Tanya sped up as she ran over to Katherine's house for their one-night sleepover. Katherine had told her that she wanted to have that sleepover for a reason, but never said why, so the Yellow Ranger had agreed anyway. She finally got to the door and knocked.
"Who- who is it?" a shaky voice asked from inside. Is that Kat? Whoever it is seems to have been crying.
"Kat, is that you?" Tanya called anxiously. "It's Tanya. I'm here for the sleepover that you told me to come for."
"I- I can't do this anymore," Kat replied from inside, sniffing a bit. "Please just go away."
"Kat, please let me in."
"Fine." The gold doorknob turned slowly and Tanya gently pushed it open. A broken-looking Katherine Hillard stood in front of her, tears streaming down her pale face and a frightened look in her usually bright eyes. A ghastly-looking scar had appeared on her neck and more awful scars patterned the rest of her visible skin. The Pink Ranger backed away as soon as she was seen, knowing that her friend would ask about them right away.
"Kat?" Tanya stepped back in horror. "What the heck happened to you?"
"Come in if you're going to or just leave."
Tanya walked inside and closed the door behind her, still staring at Katherine. "I just told you I didn't want to do this and now you see why."
"Where are your parents?"
"On an out-of-town trip."
"Do they know what happened to you?"
"No, and they don't need to."
Tanya narrowed her eyes. "Well, I do. How did you get so beaten up?"
"I..."
"You can tell me, Kat."
"Come upstairs with me, Tanya."
Wordlessly, Tanya followed Katherine upstairs as she continued eyeing her scars. How...?
As they finally reached the top step, Tanya grabbed Kat's arm. "Kat, please tell me what happened to you."
"I'm about to show you, so stop badgering me about it!"
Katherine led Tanya down to the end of the hall to another door that was completely painted black and slightly ajar. The blond teen sniffed as she grasped the dark handle and pushed it open, flipping the light switch on. The room was carpeted, with red-colored walls and ceiling, and a single, small white table centered in the middle. On the table lay a sharp, silver knife, the point covered in blood.
"I don't get it." Tanya tilted her head to the side. "Did you witness a murder or something?"
"No." Katherine pulled her inside the red room and closed the door. She crossed over to the central stand and picked up the dagger, then suddenly stabbed it into her left arm.
"Kat, what are you doing?" Tanya gasped. She rushed forward and wrenched the knife away. More tears flooded Katherine's eyes as scarlet blood poured out of her arm.
"I lied to you," Kat whispered. "My parents died a few weeks ago and I've been allowed to live here until I could find a new home. I- I feel like I can't live anymore. I have nightmares every night about my friends dying too- including you. At the same time, I knew I couldn't leave, so every day, I've been doing this to myself. That's how my scars were made. I invited you over here because I needed to tell someone, but when I finally saw myself in the mirror, I tried to cancel it at the last moment. It felt like my nightmare would finally come true. I didn't want you to die."
"But I won't," Tanya protested, placing a hand on Katherine's self-inflicted, bloody wound. Kat hissed, flinching away. "We've rarely lost battles with King Mondo's machines before and even when we have, we haven't been destroyed. There's no other way we're currently in danger, so why have you been having nightmares like that?"
"Tanya, my parents died!" Kat snapped angrily. "Can you blame me for not wanting you or Tommy or Rocky or Adam to go the same way?"
"No, I can't and I'm sorry," Tanya said quickly, trying to correct her mistake. "But we need to find you someone to help you with this so it doesn't keep happening. You can't keep hurting yourself like this!"
"Then help me," Katherine snarled angrily, snatching the knife back from Tanya and pointing it at her own throat. "If you want to help me, then help me."
"Kat, think of what would happen to us if you killed yourself!" Tanya gasped. "We'll be more vulnerable than ever. Everyone on this team wants to protect you, but how can we do that if you're trying to commit suicide? We can't! Do you want me or anyone else to end up doing the same thing you're doing because you murder yourself?"
That did it for her. Katherine dropped the knife and hid her head in her hands as she fell to her knees, sobbing. "You're right! I never should have done this to myself!"
"Kat, please calm down!" Tanya gripped her friend's arm forcefully to pull her back up to a standing position. "Let's clean you up and go to bed. I said I was staying over with you tonight, so I am." Kat's already pale face grew even paler as blood continued leaking from her arm and Tanya led her out of the room.
"Where are your bandages?" she asked calmly.
"I- in the b- bathroom at the bottom of th- the s- stairs," Katherine stammered, collapsing into Tanya's arms. Tanya lifted her clear off the ground and was instantly surprised by how weightless she was. She slowly carried her down the staircase and as she reached the base of it, she immediately spotted the bathroom and brought the wounded girl over to it.
"Can you please stand for a moment?" Tanya inquired gently. Kat nodded and leaned on the wall on shaky legs as her friend disappeared into the restroom, coming out again a few minutes later with a roll of gauze. By then, the wounded Katherine had slid down against the wall, closing her eyes. Her breathing was growing faster and more panicked. The Yellow Zeo Ranger knelt down next to her sad companion and began wrapping the gauze around the gash in her arm. It required many wrappings before Kat's blood finally stopped soaking through the bandaging.
"It's... never... hurt that much... before..." Katherine whimpered, struggling to get her breath back. "I haven't usually cut that deep."
"At least your mind is cured now," Tanya replied, caressing her friend's straight, blond hair. "I'm glad we're friends." She hugged her tenderly and Kat returned it, shivering.
"Let's go to bed now. We've had a long day."
They smiled at each other as they headed back upstairs, a touch of love in each of their peaceful gazes.