The School for Invisible Boys: Chapters 38–48

by Shaun David Hutchinson
This first book of The Kairos Files series introduces Hector Myles Griggs, a sixth grader whose sudden ability to turn invisible protects him from human threats at Florida's St. Lawrence's Catholic School for Boys, yet lands him in another dimension with a monster that feeds on fear.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–10, Chapters 11–22, Chapters 23–37, Chapters 38–48
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. conjure
    summon into action or bring into existence
    I tried not to imagine what they might look like, but my mind conjured beasts with fangs and claws and scales and slimy underbellies.
  2. resolve
    the trait of being firm in purpose or belief
    I could handle my new circumstances.
    But my resolve crumbled at dinnertime.
  3. gush
    flow forth in a sudden stream or jet
    The inky syrup gushed from his ears, and I imagined it was every awful, hateful thing the gelim had filled Blake’s head with.
  4. specter
    a ghostly appearing figure
    “I still can’t believe you can turn invisible. You’re like a super specter or something.”
  5. rash
    marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences
    I held up my hands to stop her from doing anything rash.
  6. pry
    inquire in an uninvited or presumptuous manner
    Sam was hiding things from me. Normally I wouldn’t pry, but we were talking about putting our lives at risk.
  7. crane
    stretch, so as to see better
    “What do we do now?” Blake craned his neck, looking for another way in.
  8. sinewy
    consisting of tendons or resembling a tendon
    The floor was coated with a layer of grime, and sinewy cobwebs hung from the ceilings and corners.
  9. teeming
    abundantly filled with especially living things
    Eyeglasses, coffee mugs, three fountain pens, stacks of books, orphaned shoes, marbles, pencil cases, toy cars. The clergy house was like a tide pool, teeming with students’ belongings that had slipped through the cracks of the real world.
  10. precariously
    in a manner affording no ease or reassurance
    There were so many items without shadows piled precariously along the walls that I felt like they could crash down and bury us at any moment.
  11. linoleum
    a floor covering made from linseed oil, cork, and resin
    Black mold spilled across the linoleum floor, and there were pimple-like eruptions along the wall that pulsed with a heartbeat and oozed gray mucus.
  12. gouge
    an impression in a surface, as made by a blow
    I recognized the gouges along the bottom edge from Pop using it to open bottles.
  13. bramble
    any of various rough thorny shrubs or vines
    The room beyond the kitchen was filled with ancient wooden desks, which blocked our path like brambles that we had to climb over to pass.
  14. squelch
    make a sucking sound
    My loafers squelched on the steps like they were sticking in mud, and I had to lift my legs higher to pull them out.
  15. barnacle
    marine crustacean with feathery food-catching appendages
    The boxes and trunks were overgrown with the strange barnacles, and Blake and I had to walk carefully to avoid the colonies of glistening black mold on the floor.
  16. suppress
    control and refrain from showing
    Blake tried and failed to suppress a violent shiver.
  17. sprawl
    sit or lie with one's limbs spread out
    He was glued to the floor, sitting up, his legs sprawled out in front of him.
  18. wan
    lacking vitality as from weariness or illness or unhappiness
    His entire body up to his chin was encased in thick slime and barnacles, and his face was wan and lifeless.
  19. hack
    chop or cut away
    Blake was hacking through the slime as fast as he could, but it tried to seal shut almost as soon as he wounded it.
  20. wring
    twist, squeeze, or compress in order to extract liquid
    I barely made it outside before a meaty tentacle wrapped around my chest and tried to wring me out like a wet towel.
  21. slaver
    let saliva dribble from the mouth
    As I hit the grass, more tentacles snaked out from around the side of the burning house to loom over me, the snapping teeth slavering for revenge.
  22. ravenous
    extremely hungry
    Since fighting with Blake, I’d spent a lot of time running, so three hundred meters was nothing, but I’d never done it while an enraged, ravenous monster was chasing me.
  23. clammy
    unpleasantly cool and humid
    Despite having just sprinted under the punishing Florida sun, I felt cold and clammy as the sweat chilled on my skin.
  24. formidable
    extremely impressive in strength or excellence
    “Work with me instead of against me. We would be a formidable team.”
  25. compel
    force somebody to do something
    If I really was as special as she said, and she wanted to use me, she wouldn’t have asked. She would have forced me to do what she wanted. Which meant she couldn’t compel me, and that scared her.
  26. waver
    move hesitatingly, as if about to give way
    The bell rang. Miss DeVore glanced over her shoulder as five hundred boys stood. In that moment, her attention wavered.
  27. thrash
    move or stir about violently
    Fighting her was like swimming through pudding. She squirmed and thrashed, but I locked my hands together and refused to let go.
  28. stubborn
    refusing to change one's mind or ways; difficult to convince
    With a satisfying pop, like finally opening a stubborn lid on a new jar of jelly, we crossed over and crashed to the floor.
  29. grotesque
    distorted and unnatural in shape or size
    A grotesque body like an infected wart covered with eyestalks and tentacles grew up and out until it brushed the ceiling.
  30. bulbous
    rounded and bulging
    Its bulbous yellow eyes stared menacingly at us as it gnashed its gnarly teeth.
  31. cudgel
    a club that is used as a weapon
    I didn’t know where he’d come from, but he was swinging an aluminum baseball bat like a cudgel, carving a path through the tentacles.
  32. buck
    move in a jerky or violent manner
    The gelim bucked and thrashed.
  33. prod
    a pointed instrument used to provoke into motion
    A group of people in hazmat suits surged in, armed with weapons that looked like cattle prods.
  34. palpable
    capable of being perceived
    The gelim’s fear was palpable as it finally realized it had lost, and I almost felt sorry for it.
  35. hallucinate
    have illusions; perceive what is not actually there
    They’re saying it was some kind of toxic fumes and that we all hallucinated what happened!
  36. gullible
    easily tricked because of being too trusting
    “No one’s going to buy that story,” Gordi said. “Right?”
    Paul shook his head. “Adults will. They’re so gullible. They’ll believe anything if it means not having to admit there was a monster working in the principal’s office.”
  37. snag
    catch or cause to catch on something sharp that is sticking out
    Miss Musser snagged my arm as I walked past.
  38. digest
    arrange and integrate in the mind
    This was a lot to digest. Sam and Mr. Morhill were part of a secret organization, Sam had powers, I had powers, and there were possibly more terrifying things in the universe than the gelim.
  39. asset
    a useful or valuable quality
    With your gift, you’d be a huge asset to Kairos. Even if you don’t want to work in the field, they’d like to study what you can do and how you do it.
  40. maintain
    keep in a certain state, position, or activity
    Maintain surveillance on H.G. If he cannot be recruited before the next phase, he will need to be eliminated.
Created on Sat Aug 03 17:38:23 EDT 2024 (updated Sun Aug 04 12:31:48 EDT 2024)

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