Fake ID: Chapters 42–51

by Lamar Giles
Because his family is in witness protection, fifteen-year-old Nick Pearson (not his real name) is supposed to remain low-key, but he has trouble doing that when another member of the Stepton High newspaper uncovers some secrets.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–9, Chapters 10–23, Chapters 24–32, Chapters 33–41, Chapters 42–51
35 words 7 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. devoid
    completely wanting or lacking
    His jaw clenched and he had a death grip on the wheel, the fresh white cast on his arm devoid of “get well” signatures.
  2. blasphemous
    grossly irreverent toward what is held to be sacred
    Talking about Whispertown—WitSec—aloud felt blasphemous, but there was no way to avoid it.
  3. unruly
    unable to be governed or controlled
    “Not psychos. Unruly witnesses and their families.”
  4. adamant
    impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, or reason
    "No!" I said, kicking myself for sounding so adamant.
  5. nondescript
    lacking distinct or individual characteristics
    I cringed, thinking of Bertram arriving in a nondescript car, asking, “On a scale of one to ten, how guilty do you think Miguel Rios is?”
  6. contingency
    a possible event or occurrence or result
    “We should think of a contingency plan. In case the flash drive is gone,” I said, already knowing it was.
  7. unintelligible
    not clearly understood or expressed
    Pushing the thought aside, I sat, catching angry, unintelligible notes of Dustin and the mayor’s conversation.
  8. contempt
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
    Reya, horror transforming to contempt, stared at the bleeding body like she wanted to kick it.
  9. squelch
    make a sucking sound
    “I do”—he dropped the glove on his father’s head, a squelching crunch, silencing him permanently—“what I can.”
  10. turret
    a self-contained weapons platform housing guns
    He faced her, but his rifle swept between us like a turret, forcing us into alternating cringes each time we stared down the barrel.
  11. syntax
    the grammatical arrangement of words in sentences
    “My bad. I need to work on my syntax.”
  12. earful
    a severe scolding
    They didn’t arrest Reya. They should have, because she gave them an earful about my detainment.
  13. painstaking
    characterized by extreme care and great effort
    I’d like you to tell me everything that happened, in painstaking detail.
  14. cordial
    politely warm and friendly
    Dad shook the sheriff’s hand. It was like seeing an owl shake hands with a bat, natural enemies being cordial.
  15. vindictive
    disposed to seek revenge or intended for revenge
    He didn’t answer. I took it as him being vindictive old Dad, mad at me for challenging him, or mad at Mom for defying him.
  16. premonition
    an early warning about a future event
    I sat on my bed and tore the envelope, removed the note written on a yellow sheet from a legal pad. I had a premonition.
    She left me.
  17. masquerade
    pretend to be someone or something that you are not
    This life of ours isn’t living. It’s masquerading. A never-ending ball where no one’s our friend and we can’t step outside for cool air no matter how bad we want to.
  18. revoke
    cancel officially
    Always in the dead of night, when he escorted us to a new life in a new state. Never in daylight. Was this how they did it when they revoked protection? Tell you in the morning so you have time to make a run before the sun sets and the wolves pounce.
  19. succession
    a following of one thing after another in time
    Bertram took three quick sips in succession, then recapped the bottle as if it needed to be rationed.
  20. ordeal
    a severe or trying experience
    “He briefed me on the terrible ordeal you’ve undergone, Nicholas. I’m glad that you’re okay.”
  21. transpire
    come about, happen, or occur
    I’m not sure how much you two know about the Whispertown initiative—though I’m told Nicholas knows plenty, thanks to his late friend—but after all that’s transpired, you’re going to need some background.
  22. offset
    compensate for or counterbalance
    He’d manipulated those numbers himself, knew better than anyone that any benefits from the Whispertown initiative were offset by the negative effects on the community.
  23. scrutinize
    look at critically or searchingly, or in minute detail
    “You’ll be scrutinized more closely than ever before.”
  24. compromise
    expose or make liable to danger, suspicion, or disrepute
    Normally, we’d consider your cover compromised over this. We might still, depending on what the higher-ups say. I wasn’t kidding when I said WitSec was not interested in funding another relocation for you.
  25. lax
    without rigor or strictness
    Someone once told me the laws in this town were a little lax.
  26. blanch
    turn pale, as if in fear
    He blanched at the E word.
  27. demeanor
    the way a person behaves toward other people
    Miguel’s welcoming demeanor had chilled.
  28. cryptic
    having a secret or hidden meaning
    “It’ll come out eventually. Everything will.” Her words felt cryptic.
  29. feign
    make believe with the intent to deceive
    “How’d you know all that stuff about bump keys and picking locks?”
    “TV.” I feigned offense.
  30. speculate
    talk over conjecturally, or review in an idle or casual way
    The next thirty seconds were painful, hearing Eli speculate about my true origins and being 100 percent right.
  31. mischievous
    naughtily or annoyingly playful
    The rest of us. Like I was a mischievous rescue kitten and the rogues were an untended pack of feral cougars.
  32. feral
    wild and menacing
    The rest of us. Like I was a mischievous rescue kitten and the rogues were an untended pack of feral cougars.
  33. assessment
    the act of judging a person or situation or event
    Depending on who else you asked, what day it was, and what was on the lunch menu, you’d get different assessments of me from different people.
  34. plaque
    a tablet that commemorates a person or achievement
    One balanced on a stepladder, mounting some plaque over the door.
  35. spiel
    artful or slick talk used to persuade
    Hardwick continued his spiel. “This is our new journalism room, funded by a generous donation from your uncle. Mr. Pearson over here is going to run it.”
Created on Fri Sep 16 11:02:42 EDT 2022 (updated Wed Mar 15 15:34:56 EDT 2023)

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