Teen Fiction took part of the collaboration with SecretTreasure and Adventure, Write to Survive. Here is one of our two winning entries, 0liviaRose436. 

The flashing lights and two churros I had just polished off were mixing in an unappealing manner within me. My mom's warnings spun in my head, 'don't overeat crap, or you'll make yourself sick.' Nagging, even when she wasn't around, was my mom's superpower.

"Come on, Leah, let's hit the Pirate Ship!" Carrie called to me as I fell behind.

The mere thought of the back and forth of the Pirate Ship ride was too much for my stomach.

"You go ahead. I think I'll check out the House of Mirrors. I missed it last year," I called back.

"I'll go with you," Cody Smith's broad frame was suddenly behind me.

Carrie stumbled, and her jaw slacked at the turn of events. Cody was a year ahead of us and was the longest-standing crush of my entire group of friends. His pop star looks would've easily made him crush-worthy, but he was a genuinely nice guy as well.

"Cody," my stammer came out coolly, but instead of being offended, Cody's lips parted to a toothy jack-o-lantern smile that made his boyish look more endearing.

"Leah," he nodded down to me. "Mirror house?" One of his eyebrows slipped up to paint a quizzical expression.

"We don't have to; I just didn't want to go on the Pirate Ship," I sheepishly admitted, but stopped my ramble before revealing the threat of seeing my churro again.

"Come on; it'll be fun. I didn't go last year." He jutted out an elbow for me to grasp before heading to the back of the carnival. "Have you ever noticed they put this in the back?" He mused.

"Yeah, because it's pretty lame," I shrugged as we looped through the makeshift path walled by booths and rides.

"I don't think that's it. It adds to the aura; makes it stranger when it's tucked away in the shadows." His smile pricked two dimples.

"Like that guy?" I nodded to the older man slumped on a stool at the entrance of the mirror house.

"Welcome," the man greeted with a bit more enthusiasm than most ride operators. It was off-putting.

"Maybe we should go on the big slide," I whispered to Cody.

"Oh, come on, it's a mirror house; there's nothing in there but you and me!" Cody argued back.

We climbed the shaky metal stairs with a sigh and a fake smile to the operator.

"Cool!" Cody exclaimed as he pulled me into a dimly lit hall of mirrors that distorted us in every way imaginable. We giggled as our bodies were stretched and shrunk in each new mirror.

"Would you still talk to me if I looked like this?" I asked as I gazed into a mirror that made me look like I was a squat rectangle.

"For sure, you're an adorable little gnome." As he spoke, he jabbed an elbow into my side. "What about me?" I added as he looked at himself being stretched like taffy.

"I've always had a thing for tall guys," I noted.

"My grandma used to tell me this story about how if you mess with the backside of a mirror, you'll be frozen in some weird shape," Cody added. "I'm pretty sure she was trying to stop me from roughhousing around her mirrors." As he spoke, he let his finger glide over the edge of the mirror.

"Cody, stop. You could break it," I urged as a sinking feeling plunged into my stomach again.

"Come on; it's a traveling carnival. I'm sure they built this thing to last."

His fingers jerked, causing the mirror to swing from the wall.

"Cody! You broke it!"

"No, I didn't; there's a room back here." He leaned in to get a closer look. "I can't see anything. It's pitch black." As he spoke, he lost his footing and tumbled into the room, pulling me along beside him.

"Ow," I blurted as we tumbled down the back steps.

"Ow, you landed on me; I 'ow'!" Cody grumbled before he collected himself. "Are you okay?" His voice became more concerned.

"Yeah, I think so." I stood up and wiped the dirt from my jeans.

"Ah, Leah; something's wrong." Cody's voice was off.

I looked up at him but was met with his chest. "You're... you're so tall," I stammered.

"I'm tall! You're..."

I looked at my reflection in the metal of the mirror house trailer. "I'm a gnome!"

"We hit our heads. That has to explain it!" Cody was speaking to himself.

I clamored up the stairs and tugged on the door.

"What are you doing?" Cody's voice piqued with panic.

"I'm going back through the mirror!"

"Will that work?" Cody was beside me, tugging on the door.

"How should I know, but I don't intend to be a gnome my whole life!"

We gave a heavy tug that bulged the door until it reluctantly popped open. We squeezed through together and didn't pause to see our reflections. Cody just grabbed my hand and tugged me through the maze of flashing mirrors until we were panting beneath the neon lights of the carnival again.

At the same time, we met each other's eyes.

"You," we said at once.

"You're not a gnome," Cody's hand cupped my face.

"And you aren't Stretch Armstrong." I let out a relieved breath.

"What was that?" Cody's eyes poured over me, looking for answers.

"I'm going with a shared delusion." I shook my head a bit, pushing it further into Cody's hand.

"Share delusion," Cody echoed.

"And now, we'll never speak of this again," I added.

"Agreed. If anyone asks, I'll just let them know you protected me from another dimension, my hero." The flirt had returned to Cody's voice. "I could thank you by escorting you on another ride; Pirate Ship, Fun House, Space Cruiser?"

"Ah, maybe we've had enough rides for one night," I giggled as I let him grasp my hand.