Group Writing Project #4
I wrote this in between classes and tests and things of that sort this week. So I'm sorry if it's not great! I just couldn't bear to not be a part of the group writing project! But I've had a blast trying to show off my home--even though there's not that much to write about! I hope you all see Knoxville as something other than Hickville! LOL! And also, the band I wrote about, Atticus, is my best friend, Adam's, band.
Knoxville, Tennessee
The day-long trip to Knoxville, Tennessee was silent. Trixie knew that the other BWGs weren't happy about this wild goose chase to a redneck town that was totally off schedule in their vacation. And she knew that they wanted to see more of the Capitol and go on to Williamsburg. Regardless of how the others felt, the excitement of a real honest to goodness FBI mission dissolved all traces of disappointment in Trixie's mind.
Her thoughts wandered back to the night before when a sleek black sedan with darkened windows pulled up to the Holiday Inn. She and Jim were unanimously appointed the representatives to wait in the lobby for the package. The rest of the Bob-Whites sat up in the girls' room watching out the window. The "exchange" had happened so quickly. Two men dressed head to toe in black approached the front desk, showed their FBI badges, and the tall one asked monotonously for a Miss Madeleine Wheeler or a James Frayne. Without a word, the man at the desk pointed to a shaking pair of young adults. The men handed over a thickly packed manila envelope with a note of instruction on top:
"To whom it may concern:
Under no circumstances must this envelope be tampered with or may the contents be revealed. The Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States orders that the following envelope be personally and physically handed to FBI Director Daniel Stuart by Friday, June 18 at the Oak Ridge Nuclear Laboratory..."
The rest of the note contained detailed directions as to where the envelope be delivered.
Jim and Trixie silently took the heavy envelope up to the room. Upon entering, the other Bob-Whites rushed to them, spitting dozens of questions in their faces.
Later that night, Honey had sent Trixie and Di on a walk while she made a mysterious phone call.
* * *
Hmm, Trixie mused, shifting in her sardine position, I wonder who she called last night...
"Trix, we just got to the hotel. Wake up!" Jim said nudging her.
She shook her head. "Oh I must have dozed off," she said drowsily.
While Dan parked the station wagon, Brian went into the hotel to check in. The parking lot of the Hyatt Regency was so full that Dan was lucky to find a spot.
Honey commented, noticing that the "no vacancy" sign was lit, "Geez, it's a good thing we called for a reservation or else I'm sure we'd be driving around all night looking for rooms."
"Di, you're on your own with the bags tonight," Jim said, "I'm wiped out from this long ride. There's no way I'm pulling all your weight this time."
Di groaned as she lifted her huge suitcase and equally large duffel bag from the trunk.
The Bob-Whites walked through the slightly dated lobby deliriously to meet up with Brian and get their keys.
The boys had two rooms between the four of them while the girls had a room with a King sized bed and a cot.
"You two princesses can have the bed. I'm fine with the cot," Trixie yawned as she laid down and was gone before she hit the pillow.
Diana was also asleep within minutes because of her six hour driving shift. Honey tossed and turned, barely able to even close her eyes. The envelope in the suitcase haunted her mind as she turned over numerous times to see the clock. It was still before eleven o' clock. Mom should still be awake, she thought.
Honey carefully arose from the bed, trying not to wake either of the two girls. She reached for the phone on the bedside table, and was relieved to see that it had a long cord. She heard an earth-shattering snap as she stepped on Di's shoe. Honey's breath went cold as she stood, frozen. Seeing that neither of the sleeping girls had moved so much as an inch, she continued to drag the phone into the bathroom.
Sitting on the floor, Honey dialed the number to New York.
Madeleine Wheeler answered the phone in her usual sophisticated manner.
"Mom," Honey whispered.
"Honey! What on earth are you doing calling at such an hour?!? And why are you whispering?"
"Mom, we're in Knoxville, Tennessee. We are meeting Daniel Stuart tomorrow in Oak Ridge, the nuclear plant. What are you getting us into, Mother? Your little envelope has us running all over the country and missing out on our vacation. And I thought your little schemes with this Stuart guy were over. What kind of so called 'freelance' work are you really doing for him?"
"Oh Honey, Knoxville, Tennessee?? I've heard that is a dirty town. Are you all safe? Do you have enough clean clothes?"
"Mother, we're fine. You're avoiding my question. What is going on? Does Daddy know about all this?" Honey asked angrily.
Mrs. Wheeler sighed. "I wish I could tell you, dear. I will when it's the right time. But don't worry, you are in no danger. And no, your father does not know about this. Why do you think I met you in Mamaroneck for lunch? I couldn't risk your father finding out. And that is all I can tell you at this point. Now go to sleep. You have a big day ahead of you. I love you. Goodnight."
The New York line disconnected before Honey could open her mouth. She crawled into bed, but still did not sleep for hours.
* * *
"Brrrriiiinnnnggg, brrrrriiinnggg," the phone rang in the girls' room.
Diana rolled over sleepily and fumbled for the phone. But all she grasped was her Rolex watch. The phone continued to ring, but Trixie and Honey only stirred. As Di opened her eyes, she saw that the phone cord was on the floor. Waking up even more, she stumbled out of bed to see the phone line running into the bathroom.
"What in the world," she muttered.
Diana found the phone sitting atop the toilet. She answered it on the sixth ring.
"Hello?"
"Di? It's Mart. Tell the girls to get up. We've got to be in Oak Ridge by ten o' clock. It's already seven."
"Oh already?" Di answered sarcastically.
"Haha, meet us in the lobby at eight-thirty."
"Yeah sure, bye."
"Bye."
Di took the phone back into the bedroom. Trixie and Honey were sitting up in the beds, rubbing their eyes.
"You'd think the place was on fire with all that ringing," Trixie groaned.
"Um," Di said, holding up the phone questioningly. "Do either of you know why the phone was in the bathroom?"
Honey's eyes shot open as if someone had poured a steaming hot cup of coffee down her throat, "Oh, I had to call my parents," she said lightly. Her expression revealed that the conversation ended there and that no questions should be asked.
Di and Trixie exchanged looks.
There's something Honey's been hiding, and I intend to find out what it is... Trixie thought mysteriously.
* * *
The girls sped through their normally nauseatingly long dressing routine to be in the lobby by eight-thirty.
"I'm famished!" Mart exclaimed loudly as they walked out to the station wagon.
Brian gave his brother an annoyed look. "So do you all agree to go get some breakfast? Let's not torture smart mouth here any longer."
The Bob-Whites all nodded in consent and piled into the station wagon. Dan, who was driving, turned onto Neyland Drive, heading into the heart of Downtown Knoxville.
Knoxville was obviously not known for its buildings and skyscrapers -- of which there were none to be seen -- but for the University of Tennessee Volunteers. The headache inducing orange was everywhere!
"Have you ever seen how riled up these UT fans get when there's a game? Sheesh they go to no limits to show their spirit! This place is packed with crazy people dressed head to toe in orange. I've seen them cover it all on ESPN. I'm sure glad we're not here during football season! We'd never be able to leave!"
"Speaking of ESPN, Jim, did you hear about the big scam going on?" Mart asked. "They've been covering UT all week. I've only seen bits and pieces in the hotel room these past few days though."
"What's the scam?" Trixie asked, her ears perking up at the sound of something exciting.
Dan answered, "Apparently some teachers at UT have been letting the football players get away with bad test grades and with not doing their assignments so that they can play football. And a few of the guys have been reportedly paying people to do their schoolwork. Several of the players are already suspended for this coming season."
"Yeah and now UT is mad because ESPN has been coming in and investigating the whole ordeal. It was to the point where there were rumors going around that UT's 1998 SEC National Championship was going to be taken away. Geez, I can't imagine what these fanatics would do if they lost their precious national championship," Brian noted, seeing innumerable signs declaring UT's 1998 Fiesta Bowl win in Tempe, Arizona last New Year's.
"Where to for breakfast?" Dan asked. He was driving aimlessly around the eerily empty downtown.
Jim grabbed the tour book and listed off a bunch of breakfast choices. They finally decided on a breakfast buffet at Darryl's.
Trixie's mind was hardly on food as she gazed out the window at the unusually decorated restaurant. She was simply dying to meet the head of the FBI!
Filled to the point of possible combustion, the Bob-Whites left the restaurant and headed on Interstate 40 towards Oak Ridge. The ride to the small nuclear base town was about thirty minutes. Honey dozed off in the back with the top secret envelope tightly clutched in her arms.
Oak Ridge resembled Sleepyside in that there was one main street, a few restaurants, and the essential businesses that occupy every town.
"Hey Dan, turn left on Oak Ridge Avenue," Jim instructed.
The Bob-White station wagon turned down a winding road with thick green trees lined close to the street. Breaks in the trees revealed narrow roads leading to the unknown. Brian was carefully counting the streets, looking for the sixth right turn.
"Here it is!" he cried.
Dan screeched the brakes and all seven Bob-Whites tightened their grips on their grasps for comfort. The car turned down the confining road. An iron gate stood before them. A phone was on Dan's side and he pressed the buzzer for a guard.
"What's your business and state your names," a gruff voice said over the phone to Dan.
"Sir, this is the group on a duty from Washington, Wheeler and Frayne," Dan said clearly.
The iron gate slowly opened and a uniformed man stood before them, not allowing the car to go any further.
The guard approached the car and again asked their business and identities. He ordered them to get out from the car and be searched. Then the faceless, personality lacking man instructed them to drive on to the next station.
"Jeepers, they sure have tight security here," Trixie muttered as they continued down the winding road.
Finally they came to the next guard station, along with a small parking lot occupied by less than a dozen cars.
The guard, who looked exactly like the previous one, came to the window and asked for some sort of identification. Brian handed Dan the note of instruction from the FBI and their driver's licenses. The man, who seemed suspicious of a group of teenagers, inspected the note for legitimacy. He appeared to be satisfied.
"You kids park in this lot, and I'll call for a car to take you to the head quarters." He smiled at them almost kindly.
A dark blue car with heavily tinted windows pulled up to the front of the parking lot and the guard opened the doors to let the Bob-Whites enter. They climbed in and rode silently to the main building. Honey clasped the envelope tightly, resisting the urge to open it up and find out exactly what was going on.
The car stopped in front of a building almost totally hidden by trees and shrubbery. The Bob-Whites held their breath and stepped out of the car as directed by the guard. He led them through about five different security doors, and had to do various ID tests. They walked through endless corridors and at last ended up at a desk. The guard asked the secretary if Daniel Stuart was available.
Turning to an intercom system, the stout graying woman said, "Excuse me, Mr. Montague, is Mr. Stuart available? There are several young people here inquiring for him."
A voice sternly said, "Yes, he will be right there."
Minutes later, which seemed like hours to the Bob-Whites, a tall, smartly dressed man entered the lobby. He had thin framed glasses hiding his still vibrant blue eyes. His almost black hair was streaked with strands of gray, and his wardrobe was certainly expensive.
Daniel Stuart flashed a pearly white smile, "So you all must be my messengers from New York! Welcome! I'm sure sorry that you all had to drive all this way to simply hand me an envelope."
At the mention of the envelope, Honey loosened her grip and held it out to the man. He took it from her politely.
Jeepers, this man must make a load! He's wearing a S. T. DuPont watch! Those cost up to 50 grand! Jim thought in awe.
Mr. Stuart was exceptionally friendly to the Bob-Whites, but was reserved toward Honey, sensing her suspicion of him. "Oh, you kids, you'll just love the Tomato Head. It's really close to your hotel. Their pizza can beat out any New York joint in a second! In fact, you all should go there for lunch today! It's on me! I wish I could join you, but I've got a lot of work to do here."
He slid a roll of bills into Jim's hand firmly as he started shaking hands good-bye. As the group, led by the guard, started through the corridors, Mr. Stuart pulled Honey aside.
"Thank you so much, dear, for doing this for me. You don't know how much it means. And thank your mother for me," he said charmingly.
Honey gave him a cold stare and hissed, "I thought you and mother were through with all this years ago."
The handsome man ignored her comment and said, "Thank you so very much again!"
He ushered her down the corridor to meet up with the BWGs.
The drive back to Knoxville was solemn.
"He didn't give us any clue as to what's going on," Trixie whined, "Now we'll never know what's going on and why we're gallivanting all over the country!"
Di sighed, "Oh but didn't he just totally remind you of George Clooney with glasses!?! Wow..."
Mart hit her playfully and she started giggling.
Jim pulled out the map. "Okay, Brian, Tomato Head is in Market Square. So get off at Cumberland Avenue and turn right on Walnut Street."
It was one o' clock, definitely time to eat! Apparently the whole population of Knoxville found Tomato Head the ideal place for lunch.
"What a cute place!" Di exclaimed, admiring the small cafe.
Vine plants crawled along the sides of the old brick building. There was a small patio out front that had cute retro tables with checkered table cloths and drippy candles decorating each. A hostess was taking names at a podium by in the entranceway. Tomato Head was dark inside, filled with the steamy smell of fresh pizza. Local art work was plastered on the walls, most of them for sale. The art was funky and modern.
"Belden, party of seven," announced the hostess after about twenty minutes.
The BWGs were seated on the patio. Tall menus were placed before them.
"Mmm," Honey breathed, "I just can't decide! There's so much!"
"Such delicacies!" Mart said, smacking his lips.
The menu consisted of many unusual pizza combinations along with an assorted variety of sandwiches.
"Does anyone want to split the bacon, avocado, and goat cheese pizza with me?" Dan asked.
"Yum!! That sounds excellent!" Jim said, "Yeah, I'll share it with you!"
The rest of the Bob-Whites settled on more familiar food, with the exception of Mart.
"I'll have the shrimp, spinach and mandarin orange pizza. A twelve inch please." He told the waiter.
The food came a few minutes later.
"This Market Square sure looks neat! We should go exploring after we eat," Brian said.
The Bob-Whites agreed.
"Hey Trix, what's up with you? You haven't said a word since we left Oak Ridge," Jim said, jabbing her in jest.
She looked up at him, "Oh nothing... I'm just disappointed that we never found out anything about the envelope or what's going on. We came all this way and we don't know why."
Honey sighed inwardly, If only she knew...
* * *
The group walked around Market Square after their scrumptious meal. There were little bookstores, restaurants and gift shops making up the small square. In the center was a stage where local performers entertained.
"Ooh Jim look!" Trixie said, her mood perking up, "There's a band playing. Let's go see them!"
Apparently the Knoxville schools were already out of school for the summer because there were over a hundred teens gathered by the stage cheering on a band called Atticus.
"Honey!" Di hissed, "Take a look at that drummer!"
The drummer had moppy brown hair, a goatee, and small square framed glasses.
Di and Honey rushed up to the front of the stage and started dancing. Atticus was playing old cover songs from the seventies.
"Hey you! With your ear against the wall, waiting for someone to call out, would you touch me?"
The music filled the square. Trixie looked around, standing aside from the crowd with the guys, and loved what she saw. People of all shapes, sizes, colors, and professions were walking with smiles on their faces. Sunshine streamed through onto the band.
"Together we stand, divided we fall, fall, fall..." the band closed with an echo resounding.
Applause filled the entire block. Honey and Di were swooning helplessly over the good-looking band members. The band started taking down their equipment and most of the onlookers went on with their daily routines.
The giddy girls rushed back to the other BWGs, "Oh guys, can we please go meet the band! They were so good!"
"Looking," Mart added kiddingly and Honey giggled.
"Let's go meet them. I really liked the way they sounded," Brian said.
They found Atticus backstage loading their equipment on a truck.
"Hey you guys sounded great!" Jim exclaimed.
"Yeah," the Bob-Whites chimed in.
The lead singer stepped forward, "Thanks a lot! This is one of our first gigs. We've played at some parties and stuff, but we're finally getting some cash! I'm Josh."
"We're from Upstate New York. I'm Jim, this is Trixie, Honey, Diana, Mart, Dan, and Brian."
They all shook hands. "This is David, Ryan, and Adam."
Adam was the cute drummer. He gave Trixie a smirky grin when he shook her hand.
The boys were already deep into conversation with the Knoxville band about music.
"Classic rock is the best...nothing can beat it!" Dan said.
"Oh yeah, definitely! Zeppelin is the greatest!" Josh agreed.
Trixie rolled her eyes, and whispered to the other girls, "This is boring. I wanna go exploring!"
"Here we go!" Di said, faking misery.
"Guys, we're going on a walk. We'll meet you at the hotel in two hours," Trixie said, not giving them a chance to object.
The girls walked down towards Main Avenue, passing the library, Convention center, and various other office buildings, most of them very old.
Knoxville had few major attractions besides the 1980 World's Fair Site, Neyland Stadium (Home of the Vols), and the new Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.
"Ha! What a joke!" Trixie laughed, "They might as well build a chess player's hall of fame!"
Millions of dollars were put into this building that was so poorly looked upon by so many people, especially the residents of Knoxville.
"What is that big gold ball?" Di asked, pointing to the huge shimmering gold ball in the sky, which was next to the Convention center.
"I think it's got to do with the World's Fair," Honey said, looking up.
"There's an elevator going up there," Trixie noticed, and started walking over to it.
They rode the elevator up to an empty room with signs of a party years ago. The bare white walls still had streamers hanging limply.
"Eww this is eerie," Di said, "but you've got to see this view!"
The other two joined her at the room wide window to see a beautiful panoramic view of Knoxville. The old Church Street Methodist Church overlooked the Tennessee River. People were boating down the river. Bikers rode all through the small city.
"What a neat place this is!" Honey said.
They went back down the elevator after watching the world spin around them for several minutes.
"Let's check out the stadium. It's supposed to be the biggest college football stadium," Di said.
She led the way. Empty Frat houses lined Volunteer Avenue.
"I wonder if all Knoxville guys look like Adam!" Honey sighed.
"Oh I know! I just may think about going to UT instead of NYU," Di said kiddingly.
"Haha! Don't you girls ever think about anything but guys!?! I mean we've got this FBI mystery on our hands!" Trixie said excitedly.
"I'd hardly call it a mystery," Honey commented under her breath.
"What?"
"Oh nothing," Honey said.
"Hey guys, we've got to start heading back to the hotel pretty soon," Di said, checking her watch.
"Yeah, I'm not totally sure how to get back anyway," Trixie said. "Let's skip Neyland. We've driven by it already; it's just a big orange stadium."
They turned around and started back on Main Avenue.
"Do you realize that this is like a two mile walk?" Honey said wearily.
"Well, we can sure use the exercise after that lunch," Trixie said. "Especially me!"
"Yeah right. You have a perfect body, Trix!" Di said.
Trixie laughed. "Right! Oh well, at least I'm not paranoid about my weight like the two of you!"
"Haha, Trix!" Honey said.
They laughed their way back to the Hyatt Regency where Brian and Jim were pacing in the lobby.
"Where have you three been? It's almost four o' clock!" Brian fumed, "This is a strange city and you're just three teenage girls. God knows what could've happened to you!"
Jim looked equally worried.
"We just graduated high school. It's not like we're little kids anymore," Trixie retorted.
The girls went up to their room to change for dinner.
The seven ate at O'Charley's Sports Grille on the UT Strip that night. College kids filled the streets. The night life was so exciting to watch! Di's head was spinning as she spotted innumerable good-looking guys.
"I kinda like this place. It's a shame we have to leave tomorrow, but Alabama should be great!" Jim said.
"Yeah. Knoxville is quaint. It could really be popular if they'd put some kind of big attraction like a Hard Rock here or something. It's definitely a football town!" Dan said.
They finished their supper, and walked around the Strip for a while, then drove back to the hotel around ten.
"We've got a big day ahead of us guys. Alabama is about six hours away. I'd like to get an early start," Brian said, taking the role of the leader.
The group played Spades in the girls' room for a few hours, laughing and joking around. Honey's mind kept wandering to the envelope.
I sure wish I hadn't looked in that envelope, she thought regretfully.