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Back The Wild Ones Save as PDF
Chapters (61)
  1. Cover
  2. PRAISE FOR The Wild Ones
  3. Title Page
  4. Dedication
  5. Epigraph
  6. The Beginning, or How Paheli Became the First Wild One; With a Cameo by Taraana, the Boy Made of Stars.
  7. An Introduction; Hold On to Your Hats.
  8. The Sweetness in the Sugarcane, or The Impractical Nature of Immortality
  9. Paheli: The Vagrant Experiences of a Mango Addict
  10. Cotton Candy Sugar Screams
  11. From the Book of MEMORIES
  12. “Will You Walk into My Parlor?” Said the Spider to the Fly.
  13. The Best Ice Cream in the World, Teddy Bears, and a Tree Creature.
  14. From the Book of MEMORIES
  15. I.
  16. The Reappearance of the Boy Made of Stars and the Plight of the Girl by the Oleander Lane.
  17. Paheli: An Interlude in Blue
  18. Besieged in the Between
  19. Tea, the City of Stairs, and the Story of a Boy
  20. From the Book of MEMORIES
  21. Heartbreak, Stone Buildings, and Tandoori
  22. Observations, Conversations, and Hot Parantha
  23. Paheli: The Spies Who Came In from the Between
  24. From the Book of MEMORIES
  25. The French Quarter, the Spanish Half, and Eulalie
  26. Paheli: The Eggplant Overture
  27. Sunny Jelly Beans, Po’Boys, and “Alouette”
  28. From the Book of MEMORIES
  29. The Keeper of the Green and the Mysteries of Magic
  30. Blood and the Between
  31. The Library of the Lost and the Stories of the Silenced
  32. Walking in Wicked Ways or The Importance of Balık Ekmek
  33. From the Book of MEMORIES
  34. Looking for the Needle in the Haystack
  35. Paheli: The Peculiar Crackle in the Electricity
  36. Ten Degrees Past Despair
  37. The Fault in the Stars
  38. The Blue City in the Mountains
  39. Paheli: Disharmony in the Attics
  40. From the Book of MEMORIES
  41. Paheli: Continued
  42. The Politics of a Body, the Politics of Pleasure
  43. The Medina, the Riad, and the Red City
  44. Paheli: The Atlas Mountains, the Cozy Rooftop, and the Confession, Possibly of Love
  45. From the Book of MEMORIES
  46. Souks, Spices, and Survival: A Guide into Chaos
  47. Jemaa el-Fna: The Mosque at the End of the World
  48. Paheli: A Moment in Chartreuse
  49. From the Book of MEMORIES
  50. Paheli: On the Frailties of the Heart
  51. Sonagi, or A Sudden Rain
  52. Paheli: The Cheese in the Trap
  53. Paheli: The Maze and the Minotaur
  54. A New Era, a New Dar; the River Sings
  55. The Burning Door, the Fallen City, and Taraana 2.0
  56. Paheli: The Beginning of Forever
  57. From the Book of MEMORIES
  58. Moving One Rock at a Time Will Eventually Move a Mountain, aka Goodbye
  59. Acknowledgments
  60. More from the Author
  61. About the Author

“Taraana doesn’t have any clothes, and I don’t think he’ll want to wear any of ours,” Etsuko points out.

We look at him and he shrugs. “I don’t care.”

“As much as I would like to see you trying on our clothes, I reckon it is not the time for such hilarity,” Daraja says. “We will go get you some clothes and other necessities. We need to get some human currency anyway. Should we cook or should we go get takeout?”

Takeout is a unanimous decision.

We look at Taraana. He has not moved from his position by Paheli. He clings to her like she’s the rock to his barnacle. Excuse the analogy. We’ve had a trying day. She is reading something on Valentina’s phone and doesn’t appear to mind his proximity.

That gives us an idea.

Valentina clears her throat softly. Etsuko looks at Daraja and smiles widely. It is not a kind smile. Daraja nods and pinches Sevda, who nods and looks at Ghufran. Ghufran smiles her acquiescence and grabs Talei’s hand. Talei looks confused before she sees us glancing at Paheli and Taraana. She nods and pulls Areum over. Areum signals to Ligaya, Kamboja, and Widad and they get to their feet, looking extremely casual.

“Well, we’re off to shop for stuff. You stay here with Taraana,” Valentina tells Paheli with a look that announces her schadenfreude.

“What? Why are you leaving me behind? I will go too.” Paheli frowns. Belatedly, she appears to notice how close he is to her and inches away. “Why can’t someone else stay with Taraana?”

“He prefers you. Don’t you, Taraana?” Etsuko asks.

Taraana nods in answer.

“Taraana is too tired to know what he wants,” Paheli says, and crosses her arms.

“Don’t be mean, Paheli. We can’t leave Taraana alone here. Didn’t you hear Eulalie? You need to stay here and protect our keeper.” Valentina beams and Paheli’s cheeks suddenly flush a becoming red. Hah, we knew she isn’t as indifferent to Taraana as she pretends to be.

“I can protect myself!” Taraana protests, though not very confidently.

“No, you can’t,” Ligaya tells him nicely.

Before Paheli can say anything else, we leave the house, locking the door behind us.

Paheli: The Eggplant Overture

They leave me with the boy and a silence so thick, you could cut it six ways for tea and still have some left over for dinner. He is sitting right next to me. So close that his arm touches mine and I don’t hate it. I don’t, but I move away because to not move away means admitting I don’t hate it and goodness, I need to breathe.

I am breathing.