Hello Brooklyn (Chapter One)

Torin McTaggart sat in the back of the old Explorer as it sped along the Manhattan Bridge. He sighed, and looked out the window. It was dark out, about 9pm, and raining. The raindrops on the window made the streetlights blur into the New York Skyline. He stared, and counted each raindrop that fell on the window.
“Torin.” His younger sister, Coriann, poked him. “Hey, Torin.” He jumped, startled, and turned his attention away from the falling rain.
“Yeah?” He mustered a smile and brushed his black bangs out of his eyes. They were getting sort of long, but he liked them like that. “What’s up, Cori?”
“The night-time lights are pretty.” She said, and grinned. He laughed at her statement, and tousled her strawberry blonde curls. “Mom?” She then said, directing her next words at the small woman at the wheel, “Are we there yet?”
“Almost, Coriann. About five, ten minutes from here. We just have to go down Flatbush Ave, and we’re there.” She directed her attention away from the wheel to look back at her two children. The oldest, and the youngest. Torin was the oldest, at sixteen, and the youngest, being Cori at seven. The middle child, up in the front seat, was thirteen year old Madison. She had insisted upon sitting in the front seat for some reason, away from Coriann, whom she deemed ‘vexatious.’ Her and Torin got along okay, but they had their dark moments. Allison McTaggart took one last look at the backseat, then at Madison, then directed her attention back to driving. “Almost there.” She said again.
“Okay.” Cori said, and leaned her head in Torin’s lap. He stroked her hair, and looked out the window at the rain again. They weren’t on the bridge anymore. He saw the sign for Flatbush Ave. They weren’t even in Hoboken anymore, he thought. Of course, they hadn’t been for the last like, ten minutes, but whatever. They were moving from Hoboken, New Jersey to Brooklyn, New York City, to their Aunt Sheila’s to get away from their father, Allison’s ex husband. Well, technically, he was only little Cori’s father, but since Torin was nine, Roger Ticksten had been Torin and Madison’s father also. He’d been an alcoholic for three and a half of those seven years they’d been married, and abusive for two of them. Allison had finally had enough and divorced the man, and now, this, moving to a whole ‘nother state. Torin wasn’t really that upset about moving, he didn’t have that many friends in the first place. He was always the quiet artist type, his mom said. Coriann didn’t care much about leaving her friends. She was just excited about making new ones. Madison was the most upset about it. She’d had a fit before they left, and caused a scene at the McDonald’s in which they’d stopped for dinner. She’d been pretty popular apparently, and was worried she wouldn’t be here in Brooklyn. Torin counted the raindrops on the window in his head again, as he watched the townhouses pass, until the vehicle came to a stop in front of the last one. “Torin!” Cori poked him again, excitedly. “Torin, we’re here! We’re at Auntie Sheila’s house!” Torin sighed again, unbuckling his seatbelt, then helping Cori undo hers.
“Hello Brooklyn.”