Broken Arrow

Chapter One: Rosewater

The next station is Rosewater. Please mind the gap between the train and the platform.

The sunlight pierces though the trains glass window and illuminates the carriages as it escapes the tunnel. She squints her eyes as they adjust to the sudden brightness and puts down her Kindle. The sun outside abstracts a summers day however, she notices the thin layer of frost on the roofs of the houses that race past, England is battling December.

Her train from Stratford to Bishops Stortford is running fourteen minutes behind its schedule due to a signal failure – a typical scenario for Britain's finest transport system. Crinkling her nose from the strong aroma left from previous passenger's food, she digs through her Louis Vuitton overnight bag for her phone.

One new message – Phillip Baker

Hi Lott, would you be able to pick up another bottle of wine from Tesco, the one that tastes like chocolate. I am on my way back from work now. See you when I get home, Love you x

Charlie makes a mental note to stop off in the town whilst replying to Phil.

I'll pick up a couple of bottles. See you when you get home. Love you xx

She hits send and snaps her phone shut before placing it back in her bag. The anxious feeling that has been brewing in the pit of her stomach is now taking over her body as the train slows and the small town comes into view.

"We are now arriving at Rosewater, please make sure to take your belongings with you when leaving the train. Have yourself a Merry Christmas." The driver chirps over the intercom.

*

For as long as Charlie can remember, Christmas in Rosewater is always the most celebrated festive season of the year. Red and green colour lights wrapped neatly around the many lampposts that run either side of the main road from the station towards the church on The Hill. The Town's Christmas tree stands in all its glory outside the council hall, the magnificent different coloured ornaments and lights dangle from each branch and the Angel that every year sits at the very top, leaves a warm feeling in the hearts of the residents.

Charlie left Rosewater to start a new life in London three years ago after she was accepted at Kings College University, she only returns to Rosewater willingly for celebrations such as birthdays and Christmas. She detests the painfully slow three months' summer holiday that confides her to the claustrophobic town.

Rosewater's population is a couple of thousand. The Town is where the working class are homed, this community of people own family run businesses or work for the local businesses such as the Tesco Supermarket. The children of the working class don't go to university, they can leave school with the excellent grades but can only go to the college in the next town, or go straight into work. The children that do get to attend university live on The Hill, they go onto achieve successful jobs in Rosewater's council or high end careers in London.

Charlie's uncle Clive works for the Rosewater's council and his husband Phil works for an investment company inside The Shard in London. Both very important careers which means they live in the largest mansion on The Hill, making Charlie the most privileged out of all children, and she hated that status growing up.

During her education at Rosewater Academy, Charlie had many people following her around school, children that wanted to use her for their own greed. She started to get bored of the followers at only fourteen years old but no matter what she did, they always praised her. Girls wanted to be her and boys wanted to date her.