Weeks later, Kim sat in the Police Station at Detective Shelm's desk, head down, coffee mug in hand. She waited for what seemed like an hour before Shelm walked in the door and tossed a bunch of papers on the desk in front of her. She looked up at the man and then began leafing through the papers. They were the Vitch's criminal records, which had been clean until this incident. A trial was scheduled for the month to come, but the question of whether Kiki could still live in the mansion remained.
"I thought all of you decided that if I moved in with her that she could stay there." Kim argued when Shelm told her that Kiki had to move out. He nodded his head and then motioned for her to calm down.
"That was a fine arrangement for a while, but we've decided that she needs a mentor, a guardian."
"But I am her mentor and guardian!"
"No. She needs a parent to supervise, not a friend who she can party with."
Kim stood up and slammed her fists on the desk. "I AM HER GUARDIAN! We don't party! I take care of her, and I'm the only one in this godforsaken town who intends to do so!" She hit the desk once more with her fists as she sat back down and once again held her head in her hands. She began to lightly cry tears of hurt and tears of anger. Shelm walked over to her and gave her a hug.
"I'm sorry, but you're not authorized." Kim pushed him away.
"How do I become authorized?"
"You're not of age yet to be authorized." Kim looked up at him in disbelief.
"I'm twenty years old! How am I not of age to be authorized?" Shelm sighed, and took a paper out of a drawer in the file cabinet. He held it out for her to read. The first three lines were written in bold, black letters and read:
To gain authorization and become a child's mentor/guardian, you must be able to fit into the categories below:
Of Age 21 or older Have been able to keep a job for three years or moreKim sighed.
"Well, I can fit into the second oneā¦Is there absolutely no way that this can be altered? Even by one year?" Shelm shook his head.
"You can't like, pull some strings or something?" Shelm once again shook his head.
"For me?" Kim continued to plead as Shelm continued to shake his head no. Kim finally stood up and wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Fine." She said as she grabbed her stuff, picked up the papers and shoved them in her bag, and walked out, slamming the door behind her.
