After arriving home, Catte and Colin entered the house while Ruby had fallen asleep during the journey. Colin carried Ruby inside.
(Inside the house)
Catte opened the door for Colin, who was carrying Ruby, and helped him place her in her room. Colin then sat on the sofa while Catte went to prepare a meal.
"Hey, Catte, next week, I have work to do... so you'll have to take care of yourself," Colin said tiredly.
"I already take care of myself. You should just die while working," Catte said while chopping carrots.
With a smirk, Colin walked over to Catte and held him.
"Hey... hey... what do you want now? We already did it last night. We can't do this now because Ruby is here," Catte said.
Colin kissed Catte and whispered,
"Think of me as your guardian."
Catte suddenly remembered his past, when he was taken care of by his guardian as a child. But for now, he decided to push those thoughts aside.
[Bedtime]
Catte went to sleep beside Ruby, who looked exhausted. As he lay there, Colin's words, "guardian," echoed in his mind. He started remembering that before being taken in by his friend Frost's family, there was a caretaker who had looked after him from first to third grade. Frost's family had only taken him in when he was in fourth grade. He had long forgotten this part of his past—until now. Slowly, sleep took over.
[Caretaker's House – Dream Sequence]
In his dream, Catte found himself back in third grade. He was a quiet child who rarely spoke. He watched as his caretaker placed food in front of him, yet strangely, he couldn't see their face.
The caretaker then walked toward the kitchen. Meanwhile, from the corner of his eye, Catte noticed an unusual light coming from the front door. Without thinking, he got up and walked outside.
Suddenly, a panicked voice screamed from behind.
"CATTE, WATCH OUT!"
Catte turned his head to the right and froze. A speeding car was heading straight toward him. His instincts screamed at him to move, but his body wouldn't budge. He squeezed his eyes shut, convinced that this was the end.
But when he opened them again, he was unharmed.
Instead, his caretaker lay on the ground—motionless.
The sound of sirens filled the air as paramedics rushed in to help, but all Catte could do was watch in horror as they carried the unconscious body away. He fell to his knees, crying, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
[Present – Catte's Room]
Catte jolted awake, heart pounding. Sweat clung to his skin as the nightmare's memory replayed in his mind.
"Was all of this... my fault?" he whispered, his voice laced with guilt.
Unable to face the weight of the question, he curled back under the covers, forcing himself to forget.
[Inside Catte's Dream Again]
Catte realized he was dreaming once more. However, this time, it wasn't a nightmare—it was peaceful. His entire life's memories seemed to unfold before him.
One by one, familiar figures appeared—his mother, his father, his older brother, and even his caretaker.
Catte stood frozen, unable to believe his eyes. But as he stepped closer, an unsettling truth hit him—he still couldn't see their faces.
His chest tightened. This wasn't a happy dream. It was a nightmare in disguise.
Then, in unison, their voices rang through the void.
"This is all your fault."
The words sliced through him like a knife.
"No..."
He clutched his head as the whispers turned into deafening screams.
"ALL YOUR FAULT."
"STOP IT! PLEASE, JUST STOP!" he yelled, his voice breaking under the weight of his own guilt.
[Reality – Catte's Room]
Gasping, Catte jolted awake. His body trembled as he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Without hesitation, he got up and rushed to the bathroom, splashing water on his face.
"It was just a dream... just a dream," he muttered to himself.
Afraid of falling into another nightmare, he curled up in a different spot, hoping for a more peaceful sleep this time. Thankfully, the rest of the night remained quiet.
[Chapter 18:End]