Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation: Prologue–Chapter 5

by Stuart Gibbs
Fearing that a sinister group will get its hands on a powerful equation devised by Einstein, the CIA enlists a young genius to find the hidden equation first.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Prologue–Chapter 5, Chapters 6–13, Chapters 14–26, Chapters 27–41, Chapter 42–Epilogue
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. vehemently
    in a forceful manner
    To the doctor's surprise, the housekeeper—a stern older woman named Helen—had argued vehemently against giving Einstein painkillers, even trying to throw them out the window.
  2. delirium
    a usually brief state of excitement and mental confusion
    The doctor suspected delirium had set in, a side effect of the painkillers. Einstein probably had no idea where he was—or that he was even speaking German.
  3. executor
    a person appointed to carry out the terms of the will
    I, Albert Einstein, being of sound mind, name Ernst Klein to be the supreme executor of my estate.
  4. accordance
    concurrence or agreement of opinion
    I beg you to do whatever Ernst requests. He is acting in accordance with my wishes.
  5. conjure
    summon into action or bring into existence
    Something only an intellectual powerhouse like Einstein could conjure up—or comprehend.
  6. devise
    arrange by systematic planning and united effort
    Before the doctor knew it, he was at the front door, shaking hands with Ernst, devising a plan to falsify the time of Einstein's death.
  7. strew
    spread by scattering
    This was the place where Albert could be himself, and it was strewn with the residue of a thousand ideas in progress.
  8. sacrilegious
    grossly irreverent toward what is considered holy
    Ernst knew what they said, but what he was about to do seemed so radical—so sacrilegious—that he needed Albert's reassurance before he began.
  9. scrutinize
    look at critically or searchingly, or in minute detail
    The director of the Central Intelligence Agency scrutinized the photograph of Charlie Thorne, then dropped it on the conference table and gave Agent Dante Garcia a hard stare.
  10. concede
    admit or acknowledge, often reluctantly
    But then Carter gave a slight nod, conceding that he was right, and sat back in her chair to think.
  11. relegate
    assign to a lower position
    The previous times, he had been a junior agent, relegated to the background, expected only to observe and keep his mouth shut.
  12. revere
    regard with feelings of respect
    This could be awkward for the other agents in the room, but they all greatly respected Carter—revered her even—and so they dealt with it.
  13. piercing
    very perceptive
    Her piercing brown eyes stood out against her dark skin. She had been an analyst, rather than a field operative, but then, most CIA employees were analysts, and Carter was one of the best.
  14. squall
    sudden violent winds, often accompanied by precipitation
    Squalls of snowflakes swirled outside the window.
  15. ominous
    threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
    Even on a sunny day, the buildings of CIA headquarters were drab; today they looked ominous and foreboding.
  16. foreboding
    ominously prophetic
    Even on a sunny day, the buildings of CIA headquarters were drab; today they looked ominous and foreboding.
  17. headstrong
    habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition
    “Rebellious. Headstrong. Conceited. Disrespectful of authority.”
  18. chafe
    feel extreme irritation or anger
    “Albert Einstein. As well as Leonardo da Vinci, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Benjamin Franklin, and every other groundbreaking genius you can name. Anyone that brilliant is going to chafe at authority. Because they’re smarter than the authorities.”
  19. ramification
    a consequence, especially one that causes complications
    Carter leafed through the file on Charlie Thorne one last time, considering all the possible ramifications of bringing this girl aboard.
  20. sanctioned
    formally approved and invested with legal authority
    “This will have to be an unsanctioned mission,” Carter said. “Completely off the books. There can’t be any record that the CIA is coercing twelve-year-olds to work for us.”
  21. sheer
    very steep; having a prominent and almost vertical front
    Deadman’s Drop was a couloir, a steep and narrow gouge in the rock, a sixty-degree slope flanked by sheer walls only a few feet apart.
  22. unadulterated
    without qualification
    For her it was pure, unadulterated bliss.
  23. humility
    a lack of arrogance or false pride
    So he had thrown a bunch of extra questions into her most recent exam that weren’t on anyone else’s—on subjects that weren’t even covered in the textbook—just to flunk her and teach her a lesson in humility while he was at it.
  24. saunter
    walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
    She had just sauntered in and casually done the math, the way other people might have jotted down a thank-you note, while all around her students ten years older than her—students who were majoring in theoretical physics—were tearing their hair out in frustration.
  25. swanky
    impressively fashionable and elegant
    A few sorority girls had been thrilled to blow off class and give Charlie a ride out to the mountains in return for a free place to stay at a swanky ski-in, ski-out house.
  26. condescending
    characteristic of those who treat others with arrogance
    They were either condescending, treating her like she was a seven-year-old, or they were weirded out by her, whispering behind her back like she was a circus freak.
  27. bravado
    a swaggering show of courage
    They had been acting excited about Deadman’s as they slipped under the boundary ropes and hiked up to it, but Charlie could tell that underneath the bravado they were all nervous and thinking that maybe Eva should have kept her big mouth shut.
  28. tentatively
    in a hesitant manner
    Eva and the other girls followed, but much more tentatively, worried about their safety—and Charlie’s, too.
  29. grandstand
    behave or perform in a showy way to impress an audience
    Charlie allowed herself a moment of grandstanding, flashing a smile to the spectators and taking a bow.
  30. apprehend
    take into police custody
    The plan was to apprehend Charlie nice and easy if they could: Wait for her to split off from her friends, maybe when she went to the bathroom.
  31. hone
    refine or make more perfect or effective
    Dante knew a great deal about Charlie Thorne, but he had severely underestimated her ability to notice her surroundings, unaware that Charlie had made a point of honing that skill.
  32. ample
    more than enough in size or scope or capacity
    He was in position to catch Charlie if she ran, but the ground here was flatter, so he’d need ample warning from Milana to get up to speed.
  33. evasive
    avoiding or escaping from difficulty or danger
    She had seen the second person down below, moving to block her escape, forcing her to take evasive action.
  34. splay
    widen or spread apart
    To Dante’s relief, Charlie wasn’t splayed out on the rocks below.
  35. glower
    look angry or sullen as if to signal disapproval
    The pool guy glowered at her, then gave her a little shove, knocking her back on her heels.
  36. incapacitate
    make unable to perform a certain action
    Step two: Incapacitate your enemy as quickly as possible. Charlie knew she wasn’t strong enough to punch the guy’s lights out, so instead she dropped onto his stomach with her knees, knocking the wind out of him.
  37. petulant
    easily irritated or annoyed
    She sat up, jammed her hands in her pockets, and pouted, doing her best to act like a petulant twelve-year-old.
  38. suppress
    control and refrain from showing
    Charlie felt a small, hard object tucked into one of the pockets in the liner and suppressed a smile.
  39. striking
    having a quality that thrusts itself into attention
    She was striking, with wide cheekbones, raven hair tied back in a ponytail, and dark eyes that shone with intelligence.
  40. facade
    a showy misrepresentation to conceal something unpleasant
    Her face filled with worry, but then she caught herself and tried her best to recover her calm facade.
Created on Tue Sep 14 13:34:56 EDT 2021 (updated Fri Sep 17 10:31:03 EDT 2021)

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