Theodosia
Name Given at Birth: My mother gave me the name
Torra Campbell. Torra is a Scottish name meaning "from the castle." When I
left my family to adopt the life of a gypsy, wanted to adopt a knew name.
The gypsy Leonora gave me the name Theodosia. This name is Greek for "gift
of God." I love this name because I believe that freedom is the best gift
that a gypsy can receive. But God did not give me this gift. I had to take
it for myself.
Nicknames: Tee and Tia to most people. Devil Child to Adonis.
Hometown or where you were born: I was born in Glencoe, Scotland.
Current Residence: Wherever the wind blows me. (Or rather, wherever Adonis,
Esmerelda, and the rest of the troupe want to go.)
Age: I am nearly 16 years old. My sixteenth birthday falls on the day of the Harvest Fair. Many gypsies know not how old they are, but I am always careful to count every day of the year, so that I never miss a chance to receive gifts.
Class: Though I was born into nobility, I now live the life of a gypsy.
What do you do, your main function in life/society: To be a constant source of entertainment to everyone around me.
Have you ever gone skinny-dipping / do you know how to swim: I do know how to swim and I quite enjoy it. Is bathing considered skinny-dipping?
Do you make fun of people: I only make fun of people on two occasions. If they make fun of me or if I know that they will still think well of me despite what I say about them.
Favorite Color: I am quite fond of the color orange. It is wild, free, and bright, much like myself.
Have you ever committed or been convicted of a crime: Despite the fact that I am a gypsy, have never committed a crime. I was raised as a noble and therefor have a great amount of respect for them. They have enough troubles without their possessions going suddenly missing.
Closest friends/How did you meet: My closest friends are the other members of Troupe Festivale, Sapphira, Marlaina, and Xavier. But I am especially close to Esmerelda, because I admire her very much and hope to someday lead a gypsy troupe as she does. I am also very close to Viola and Scarletta because we share a vardo and Adonis because, well, let's just say I have a lot of fun with him.
One Pillow or two: Scarletta, Viola, and I share two pillows between ourselves. Viola and Scarletta usually get to them first. Sometimes I pretend to talk in my sleep until one of them goes to sleep outside. Then I take their pillow if they don't take it with them.
Pets: Along with the animals that pull our vardoes and provide us with food, I have a small mouse named Schwarz. His name is German for black, the color of his eyes. It was very amusing when Scarletta first discovered.
Favorite Type of Music: I love the sound of the sound of the music at a gypsy revel, especially the guitar and violin.
Hobbies/Pastimes: Dancing, singing, teasing Adonis
Personal Hygiene: I bath whenever I can. It is my duty as a gypsy to smell better than the people who watch me dance.
Favorite Food: Ice cream. There is no sweeter taste on this earth.
Are your parents alive, do you get along with them: As far as I know, they are both alive. My mother lived as a gypsy for the first eighteen years of her life. Then, one knight at a gypsy revel in the heart of Scotland, she met a young, handsome nobleman. He was the son of the leader of the highly feared Campbell clan. He convinced her to leave her troupe and adopt the life of a noblewoman. My grandmother, who was gifted with second sight, predicted that no good would come from her decision. She foresaw that my mother's first born child, a son, would one day learn of his past. When I was born a girl, my mother believed that my grandmother's vision would not come true. But soon, I developed the gift of second. When I first told my mother, who I used to trust very much, of my visions and dreams, she became very nervous but told me that they were nothing and that I should pay no attention to them. After this conversation, she began keeping me from other people. That is when I discovered a secret passageway out of our castle. I then began taking walks through the woods. One night, at about midnight, I awoke with a start. I had had I dream that I had gone out into the woods and followed a bright light to a clearing deep in the woods. That is when I woke up. I did not see what was in the clearing, but I was filled with a sense of happiness and satisfaction. I knew then that I had found the reason that I felt so different from the other children of the court all my life. I just didn't know what it was yet. I immediately put on my dressing gown and snuck out into the warm midsummer-night's air. Once I reached the woods, I did not have to search to find the bright light. It was almost as if the trees were whispering to me, showing me the way. I soon saw that the bright light in my dream was the fire of a gypsy revel. It was then that I realized that my mother was a gypsy. And so was I. I continued to have the same dream. And every time I did, I would run to the woods and find a gypsy revel already underway. For two years I would sneak out of the house to attend every gypsy revel that I could. I once walked for two hours to reach a gypsy revel. At first I would just hide behind trees and watch the dancing, but soon I was given a skirt from an old gypsy fortuneteller. She told me that I was the skirt she was wearing when she learned to dance. I practiced every chance that I got, until I was as as good a dancer as almost any of the traveling gypsies (and better than some). One night, I was invited to join the Troupe Festival. I was so happy, but I told them that I would have to think about it. They told me that they were leaving early the next morning and I would have to decide then and there. But if there was one thing I learned from my mother, it was not to make spur of the moment decisions. When I came home, my mother was there, waiting for me in my room. When she saw me in my skirt, she ripped off and tore it in two. The conversation we had after that is one big blur her yelling and me yelling back and her yelling more and me yelling back more. What I do know for sure is that about an hour after I arrived home, I ripped the skirt from her hands and ran out of the castle in tears. Thinking that I would not get far and that I would be back before she broke fast that morning, she did not send anyone after me. I ran all the way to the clearing where the gypsy revel had been and the Troupe Festival was then packing their vardoes. I told them then that I would like very much to join their troupe. I am told that, when I did not return, my mother flew into a wild rage and let out a yell loud enough to drown out the bagpipes welcoming the day. My first day of freedom. Every time Troupe Festival travels through Scotland, I have to travel incognito. If I was recognized, she would lock me away for as long as she could. She has put a large reward on my safe return. But I am never going back. Not while I have any say in the matter. Needless to say, I do not get along with my parents.Favorite place to relax: Beneath the stars on a warm night, the songs of a recently finished gypsy revel still dancing through my head.
Favorite Holy Day / Why: I have always been found of the day of my birth. It falls on the day of the Harvest Festival this year. I expect to be showered with gifts and believe that I will not be disappointed.
Favorite Drink: I am quite fond of mango juice but as mangoes are not native to England, I do not get to enjoy it very often.
What's your bedtime: When the nights gypsy revel is over and sometimes before if Esmerelda tells me to. Sometimes I feel as though she treats me as a child.
What, if anything, do you usually wear on your feet: leather slippers, when dancing and strong leather
boots when walking from town to town.
Are you married or single: I am only sixteen years of age. Of course I am single.
Do you have a family / who are they: My family is the other members of Troupe Festival: Sapphira, Marlaina, Xavier, Esmerelda, Viola, Scarletta, and Adonis.
Favorite Entertainment: watching Xavier and Viola play let's-throw-rocks-at-Adonis-and-make-him-dance
Favorite Subject in School or Chore growing up: I always love languages. J'aime beacoup parler francais.
Least Favorite Subject in School or Chore growing up: Needlepoint! It is a good thing I am not blind by now. I can not tell you how many times I have wanted to stick needles in my eyes when forced to do needlepoint.
Favorite Sport: Is teasing Adonis considered a sport?
Most Humiliating Moment: The other girls in the Troupe Festival had been giving me lessons in flirting. I am a naturally shy person so I had not talked to any young men yet. I finally found the courage to go up to this really handsome man while everyone else was looking at bangles in a shop across the lane from him. I thought that no one was watching. Everything was going wonderfully at first. I said, "Hello." Then he said, "Hello." I then said, "My name is Theodosia. What is y..." But from across the lane, Adonis shouts, "I'd be careful around her if I were you!" He then runs across the lane, puts his arm around me, pinning me to the spot, and starts telling this stupid story about me dressing up as a scarecrow and trying to kill him. When he finally finished his story and left, the boy just looked at me as if I had rats coming out of my ears and said, "Uh ..., I have to be somewhere very far away from here, now." Then he literally ran up the lane away from me. To make matters worse, the entire time that we stayed in that village, people were coming up to me and saying, "Aren't you the girl who ..." Needless to say, I really did want to kill Adonis.
Proudest Moment: When I heard the applause after my first performance with Troupe Festival.
Craziest Person or silliest you know: Adonis. I swear that man is touched. Awhile ago we were collecting food from a field. I was picking food near Adonis but he wasn't doing much work. In fact, he was sleeping. I decide he would be alright on his own for a while so I go to pick food behind these tall plants. Well the next thing I know, I hear this earsplitting scream and I see Adonis running through the field like he is being chased by a maniac. I think he had some issues in early childhood.
What do you look for in the opposite sex: Nice eyes, a good smile, and a sense of humor. There is so much sadness in the world. It is important to laugh sometimes.
In our Hierarchical Society everybody has somebody "over" them, Who is your immediate "overlord" Esmerelda and Adonis.
Favorite Sport to watch: Whenever I get a chance to watch it, I enjoy the joust.
Do you remember your first kiss: I have never been kissed before.
Do you keep in touch with your childhood friends: Some would consider me to still be a child. But I did not have many friends in my early childhood.
Where is your favorite "Vacation" spot: anywhere that I have never been before. I love traveling to new and different places.
Have you ever been overseas: I have just returned from my first trip overseas, touring Europe with Troupe Festival.
Do you have Dirt/Mud floors or Stone: The floor of the vardo I sleep in is wooden, but as I it is a bit crowded, I spend most of my time outside on a dirt floor.
What is your bed made of: I sleep on a mattress of straw and goose down, but mostly straw.
How many people sleep in your bed: I share a vardo with two other people. My good friends Viola and Scarletta.
10 Things Everybody Should Know About Me:
1. I was raised as a noble in Scotland but gave up that life to join Troupe Festival.
2. Adonis believes that I am insane but he is the crazy one. He imagines everything.
3. My birth name is Torra Campbell, but no one calls me that any more.
4. I have not been able to eat meat since Troupe Festival came across a hunting party on our travels. Deer are not as cute without their skin.
5. I am the youngest member of the Troupe Festival and therefor must take orders from the older members. I don't always obey them, though..
6. Some people believe that as a young girl, my ears do not work unless they are instructed to, but I am always listening.
7. I am gifted with second sight, but I am not yet good enough at interpreting my visions to predict for the people who come to watch our shows. Often times I know not what a vision means until it has already come true.
8. As I was raised as a noble, I know how to read and write.
9. As well as reading and writing, I was taught French, though I am not fluent.
10. It was not long ago that I joined Troupe Festival, and this is my first trip to the harvest festival.