Forever, or a Long, Long Time: Chapter 8–Theory #742

by Caela Carter
Fourth-grader Flora and her younger brother Julian believe they were never born because they have bounced around different homes and cannot believe that they will ever have a family whom they can live with and love forever.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Theory #1–Chapter 7, Chapter 8–Theory #742, Chapter 18–Theory #0
35 words 15 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. dumbfounded
    as if rendered speechless with astonishment and surprise
    I stare at her dumbfounded. It hadn't even occurred to me to eat the food Julian was saving in here.
  2. smirk
    smile in a mocking or condescending way
    "You're pregnant?" Elena says again, more loudly. Then she laughs. "I thought you were getting fat," she says. She smirks toward me.
  3. plead
    appeal or request earnestly
    "Do you know where it is, Flora?" Julian asks, a pleading tone to his voice.
  4. apparently
    seemingly; as far as one can tell
    I mean, the agency should have kept them too. But apparently neither that woman nor the agency can find them.
  5. reclaim
    reassert one's right or title to
    I've been fighting to reclaim them for years but...I can't get anywhere.
  6. khaki
    a sturdy type of cloth that is a light brown color
    Ms. K comes over and squats in front of my desk. She can do this because she's wearing her every-other-Tuesday khakis and blue blouse today.
  7. fluke
    a stroke of luck
    "So then I take it that this little trip to my office was a fluke?"
  8. typical
    conforming to a standard or kind
    I run out to the blacktop and look for him at our typical spot under the basketball hoop, but he's not there.
  9. vein
    a blood vessel that carries blood toward the heart
    We grew veins to hold the blood. They still said "gross." We grew bones for the veins to wrap around. We grew muscles for the veins to hide behind.
  10. assume
    take to be the case or to be true
    "I can see you're having no problem speaking so I assume your sister didn't do any permanent damage."
  11. utterly
    completely and without qualification
    Ms. K looks utterly confused.
  12. freeway
    a broad highway designed for high-speed traffic
    There are more letters and more words. They're building up inside me but they refuse to leave my body. They jam on top of each other like a million-car pileup on the freeway until my face is hot and my throat is sore and I know that when I finally do cry it won't be tears falling out of my eyes but letters.
  13. dedicate
    give entirely to a specific person, activity, or cause
    "First I went to meetings with lots of professionals who love kids like you so much they dedicate their lives to you."
  14. neurology
    the branch of medicine that deals with the nervous system
    "They're supposed to teach you how to be a good mom or dad. They taught some good stuff—science-y stuff. Like psychology, which is the study of human minds. And neurology, which is the study of—"
    "The human brain!"
  15. development
    the process of an individual organism growing organically
    "And human development, which is the study of..." Person pauses for me on purpose.
    "The way we grow," I say.
  16. mortgage
    a conveyance of property as security for repaying a loan
    I had to use my mortgage papers to prove that I owned this apartment.
  17. scab
    the crustlike surface of a healing skin lesion
    With my thumb, I rub the spot on my knuckle where a scab is forming.
  18. authority
    the power or right to give orders or make decisions
    "Oh, don't try to out-mom me. We have different kids, different girls. What my kids have been through… Those extra eight years give you no authority over my kids and my parenting… You have a voice. Believe me you do. We hear your voice loud and clear around here…”
  19. survey
    look over carefully or inspect
    He starts tapping on his full pockets and surveying the hiding spaces as he talks and talks over his shoulders.
  20. assault
    attack someone physically or emotionally
    Why should my daughter come all the way over here? So she can listen to a girl who assaulted her and who refuses to apologize?
  21. priority
    status established in order of importance or urgency
    "Flora is going to get an appropriate punishment for punching you. It is my top priority to make sure that every member of this family feels safe in this house. There's no punching or hurting in this house. But there's no making fun of your brother, either."
  22. dysfunction
    a failure to sustain social norms or expected conditions
    "Emily, it was your choice to accept dysfunction into your family. Jon, it was your choice to marry into a dysfunctional family. But Elena and I didn't get that choice."
    Dysfunction. She called us dysfunction. We are dysfunction, the whole word at once.
  23. frustrated
    disappointingly unsuccessful
    "Tongue," I say, still too excited and angry and frustrated and confused to make it make sense.
  24. blare
    make a loud noise
    I don't know what Elena says because sirens blare in my brain.
  25. confirm
    establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts
    Person confirmed that we start our hunt for the white house and all of the other foster houses this weekend, and Julian smiled at me and my heart raced in my chest, both excited and scared.
  26. nestle
    move or arrange oneself in a comfortable and cozy position
    Castillo nestles into my palm, making me brave.
  27. erratic
    likely to perform unpredictably
    They both think they were never born. They've started the erratic behaviors again.
  28. obsessed
    having excessive or compulsive concern with something
    Either he should be terrible at talking or I should be obsessed with hiding food in my closet.
  29. concept
    an abstract or general idea inferred from specific instances
    We keep telling her that we don't remember anything but it's like me and those concepts from Earth Science—she can't quite grasp it.
  30. antic
    a playful, attention-getting act done for fun and amusement
    Every few sentences Julian and I bubble with giggles at the silly antics Joey gets himself into.
  31. loom
    appear very large or occupy a commanding position
    When we arrive Saturday morning, the house looms over the car. It's not big. I can see that with my eyes. But it feels huge.
  32. careen
    move at high speed and in an uncontrolled way
    I remember the swirling chaos around Julian and me as kids careened in every direction.
  33. frazzle
    exhaust physically or emotionally
    I belong to Person now, not this frazzled black-haired lady.
  34. rifle
    go through in search of something
    She starts rifling through the top corner and when the baby on her hip cries she jiggles her a little and then keeps rifling.
  35. occasional
    occurring from time to time
    We look for a minute and it's quiet except the screams and the barks outside and the occasional crying from the on-her-hip baby.
Created on Mon Sep 26 11:31:15 EDT 2022 (updated Mon Jul 31 16:56:44 EDT 2023)

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