Gone: Chapter 38–Final

by Michael Grant
In the first book of the Gone series, the children of Perdido Beach wake up one morning to discover that everyone over the age of 14 has disappeared and many of town's remaining inhabitants have developed strange supernatural powers.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–9, Chapters 10–16, Chapters 17–26, Chapters 27–37, Chapter 38–Final
40 words 9 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. superficial
    of, affecting, or being on or near the surface
    Astrid was struck by how alike the two boys looked superficially. And by how different a reaction she had to their similar features.
  2. prefigure
    indicate by signs; be an early indication of
    “The mutations prefigure the FAYZ. Indeed, the mutations were the sine qua non of the FAYZ. The thing without which the FAYZ could not have occurred.”
  3. terse
    brief and to the point
    “Don’t try to play me,” Drake said tersely.
  4. leery
    openly distrustful and unwilling to confide
    Now even Drake seemed leery, frightened of something he couldn’t quite explain.
  5. cudgel
    a club that is used as a weapon
    The soundless voice was a cudgel slamming her head.
  6. grovel
    show submission or fear
    Pack Leader groveled, lowering himself to the floor of the cave beside Lana, crawling on his belly.
  7. rictus
    a gaping grimace
    “Ah,” the Darkness said, and twisted Lana’s mouth into a rictus.
  8. mordant
    harshly ironic or sinister
    “What? Oh. It’s called ‘A Cry For Help In A World Gone Mad.’”
    They shared a mordant laugh.
  9. bemused
    perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements
    “It’s spreading,” Orc said. He seemed bemused by it. He touched it with his finger. “It’s warm.”
  10. impertinence
    the trait of being rude and inclined to take liberties
    And clearly he thought he was in love with her. It was the reason he tolerated her impertinence.
  11. lattice
    framework consisting of an ornamental wood or metal design
    He led Astrid and her brother to the steeple. The lattice panels were still knocked out, just as Drake had left them.
  12. intercede
    act between parties with a view to reconciling differences
    “No. I don’t know that. I’ve prayed for it not to happen. I’ve asked Mary to intercede.”
  13. temporize
    draw out a discussion or process in order to gain time
    “Get dressed. Just your clothes. Nothing else.”
    “What time is it?” he temporized.
    “Time to do the right thing.”
  14. haphazardly
    without care; in a slapdash manner
    Diana led him to an SUV parked haphazardly on the grass.
  15. vehemence
    intensity or forcefulness of expression
    “Think, Jack,” he screamed with sudden, shocking vehemence.
  16. fitful
    intermittently stopping and starting
    He had slept fitfully, crunched in the driver’s seat, all the doors locked, too scared to think about stretching out more comfortably in the back.
  17. fallow
    left unplowed and unseeded during a growing season
    Jack slowed just slightly and steered into the fallow field.
  18. dilapidated
    in a state of decay, ruin, or deterioration
    Beyond the tractor a dark, dilapidated farmhouse was set far back from the road.
  19. parapet
    a low wall along the edge of a roof or balcony
    The roof was encircled by a parapet, a three-foot-high wall topped with cracked Spanish tile.
  20. brandish
    exhibit aggressively
    Brianna pulled a claw hammer from her belt and brandished it.
  21. gesticulate
    show, express, or direct through movement
    Quinn squinted and saw Astrid in dark silhouette waving her arms like a crazy person, pointing, gesticulating, yelling something.
  22. ashen
    pale from illness or emotion
    Quinn didn’t want to look, didn’t want to, but Brianna’s ashen face made looking the less terrifying option.
  23. furtively
    in a secretive manner
    Drake wasn’t running, he wasn’t moving furtively, he was right in the middle of the alleyway in plain view.
  24. slaver
    let saliva dribble from the mouth
    A coyote was on her in a flash, knocked her to the ground, and stood over her, teeth bared, growling. His slavering muzzle was six inches from her throat.
  25. defection
    withdrawing support or help despite allegiance
    In the meantime, Diana had to play it smart by pretending to be concerned by Jack’s escape or defection or whatever it should be called.
  26. rebuff
    reject outright and bluntly
    She rebuffed attempts at conversation.
  27. manifest
    reveal its presence or make an appearance
    But then his power manifested one day when Frederico threatened to kick his butt.
  28. scrabble
    grope, scratch, or feel searchingly
    The wall shuddered and cracked and the coyotes nearest to it suddenly floated upward, their paws scrabbling in midair.
  29. prudent
    marked by sound judgment
    Panda accelerated into the street, keeping his speed to a prudent twenty-five miles per hour.
  30. overture
    orchestral music at the beginning of an opera or musical
    Diana began humming the William Tell Overture.
  31. ululation
    a long, loud, emotional howl or cry
    A coyote howled, a wild ululation, a ghostly cry of despair.
  32. lance
    move quickly, as if by cutting one's way
    Sam stretched out his hand and green fire lanced toward the left-side swarm of coyotes.
  33. staccato
    marked by or composed of disconnected parts or sounds
    He ran straight at Caine, ignoring the massacre behind him, blocking the screams and the ravening growls and the staccato of machine guns.
  34. fetid
    offensively malodorous
    Caine fired back and the statue on the fountain was blown off its pedestal and fell with a splash in the fetid water.
  35. scourge
    cause extensive destruction or ruin utterly
    Caine jumped aside, too slow, and the scourging light seared his side.
  36. incongruous
    lacking in harmony or compatibility or appropriateness
    The top floor was a wreckage of burned timbers and asphalt-tiled slopes of roof like children’s slides, and fragments of walls and incongruous jutting pipes.
  37. bravado
    a swaggering show of courage
    “Walk away. Stay away.”
    “Never,” Caine said with some of his old bravado.
  38. leaden
    (of movement) slow and laborious
    Drake was raising his whip hand once more to bring it down on Orc’s pylon shoulders, but his movements were slow, leaden.
  39. bleak
    offering little or no hope
    He sent Sam a bleak, infinitely sad look.
  40. elliptical
    expressing oneself in an overly concise or indirect way
    “Well...”
    “He says, allowing his elliptical tone to imply any number of things.”
    Sam smiled. “I’m all about elliptical implications.”
Created on Wed Aug 12 08:59:29 EDT 2020 (updated Wed Aug 19 15:56:12 EDT 2020)

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