The Last Last-Day-of-Summer: Chapters 18–25

by Lamar Giles
Cousins Otto and Sheed, also known as the Legendary Alston Boys, are used to dealing with unusual happenings in the town of Fry, Virginia. When a mysterious stranger freezes time on the last day of summer vacation, the young sleuths embark on their strangest and most dangerous adventure yet.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–9, Chapters 10–17, Chapters 18–25, Chapters 26–35, Chapters 36–41

Here is a link to our lists for Spin by Lamar Giles.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. manifestation
    an appearance in bodily form
    “No. He is most definitely not part of our family. He is a malicious manifestation from outside of our natural realm.” She burped another short cackle.
  2. conjure
    summon into action or bring into existence
    “The only one capable of conjuring such chaos. Yours. A human created Mr. Flux.”
  3. earnestly
    in a sincere and serious manner
    “I always tell the truth,” she said earnestly.
  4. measly
    contemptibly small in amount
    We dictate when you go to sleep, eat dinner, or start a new season. Even though your measly, inadequate human perceptions don’t normally allow you to see us in our true forms, you know that we’re always there.
  5. unyielding
    stubbornly unwilling to give in
    “Us Clock Watchers have unyielding natures. When he approached me with mischief in his heart at the exact stroke of midnight, I couldn’t say no.”
  6. respective
    considered individually
    Witching Hour continued, “This part of your world, your Logan County, is different than most places. If there’s a location for our respective dimensions to crisscross in unexpected and dangerous ways, it’s here. Mr. Flux was the victim of such an occurrence. He is not a man, and he is not a Clock Watcher. He is a Missed Opportunity.”
  7. seethe
    be in an agitated emotional state
    He seethed and festered and plotted, waiting for a time and the means to strike at us all.
  8. utterly
    completely and without qualification
    The school library, crammed with Clock Watchers the last time they were there, was utterly deserted.
  9. painstaking
    characterized by extreme care and great effort
    With no way to know how much time passed, Sheed measured his effort in the number of yearbooks he’d painstakingly searched page by page.
  10. incriminating
    charging or suggestive of guilt or blame
    Otto fished the incriminating yearbook from his backpack, flipped to the page featuring a young Mr. O’Doyle looking exactly like Mr. Flux, and said, “It can’t be a coincidence. If they look so much alike, Mr. O’Doyle has to be the person Witching Hour told us about. The one who created Mr. Flux and can stop the time freeze.”
  11. oddity
    something unusual, maybe worthy of collecting
    They weaved through so many more oddities than what could be spotted from the road.
  12. contend
    be engaged in a fight
    There was no threat to contend with, no weapon to dodge.
  13. foyer
    a large entrance or reception room or area
    Inside the foyer, there was only a slim iron coat rack and a short table where house keys sat.
  14. gruff
    deep and harsh sounding as if from shouting or emotion
    Making his voice comically deep, enough that Otto clamped a hand over his own mouth so as not to laugh, Sheed spoke in a gruff tone similar to their favorite movie superhero, the masked vigilante ArmadilloMan.
  15. vigilante
    a person who takes the law into his or her own hands
    Making his voice comically deep, enough that Otto clamped a hand over his own mouth so as not to laugh, Sheed spoke in a gruff tone similar to their favorite movie superhero, the masked vigilante ArmadilloMan.
  16. plight
    a situation from which extrication is difficult
    “What have you and Mr. Flux done to bring this terrible plight on Logan County?”
  17. ordinance
    a statute enacted by a city government
    “The only thing I know is I was reading my morning paper when all of a sudden I couldn’t move. I’ve been staring at this same article on grass watering ordinances for I don’t know how long. Why is this happening?” Mr. O’Doyle started crying again, a strange and strained sound, a frightener frightened.
  18. cascade
    rush down in big quantities
    Both boys were barely settled before the door blew inward, cascading across the foyer floor in splinters as if obliterated by a stick of dynamite.
  19. obliterate
    do away with completely, without leaving a trace
    Both boys were barely settled before the door blew inward, cascading across the foyer floor in splinters as if obliterated by a stick of dynamite.
  20. vigorously
    in an energetic manner
    Sheed rubbed his nose vigorously, fighting the tickle.
  21. frolic
    play boisterously
    Sheed had shifted slightly, trying to escape the frolicking dust bunnies in his hiding space, and saw Otto going toward the bad guy!
  22. dwindle
    become smaller or lose substance
    “Is that you, Clock Watchers? There’s nothing you can do to stop me. Your powers are useless now that time’s no factor. And the numbers of your kind who stand against me dwindle. I have won. I would say take your time choosing your next steps, but I’ve already taken the time. Haven’t I?”
  23. scrutinize
    look at critically or searchingly, or in minute detail
    Otto asked, “Do you notice anything in that Drama Club photo?”
    Sheed scrutinized it. A cast photo, with the players dressed in their costumes from their production of Abraham Lincoln.
  24. spree
    a brief indulgence of your impulses
    The boys rushed to the back of the store, where Petey had been during their earlier shopping spree.
  25. gyrate
    wind or move in a spiral course
    There was no gyrating sack on his shoulder, so he hadn’t recaptured Witching Hour like he’d said he would.
  26. rivet
    fasten with a metal fastener
    These were made of welded and riveted metal.
  27. warily
    in a manner marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
    For several seconds they eyed the appliances warily.
  28. distraught
    deeply agitated especially from emotion
    The time traveler, who’d been sitting on a workbench looking distraught, sprang to his feet and said, “Fellas, what are you doing here?”
  29. schematic
    diagram of an electrical or mechanical system
    One wall was crowded with tacked-up plans and schematics; another was piled high with tinkerer junk; the bench TimeStar occupied was littered with snipped wires, and tools, and computer equipment.
  30. disposition
    your usual mood
    “Negative,” said Petey.
    Was he speaking of his general disposition or dismissing Otto’s logic?
  31. sprawl
    sit or lie with one's limbs spread out
    When TimeStar skidded to a stop, Sheed shoved him so he tripped over Otto and sprawled on the basement floor.
  32. groove
    a long narrow furrow cut by a natural process or a tool
    One side was a curved groove that Otto’s thumb slid into naturally for a better grip.
  33. bristle
    react in an offended or angry manner
    TimeStar’s gaze softened. “Yeah, Sheed. You especially.”
    Otto bristled. Why him especially?
  34. malice
    the desire to see others suffer
    Otto didn’t sense any malice from the man.
  35. elude
    escape, either physically or mentally
    Otto reviewed his notes, bothered by something...some deduction...that eluded him.
  36. cyborg
    a person whose body is partially mechanical
    Otto was suddenly worried their friend and longtime hardware clerk was a cyborg.
  37. temporal
    of or relating to or limited by time
    “None of the nasal sprays or pills my doctor gave me were effective. So I built a temporal field generator that covers my entire body and shifts all allergens I come in contact with—mold, pollen, ragweed—two seconds into my past. I haven’t sneezed since I turned it on back in the spring. This whole basement’s outfitted with a similar technology. My theory is it makes me and everything in this room immune to time anomalies.”
  38. anomaly
    deviation from the normal or common order, form, or rule
    “None of the nasal sprays or pills my doctor gave me were effective. So I built a temporal field generator that covers my entire body and shifts all allergens I come in contact with—mold, pollen, ragweed—two seconds into my past. I haven’t sneezed since I turned it on back in the spring. This whole basement’s outfitted with a similar technology. My theory is it makes me and everything in this room immune to time anomalies.”
  39. foliage
    the collective amount of leaves of one or more plants
    While the yard on the immediate left contained a pink bucket-like aboveground pool and the house to the right boasted a trampoline, Petey’s yard was dense with foliage.
  40. default
    an option that is selected automatically
    TimeStar said, “Basic flare gun. Well, basic in the future.” He twisted the dials. “The default setting is typically ‘help,’ but you can customize as the situation allows.”
Created on Fri Apr 12 16:32:30 EDT 2019 (updated Thu Apr 25 09:46:29 EDT 2019)

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