Flight 171: Chapters 17–26

by Amy Christine Parker
High school senior Devon Marsh is with her classmates on a four-hour flight to a Colorado ski resort, when an immortal being threatens to kill all the passengers unless they sacrifice one body for possession.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–8, Chapters 9–16, Chapters 17–26, Chapters 27–35
40 words 8 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. balk
    refuse to proceed or comply
    Every time someone tries to force me into something, I balk, and it’s gotten people hurt.
  2. scrutinize
    look at critically or searchingly, or in minute detail
    He puts a little more space between us anyway, like having Carter scrutinizing him is making him feel self-conscious.
  3. masquerade
    pretend to be someone or something that you are not
    We’re on a plane on Friday the thirteenth with an evil creature masquerading as a busted-up old lady with mind-control powers who can crawl across the ceiling...
  4. tendril
    something long, light, slender, and often curling
    The cloud of energy surrounding her is dispersed so that a tendril of it touches Kiara’s forehead.
  5. wane
    become smaller
    The cloud is dimmer than it was in the other photo. All the colors are there, but their vibrancy is waning.
  6. ebb
    fall away or decline
    “Her power,” I say. “It ebbs and flows, doesn’t it? Every time she uses it—like when she made us all think the plane was crashing—those yellow spots increase. When she makes us scared, she regains some power.”
  7. gauge
    a quantity or quality against which others are judged
    “About using grades as a gauge? You really want to base the decision of whether or not someone gets permanently possessed on academics?"
  8. defiantly
    in a rebellious manner
    Jeanne lifts her chin defiantly.
  9. modulate
    adjust the pitch, tone, or volume of
    Her voice is modulated like a podcaster’s. The contradiction between it and the voice she used just before she locked herself into the cockpit is deeply unsettling.
  10. consensus
    agreement in the judgment reached by a group as a whole
    Due to the enormity of the decision you have to make and the extremely limited time you have to make it, I’ve decided to aid you in coming to a consensus.
  11. disdain
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
    She stares at on-screen Rebecca with obvious disdain.
    “One balloon busted. So what? With those potato fingers no way you can manage it twice.”
  12. penance
    voluntary self-punishment in order to atone for something
    You’re on probation. Big deal. Count it as penance for all your other sins.
  13. shamble
    walk by dragging one's feet
    I half-expect zombies to shamble into view, it’s so eerie looking.
  14. resolutely
    showing firm determination or purpose
    Jeanne glances over her seat at him and then at Mai before resolutely turning back to the screen, her lips pressed tight together, her body ramrod-straight.
  15. coy
    affectedly shy especially in a playful or provocative way
    Mai perfectly imitates Jeanne’s musical voice, the coy expression she uses that makes guys slobber over her.
  16. sentinel
    a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
    An army of tall pine trees stands sentinel beside the road as the car speeds along.
  17. imposing
    impressive in appearance
    An army of tall pine trees stands sentinel beside the road as the car speeds along. They are silent and imposing against the moonless sky.
  18. stark
    complete or extreme
    The darkness of his clothes and the hallway is in stark contrast to his paperwhite skin.
  19. mousy
    quiet, timid, and ineffectual
    Normally he’s sort of expressionless. Calm to a fault. It makes him easy to overlook. Bland Wes. Studious and mousy. Completely harmless and forgettable.
  20. exude
    make apparent by one's mood or behavior
    He exudes barely maintained rage.
  21. bravado
    a swaggering show of courage
    All the bravado he had a second ago is quickly being replaced by terror the longer the old lady talks.
  22. coerce
    cause to do through pressure or necessity
    But no way am I going to let her coerce us into taking any extra lives.
  23. rogue
    disposed to or engaged in defiance of authority or rules
    “We need to stick together and stay calm. Decide who to choose as a group. No one goes rogue, okay? That’s how we survive this.”
  24. havoc
    violent and needless disturbance
    Another few minutes and he might totally lose it. As hard as it is for all of us to endure this, it’s obviously wreaking the most havoc on him.
  25. materialize
    come into being; become reality
    It’s as if they materialized into existence.
  26. poised
    in full control of your faculties
    Her identity is clear in the subtle curve of her shoulders and the way she holds her hands like a dancer, always graceful and poised.
  27. wraith
    a ghostly figure, especially one seen shortly before death
    Emily is a blur of black winter coat and blond hair, half shadow, half wraith, seen through a mosaic of broken glass and blood.
  28. sanity
    normal or sound powers of mind
    The rage that’s been keeping me company since Emily died has gone from a little ember inside my stomach to a roaring fire, consuming all my patience and more than a little of my sanity.
  29. loathsome
    highly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust
    It’s not smart or rational, and it’s loathsome considering what happened after this, but I can’t make it go away.
  30. innate
    inborn or existing naturally
    I always resented that, her innate maturity, because it made me feel stupid and small.
  31. incredulity
    doubt about the truth of something
    Emily stares at on-screen me, a look of utter incredulity on her face.
  32. indifference
    the trait of remaining calm and seeming not to care
    On-screen me has zero pity. It’s worse than anger or hurt; it’s total indifference.
  33. casually
    in an unconcerned manner
    On-screen me doesn’t wait to see her reaction. I just head for the door, the car keys dangling casually from my fingers.
  34. manifestation
    an indication of the existence of some person or thing
    “Wishing her dead and then leaving her like that. You ever hear about the power of manifestation? The universe heard what you said and made it true. You’re basically a murderer.”
  35. noble
    having high or elevated character
    They’re willing me to volunteer. This is what the old lady’s been driving toward this whole flight. She wants me to be her next body. All I have to do is agree and it ends now. Isn’t that the noble thing to do?
  36. petty
    preoccupied with unimportant matters in a spiteful way
    But in this moment, with so many secrets being revealed, and that awful hag hovering behind the cockpit door, it seems petty to be upset.
  37. fend
    try to manage without help
    I didn’t care that I was defying my parents or that I’d left my sister to fend for herself after midnight on Halloween night.
  38. coalesce
    fuse or cause to come together
    Every emotion inside me coalesces into a blinding rage, and all I want to do is strike out.
  39. ploy
    a maneuver in a game, conversation, or situation
    Is Emily’s killer even on the plane or is this just a ploy she’s using to break me?
  40. emanate
    proceed or issue forth, as from a source
    But her eyes are a vivid, radioactive blue, and she’s emanating strength and energy despite the decay.
Created on Thu Jun 13 16:23:41 EDT 2024 (updated Fri Jun 14 17:07:54 EDT 2024)

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