Hey there just wanted to say you gave a lot of potential to develop...
But there are a lot of things lacking of accuracy...
1. kids in high-school can't live by themselves...they nleed an adult guardian. or they'd be in group homes with other kids...
So they can't either take custody of Eleanor like that.... also there are few process like a judge qualifying the adult in charge to be able to take care of a kid and evaluating if the home is an OK environment ( room and bedding for the kid, clean house,...)
Now if you made Brian 24 or 25 ish this would work!
2. the level-headed of speech and thinking of Eleanor is too developed for a 5 yo kid! shed be at the very least 12 to speak like that and I'm being generous here...
So you could either adapt the speech and thought level to s five year old...or make get way much older than she is in your book but then the attitude should change a tiny bit cause that's how kid of that age are or preteenagers with abused background...
3. there's no way kids can be abused like that by parents adopting them cause they're like tested by a social services representive...who comes home every months at first to make sure the parents are fine... adoption is not so easy...otherwise brangelina and Madonna wouldn't have gone that far too get kids...
so I hope you don't take this the wrong way cause I wouldn't bother if it was not good...I really like the story but I think you could make it so much better and with that probably be one of those great wattpaders...
ps I've been through social services and group home when I was a kid of Eleanors age so I would know what it is like especially since my brother is the reason why I didn't grow up there cause he raised me...and my nephew was actually abandon by his mom when he was a year old but we manage to find him and get him back...took us 10 years... so your story means a lot to me and is close to reality except for details ☺
