CHARACTERS
Matt : He is a clone of El Patron created so he can be used for transplants to help El Patron's life when El Patron's organs fail. Though most clones have their brains destroyed at birth, El Patron's clones are left unharmed and live like normal human beings.
Celia : The Big House cook and Matt’s caretaker. Celia is the mother figure in Matt's life, and protects him from the shocking truths about his purpose.
El Patron : is a drug lord, born Matteo (he later took on the name Alacrán, meaning scorpion), the ruler of Opium, and eventually, the most powerful man in the world. He has lived for 148 years by harvesting organs from his clones, the last of which (and the only one who lived) was Matt.
Maria and Emilia : are the only children of Mr. Mendoza, who is an influential US Senator. , Maria spends a lot of time in the Big House. She's around Matt's age and is his only friend. She treats him well even when no one else will, and unlike everyone else, doesn't see him as a filthy abomination. As they get older, they realize that they love each other. Emilia is revealed towards the end to be cruel-hearted and snobbish, showing no interest in her mother, feeling betrayed that her mother sticks up for "losers". She doubtless died with her husband, Steven, during the funeral.
The Lost Boys: are a group of boys whose parents were captured by the Farm Patrol while attempting to escape to the US, and were most likely turned into eejits. These boys are kept in Keepers' orphanage compounds in Aztlán and forced to work incessantly and adhere to Marxist principles, often punished for minor offenses, while the Keepers sit idle most of the time, secretly involved in the resale of laudanum from Opium.
The Alacrans: are El Patrón's descendants. They include his grandson, Gustavo Alacrán, known to most as "El Viejo", his great-grandson Mr. Alacrán, and his great-great grandsons, Benito and Steven.
Mr. Mendoza : is a US Senator, and his two daughters, María and Emilia. Mr. Mendoza is one of El Patrón's friends and visits his daughters frequently. He probably attended the funeral and died with the other mourners.
Esperanza: is Mr. Mendoza's former wife, and María and Emilia's mother. She walked out on them when María was five, and is the author of "A History of Opium", a book about the atrocities of Opium.
Rosa : is a maid employed by the Alacran Estate, who treats Matt horribly upon discovering he is s a clone. She tortures and neglects him for 6 months when she finally reported to El Patron. For this offense, she is turned into an eejit.
Willum : is the lead doctor at the Alacran Estate., who frequently treats Matt for sickness and injury. He has a love-hate relationship with Rosa.
El Viejo : is El Patron's grandson and Mr. Alacran's father. He is discoverd by Celia as "the only good man in the house." He later dies of an unknown cause.
Felicia : is the drunken and often drugged wife of Mr. Alacran. She ran off with former opium farmer Mr.MacGregor, and comes home with a son , Tom.
Tom : is a rude mean-spirited boy who is detested (with varying degrees of openness) by almost everyone at Alacran Estate. He has specific animosity towards Matt.
Benito : is one of Alacran's children. He is described by a 'slightly nicer" than Steven and Emilia, which is more or less proves to be true.
Fani : Benito's wife , she detests her husband, but was forced and drugged to marry him by El Patron. She frequently drinks as a form escapism. She may have been at the funeral and died , or could possibly left Benito the moment his great-great-grandfather died, as she hated him and El Patron power no longer held over her, and she wouldn't have to leave Nigeria.
Felipe : is El Patron's son , who has died long before the time of the story's premise.
Mr. MacGregor : is a drug lord in Opium and El Patrón's apparent best friend. He also invokes the use of a clone for organs, much to the shock of Matt and María.
Sister Inez : is a nun at the Covenant of Santa Clara.
Jorge, Raul, and Carlos : are Keepers in Aztlan, who frequently mistreat the Lost Boys while they themselves enjoy lavish parties and the use of laudanum.
Furball : is the dog of Maria.
Eejits : are mostly illegal immigrants who have been caught by El Patron when they are sneaking through Opium. They have computer chips inserted into their brains, which turns them into mindless, emotionless slaves
Tam Lin : is Matt's bodyguard and father figure.
Daft Donald : is a mute bodyguard who works for El Patron. He can't speak because his vocal cords and throat were damaged in Tam Lin's terrorist mission. He was Tam Lin's accomplice in Tam Lin's little stunt as a terrorist.
Keepers : They are the adult workers who watch over the Lost Boys.
Fidelito : A skinny child also kept in hand of the Keepers.
Chacho : Another friend who helps Matt escape, Chacho is Matt's best friend in the plankton factory.
Ton-Ton : is a stuttering but dedicated Lost Boy who becomes very valuable to Matt in his attempt to escape the Keepers and resolve the crisis in Opium.
Flaco : is another Lost Boy in the Keepers' care, and the oldest in the plankton factory.
Mr. Ortega : is Matt's deaf music teacher.
Celia : The Big House cook and Matt’s caretaker. Celia is the mother figure in Matt's life, and protects him from the shocking truths about his purpose.
El Patron : is a drug lord, born Matteo (he later took on the name Alacrán, meaning scorpion), the ruler of Opium, and eventually, the most powerful man in the world. He has lived for 148 years by harvesting organs from his clones, the last of which (and the only one who lived) was Matt.
Maria and Emilia : are the only children of Mr. Mendoza, who is an influential US Senator. , Maria spends a lot of time in the Big House. She's around Matt's age and is his only friend. She treats him well even when no one else will, and unlike everyone else, doesn't see him as a filthy abomination. As they get older, they realize that they love each other. Emilia is revealed towards the end to be cruel-hearted and snobbish, showing no interest in her mother, feeling betrayed that her mother sticks up for "losers". She doubtless died with her husband, Steven, during the funeral.
The Lost Boys: are a group of boys whose parents were captured by the Farm Patrol while attempting to escape to the US, and were most likely turned into eejits. These boys are kept in Keepers' orphanage compounds in Aztlán and forced to work incessantly and adhere to Marxist principles, often punished for minor offenses, while the Keepers sit idle most of the time, secretly involved in the resale of laudanum from Opium.
The Alacrans: are El Patrón's descendants. They include his grandson, Gustavo Alacrán, known to most as "El Viejo", his great-grandson Mr. Alacrán, and his great-great grandsons, Benito and Steven.
Mr. Mendoza : is a US Senator, and his two daughters, María and Emilia. Mr. Mendoza is one of El Patrón's friends and visits his daughters frequently. He probably attended the funeral and died with the other mourners.
Esperanza: is Mr. Mendoza's former wife, and María and Emilia's mother. She walked out on them when María was five, and is the author of "A History of Opium", a book about the atrocities of Opium.
Rosa : is a maid employed by the Alacran Estate, who treats Matt horribly upon discovering he is s a clone. She tortures and neglects him for 6 months when she finally reported to El Patron. For this offense, she is turned into an eejit.
Willum : is the lead doctor at the Alacran Estate., who frequently treats Matt for sickness and injury. He has a love-hate relationship with Rosa.
El Viejo : is El Patron's grandson and Mr. Alacran's father. He is discoverd by Celia as "the only good man in the house." He later dies of an unknown cause.
Felicia : is the drunken and often drugged wife of Mr. Alacran. She ran off with former opium farmer Mr.MacGregor, and comes home with a son , Tom.
Tom : is a rude mean-spirited boy who is detested (with varying degrees of openness) by almost everyone at Alacran Estate. He has specific animosity towards Matt.
Benito : is one of Alacran's children. He is described by a 'slightly nicer" than Steven and Emilia, which is more or less proves to be true.
Fani : Benito's wife , she detests her husband, but was forced and drugged to marry him by El Patron. She frequently drinks as a form escapism. She may have been at the funeral and died , or could possibly left Benito the moment his great-great-grandfather died, as she hated him and El Patron power no longer held over her, and she wouldn't have to leave Nigeria.
Felipe : is El Patron's son , who has died long before the time of the story's premise.
Mr. MacGregor : is a drug lord in Opium and El Patrón's apparent best friend. He also invokes the use of a clone for organs, much to the shock of Matt and María.
Sister Inez : is a nun at the Covenant of Santa Clara.
Jorge, Raul, and Carlos : are Keepers in Aztlan, who frequently mistreat the Lost Boys while they themselves enjoy lavish parties and the use of laudanum.
Furball : is the dog of Maria.
Eejits : are mostly illegal immigrants who have been caught by El Patron when they are sneaking through Opium. They have computer chips inserted into their brains, which turns them into mindless, emotionless slaves
Tam Lin : is Matt's bodyguard and father figure.
Daft Donald : is a mute bodyguard who works for El Patron. He can't speak because his vocal cords and throat were damaged in Tam Lin's terrorist mission. He was Tam Lin's accomplice in Tam Lin's little stunt as a terrorist.
Keepers : They are the adult workers who watch over the Lost Boys.
Fidelito : A skinny child also kept in hand of the Keepers.
Chacho : Another friend who helps Matt escape, Chacho is Matt's best friend in the plankton factory.
Ton-Ton : is a stuttering but dedicated Lost Boy who becomes very valuable to Matt in his attempt to escape the Keepers and resolve the crisis in Opium.
Flaco : is another Lost Boy in the Keepers' care, and the oldest in the plankton factory.
Mr. Ortega : is Matt's deaf music teacher.