
Even Train found a spot deep enough for himself to settle down in without getting stuck.
He'd learned that lesson the hard way.
Dylan took a seat by Annabell who was practising some magic with limited success.
"You look burnt out."
Annabell looked over hearing Dylan's concerned voice.
"Burnt out? Sorry that's not a phrase I'm familiar with."
"It pretty much means you've been pushing yourself too much and your body can't keep up, so you stop feeling like yourself." Dylan explained.
Annabell nodded.
"Yeah, it certainly feels that way."
"Doubt this hot weather's helped despite the fact you're, you know, a Fire Wizard." Dylan added leaning back.
Annabell let out a huff.
"You have no idea."
From his spot Zebedee looked over glad that Annabell had started to come out of her shell and actually talk to the villagers more.
By then even he'd used his magic to change into something more suitable and lighter for the weather.
He couldn't help but notice Dougal slowly swimming over to Dylan and Annabell and had to hide his amused smirk knowing what was about to happen.
Both soon jumped up when Dougal decided to shake himself off by them.
Needless to say they were not amused as Dougal ran back to the relative safety of Florence's side.
Annabell shook her head and begrudgingly used her magic to change into a shoulder length shirt.
Dylan only flicked the water off of his fur.
"Very mature dude."
He soon looked at Annabell confused.
"Hey Anna, if you don't mind me asking what're those marks on your arms?" Dylan asked.
"Oh these? Had them all my life. From what I've been able to find out each marking belongs to a specific family. It's kind of hard to explain but a kid will have the markings of whatever side if the family has the strongest magic.. unfortunately I've never been able to find out where my markings come from." Annabell replied, turning her arms around to reveal the full zigzag pattern.
She didn't notice the suspicious look Dougal was now giving her.
"I know I've seen that somewhere before." He said quietly.
It took him a few moments before he realised.
He looked over towards Zebedee and saw the devistation on his face.
That told him he was right.
"Zebedee..can I have a quick word with you in private?" He asked, walking over.
Zebedee nodded and the two quickly excused themselves from the others.
"If what she said is true.. should we tell her? From what I've seen from her she's nothing like him but this isn't something we'll be able to keep secret." Dougal asked voicing his concern.
Zebedee gave an audible sigh.
"Just... just keep her away from the roundabout for now. I need to figure out what I'm supposed to do."
Dougal looked at the wizard concerned.
"You really had no idea..did you?"
Zebedee shook his head.
"This is the first time she's worn a short sleeved shirt around me before."
He should have realised there was a reason nobody wanted anything to do with her in their homeland. Why he hadn't been able to find anything about her family.
All this time, he'd been looking after a direct descendant of the one who had caused him to lose his family.
"Are you ok?" Dougal asked noticed the shift in the air.
"No...I need some time to process this." Zebedee replied before vanishing in a blast of magic.