Gordon Smith knocked on the flat door, checking the address one final time. "Ms Hayes?" He called, rapping on the door. This was his last case for the day, after which he could head home. "Ms Haynes, this is Gordon Smith from the Department of Child Services. May I please speak to you?"

When the door wasn't immediately answered, he looked around nervously. While this was a paradise compared to some places he'd been forced to retrieve children from, the police were fiercely protective. He nodded to a tenant who had the look of officer about them. Tough people, almost as bad as Epics. "Ms Hayes, I have paperwork for you to sign regarding Megan Robinson."

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"I'm eighteen," Melissa replied defensively. Then, aware she'd raised her voice slightly, immediately dropped back into a whisper. "I might look like a kid, but I'm not." Being one of the oldest in the class and having what felt like every other girl look older than her had made Melissa a little touchy about her age, though in the opposite direction to most. Her mother may have said looking young was a blessing in disguise, but it didn't help at all when you wanted to be taken seriously. 

And like many teenagers trying to assert their identities, Melissa badly wanted to be taken seriously. "Why, am I too young for you?" She asked, all her anxiety replaced by the old irritation. "I'm graduating end of the school year. So I'm old enough to..." She coughed. "Old enough."

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