Ghost Squad: Chapters 1–4

by Claribel A. Ortega
When best friends Lucely and Syd accidentally summon evil spirits to their town, they must figure out a way to reverse the spell and defeat the spirits.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–10, Chapters 11–16, Chapters 17–23
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. meticulously
    in a manner marked by extreme care of details
    Above her desk, Lucely had a corkboard with all her certificates from school on it, a calendar where she meticulously kept track of her homework assignments, and a pamphlet for the Luna Ghost Tour.
  2. foyer
    a large entrance or reception room or area
    “We’ll start with the bathroom downstairs, then move up to the foyer.”
  3. influx
    the process of flowing in
    “I’m afraid the most I can do is give you until the end of October. Maybe with Halloween coming up you’ll have an influx of tourists?”
  4. foreclose
    take away the right of mortgagors to redeem their mortgage
    “I do appreciate the timeliness with which you’ve always paid your bills, but I’m afraid with the market growing again, my only option will be to foreclose on the house.”
  5. leeway
    a permissible difference
    “And I would hope that our years of responsible payment would be enough to give us a little leeway now. Especially with all the work we put into the house after the last hurricane. But I guess that’s not how your bank does business.”
  6. exasperated
    greatly annoyed; out of patience
    As soon as the door closed behind him, Simon’s shoulders slumped, and he let out an exasperated breath.
  7. baffle
    be a mystery or bewildering to
    “I’m going to go clean up the kitchen before Tía Milagros has a fit. How they can make such a mess baffles me,” he laughed to himself.
  8. wistfully
    in a pensively sad manner
    “Mamá?” he asked wistfully.
  9. mausoleum
    a large burial chamber, usually above ground
    Beams of light cast long shadows from the tombstones surrounding Lucely’s hiding place. As the tour group approached the mausoleum—all hushed tones and nervous laughter—Lucely cued up the spooky audio recording on her phone.
  10. resound
    ring or echo with noise
    Her father’s slightly accented English resounded in the dark.
  11. suppress
    control and refrain from showing
    Lucely suppressed a giggle.
  12. stifle
    smother or suppress
    Screams erupted from some of the more superstitious, and Lucely had to stifle a laugh with her sleeve.
  13. materialize
    come into being; become reality
    Her grandmother materialized before her—eyes wide.
  14. tentative
    hesitant or lacking confidence; unsettled in mind or opinion
    He stepped into the hallway, and Lucely waited till he’d exited completely before taking a tentative step out of bed.
  15. proceeds
    the income or profit arising from a transaction
    The proceeds from one tour alone was a lot of money for the Lunas.
  16. intently
    with strained or eager attention
    Simon listened intently as Lucely explained, and then he put his hands on her shoulders.
  17. solemn
    dignified and somber in manner or character
    Their history classroom was unusually quiet when they arrived and took their seats, and their teacher, Mr. Lopez, looked solemn.
  18. flourish
    an ornamental embellishment in writing
    Mr. Lopez wrote the words Las Brujas Moradas with an elegant flourish on the chalkboard and turned around to face the classroom, his eyebrows knit.
  19. inquisition
    a severe interrogation
    The legend goes that Las Brujas Moradas were a coven of witches from Spain who fled to St. Augustine during the Spanish Inquisition.
  20. mysticism
    a religion based on communion with an ultimate reality
    They chose the name Moradas because purple is believed to be a powerful color connected to mysticism and the supernatural.
  21. ominously
    in a manner suggesting something bad will happen
    “...There were also spells for good luck, fortune, and even”—Mr. Lopez raised one eyebrow ominously—“a spell to raise the dead. To bring them back from the underworld, as ghosts.”
  22. permeate
    spread or diffuse through
    The smell of her bubble-gum lip gloss permeated the air.
  23. concede
    admit or acknowledge, often reluctantly
    “I admit, it’s the best plan I’ve heard yet,” Lucely conceded.
  24. locale
    the scene of any event or action
    Phantom Hunters was Syd’s favorite TV show, where three women and a cameraman search for paranormal activity in abandoned hospitals and other haunted locales.
  25. bauble
    cheap showy jewelry or ornament
    Syd’s grandmother, Babette, lived on the north side of town, just a few miles from school in an old house in which she also ran her occult shop, Babette’s Baubles.
  26. moor
    secure in or as if in a berth or dock
    Finally, they could either take a rickety footbridge over the swampy, alligator-infested water or paddle across using the small rowboat that Babette kept moored to a dock just out of sight.
  27. obscure
    make unclear or less visible
    The shop was attached to Babette’s house, hints of purple peeking out of the few spots where the ivy hadn’t completely obscured the paint.
  28. decrepit
    worn and broken down by hard use
    Even though Lucely knew that the footbridge was only enchanted to look old and decrepit, she still couldn’t help but feel as if it might collapse underneath them at any moment.
  29. incense
    a substance that produces a fragrant odor when burned
    The shop smelled of incense and fresh bread.
  30. mange
    a skin disease causing inflammation, itching, and hair loss
    Mouth, a scraggly mange of a cat, began wailing incessantly, looking for either attention or a snack.
  31. incessantly
    without interruption
    Mouth, a scraggly mange of a cat, began wailing incessantly, looking for either attention or a snack.
  32. raspy
    unpleasantly harsh or grating in sound
    A raspy but strong voice came from the back room.
  33. occult
    supernatural forces and events and beings collectively
    There was a long-standing rumor in town that Babette was more than just some reclusive peddler of rare oddities and objects of the occult—that she was actually a witch.
  34. caftan
    a long loose dress or tunic
    Tall and elegant, with high cheekbones and warm, dark skin the same color as Syd’s, she wore a thin, blue caftan with long sleeves and silk trim.
  35. ulterior
    lying beyond what is openly revealed or avowed
    “Can’t we just pop by for a visit without having some ulterior motive?” Syd said, feigning offense.
  36. feign
    give a false appearance of
    “Can’t we just pop by for a visit without having some ulterior motive?” Syd said, feigning offense.
  37. lore
    knowledge gained through tradition or anecdote
    They had been going through Babette’s collection of local lore and history books when Lucely had accidentally revealed a door hidden within the folds of the room.
  38. ashen
    pale from illness or emotion
    Her face ashen, eyes wide.
  39. reorient
    determine one's position once again
    Syd spun at the commotion to see Lucely in a daze as she tried to reorient herself.
  40. crude
    not carefully or expertly made
    Syd was helping Lucely wipe the dust off her face when Lucely noticed the corner of what looked like a crudely bound notebook under a pile of tattered papers.
Created on Wed Jul 29 10:13:11 EDT 2020 (updated Thu Jul 30 14:10:54 EDT 2020)

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