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Show The first week Mrs. Parker spent convincing the girls that as gifted as they were, they were really only using a very small percentage of their abilities-probably no more than ten per cent, and that this class would be devoted to raising that level. She talked about famous men and their accomplishments and told the Kim and rest of the class that each one of them had a spark of The Creator in them and could work wonders if they would learn to apply themselves. Kim was fascinated to hear about men like Einstein and Edison and Beethoven, but mostly it was Mrs. Parker's gentle, persuasive voice that inspired her. The second month, however, was more difficult. Monday morning Mrs. Parker announced an assignment that hitched Kim's stomach into scout knots. "Since this class is for the gifted and talented," Mrs. Parker said in her smooth, flowing way, it's only logical that each girl should write a report on her specific interest." A chill shot through Kim's chest. The ugly thought occurred to her that since the first day of ballet when Miss Trion told her she danced with a 'mixture of styles,' that she had no special gift or talent. She had been enrolled in the class on a false pretext. She was a fake. 59 |