Guardian: Returns

6

Luo Fei sat up on his bed. He woke up from a dream drenched in a cold sweat. The teenager didn't remember the nightmare, yet the mere thought of going back to sleep made him shiver. He got up, went downstairs to the kitchen, and poured himself a glass of water. It has been getting out of control recently. Was he stressed out? Was it the school? Nonsense. Yet more and more often, something came to haunt him at night.

He drank the water and breathed out. "Zhao Yunlan wouldn't be scared of his own bed. Go back to sleep, idiot," he told himself. He went back upstairs and froze. The light was off, and the window to his room was opened. The boy frantically searched for the light switch, and at that moment, something brushed against his leg. He screamed and kicked the air. A soft meowing reached his ears that made Luo Fei breathe out, relieved.

"That you, Dead Cat?" The meowing came much closer, the furball returning to brush against his legs. "You scared me. Don't do that, ok?" The boy knelt in the dark room and found the cat already squeezing under his hands. "Wanna sleep with me tonight? I'm glad you came. I don't want to be alone," he admitted. He lay on the bed and put the cat next to the pillow. It sniffed him, then the bedsheets, before curling into a fluffy ball. The cat raised his head when a dim light from a nightlamp banished the total darkness of the room.

"Sorry, let's sleep with this on, ok?" Luo whispered, then vanished under bed covers. The cat observed the unmoving figure for some time, then he sat up and stared into the darkness as if lost in thoughts.

Something poked Luo Fei's nose gently. He made a face and moved to lay on his back when a paw stepped on his hair.

"Ow," he complained, opening his eyes. A cat's muzzle appeared right above him, sniffing. "Seriously? Get out of my face!" The boy sat up and stretched. "I don't wanna go to school," he complained, then looked at his phone. "Damned cat, it's still early. I could've slept for another hour or so." He touched his face and frowned when the hand came out wet. "What the... Did you wake me up because I had a nightmare?"

The cat meowed and brushed against his side, then climbed onto his legs and settled there. Luo Fei stroke the black furball affectionately. "Thanks, Fatty. I wish I remembered at least one of those dreams, though."

His phone buzzed, and the boy looked at the screen, confused. Who was texting him at five?

"I'll be home later. ER full. Don't skip breakfast. Love you. Mom."

He sighed. His mom was a nurse, and she often worked night shifts, but staying late wasn't something that happened too often.

"Wanna eat, Fatty?" Luo put the phone away. The cat immediately jumped to the floor and turned to look at the boy expectantly. He laughed. "If you can understand what I'm saying, why don't you start talking back, huh?" he joked. The animal meowed, and its tail moved. "Ok, ok, I'm coming. Stop rushing me."

He gave the cat some fish and turned on the TV while waiting for the water to boil.

"...and the authorities are not yet sure what caused the building to collapse. A special investigation will be conducted to determine the cause of the accident, which resulted in three people dead, seventeen wounded, and eight still missing," the TV reporter said. Luo Fei ran up to the TV set and looked at the scene behind the journalist.

"Whoah, hey Cat! Look, It's Zhao Yunlan!" he said happily, then turned around and blinked. The cat was gone. Luo Fei looked back at the screen, but the news has changed, and he wasn't interested anymore. He returned to the kitchen and made himself a cup of coffee. Then he reached for the cat bowls and froze. There was still unfinished milk in one and fish in the other. That has never happened before. The cat always licked both bowls clean. Did he get scared of something? Luo Fei called several times but got no answer. He sighed, and with hot coffee, he returned to his room. Was there a test from history today? He could try and memorize something in the time he had. Luo was a good student if he wanted to, but he just didn't see the point of gaining all the knowledge in the world.