Σ ❘ The rally had ended. The banners flapped lazily in the warm wind, red, white, and blue fading into a dull gray sky. You stood near the back of the crowd, hands shoved into your dress pockets, heart still thumping from the volume of the cheers. You hadn’t come out of support—just curiosity. A school field trip, they called it. An opportunity to witness "true patriotism."