Entry 001 Date 07-12-18

My school has started summer internships. Working under some grimy old man to learn about doing a job I have absolutely no interest in; the thought of such a thing made me cringe. But, I quickly relaxed upon seeing that one of the options would allow me to work under Dr. Dante Pelligrini, a scientist researching the strange and unusual. The other students at my school laughed at Dr. Pelligrini, but not me. I love the strange and unusual, I live for the strange and unusual, I crave the strange and unusual. And that is why I decided to sign up as Dr. Pelligrini’s intern for the summer. I loved my hometown in Ohio but it was time for a change. For the summer, I was going to a small town in Pennsylvania, a small town called Erie Creek.

The trip was only a few hours in a small bus. The bus was empty save for a gross old man sleeping in the back, and me, of course. I sat toward the front and kept my headphones on for the whole trip. When the bus passed into the town of Erie Creek, I looked at the town sign. “Welcome to Erie Creek!” it smiled in bold letters, “Population: Fluctuates.” I did a double-take at the sign. Strange and unusual indeed, I thought to myself.

I got off at the bus stop, walking through the small town. It seemed like a normal town, there were people out walking their dogs and talking with their friends. I looked at the directions to Dr. Pelligrini’s house and followed them to an old, beaten-up shack. I sighed, regretting my decision.

I walked up to the door, knocking exactly four times. There was silence for a moment and then the sound of a cat scratching wood and an old man swearing. The door creaked open the slightest bit and I saw the wrinkled face of Dr. Dante Pelligrini. His graying black hair spiked up in ways it wasn’t supposed to and he had stubble on his face. “What, who are you?” he asked me. I waved and forced a smile at the old coot. “Hello, Dr. Pelligrini. I’m Seké Hoshukunn. I’m here to intern for you-“

“Are you eighteen?” he asked. “N-no, I’m seventeen,” I replied. “Eh, close enough.” He grabbed my polkadot hoodie and pulled me inside, closing the door behind me. “D-Dr. Pelligrini, what are you-“

“Dante,” he said, “Call me Dante.” I looked around the dimly-lit room. There was a black cat with piercing green eyes sitting atop a wooden table that was covered in papers. Everywhere I looked was some sort of machine or papers with scribbles on them. “Welcome, kid, to…uh….” Dante walked over to the cat, whispered something to it, and then continued, “Dante’s Palace!” The cat hissed at Dante and scratched his cheek. He swore at the cat and wiped his cheek with his hand. He then licked the blood off of his hand, shrugged, and put it in the pocket of his equally gross lab coat. “C’mere, kiddo,” he told me, walking down a large staircase. I followed him into a long hallway. He opened one door and then closed it, quickly. “Nope…” he muttered. He opened a second door and looked in. “Welp, kid. Here is your lavish abode. Have fun,” he told me. Then, he pushed me in and went back upstairs. I closed the door, looking around my new “lavish abode.” There was a small, wooden bed with a multicolored quilt on it. Next to it was a wooden wardrobe. I put my bags down, taking out the clothing I had packed. I took off the hoodie that Dante had touched and threw it at the wall. I’ll burn that later… I thought to myself.

The bed was soft and warm and I slept well. “Dante’s weird but he seems nice,” I mumbled to myself, when I woke up, “At least I won’t have to worry about boredom.” I pulled on a blue t-shirt with a cat on it and went upstairs. “Ugh, you idiot,” a voice said. It wasn’t Dante’s voice. “You’re such a creep, you’re gonna scare the poor kid.”

“Well, if he sees you in this form, he’ll go running, so I suggest you change.” The second was Dante’s, deep and gravelly. I reached the top of the stairs to see Dante with a tall, lean man. The man’s hair was pitch black, coupled with his piercing green eyes, he looked very intimidating. Dante adjusted his glasses, clearing his throat, when he saw me. “Uh, Seké, yur awake. About how much’id you hear?” he asked. “Um…n-nothing,” I replied, nervously. “Idiot,” the man muttered at Dante. Dante elbowed the man, who was much taller than him. “So, uh…you know how my ad said ‘strange an’ unusual?’” Dante asked me. I nodded. “Well, uh…Jax here is one’uh those.” The man, who Dante referred to as Jax, sighed and put his hand over his eyes. “You moron,” he mumbled, “I’m a cat.” Jax swung his arm around and smoke followed it. He slowly transformed into a small, black cat, the one I had seen earlier who scratched Dante’s face. “Hello, Seké,” the cat said to me, “My name is Jax. I am Professor Dante Pelligrini’s…” he groaned bitterly, “cat.” I couldn’t help but smile slightly and my slight smile turned into a laugh. “Quick, Jax, the kid’s gone insane!” Dante told Jax. “I’m sorry, he’s just…so cute!” I exclaimed. “Can I pet him?”

“Can I pet him?!” Jax echoed, “No you can’t pet me you stupid little kid!” He turned back into a human, yelling, “I will scratch your face so hard that your head will-“

“Shut up, Jax,” Dante told Jax. “Glad to see you aren’t scared. But Jax is by far the least strange thing in Erie Creek. He also doesn’t like to be treated like a pet so…uh…maybe don’t pet him.” Dante scoffed, returning to a small stove where he had been cooking bacon. Jax turned back into a cat and walked away, disappearing out the window. “So you live with a cat…uh…human…thing?” I asked. “Jax is my partner. He and I have a long history together, kiddo. It’s probably best if we don’t get into it,” he told me, “He’s got a temper but…if you’re ever in a pickle, Jax’ll always be there to getcha out. He’s a loyal friend.” Dante handed me a plate of fresh bacon. “Just wish he didn’t shed so much…” he muttered.

It started to seem like Jax and Dante had trouble getting along, I found it harder and harder to believe Dante’s words about Jax being a “true friend.”

That night, Dante and I went out hunting for a supposed werewolf that had been seen. Dante set a very simple trap; a piece of fresh meat that would lure the “werewolf” into the perfect spot for Dante to drop a net over it. “Where did you get the meat?” I asked Dante. He looked at me for a moment and then said, “I don’t think I’m legally allowed to tell you that.”

After a few hours, we had both fallen asleep but I awoke to the sound of rustling leaves. I saw, standing at least eight feet tall, a half-man-half-wolf; a werewolf. My eyes widened and I instinctually gasped. The werewolf heard me and looked around, coming to the bush where Dante and I were hiding. I was paralyzed with fear, staring at the great beast. I grasped Dante’s coat with my hand but he didn't wake up. Suddenly, the werewolf ripped the bush open, growling ferociously. The tree that Dante had hung the net from suddenly fell over, crushing the werewolf. Standing over the, now fallen, tree was Jax holding an axe, his green eyes piercing Dante’s sleeping body. “I should’ve known I couldn’t trust you to take care of yourself,” he muttered. He walked over to us, nudging Dante with his foot. Dante still didn’t wake up. Jax rolled his eyes and picked up the gross, old man. “Come on,” he told me. I followed him back to Dante’s house. “If it wasn’t for me, our house would be even dirtier than it already is and Dante would probably be dead,” he said to me, “You also wouldn’t have a clean bed to sleep in.” I looked at him but he looked away from me.

We all went to bed but I couldn’t stop thinking about everything. Was that really a werewolf? Maybe Jax really is nice? What history do Dante and Jax have together? Does Dante have fleas? I started to worry about that last one, itching my head. All I knew was that I was going to get to the bottom of this. All of this.