Archie wasn’t working. His laptop was open, but the design file sat untouched while his attention drifted around The Spark — laughter near the door, chairs scraping, phones lighting up and dimming again.

Her phone vibrated. She frowned slightly at the interruption and glanced at the screen. The message looked official. Calm. Ordinary. The text mentioned a routine account check. It said it was being sent on behalf of one of her providers. No warnings. No urgency. Just a link at the end, waiting.

The Spark was quieter than usual, the kind of quiet that made every keyboard tap sound louder than it should. Archie sat hunched over his laptop, hoodie sleeves pushed up, eyes flicking between his design file and the time on his watch.

The Commons felt unusually quiet after the Mini Market weekend. With most people gone and the late sun sliding behind the shops, Ju Won sat on a bench and opened her mobile banking app for her regular end-of-week check.

Sotos hadn’t slept well. He kept waking up thinking about varnish receipts and tiny small-print fees that seemed to multiply when he wasn’t looking. By the time Sunday morning arrived, he was pacing beside his upcycling stall...

I shook the few coins I had. “This… isn’t even half of what the cookie pack costs,” I whispered. Archie nudged me playfully. “Do you really want a cookie that badly?” I forced a smile. Inside, I felt disappointed. Everyone else was paying and helping the food bank. I wanted to too.