"The Dead and the Gone" Susan Beth Pfeffer, Chapters 11–14

In this sequel to Life as We Knew It, seventeen-year-old Alex Morales struggles to care for his younger sisters in a post-apocalyptic New York City.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–10, Chapters 11–14, Chapters 15–19

Here is a link to our lists for Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. ransack
    search thoroughly
    Alex removed the man’s watch, then ransacked his pockets, finding nothing.
  2. conscience
    motivation deriving from ethical or moral principles
    There was no need for this to be on both their consciences.
  3. lack
    the state of needing something that is absent or unavailable
    If crops throughout the U.S., throughout the world for that matter, died from lack of sunlight, how long would New York City continue to get food?
  4. seep
    pass gradually or leak or as if through small openings
    Alex chose not to think about the heating oil running out, or about the Hudson seeping eastward and reaching West End Avenue, or what he was going to do with his sisters when they’d have to leave New York.
  5. fragile
    easily broken or damaged or destroyed
    She knows better than you do how fragile life is.
  6. adolescence
    the period between the beginning of puberty and adulthood
    If God wanted a world filled with saints, He never would have created adolescence.
  7. humility
    a lack of arrogance or false pride
    “Go to chapel and pray for humility,” Father Mulrooney said.
  8. hypocrisy
    pretending to have qualities or beliefs that you do not have
    He can forgive anger, but He has no love for hypocrisy.”
  9. mode
    a particular functioning condition or arrangement
    The two of them walked silently the few blocks to the church, Julie in full sulk mode and Alex with his mind elsewhere.
  10. content
    satisfied or showing satisfaction with things as they are
    Julie was always angrier, always less content, and nothing over the past few months had changed that.
  11. gamely
    in a plucky or sporting manner
    Even Father Mulrooney got into the act, gamely dancing with Julie.
  12. opportunity
    a possibility from a favorable combination of circumstances
    Alex took the opportunity to thank James, Tony, and Kevin for making his sister’s birthday so special.
  13. avalanche
    a sudden appearance of an overwhelming number of things
    James, Tony, and Kevin all gave Julie pecks on the cheek, causing another avalanche of giggles.
  14. catastrophic
    extremely harmful; bringing physical or financial ruin
    Alex’s mind raced through all the catastrophic possibilities.
  15. insulation
    material reducing transmission of sound, heat or electricity
    Alex begged forgiveness from God and Papi as he began hammering the nails needed to hold the doubled-over blankets they used for insulation in place over the windows of apartment 12B.
  16. humiliation
    strong feelings of embarrassment
    He’d gone to Mami and Papi’s room, crying with misery and humiliation.
  17. forbid
    command against
    But that was the only time Bri escaped from the apartment, and Alex couldn’t find it in his heart to forbid her.
  18. lurk
    lie in wait or behave in a sneaky and secretive manner
    As far as he could tell, they had the building all to themselves, but that didn’t mean someone wasn’t lurking in the stairwell, and he couldn’t risk letting Julie go up by herself.
  19. sympathetic
    expressing compassion or friendly fellow feelings
    So Julie would spend Sunday afternoon sulking and Bri would spend it gasping and claiming she was fine, and Alex would have to act sympathetic, when all he wanted to do was run.
  20. civil
    not rude
    Before Mass Father Mulrooney gave the boys a stern lecture about how the Holy Angels students were their guests and any contact between them should be brief and civil.
  21. resist
    withstand the force of something
    “You’re supposed to carry this with you all the time!” he shouted, resisting the temptation to fling it at her.
  22. escort
    accompany
    Julie asked doubtfully as Alex escorted her.
  23. diminishing
    becoming smaller or less or appearing to do so
    Alex thought of the diminishing stock of liquor and sweaters and nodded.
  24. agony
    intense feelings of suffering; acute mental or physical pain
    To distract himself from thinking about the agony of walking up twelve flights of stairs, he concentrated on what might have happened to his sister.
  25. ironic
    displaying incongruity between what is expected and what is
    Alex thought, not for the first time, how ironic it was that they were living in a sixteen-story building and could only get into four apartments.
  26. incident
    a public disturbance
    But he made it without incident to Harvey’s, and he was pleased to see Harvey hadn’t lost any more teeth during the week.
  27. contemptuously
    without respect; in a disdainful manner
    He spit contemptuously.
  28. meditate
    reflect deeply on a subject
    He didn’t eat again until after Mass on Sunday, and he used the twelve flights of stairs he climbed by Bri’s side to meditate on the twelve stations of the cross.
  29. purpose
    the quality of being determined to do or achieve something
    But even half dead was busier than his neighborhood, and the people he saw walked with purpose.
  30. efficient
    being effective without wasting time, effort, or expense
    Either people were healthier midtown or the body collecting was more efficient.
  31. holster
    a sheath for carrying a handgun
    “He expecting you?” the guard asked, his hand starting for the gun in his holster.
  32. complicated
    difficult to analyze or understand
    Do you have any idea how complicated it is to transport things?
  33. revealing
    showing or making known
    He got up and walked over to the wall and removed a painting, revealing a wall safe.
  34. ward
    a person who is under the protection of another
    “Alejandro, Briana, and Julie Morales are now my legal wards."
  35. burst
    be in a state of movement or action
    “All right,” Bri said, but she was bursting with excitement also.
Created on Tue Sep 10 19:43:51 EDT 2013 (updated Wed Aug 15 16:56:06 EDT 2018)

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