Happy Juneteenth, everyone.

All characters from Disney, Vivziepop and other properties are owned by their respectful owners. The OCs made here are written entirely for the story. Enjoy the fic.

LC Sidetrack: Cat's Jubilee

It was morning at the Harwitch household. Cat got into her school uniform before she went to join her family for breakfast.

"Morning, guys!" Cat declared as she sat with her family at the breakfast table. "Hey mom, I see that you followed my advice on using water this time."

"I got you to thank, Cat," Swan replied while shown to have styled her hair, which was now in a bob box braid style. "Really love this hairstyle you gave me."

"I do too," Zebra replied, his black and white striped mohawk now swirling. "It makes me feel like the mighty unicorn," he said while striking a pose.

"Glad you two like it," Cat replied with a smile while eating her breakfast. "Hey Dog, Moose, maybe I can try doing your hair next?"

"Nah, I'm cool," Dog replied with his usual chill manner. "Besides, I think I already look my best every day at Merlin."

"I don't need a haircut," Moose declared. "This hair of mine got me through the mud pit battle of one year ago! So much mud that day…"

"Well, if you two ever change your minds, I'm always here," Cat pointed out.

After breakfast, Cat flew on her staff next to Amelia.

"Okay, so I think I got this down," Cat said while looking through her notes mid-flight. "If I can create a natural hair potion, I could help heal one's scalp that's been filled with dandruff, and I can help prevent lice." She turned to Amelia. "How's studying the history of human law, Amelia?"

"Right now I've been reading about the history of civil rights in the Human Realm," Amelia responded while holding up her notes. "Apparently, humans used to categorize each other based on race, gender, orientation… but changed thanks to the efforts of a number of humans. Rosa Parks, Dorothy Heights, Dr. King, Nelson Mandela…"

"Huh, I wonder if Luz's brother was named after this Dr. King guy," Cat replied. "Oh, you know, Luz has given me some recommendations for human music to help with my own style of bard dancing," she said while holding up some CDs. "Each of these came from Queens. Queen Turner, Queen Latifah, and Queen Aretha Franklin, who was also a civil rights idol, and Queen of the Souls…"

"Queen of the Souls… she must be a really big deal with that title," Amelia said in awe.

"I know, there's still so much to learn about human culture," Cat said while Amelia nodded in agreement.

Once the two made it to Hexside and landed outside the school, they found Simon waiting out front for them.

"Hey, Cat," Simon waved to her.

"Hey, Simon, sweetie," Car replied affectionately, going over to hug Simon and kiss him on the cheek. "How's your arm?"

"Better," Simon responded while holding up his bandaged arm. "I should be able to take this off soon."

"Great! I was a bit worried that the mending spells wouldn't be strong enough for your bones, but it looks like it is working," she said with a smile. "Also my folks want you over for dinner so wear something nice for me, okay?"

"Sure thing, Cat," Simon replied, nodding.

Amelia spotted Luz flying down to the school grounds. "Hey Luz!" she called out as Luz landed, her wings disappearing when she hit the ground.

"Sup guys," Luz said while landing. "Hope I'm not late, I had to deal with some business with the scouts this morning."

"Oh. Is everything okay, Luz?" Cat asked her in concern.

Luz sighed. "In all honesty, I have a lot on my plate right now. Especially if I have to possibly face you-know-who today…"

"Let's not worry about that. Instead, let's just enjoy a quiet day in school," Cat replied while everyone headed into Hexside.

"If we can," Amelia added.

In her Healing class, Cat and her classmates were practicing some more basic healing spell with their Healing teacher.

"Alright, to mend chest burns you must simply place your palm up the patient's chest, with your other hand over. Left over the right," spoke the Healing Professor, a horse biped demon with a lab coat, blue vest, and black trousers. "Now then, practice on your dummies like they are actually suffering from heartburn."

Cat did the technique on her practice dummy, which had a heater on the chest. She channeled her ice magic through the practice dummy.

In her Potions class, Cat was stirring her cauldron while reading the instructions on the book.

"It says here that a pinch of skin rat's dandruff is needed," Cat said while looking over the book. "Followed by some grams of nightshade…" She did not realize her cauldron was smoking a lot.

"Cat!" Boscha shouted.

Cat turned around. "Yah! Why is it smoking like this?!" Cat asked as Boscha poured one of her potions into the pot, thus stopping it from smoking. The pot started to cool down. "Phew. Thanks for the save, Boscha."

"Well, the last thing we need is to have you placed in the decontamination shower," Boscha responded.

In Bard, Cat and her classmates were playing on their instruments while Mrs. Mantis conducted. Cat was given nakers, a set of two kettledrums.

"Alright, now for the drummers!" Mrs. Mantis instructed, turning to her drummer students. Cat tapped on her own two drums, trying to get to the base of it. "A little more bravado, Ms. Harwitch!"

Cat nodded and started to get more into beating the nakers with the sticks.

"You're doing great, Cat," Skara whispered afterward.

"Yeah, you're getting the hang of it," Luz whispered as well.

"Thanks, guys," Cat whispered back.

In Illusions, Cat was attempting a duplicate spell.

"Alright, I think I can make a pretty good copy of you, Gus," Cat said while Gus stood by. She drew her spell circles, her fingers posing while creating a cloud of ice-blue smoke. She concentrated on creating the duplicate while keeping her eyes shut as she imagined Gus. When she finished, she opened her eyes, looked at her work… and frowned. "Uh… I think I fluxed it up."

"Yeah, cause… that doesn't look like me," Gus said while looking at the duplicate that Cat created… which was missing an ear, his eyes were where his mouth was, and he had extra fingers and was taller than him.

"Well, Ms. Harwitch, it could have gone worse," Ms. Rachelle pointed out. "Your duplicate could have ended up like Ms. Fyda's."

Ginger's attempt to make a copy of Louis went really wrong when it started glitching around and distorting, causing some of the students to scream as the duplicate moaned at them.

Later at the HAS meeting, they were looking at the Human Realm objects.

"So… they call this a pigskin?" Simon asked, holding up a football and looking at it. "And humans throw it around for sports?"

"Don't worry, it isn't actually made of pig skin," Elliot said confidently, remembering what Luz told him. "It's made of leather and they throw it around to earn touchdowns."

"That's right," Gus responded. "Like grudgeby, humans have a sport called Football where they are trying to send the pigskin through a goal."

"With their feet, right?" Simon asked.

"Uh, yeah," Gus answered. "They even have a special event called the 'Supreme Bowl' where they compete in a… large cereal bowl for the championship."

"Sounds like the Grudgeby Bowl," Cat commented. "I wonder if the human version of it has as much casualties and collateral damage…"

"Well, it is not like humans are strangers to violence," Eve commented while looking over a book. "Apparently they go to war with each other all the time. Like, there's one called the American Civil War."

"A civil war?" Matt asked. "What was that about?"

"Oh, I've heard about that before," Gus said. "Basically, humans of the same country disagree so much that they end up fighting each other in order to try to maintain or change the status quo. In the American Civil War, there was a Union trying to prevent a Confederacy from succeeding and expanding something that Luz described as 'human rights violations'."

"Man, why do humans have so many wars?" Elliot asked.

"All kinds of reasons. And these wars could get pretty wild as well. Like according to the old human films Luz showed me, there was this group called the Nazis that had all sorts of super weapons and dark human magic and zombies."

"There are zombies in the Human Realm?!" Matt asked.

"The humans even have their own versions of Titans," Gus mentioned.

'I hear that some of their wars resulted in the creation of giant mutants that are hidden from society,' Eileen commented.

"There was also that one war where the humans went up against emus," Bo pointed out.

"Well, it's not like we witches don't have our fair shares of war," Amelia pointed out. "Other than the school wars, we had the Battle of Palm Stings before Belos's Era, and the civil war at the Arm Mountain."

Cat nodded along, thinking to herself. "Still, I kinda wonder what humans were really fighting for in those wars…"

After school, Cat was seen hanging with Amelia, traveling through Bonesborough while skipping along.

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight! Shizzel! Sloppy Joes! Sassafras Incorporated!" they sing-sang while walking home. The two laughed, enjoying the moment.

"Man, we haven't done this since we were little!" Cat commented.

"Yeah, we did it when it was just us," Amelia replied. "You think it is kinda crazy that we are still friends after all that time?"

Cat thought about it and shook her head. "No, I don't think so," she said. "I mean, yeah, a lot has changed. And we've changed a lot as witches. And that isn't bad. But it doesn't mean that some things in the past have any less significance now, you know?"

Amelia considered that and nodded. "Yeah. Hey, wanna get some ice scream?"

"Yeah, that'd be… good," Cat said before noticing someone in the distance. She was a dark-skinned girl around her age in a white dress with black curly hair and green eyes… and she was looking at Cat.

"Cat, are you alright?" Amelia asked in confusion.

"That girl," Cat replied, pointing at the girl. "She's looking at me for some reason… hey! Are you alright?" she asked, which made the girl's eyes widen as she looked around and pointed to herself. "Yeah! You!"

Amelia looked in the direction Cat was pointing. "Uh, Cat, I don't see anyone."

"What? But don't you see that girl over there?" Cat asked while looking at Amelia. She turned back and saw… that the girl was gone. "Huh? But… she was there!"

"You sure it wasn't an illusion?" Amelia asked while watching her friend walk over to the spot where she had seen the girl.

"I… I don't know," Cat replied, looking more confused.

Later, Cat had returned home. "I'm back!" she called out, looking around and finding her brothers in the living room. "Hey you two."

"Hey Cat/Afternoon," Dog and Moose replied, the former reading a magazine while the latter watched the CB.

Cat went up to her room, still thinking about the girl she saw. "I don't know what I saw, that girl… why does she look familiar?" she asked herself as she entered her room… only to see the same girl from before. "Gah! You!" she exclaimed, backing away.

"Hold up, hold up, calm down!" the girl said while raising her hand up. "You can see me, right?"

"Yeah?" Cat asked, a bit confused before she got a better look at the girl… and realized that she could see through her. "W-Who are you? Either you're an illusion, or you're a ghost. And I am just warning you now, we have dealt with a ghost infestation before."

"Look, I'm not here to harm you or anything," the girl responded. "But you are literally the only one who has been able to see me… and I think you can help me."

Cat looked the girl over. "Okay, you are definitely a ghost… but why should I help you?"

"Well, I think this might interest you," the ghost said as she moved her hair to show Cat her ears. Cat looked at them and gasped. The ghost girl… had round ears.

"Oh… my… Titan," Cat said while looking at the girl. "You're a human ghost?!"

"My name's Jamila," she introduced herself. "And… the Isles was my home."

"You… lived here? How?" Cat asked her.

"It's… a long story. I'm not sure if you could understand," Jamila replied.

"Why not?" Cat asked her. "I mean, trust me. Nothing's too strange for this witch girl. My little bro acts like my late Grandpa Goat... who passed away a day before Moose was born..."

Jamila looked at Cat for a moment before nodding. "Okay," she said as she began. "My mother once told me that our ancestors were born across the ocean before we were brought across the water by ships. Some of our people decided to jump off the ship and drown. My mother always said that water meant freedom…"

Little Jamila was in a raggedy dress, walking through a plantation field while helping pick cotton. She was surrounded by other slaves like her, doing the same. Little Jamila looked up and saw one of the masters came over on a horse, holding a whip on his side. He glared at the dark colored slaves, including Jamila.

"My people were brought to America as slaves. I was born on a plantation in the South, where even the children were considered the property of their white masters. We were considered inferior because of the color of our skin."

This shocked Cat, making her feel uneasy. "Titan's Crack… how long ago was this?"

Jamila shook her head. "I do not know," she admitted. "I suppose it was a long time ago. To some more than others."

Jamila went into the farmhouse where she found her mother.

"My Jamila, are you alright?" her mother asked, noticing her daughter's sadden look.

"Mother… I'm so sick of this life… sick of the hate," Jamila replied while looking down sadly.

"Jamila, listen," her mother said, placing her hand under her daughter's chin. "I know things are tough now, but we must stay strong and not let them break our spirits. They may chain our bodies, but our spirits will remain free."

Jamila looked up at her mother and nodded. "I will stay strong," she promised, her mother smiling at her before returning to a journal she was writing in.

"My mother was the strongest woman I have ever known. She helped me stay strong for all those years, waiting for our moment to be more than the life we were born for. My mother was smart. When she was younger, one of her masters had taught her to read and write before selling her off. She kept a journal that she hid from our masters, believing that our story will be told someday. That our pain and our hardships will not be for nothing…"

An older Jamila was sound asleep before she was woken up by the sound of gunshots. She got out of her cot and walked out of the farmhouse, hearing a lot of yelling and gunshots. She could see torches in the distance.

As she questioned this, Jamila felt her arm being grabbed by her mother.

"Jamila, we have to go now!" her mother shouted, pulling her away.

"M-mama?" Jamila asked, scared and confused. "What's going on?"

"I still don't know exactly what was going on that night. Maybe my mother didn't know either. But I think she was worried we would never have a chance like this again."

Jamila and her mom ran from their plantation in the chaos, trying to escape into the woods. They heard the sounds of men on horseback chasing after them. Her mother handed her journal, which she had wrapped up in wool, to her daughter.

"Go, run down the other way!" she told her. "Find water! Remember, water means freedom!"

"But what about you, mama?" Jamila asked in fear for her mother's safety.

"I'll be okay," she reassured her. "Just go!"

Jamila looked up at her mother and even in the darkness she could see the worry on her face, the fear. But it was fear for her daughter, not for herself. Jamila nodded and as they heard the sound of horses getting closer, the two split up, her mother trying to get the horses to chase her instead of Jamila while Jamila kept on running, holding her mother's journal close to her chest.

"I ran, trying to find a river or something that I could use to hide my scent from dogs. Eventually, I came across a lake. But this lake... it was like nothing that I've ever seen before…"

Jamila came to a stop as she found herself in front of a glowing pool of water. She remembered her mother's words and approached the lake, albeit cautiously. Behind her, she could hear shouting and footsteps. Fearing that she would be caught, Jamila took a risk and dove into the lake to hide from her pursuers… only to feel herself getting sucked down.

Darkness took Jamila. When she was finally able to see again, she found herself floating in the distorted world of the in-between with cubes floating near her.

"That sounds like you've been through the in-between," Cat mentioned.

"Yeah, whatever you call it."

Jamila looked around, trying to make sense of where she was. "Hello?" she called out. Spotting a light in one nearby pool, she went over to reach it… and was suddenly no longer on Earth anymore. Instead, she found herself in the woods of the Boiling Isles. Much to her shock, Jamila realized that she was completely dry. But despite this, she was more scared now than ever. She held onto her mother's journal even tighter, wondering what had happened to her. Jamila began to look around, trying to figure out where she was. She spotted strange creatures flying in the sky and a nearby carnivorous plant snapped at her.

"WAH!" she yelped.

"Hello? Who's there?" asked a female voice.

Jamila turned around and saw a dark-skinned witch woman in a blue cloak coming over. Jamila was shocked to notice that the woman had pointed ears.

"You there, are you alright?" the woman asked while walking towards her.

"I-I-I'm fine!" Jamila responded, backing away in a panic. "B-but w-who are you? Who is your master?"

"Master?" the woman asked in confusion while noticing Jamila's ears. "Wait, your ears… are you human, perhaps?"

"Of course I am!" Jamila replied defensively. "Aren't you?!"

The woman smiled slightly. "Not exactly," she said while kneeling down. "Here, let me help you." She offered her hand to Jamila. "My name is Camel. What's yours?"

Jamila looked at her hand, then up at her face, sensing warmth and kindness from it. Hesitantly she grabbed the hand. "Jamila..."

"I would not have survived it if it were not for Camel, who took me in and helped me," Jamila said, remembering Camel's kind nature. "Thanks to her and her family, I was able to learn to live on the Boiling Isles."

"So you've lived through the alleged Savage Ages," Cat commented.

"I wouldn't call it a 'Savage Age' as you put it," Jamila said. "Sure there were a lot of dangers, but unlike the Human Realm, the Demon Realm didn't see race…"

Jamila was guided by Camel and her family, who showed her around the Boiling Isles while on their staffs.

"You all live on the dead body of a giant?" she asked the witches while sitting behind Camel.

"Of course," Camel responded. "Our home is a gift of the Titan, as is his magic," she explained while turning to Jamila. "We don't get many humans around here. I think you are the first human that has ended up in the Isles for a long time."

"My god…" Jamila said in awe, admiring the view.

"Eventually I learned the ways of the Isles and got used to them. I came to realize that I was truly free to start a new life… and it felt so magical to me."

Jamila, having grown older, was looking through the market and being greeted by some denizens of Bonesborough.

"Good tidings!" Jamila greeted a white-skinned witch back. Earlier in her life, she would have never thought it possible for her to be friends with a white person. But it was possible in this world.

Later, Jamila returned home for dinner with Camel and her family.

"Got some roast griffin leg here!" Camel declared while showing the griffin leg. "Who wants the first piece?"

"Me!/I do!/Give me some!" Jamila along with Camel's children, Panda and Sheep, demanded.

"This world was strange and very different from the world that I knew. But the people, despite how different they were to me, did not feel as strange. However, I never forgot my roots, nor did I ever forget my mother."

Jamila looked through her mother's journal, trying to read it. Camel walked over and noticed Jamila's struggle.

"Are you alright, Jamila?" Camel asks her.

"Oh, I'm fine, just… I'm having some trouble," Jamila said.

"What kind of trouble?" Camel asked her.

"Well… I can't read my mother's journal," Jamila admitted. "I was never taught how to read. I know a few words I know, but not a lot. I am… illiterate."

"Well, that is nothing to be ashamed of. Would you like me to read it for you?" Camel asked her and Jamila nodded. Camel smiled. "Well I'd be happy to help. Let me see your mother's journal."

Jamila handed it over to Camel and as Camel began to read through it, her eyes widened in shock.

"Jamila… what your mother has written…" Camel looked up at Jamila, who recognized the worry and fear on her face. It was the same worry and fear that was on her mother's face the last time she saw her. "Do you want to talk about… the position you and your mother were in?"

"Before then, I had never told Camel the full truth. At first, it was because I did not completely trust her. But even after I came to trust her, it was hard to talk about. I think at that moment it became easier to talk about. I told Camel about my life as a slave, the plantation, and what the Human Realm was like, giving her a better picture of my situation."

After hearing Jamila out, all Camel could do was walk over to the girl… and hug her.

"You poor, poor child," Camel said while hugging her, tears flooding from her eyes. "I can't believe that you had to go through all of that…"

Jamila was in tears as well while hugging Camel back.

"Camel had become like a mother to me, her family becoming my family," Jamila explained. "I even called her 'mother' a few times. She made me happy… but my life with them wasn't perfect. There were nightmares…"

Jamila was shifting and turning in her bed, in the middle of a very bad nightmare…

She saw mages of a bestial creature in a red cloak with antlers and a bleached-skin mask. She stared into its burning eyes.

"Jamila…"

She saw the Boiling Isles on fire as it was laid waste to by winged mechanical-looking creatures.

"Jamila."

She saw the sky turning red as it began to crack.

"Jamila!"

Jamila's eyes widened as she found herself in a void. She was shocked to see who was in front of her…

"Mama?" Jamila asked.

"Yes, my child, I'm here," her mother responded.

"Mother, how… how is this possible? What happened to you?" Jamila asked while walking towards her.

"I have passed on, Jamila," her mother responded, which saddened Jamila.

"Oh mama… mama I'm so sorry," Jamila told her, going over to hug her mother. She started to cry as she held onto her. "I should have gone back for you…"

"It is alright, my child. I do not blame you," her mother responded, patting Jamila's head gently. "I may be gone, but you are still here. Here now to help not just me but all of our fellow slaves."

"Help… how?" Jamila asked as she looked up at her mother, who smiled at her.

"By avenging us, "she declared, surprising Jamila. "The white men have brought us nothing but suffering, Jamila. And pretty soon they will find and come here to this place you call home, and decimate it, just as they do with everyone and everything else."

"What…?" Jamila asked in shock.

"The only way to protect the Isles, to protect your new family, and avenge your people, Jamila, is by wiping out the white men first, by destroying them before they destroy you or else you will lose everything you care about, just as you lost me," she explained.

Jamila let go of her mother and backed away. "H-how would I even do that?"

"After leaving my old life behind, I learned that there is only one being who can help you succeed," her mother explained. "But first… you must free him."

Jamila looked more unsure. "Mother, I… I'm not so sure about that…"

This did not please her mother. "You have to do it, Jamila! Don't let my death be for nothing! I died so that you could live! So that you could do what I cannot! And you have to free him!"

"I-"

"FREE HIM!" her mother yelled, her eyes suddenly turning red.

Jamila gasped, shooting up from her bed and waking up.

"I didn't know what to make of these nightmares," Jamila admitted. "But I kept seeing the same demon over and over again…"

Cat looked concerned about Jamila's description of the demon in her dream, though she remembered something. "Pardon my interruption, but how were you able to survive Isles? Did you ever develop an… alternative form?"

Jamila shook her head. "No… though my body still changed. As time passed, I was able to digest the food more easily and I was able to heal faster. I was also still illiterate when it came to English… but I did learn how to read spell glyphs…"

Cat gasped. "Just like my friend Luz!"

"Uh, I don't know who that is," Jamila said before continuing. "But this does lead into the next part of my story. I told Camel about my nightmares and she had an idea. She brought me up to the Knee, which she said was rich in the Titan's powerful, lingering magic. She told me that ancient magickind were drawn to its natural magical presence, using it as a training site. So she brought me up there to get closer to the Titan and hopefully heal my mind."

Jamila followed Camel up the Knee of the Titan, both of them wrapped up in coats. After setting up camp, Camel had Jamila sit across from her in a cross-leg sitting position. "Now remember, Jamila, try not to think. Clear your mind, become one with your surroundings, and let the Titan speak to you…"

Jamila didn't think that it would work, especially since she doubted that the Titan was anything more than a corpse, but she gave it a try. She did as Camel instructed her to do, shutting her eyes and clearing her mind. The first few times it didn't work, but Camel insisted that they keep trying. Eventually Jamila decided that she had enough and she opened her eyes…

…and gasped. She wasn't up at the Knee with Camel anymore. Instead, she was in a cabin. She looked around, spotting a chair, a fireplace, a rug, and several portraits. She had no idea what to make of this…

"Glad to finally officially meet you, Jamila."

She gasped and looked up to see an unfamiliar figure before her. He was a large demon with a skullcap head with long horns and a golden eye with something sticking out of its other socket. He wore a large black coat and had skeletal fingers. "Good tidings."

Jamila backed away. "Who… who are you?"

"I am the Titan," he responded humbly, which surprised the human girl. "Sorry that my appearance startles you. I don't get many guests up here."

Jamila looked around the cabin. "Why am I here? How did I get here?"

"Oh, this cabin isn't real, just a mental construct," the Titan explained. "I chose it because I felt like if we were somewhere familiar you would be able to feel more at ease."

Jamila looked up at the Titan in confusion. "So… are you… God?"

The Titan frowned at that. "To be honest, I have never seen myself as a God. I never set out to become one, nor did I ever want to be worshiped. Rather, I see myself as a parent," he explained. "Now, go on. Take a seat. Let's talk about these nightmares you've been having."

Jamila, despite her shock, nodded and took a seat. A cup of warm tea materialized in her hand and in his. "Yeah, I've been getting these… weird visions and nightmares," Jamila explained. "In these nightmares I keep seeing a demon with antlers and a bleach skinned mask… and those eyes…"

The Titan nodded. "That would be an old enemy of mine," he said with a grim look. "An enemy that I imprisoned inside of myself a long time ago…"

"Who is he?" she asked him.

"I will not utter its name," the Titan said with a serious tone. "To say its name would give it power. My enemy longs to be free of its prison, which is why it needs someone like you, Jamila, the only person on the Isles who my enemy can communicate with."

"Me? But why not the other witches of the Isles?" she pointed out.

"They're actually safe from its influence due to being born from my carcass," the Titan explained "They are children of mine, and I've made sure that they will be protected. So my enemy has to try to influence other realms instead. A few humans are especially susceptible and are inspired by it to commit great acts of evil, though usually they are already evil and that is how they are able to hear it. However, when a human has been in the Isles long enough, it becomes easier for my enemy to influence them and get into their heads, regardless of their nature. My enemy has been interested in you ever since you first arrived in the Isles."

Hearing this truly shocked Jamila. "And your enemy wants me to free it?"

"Temptation is a powerful tool," the Titan explained. "Sometimes it will offer what you desire most. Other times, it plays on your fears. While evil men follow it easily, even good men have fallen under its sway, their intentions becoming corrupted into whatever it needs them to be in order to free itself." He was quiet for a moment before continuing. "I am afraid that over time, my enemy has weakened me, making it harder for me to speak to people like this." He sighed. "There was a time where I was able to speak to witches on a regular basis. Now, as my power fades, I can only communicate to witches from the Knee. In time, I will no longer be able to do even that." He shook his head sadly before looking up at Jamila. "Admittedly, I have also been interested in you since your arrival in the Isles, Jamila. And I can offer you a gift: magic. You may not be able to cast magic naturally, but I will show you a different way."

"And the nightmares…?"

"The nightmares… are just nightmares," he told her. "My enemy has no power over you unless you allow it to have power over you. My enemy will say whatever it needs to in order to get you to help it, but it is a liar." He gave her a serious look. "Jamila, heed my warning. Do not become fixated on what my enemy has shown you, that obsession will only lead to ruin. So instead, please do this for me." He stood up and walked over to Jamila, patting her shoulder. His expression softened. "Please… have a good life."

Jamila's eyes opened again as she woke up. She took a deep breath… followed by a sigh of relief.

"How are you feeling now, Jamila?" Camel asked her.

Jamila looked around, seeing the head of the Titan from the Knee. She then turned to Camela and nodded. "I think… I'm feeling better…"

"I never saw or spoke to the Titan again. But true to his word, he showed me his glyphs. And in return, I decided to follow his advice…"

Jamila and Camel returned from the Knee, Jamila looking at the flying skull-butterflies passing them. She smiled, truly admiring the beauty of the Isles, perhaps for the first time since she had arrived there.

Later, Camel decided to take Jamila and the kids to get their own Palismen. They visited the Clawthorne clan, who gave Jamila a horse Palisman. As she received her Palisman, Jamila swelled with pride, feeling like a real witch.

"And you know, he was right. Even when I had the nightmares again, they did bother me as much. They were, after all, just nightmares. I knew that the thing yelling at me wasn't really my mother and I refused to let it have any power over me. So I stopped caring about my visions. Instead, I just went on with my life and focused on my family. That and… a few other things."

Camel came to Jamila, helping teach her how to do healing magic using the glyphs she learned. Jamila used ice glyphs to help with healing, along with some glyph combos she's learned.

Sometime later, Jamila went with her foster siblings, Panda and Sheep, to play flyer derby with some of the other kids. Jamila was enjoying herself when another witch flew past her on his staff. Jamila caught a glimpse of a witch boy her age with brown skin, blue stripes on his face, and glasses. He smiled at her and Jamila felt her face heating up.

Years later, an adult Jamila was being married to the same witch man she met long ago. After the oracle had wedded them, the two kissed, their families cheering, including Camel's side.

"I eventually fell in love, got married, had little witchlings of my own… and they have witchlings of their own."

Jamila, who was now old and elderly, sat outside and watched her grandchildren playing with each other. Sitting next to her was her daughter, who was feeding her youngest child and Jamila's youngest grandchild.

Jamila smiled as she recalled her memories. "I lived a long life and eventually passed on in my sleep, dying happily knowing full well that my family will live to see tomorrow."

"Wait, so if you died of old age, why do you still look young?" Cat asked her.

"Oh, I guess this is what age I am at heart, since this is what I have looked like since I got here." Jamila said. "There are benefits in being dead, I suppose."

Cat thought about what Jamila had said. "I still wonder why only I can see you. Unless I'm… connected to you in some way…" It was then that Cat's eyes widened. "Camel… Panda, Sheep… what was your married name?"

"Jamila Harwitch," she replied, shocking Cat.

"Oh my Titan… you're my ancestor!" Cat exclaimed with a gasp. "But… that would mean that… I have human genes… whoa." She walked over to sit at her desk, patting her own forehead. "This is a lot to take in…"

Jamila was also surprised, though she accepted it much quicker. "I hope I didn't shock you with this information, Cat," Jamila replied.

"Now, hold up," Cat said with her hand raised. "I need to find my family tree first to verify this. But also… didn't you want me to help you, Jamila?"

"I think… I want you to look for my mother's journal," Jamila replied. "I want her story to be known. I don't know what became of the journal after my death, but perhaps a descendant of mine would know where it is."

Cat stroked her chin. "Well… maybe somebody donated it to the Bonesborough Library."

"Then to the library we go," Jamila said, Cat grabbing her staff as she headed out with a flying Jamila following her.

Cat ran downstairs. "I'm heading to the library to help the ghost of our ancestor, be back!" she shouted while passing her brothers.

"Whateves/Wear a coat!" Dog and Moose shouted while minding their own things.

"So how are we going to find my journal?" Jamila asked while they looked around the Bonesborough Library.

"Well, if the journal is here, it is probably in the Forbidden Stacks, but not to worry," Cat reassured her while Mozz stuck out from her hair. "According to Amity, the library has a problem with Echo Mice. Which is where Mozz comes in, he's going to get the mice to help find the journal, right Mozz?"

Mozz nodded while making squeaky noises. He jumped out of Cat's hair and made a squeaking call. This caused several Echo Mice to pop up from the shelves and go over to the mouse Palisman.

"Are you sure this will work?" Jamila asked, before seeing the Echo Mice scatter after speaking to Mozz.

Mozz squeaked to Cat and she nodded. "Good boy, thank you, Mozz," she said while turning to Jamila. "He got them to go into the Forbidden Stacks to look for the journal. You'll be getting it in no time."

Soon, they saw the Echo Mice returning while carrying a book. Jamila looked closely at the book and gasped.

"That's it!" she pointed at it. "That's my mother's journal!"

Cat grabbed the journal. "Thank you, Echo Mice!" Cat shouted while holding the journal up in victory. "We did it! We got your mother's journal!" she said while striking an anime-style pose before the library patrons shushed her, prompting her to walk out in a hurry. "Sorry…"

After checking the journal for any damage done by the Echo Mice, they headed back home. In her room, Camila read a few pages to Jamila while looking over her family tree.

"'I have written this journal to log the cruelty that I have witnessed and experienced,'" Cat read, frowning. Despite some spelling and grammar mistakes, the weight of the words still sunk in. "'While I have no doubt that my masters will not be punished in life for my cruelty, I do not write this to bring them to justice. I write this so that it will not be forgotten. So that I may not be forgotten. When I am gone, I will make sure to leave behind my story… and my daughter, who is perhaps even braver and stronger than me'… man, your mom's such a cool human," she commented to Jamila.

"Thank you," Jamila responded as Cat flipped through the pages.

"Hey, this one's… a message to you," Cat pointed out before she started reading. "'To my dearest Jamila, whose name means beautiful. If you are able to read this, I just want you to know that my love for you was what kept me going and was what kept me writing. You gave me hope for a better tomorrow. Perhaps not for me, but always for you. I knew it was my responsibility to give you a better life and future. I love you, Jamila. Tell my story, but tell yours as well."

Jamila was moved by those words. She had heard the message before, but hearing it again still moved her to spiritual tears. "Thank you, mama…" she said while wiping her tears.

Cat looked further at her family tree chart until she spotted Jamila's name. "Here you are, along with your husband's name, Carter Harwitch. It doesn't mention you were human but…" She looked up at Jamila. "You… really are my ancestor." She let that sink in. "Wow. Just… wow."

Jamila nodded and smiled at Cat. "Really something, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Cat responded while looking down at the journal."You know, I think I'm gonna add my family tree into the journal, to show the legacy of my ancestral grandmothers, Jamila and her mother." She then looked up at Jamila. "I promise to tell your story, Jamila Harwitch. Your story and your mother's."

Jamila floated down to hug Cat. "Thank you," she said before her whole body started to glow. She let go of Cat and shut her eyes, her spiritual body turning into balls of light… as she passed on.

Cat watched her ancestor pass on, letting out a tear from her eye and wiping it. Looking down at the journal, she decided to take it downstairs with her.

Finding her family and Simon getting ready for dinner, Cat went over to hug her mother. "Cat, what's with the warm welcome?" she asked.

"Mom, you wouldn't believe the day I've had," Cat replied as she held up the journal.

"What you got here, Cat?" Zebra asked his daughter.

"Something you need to see," Cat replied. "Let me tell you a story… about our ancestors."

Later on, Cat had gone to meet up with Luz in the Owl House, explaining to her what she had learned.

"A human ancestor," Luz said in shock after hearing Cat's tale. "Holy shit, this is big, Cat. You have human ancestry in your genes."

"I know, right?" Cat replied. "My folks were shocked by this as well, especially my dad. He fainted when I explained to him about our human roots."

"Man, looks like the Clawthornes aren't the only family that has human ancestors," Luz commented. "But Cat, this is an amazing discovery."

"Thanks," Cat replied. She wanted to ask Luz something else, but she hesitated slightly. "So Luz… what can you tell me about slavery? Specifically the slavery of black people?"

"Oh," Luz said, immediately feeling awkward. She rubbed her shoulder slightly before deciding that Cat should know. "Well, in the Human Realm, slavery used to be legal in the United States, the country where I was born. The economy in the south part of the States pretty much depended on slavery and it was a terrible time for anyone who wasn't white-skinned. The dark-skinned humans who were kept as slaves were originally born in a place called Africa and their descendants would be known as African-Americans. But back then they were bought, sold, and used for manual labor, hell they were branded like cattle."

"Branding? You mean like… similar to sigil brands?" Cat asked in shock and Luz nodded. "Titan's Crack, how can humans do that to one another?"

"It was awful and not everyone agreed with it," Luz explained. "Over time, more and more people turned against slavery and a civil war was fought to end slavery, which resulted in the emancipation of African Americans. They even made a holiday to celebrate it, Juneteenth, Black Independence Day."

Cat looked interested in the topic. "I would like to learn more about this, Luz. It is a part of my heritage, after all."

"I'd say go for it, Cat," Luz encouraged. "You can even share it with your friends. I know this stuff isn't the most fun to learn or talk about… but it is important."

"Yeah," Cat agreed, seeing how uncomfortable Luz looked. She placed her hand on her shoulder and gave a reassuring look. "Don't worry, Luz, this doesn't ruin humans for me. Maybe they are responsible for slavery, but according to you they also fought to end it. I won't let the bad humans make me forget the good ones."

"Thank you, Cat," Luz said with a smile. "Oh, one thing you should know is that even after they were freed, it was an uphill battle for the former slaves. There was a lot to work on for them to gain equality in the years afterward. Honestly, there is still work that needs to be done right now."

"I think Amelia mentioned something like that," Cat said, remembering her conversation with her friend earlier. She didn't think too much of it then, but now the meaning of it hit her much harder. She nodded. "I would like to learn about that as well."

"And I will help you, Cat," Luz promised. "But man, just think about how the Human Appreciation Society will react…"

Cat and Luz laughed, but then Cat remembered something else. "Oh, Luz, there are some other things I should tell you about," she said before proceeding to tell Luz about the nightmares that Jamila had experienced… and her meeting with the Titan.

Jamila opens her eyes, finding herself in the clouds. She was currently wearing a white gown.

"Jamila."

She turned around and gasped. "Mama!" she shouted.

"Welcome, my Jamila," her mother said, in a white gown as she raised her hands up. "Welcome to Heaven."

Jamila was in tears as she ran towards her mother. She embraced her. "I've missed you so much, mama…"

"Me too, my Jamila," she replied while hugging her daughter back and crying as well. "Me too."

And so another story ended. But fortunately for us, the story of Jamila Harwitch was one with a happy ending.

This sidetrack is made in celebration of Juneteenth. I got the idea of a Juneteenth chapter starring Cat months ago from which after seeing the Louder and Prouder's season 2 finale's Juneteenth episode. We've been planning on this ever since, and now found the right day to have it up.

Cat seeing Jamila's spirit actually ties into Vina and Crane's ghosts in the Isles. Why do these spirits keep popping up around and meeting the Boiling Isles characters? Well we'll find out soon.

In all honesty, we didn't planned on having Jamila meet the Horned King and the Titan, but we used this chance to clarify a few things like why does the Horned King is invisible to most and why Delara had those visions up on the Knee.

This may be the most heaviest sidetrack that we have ever done due to the topic mentioned. This may as well be considered like a very special episode of Luz Clawthorne.

Now to answer reviews:

DeathPaladin: That is the reference we're going for.

61394: We'll wait and see.

BlueKnight-X2: The Huntsboys? But they're dead... and Huntsman most likely would never want them back.

spantidem7: Well, Terra hasn't done anything well known to spark Luz's ire... at the time. And you can say that about Abigail's guilt.

Matteso585: 1) Why should that matter currently? 2) Luz knows how to cover her tracks and not have it traced back to her. Even if they suspect her, there's no evidence that she's there, and Arthur and Destiny never met Luz before. 3) No spoilers. 4) Do you eve know how sting operations work? They don't just wait outside standing still. I mean, they'd obviously have shift breaks and have other members take over after a while.

Crosshot: Thanks for the review.

Franco Almiron: As Professor Paradox would say, "No Spoilers"...

Shuffollower: You'll learn who killed Vina and why, you'll see what is the beef between Eda and Denise, Beo probably might know or not, and it would be explained later in how the Huntsman survived. Already saw Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.

Ultimate-drax: Yeah, after the years of flack he receives, we believe that Gurgi does deserve the recognition rather than hate.

Also to remind others, "LC Presents: Helluva Dad" story is out to check out and give it a read.