Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun: Chapters 8–16

by Tọlá Okogwu
This first book of the series introduces junior secondary school student Onyekachi Adéyẹmí Adérìnólá, who must return to her birth country of Nigeria to learn how to control her hairy superpowers.


Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–16, Chapters 17–26, Chapters 27–36
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. covert
    secret or hidden
    Protectors are elite government operatives who help the navy, army, air force, and the new space program. They’re covert so the public don’t even know they exist, never mind that they’re Solari.
  2. dense
    permitting little if any light to pass through
    It doesn’t seem fair that Niyì has all this knowledge, while I’m wading through what feels like a dense fog.
  3. protocol
    rules determining the format and transmission of data
    An uneasy look settles over Niyì’s face, but before he can reply, a deep, metallic voice says, “In approximately ten minutes, we will arrive at AOS. Descent protocols activated.”
  4. lush
    produced or growing in extreme abundance
    There’s green too, so much green. Lush spaces filled with plant life are scattered among all the concrete.
  5. artery
    a major thoroughfare that bears important traffic
    At its center is a jet-black landing pad—the doughnut hole I saw from the air. Several brightly lit pathways shoot off it like arteries toward the main structure of the school.
  6. atrium
    the central area in a building, open to the sky
    The doors part, and he leads us into a brightly lit atrium that’s proper grand.
  7. subdued
    softened in tone
    “Thank you, Niyì,” Mum replies in a subdued voice, before stepping forward.
  8. barge
    push one's way
    Then a girl bursts from the wall to my right and barges across the hallway, almost knocking Chidi over.
  9. atomize
    spray very finely
    The atomized shower is weird, like a cloud of steam surrounding me, and it leaves my hair a mess.
  10. canteen
    a room with food sold to personnel at an institution
    Meals are served in the canteen.
  11. plantain
    starchy banana-like fruit
    Plates of fried egg, yam, bacon and plantain chug along on a conveyor belt, like a souped-up sushi restaurant.
  12. fritter
    fried batter containing meat, vegetables, or fruit
    It’s the akara that grabs my attention though. Mum doesn’t like beans, so I rarely get to eat the golden-brown fritters.
  13. pidgin
    a simplified language allowing communication between groups
    “Make you no vex, prof,” the boy says in Pidgin English, before taking a seat.
  14. antic
    a playful, attention-getting act done for fun and amusement
    Hassan’s antics are almost enough to make me forget how silly I must have looked to everyone.
  15. slug
    a land-dwelling mollusk with no external shell
    “Nothing. I...I was just being friendly, that’s all.”
    Adanna looks me up and down like I’m some sort of slug.
  16. resigned
    accepting that something unpleasant cannot be changed
    Dr. Dòyìnbó’s expression doesn’t change and, with a resigned nod, Adanna shuffles away.
  17. scuttle
    move about or proceed hurriedly
    With each giggle, the anger I thought was about to eat me whole weakens. Like a toothless tiger, it scuttles back into its box in my mind.
  18. mangle
    destroy or injure severely
    I’m about to ask this, but Dr. Dòyìnbó shuffles past me toward his mangled desk. A new wave of embarrassment washes over me, and my eyes drop to a large piece of glass on the ground.
  19. mirage
    optical illusion in which hot air distorts distant objects
    It gleams underneath a yellow sun that shouldn’t be there, shining out of a blue sky that doesn’t exist. Proud-looking trees are scattered everywhere and a herd of gazelle shimmer in the distance, like some sort of hazy mirage.
  20. steep
    set at a high angle (of a slope)
    All of it sits in the shadow of a steep, rocky mountain.
  21. holographic
    of or relating to 3D projected images
    “Welcome to HOME—the Holographic Offensive Multisensory Environment,” says Dr. Dòyìnbó in a firm voice. “It’s a state-of-the-art holosuite that allows students to train in a realistic but safe virtual environment.”
  22. suppress
    control and refrain from showing
    “Thus far you’ve been suppressing them with your Fibonacci technique. Now you need to learn how to harness and release them.”
  23. manifest
    reveal its presence or make an appearance
    “DAMI is tracking the synaptic activity in your brain, and HOME manifests it.”
  24. cue
    a reminder for some action or speech
    As if on cue, Mum materializes in front of me.
  25. giddy
    exultantly proud and joyful; in high spirits
    I’m so giddy with excitement that nothing can ruin this moment, not even Adanna’s smirk as she steps away from me.
  26. unorthodox
    breaking with tradition or typical norms
    “Unorthodox and rather dangerous,” says Dr. Dòyìnbó to Adanna.
  27. embroider
    decorate with needlework
    But the embroidered AOS crest on the breast pocket looks really cool, and I reach for it, studying the intricate design.
  28. intricate
    having many complexly arranged elements; elaborate
    But the embroidered AOS crest on the breast pocket looks really cool, and I reach for it, studying the intricate design.
  29. rueful
    feeling or expressing pain or sorrow
    Niyì’s grin turns rueful. “Ada’s okay once you get to know her.”
  30. prefect
    an older student who monitors or supervises other students
    Niyì introduces me to two of the six JSS prefects on campus—a boy and a girl with straight backs and arrogant smiles.
  31. alcove
    a small recess opening off a large room or garden
    Students lounge in little alcoves, noses deep in the pages of their books.
  32. augmented
    added to or made greater in amount or number or strength
    Every few seconds his expression shifts, morphing into a smile. It’s an augmented photograph.
  33. plaque
    a tablet that commemorates a person or achievement
    But I barely notice because underneath the picture is a plaque that reads: “In honor of Dr. Ṣèyí Dòyìnbó, Father of Solar.”
  34. smug
    marked by excessive complacency or self-satisfaction
    Adanna rolls her eyes and Ẹni’s grin grows wider. It looks a bit smug, but I’m too relieved to care.
  35. exclusively
    without any others being included or involved
    Almost twenty years after independence, the government decided to focus exclusively on solar power as a source of energy.
  36. alloy
    a mixture containing two or more metallic elements
    Dr. Dòyìnbó’s trarium solar cells, together with the superconducting alloys he also invented, means that Nigeria is now the largest and most efficient producer and transporter of solar energy in the world.
  37. sheepishly
    in a manner showing embarrassment or shame
    “Health care,” a deep voice booms across the room, and I clamp my hands over my ears. A bald boy in a green shirt, an Enhancer, smiles sheepishly.
  38. runoff
    the occurrence of surplus liquid exceeding capacity
    But Dr. Dòyìnbó’s mining process made it capable of mutating humans, and no one realized at the time. For at least twenty years, local groundwater supplies across the country were being contaminated by the runoff water used to process trarium ore.
  39. rogue
    disposed to or engaged in defiance of authority or rules
    “What about the Rogue Solari who aren’t here anymore? Is anyone helping them?”
    “Maybe they shouldn’t have left the academy then,” Ẹni replies with a sneer.
  40. flush
    sudden reddening of the face
    A warm flush settles under Adanna’s golden-brown skin, and she stares down at her feet.
Created on Thu Dec 21 16:18:12 EST 2023 (updated Fri Dec 22 13:18:03 EST 2023)

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