Each of Us a Universe: Chapters 13–17

by Jeanne Zulick Ferruolo, Ndengo Gladys Mwilelo
Twelve-year-old Calliope Scott believes that if she can climb to the top of New England's Mount Meteorite, she will find the magic to heal her mother.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–12, Chapters 13–17, Chapters 18–28
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. twinge
    a sudden sharp feeling
    “I would have done that,” Cal said, feeling a twinge of jealousy.
  2. passive
    lacking in energy or will
    She walked over to her and took the carabiner from her hand. “These are called passive protection pieces.”
  3. stealthy
    marked by quiet and caution and secrecy
    “That cat is like a ghost. He disappears and then appears out of nowhere. Poof!”
    “Wildcat is stealthy,” Cal said.
  4. lush
    produced or growing in extreme abundance
    In July and August, the leaves were lush and green.
  5. forge
    make something, usually for a specific function
    Now, in October, some had already turned brown and many had fallen away, concealing the path she’d forged in earlier months.
  6. bearing
    the direction or path along which something moves or lies
    After about a half hour of more hiking, Cal was beginning to wonder if they were heading in the wrong direction. She paused, trying to get her bearings.
  7. reorient
    determine one's position once again
    She opened her dad’s compass and reoriented, quickly confirming that they’d just wasted an hour hiking in the wrong direction.
  8. lumber
    move heavily or clumsily
    Together, the girls inched backward as the bear lumbered to where Cal had been standing.
  9. skulk
    move stealthily
    Instead, he skulked closer to the bear, whose muzzle was again buried inside the backpack.
  10. muzzle
    forward projecting part of the head of certain animals
    Instead, he skulked closer to the bear, whose muzzle was again buried inside the backpack.
  11. entrenched
    established firmly and securely
    This one’s secure, though, he continued. See how its trunk is entrenched in the landscape? It’s been here for years. It’s not going anywhere.
  12. tousle
    disarrange or rumple; dishevel
    Immediately the wind picked up, tousling Cal’s already messy hair.
  13. scud
    run or move very quickly or hastily
    Clouds scudded across the spire’s peak.
  14. puncture
    pierce with a pointed object; make a hole into
    Rosine scraped away a section of the vine and then punctured it with the point of the knife. She put the tin cup on the ground under that spot. Then she moved to the other end and pierced another hole.
  15. stubborn
    refusing to change one's mind or ways; difficult to convince
    We got in a fight. Mali is stubborn, but she thinks I’m more stubborn.
  16. determination
    firmness of purpose
    Rosine’s determination shifted something inside Cal.
  17. tripod
    a three-legged rack used for support
    “We need to fix these three tall branches so that all the V’s intersect in a tripod. That’s our frame,” she said.
  18. friction
    the resistance when a body is moved in contact with another
    She found her dad’s go-bag and dug out the flint. She’d never started a fire from friction, but she’d seen him do it.
  19. tinder
    material that burns easily and is used for starting a fire
    “We need more tinder.”
    “What’s that?”
    “Stuff that’s super combustible and will light easily.”
  20. combustible
    capable of igniting and burning
    “Stuff that’s super combustible and will light easily.” She squinted, scanning the forest. “Birch bark,” she said. “See that white tree that fell over there? Can you bring me some of the bark from the dead part?”
  21. gauze
    bleached cotton cloth of plain weave used for bandages
    She cut away the gauze her arm was wrapped in.
  22. shrivel
    wither, as with a loss of moisture
    Her skin was pink and shriveled.
  23. conjure
    summon into action or bring into existence
    It was as if her story had conjured up ghosts of a faraway place.
  24. scour
    examine minutely
    And again, when they were at the landing, she scoured below for flashlights.
  25. steep
    set at a high angle (of a slope)
    “So how did you learn to climb something as steep as the spire?”
  26. abyss
    a bottomless gulf or pit
    Rosine pointed in the direction of the rock falling into the abyss below.
  27. virtual
    occurring, existing, or carried out over a computer network
    She had loved doing virtual school during the pandemic. It was perfect. She could still see her teacher, without having to hear about the birthday parties or sleepovers she hadn’t been invited to.
  28. inventory
    make or include in an itemized record or report
    She inventoried what was left of their food. The bread and granola bars and beans were gone. There were only two cans of sardines left.
  29. arrest
    cause to stop
    Like I explained before, I’ll insert protection along the way so that if we slip, the stoppers will arrest any falls.
  30. obscure
    make unclear or less visible
    The spire’s peak was obscured by a layer of clouds.
  31. foothold
    a place that provides support for standing or climbing
    After she’d covered about twenty feet, the hand- and footholds seemed to stretch farther apart.
  32. materialize
    come into being; become reality
    Rosine suddenly materialized in front of her.
  33. cinch
    pull, fasten, or tie something tightly
    She screamed as the harness cinched tight.
  34. errant
    moving in an uncontrolled, irregular, or unpredictable way
    Just as she was about to give up, an errant ray of light hit the wall, illuminating a series of tiny cracks and fissures that traveled to its peak.
  35. fissure
    a long narrow depression in a surface
    Just as she was about to give up, an errant ray of light hit the wall, illuminating a series of tiny cracks and fissures that traveled to its peak.
Created on Sun Dec 10 09:43:13 EST 2023 (updated Sun Dec 10 18:15:26 EST 2023)

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