Chapters 30- 38

Chapter 30- Matt and Chacho see something in the distance. They go to check it out and realize that it's bones--whale bones. Ton-Ton gets in trouble for stealing a holo-game while cleaning the Keepers room. Jorge gets a cane while Ton-Ton leans on the wall. When Jorge comes back, he beats Ton-Ton. Fidelito confesses for Matt, but then Matt stops him and takes the beating himself. It isn't as bad because Jorge used all of his energy on Ton-Ton. All the boys are suddenly proud of Matt, but he says all he did was give up. Flaco tells him if news of the beating gets back to Keeper Headquarters, he'll be gone. Matt goes to the infirmary and sees Ton-Ton. The worker gives him laudanum for his wounds.

Chapter 31- Matt wakes up to Ton-Ton and the pockmarked boy, Luna, talking. Ton-Ton says that all the boys train to be Keepers. Matt doesn't understand since there is only twenty Keepers and there are two hundred and ten boys. Matt asks Ton-Ton about the inside of the Keeper compound. Ton-Ton explains about all the wonderful things that they get and the boys don't, like good food. Matt finds out that the Keepers take laudanum every night because they earned it. Matt asks if they know where St. Luis is. Ton-Ton replies that he is from there. Ton-Ton tells Matt that St. Luis is great. Matt realizes he has acne. He tries to scrub it off, but it won't come off. Jorge makes Matt and Ton-Ton work the next day. Matt decides that he will take Chacho and Fidelito with him to St. Luis. Matt, Chacho, and Fidelito wait for Ton-Ton to come over to them so they can talk. He think they are going to attack him. Ton-Ton explains that he owes his life to Jorge because Jorge saved him. When they leave, Matt mentions Celia carelessly. He tells Chacho that Celia is his mother. He remembered lots of memories. Fidelito asks if Matt is sick and Chacho says he is so Fidelito wouldn't see him crying.

Chapter 32- Jorge decides he will have to go after Fidelito to get to Matt. He decides to beat Fidelito. Matt tackles Jorge and Chacho helps him. The other Keepers come in. The Lost Boys stand up for Chacho and Matt, but the Keepers take them anyway. They throw them in a closet and Matt is afraid that Chacho will shrink away from him.

Chapter 33- Matt and Chacho are carried away with tape around their wrists, ankles, and on their mouths. They get thrown into the boneyard and Chacho freaks out because he sees bats. With one slip, the two could slip to their deaths. Matt tries to find Chacho. Matt tells Chacho all about Opium. The bats return and Chacho gets afraid. Matt has them on him, but he is completely calm. He finds water, and tries to get Chacho to follow his voice. He hears a noise from the bones. Matt recognizes it as snoring. Chacho got so scared that he fell asleep.

Chapter 34- Matt tries to get Chacho to reply, and when he doesn't he is afraid he is dead. He heard a noise and thought it was Jorge in his cart. It turns out to be Ton-Ton's shrimp harvester. Ton-Ton and Fidelito are coming to the rescue! Ton-Ton uses the harvester to get Chacho out of the boneyard. Fidelito doesn't understand why he's not awake, so Ton-Ton explains it. Ton-Ton wakes Chacho from his shock. Ton-Ton drives the harvester to the fence so they can leave. Fidelito and Ton-Ton explain that the Keepers have been given a lot of laudanum and the Lost Boys have put salt all around the Keepers chambers. Ton-Ton has to stop because the harvest runs on solar energy and it is almost nighttime. Matt and Fidelito head towards St. Luis to find a doctor.

I read 49 pages.

Interesting Quotation: "Carlos says every boy who keeps the Five Principle of Good Citizenship and, uh, the Four Attitudes Leading to Right-Mindfulness until he reaches eighteen becomes a Keeper," said Ton-Ton." ~Page 307, Lines 4-7~ Any boy who acts correctly get to become a Keeper later in life. That's what the boys are told anyway. There are only twenty Keeper positions, so not all of the boys will actually get to follow through with that. The Keepers only say that so that the boys will act right.

Chapter 35- Matt tells Fidelito all about the Convent of Santa Clara even though he knew nothing about it. As they reach the Colorado River, they see something get sucked down a drain and they run. Matt almost has an asthma attack and Fidelito finds help. A woman shows up with an inhaler. He comes to and sees a woman and a man. Matt realizes it looks like a party. Fidelito explains that it's El Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. The man, Guapo, is going to town and offers to take the boys to see Chacho at the Convent of Santa Clara. Consuela, the woman, gives Matt and Fidelito masks so the Keepers on the streets won't recognize them.

Chapter 36- Fidelito explains to Matt more about the holiday. Matt sees people on the streets in costumes. Guapo gets Matt and Fidelito as close to the Convent as he can. They have to walk the rest of the way. As they get to the top, a nurse lets them in. They say they are there for Chacho and Maria. Soon after they get there, Carlos, Jorge, and Ton-Ton arrive. Carlos, Jorge, Ton-Ton, and Matt get in a fight. Esperanza stops the fight. Esperanza busts the Keepers for drugs. Maria runs in and hugs Matt really tightly.

Chapter 37- Esperanza tells Matt about a plan to get into Opium. Opium is in a lockdown. No one and nothing gets in or out. In this state, only El Patron can go in and out. Meaning, most likely, Matt can go in and out. Matt is to go in to Opium. He is now the leader of Opium. He is El Patron's clone, and El Patron died, therefore making him the new leader. Maria is completely opposed to the idea. He could get blown out of the sky. He safely makes it into Opium. He headed to the house. When he entered, he heard someone playing the piano. He runs in and stops them. It is Mr. Ortega. Celia comes in and starts to explain a few things to him. She tells him El Patron cared for anything he ever got. Especially him.

Chapter 38- Celia says she heard the wake from the stables. Daft Donald types out everything that happened. There was wine that everyone was supposed to drink when El Patron died. Tam Lin knew something was funny about it and told Daft Donald not to drink it. Everyone but Daft Donald did, even Tam Lin. After a minute, they all fell to the ground dead. El Patron did this because when he owned something, it was always his and he inteneded to keep it that way. Matt leaves and orders a Safe Horse. Matt started thinking about memories with Tam Lin and how he is the new leader of Opium. Matt headed to the cave. He finds a dark passage and looks inside. Matt sees lots of gold coins and treasures. He realizes that it is the beginning of El Patron's cache. Matt discovers that he can make it through this an everything will be okay.

I read 35 pages.

Interesting Quotation: ""It means you really are El Patron. You have his body and his identity. You own everything he owned and rule everything he ruled. It means you're the new Master of Opium."' ~Page 367, Lines 10-12~ Matt always was a real person. But, there can't be two of one person, so one must be unhuman. Matt is finally considered a human since El Patron died. Matt can do anything El Patron ever could. He gets anything that El Patron had.