On the Wings of la Noche: List 2: Sometimes, Only Your Ma Will Do–The Mothership to Utopia

by Vanessa L. Torres
Struggling with her grief over her girlfriend's untimely death and her responsibility to guide her soul into the afterlife, Noche's life is further complicated when she begins to fall for a new boy in town.

Here are links to our lists for the book:
List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5
15 words 6 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. gravitate
    move toward
    Lately, no matter what I do, I gravitate toward the raptor method.
  2. regurgitate
    eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth
    Or would they tear apart my gizzard, the organ that allows me to regurgitate the bones and fur of my prey by tomorrow afternoon?
  3. fathom
    come to understand
    The possibility is impossible to fathom.
  4. nonexistent
    not having being or actuality
    He pats his nonexistent belly.
  5. skulk
    move stealthily
    So when I skulk inside the morgue, it’s like a giant odiferous death slap in the face.
  6. embalm
    preserve a dead body
    Some people go straight to the funeral home to be embalmed.
  7. meander
    move or cause to move in a winding or curving course
    When he starts his cut, my thoughts meander to a place where I’m the one on top of a clear plastic tarp.
  8. dictate
    say out loud for the purpose of recording
    “Anterior mediastinum organs are unremarkable at first glance,” Yani dictates to the phone recording on the table next to us.
  9. infectious
    easily spread
    Nevertheless, my cold skin warms at the sight of his infectious grin.
  10. pique
    call forth, as an emotion, feeling, or response
    “Okay, you’ve gotta give me something, Jules. This is…” I scan my surroundings, my raptor instincts taking over when the tiny squeak of a rodent rooting in the garbage piques my interest.
  11. embellish
    add details to
    The signature, For D, Jules, written in the corner, a tiny lady’s slipper flower embellishing the letters, Dante’s favorite.
  12. formidable
    extremely impressive in strength or excellence
    The Barbie-sized big screen is a formidable ten inches across and mounted beneath our cabinets.
  13. gouge
    an impression in a surface, as made by a blow
    I’d normally be annoyed, but it’s pretty spectacular, watching him be so celebrated, no matter how big a gouge he carved in my heart.
  14. curlicue
    a short twisting line or flourish
    I pluck the pencil from his hand, correcting the curlicue on his capital H.
  15. ensnare
    take or catch as if in a trap
    I get out, the wind ensnaring anything that isn’t nailed down, so we’re quick about it.
Created on Mon Aug 03 07:36:12 EDT 2026 (updated Tue Aug 25 14:57:17 EDT 2026)

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