Criminal Destiny: Chapters 6–12

by Gordon Korman
In this second book of the Masterminds trilogy, Amber Laska, Eli Frieden, Tori Pritel, and Malik Bruder decide they must commit small crimes in order to reveal the truth about the illegal cloning project that had created them.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–12, Chapters 13–20, Chapters 21–28
40 words 10 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. bluster
    act in an arrogant, overly self-assured, or conceited manner
    Even Malik, who complained about how boring it was, was just blustering when he talked about leaving one day.
  2. sash
    a sliding framework that holds the panes in a window
    “Help me with the window.”
    Malik flips the latch and lifts. The sash doesn’t budge.
  3. rappel
    lower oneself with a rope coiled around the body from a mountainside
    We all know that his real concern is rappelling down a three-story building, swinging like Tarzan, and then jumping into what we hope is something soft.
  4. beseech
    ask for or request earnestly
    When I finally reach the dangling nozzle, it’s a shock how far up I still am, and an even bigger shock how far away the Dumpster is.
    I turn beseeching eyes up to the third floor.
  5. smug
    marked by excessive complacency or self-satisfaction
    I manufacture an image of Dad, a smug, superior expression on his face, and I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.
  6. barge
    push one's way
    The minute he doesn’t hear Amber’s voice anymore he’s going to barge into the bathroom and see the fire hose going out the window.
  7. abet
    assist or encourage, usually in some wrongdoing
    I wonder if there’s such a crime as aiding and abetting a moron.
  8. belligerently
    in the manner of someone eager to fight
    “Well, what are we supposed to do?” I ask belligerently. “Flap our arms and fly?”
  9. hopper
    funnel-shaped receptacle
    Through it, we can see a huge metal hopper and, inside it, the whirling cutting blades of a wood chipper.
  10. inexorably
    in a manner impervious to change or persuasion
    We’re part of the load, and the load is being drawn inexorably into the maw of the machine.
  11. maw
    the mouth, jaws, or throat
    We’re part of the load, and the load is being drawn inexorably into the maw of the machine.
  12. exertion
    use of physical or mental energy; hard work
    I’m yelling my head off in agony and exertion.
  13. frill
    a strip of pleated material used as a decoration or a trim
    I’m in the bedroom of a girl about my age, all frills and pastel colors.
  14. modest
    limited in size or scope
    It’s a modest house, nowhere near the luxury we were accustomed to in Serenity.
  15. facade
    the front of a building
    There on the screen is a picture of the rear façade of a four-story building and the alley below.
  16. municipal
    relating to a self-governing district
    Police are investigating the sighting of four youths in a municipal services yard in Mountain View, but caution that they have not yet confirmed that these two incidents are related.
  17. dingy
    thickly covered with ingrained dirt or soot
    Another photograph appears on the screen—Amber, seated in a chair, in a dingy office.
  18. ratchet
    move by degrees in one direction only
    Amber and I have been styling each other’s hair since before kindergarten. But taking scissors to it obviously ratchets things to a new level.
  19. striking
    having a quality that thrusts itself into attention
    A tall, vitally energetic woman with piercing blue eyes and striking white hair enters the conference room and stands before them.
  20. scour
    examine minutely
    We spend most of the ride in stiff-necked misery, scouring the road for police cars.
  21. loom
    appear very large or occupy a commanding position
    And then the bus station is looming on the right.
  22. dilapidated
    in a state of decay, ruin, or deterioration
    “We’re going to find the worst neighborhood in Denver.”
    I’m pretty sure they think he’s joking—which is what I think until he directs me through the narrow streets behind the terminal, carefully choosing each turn so that it will take us down a dirtier, more dilapidated, garbage-strewn block.
  23. seedy
    morally degraded
    Soon we see graffiti on the walls, security bars on the windows, and seedy-looking characters on every stoop and corner. I know everything seems kind of seedy compared with Serenity.
  24. intone
    speak carefully, as with rising and falling pitch
    “That’s the whole idea,” he intones.
  25. forge
    move ahead steadily
    She gives me an absent “Have a nice day.”
    “Mom wanted me to ask you,” I forge on.
  26. sidle
    move unobtrusively or furtively
    As we leave the luncheonette, I sidle up to the others.
  27. smattering
    a small number or amount
    We pick up a smattering of information, but nothing really helpful: she rides around in a steel-gray chauffeur-driven Bentley; she’s a good tipper, although not as good as the Hollywood types; no matter how dressed up she is, she always wears sneakers.
  28. flounder
    have difficulties; behave awkwardly
    I feel a kind of helpless frustration that we’re floundering like fish out of water.
  29. muster
    summon up, call forth, or bring together
    Mustering my courage, I peer in the open door.
  30. inkling
    a slight suggestion or vague understanding
    It’s clear that she’s putting two and two together. We’re the right age; we know about the project; we know about Hammerstrom. This must be her first inkling that the Osiris experiment went ahead even after she dropped out.
  31. glower
    look angry or sullen as if to signal disapproval
    “I repeat: I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
    Malik glowers. “Listen, lady, it’s not just us. There are six more back in Happy Valley who don’t even know the mess they’re in.”
  32. stifle
    smother or suppress
    Tori stifles a scream.
  33. fluster
    cause to be nervous or upset
    “You mean,” I challenge, “I’m sitting here, bleeding through staple holes in my neck, not seeing a doctor, because of money?”
    This seems to fluster her.
  34. assume
    take to be the case or to be true
    My frustration bubbles over but that might actually work in my favor, because she assumes I’m delirious with pain.
  35. maim
    injure or wound seriously and leave permanent disfiguration
    “Doctors make appointments, Amber. You didn’t have to maim yourself!”
  36. harried
    troubled persistently, especially with petty annoyances
    He’s too harried to care. He’s already signaled the nurse to bring in the next victim.
  37. casually
    in an unconcerned manner
    “You know, maybe I’ll just leave mine in,” he muses casually. “It’s not like we have to escape from Serenity anymore.”
  38. nonchalant
    marked by casual unconcern or indifference
    He’s trying to sound nonchalant, but he looks absolutely terrified.
  39. notion
    a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
    My first notion is that he’s probably one of those poor homeless people like we saw in Denver.
  40. aristocratic
    belonging to or characteristic of the nobility
    At the end of the path, we can see the aristocratic nose of the big car parked on the street.
Created on Mon Mar 11 15:39:35 EDT 2024 (updated Tue Mar 12 15:46:46 EDT 2024)

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