White Smoke: Chapters 19–26

by Tiffany D. Jackson
After moving to a small town in the Midwest, high school track star Marigold discovers that she's living in a haunted house in a new town full of dark secrets.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Preface–Chapter 5, Chapters 6–11, Chapters 12–18, Chapters 19–26
35 words 7 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. amble
    walk leisurely
    Light steps amble down the hall.
  2. disorienting
    causing loss of physical or intellectual bearings
    Halfway there, a raspy voice wails, and it’s so disorienting, I nearly freeze mid-stride.
  3. balk
    refuse to proceed or comply
    “Leaving?” Alec and Mom balk.
  4. promenade
    a public area set aside as a pedestrian walk
    The Riverwalk is a redbrick-style promenade off the Cedarville River with plenty of restaurants, shops, food trucks, and kiosks, bookended by casinos and an eat-in movie theater.
  5. contingency
    a possible event or occurrence or result
    “To be honest,” Mom continues, “he’s a little hurt about our secret contingency plan. Because families don’t have that. Families stick together no matter what and help each other.”
  6. forsake
    turn away from; give up
    And children of God, I'm here to provide the seeds that you will plant, and you will do the watering. Do not forsake his words.
  7. modest
    following standards of propriety in conduct or appearance
    Judging from their modest clothes and hairstyles, the picture was taken a long time ago, but the girl’s eyes are a familiar crystal blue.
  8. eloquent
    expressing yourself readily, clearly, effectively
    I know, not super eloquent, but it’s the truth.
  9. tenuous
    weak or unstable
    But it all seems so tenuous, like we’re sitting in a false sense of safety.
  10. bristle
    rise up as in fear
    Buddy leaps to his feet, his fur bristling, and I grip his collar, holding him back.
  11. stricken
    affected by something overwhelming
    “It’s okay, sweetheart,” he says, taking a flat-head screwdriver to the lock. Piper blinks, looking stricken.
  12. bemused
    perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements
    Alec frowns with a bemused chuckle. “Wonder what they want.”
  13. discreet
    not easily noticeable
    Mom, standing in front of us on the porch, discreetly dials 911.
  14. visceral
    coming from deep inward feelings rather than from reasoning
    Someone gasps, the outrage visceral.
  15. yield
    be the cause or source of
    City leaders have approved its first dispensary license to Good Crop Inc, allowing Cedarville the opportunity to participate in an industry that’s estimated to yield $5 billion in annual sales.
  16. meticulously
    in a manner marked by extreme care of details
    Sitting on the bed, Piper meticulously folds her laundry, taking her time to make each shirt a crisp square, then adding it to a neat pile.
  17. mull
    reflect deeply on a subject
    “It’s like when you agree to stop fighting and arguing for a certain period of time. So can we do that? Have peace for the next four days?”
    Piper mulls it over.
  18. peevish
    easily irritated or annoyed
    “Yeah?” he says peevishly, his eyes cold.
  19. haggard
    very thin, especially from disease or hunger or cold
    The woman is small, her thin hair choppy sprouts of gray, face haggard and back hunched.
  20. vitriol
    abusive or venomous language to express blame or censure
    The TV is on, Scott Clark spitting his vitriol.
  21. curdle
    turn from a liquid to a solid mass
    The contents in my stomach curdle as I stand paralyzed for what feels like eternity.
  22. casually
    in an unconcerned manner
    I bite my tongue to smother a cry, then attempt to play it cool, casually looking away, pretending I saw absolutely nothing.
  23. misshapen
    so badly formed or distorted as to be ugly
    The fire seared meat out of his cheek, neck, and hair, skin misshapen around muscles and veins, his left ear gone.
  24. throng
    a large gathering of people
    And the throng of police surrounding her learn the hard way that she’s more agile than she appears.
  25. embodiment
    a concrete representation of an otherwise cloudy concept
    They stare in pure astonishment at the physical embodiment of their urban legend being rolled away.
  26. pulpit
    a platform raised to give prominence to the person on it
    Mr. Sterling addresses the crowd from the porch as if it is his pulpit.
  27. enrapture
    hold spellbound
    The crowd stirs, enraptured.
  28. incite
    provoke or stir up
    They hadn’t heard about Piper yet and the words he uses seem purposefully inciting: Kidnapped. Scared. Dangerous.
  29. elude
    escape, either physically or mentally
    This man has eluded us for decades.
  30. relent
    give in, as to influence or pressure
    Mom stares into my eyes and nods, relenting.
  31. pallet
    a portable platform for storing or moving goods
    A pallet covered with a beige tarp sits on the corner of Sweetwater like a large forgotten birthday present.
  32. billow
    rise and move, as in waves
    Inside, smoke billows, the flames growing larger, fire eating up the moldy curtains.
  33. sweltering
    excessively hot and humid; marked by sweating and faintness
    He shakes his head and keeps moving, sweat dripping down his face, the heat sweltering.
  34. sheen
    the visual property of something that shines
    Face covered in a thin sheen of sweat, Piper looks back up at the window.
  35. rile
    disturb, especially by minor irritations
    If we go out together, they’ll catch him, and the way the mob is riled up, they may not turn him over to the police.
Created on Mon Apr 04 09:57:37 EDT 2022 (updated Mon Apr 11 08:41:22 EDT 2022)

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