Caution:
This story is not suitable for people who can't handle death, gore, murders, and other serious topics. If you can't handle these topics, I'll advise you not to read this story.
It's all started with a air element controller abused their powers to throw their city into riots. This is what started the anti-element movement. Once the air controller was contained, the hatred for element controllers grown. It first turned to: hate crimes, element controllers being arrested for simply existing, to the eventual Element Controller genocide.
Though the element controllers were killed, more were born. These people formed the secret Element Agency. Here they were protected under the strongest controllers, the heads (Oliver, Xi, Emilia, Taru, Felix, Mori,). The Founder, Xi, and Co founder, Taru, found the element holders by Taru's gift of smelling it out. Additionally, Taru can also determine if a person can be a powerful controller.
As the agency were build, Anti-Element was normalized throughout the world. Hence making element holders hide their identities, even though the agency offers to house them and give them protection they refuse out of fear.
Meanwhile, hate toward element holders increased. A group of anti elementers threatens death, beatings, kidnappings if meant with a element user. They are exactly what the agency is training to fight, they want to fight for equality against all people no matter if they can control elements or not. Their new leader Kami, the daughter of old leader, dislikes what the anti elements are doing but since there was no sign of element holders she believes they are doing no harm. (Of course they are)
A ragtag gang of teens teams up with a neighboring girl gang when a major cartel moves into town, threatening their families, their turf, and the community they've worked so hard to protect.
*****
Cash West formed the Seven 20s - a gang of six overzealous teens with guns - to keep his tiny, crime-infested town in nowhere California safe. His methods are unorthodox and frankly illegal, but the town loves his Robin Hood heroics. However, the gang gets more than they bargained for when the Mendoza cartel rolls into town, determined to knock them off the map. As the threat hits closer to home, Cash has no choice but to team up with his ex-girlfriend Tiana's neighboring girl gang, the Hearts of Spades. Soon allies become enemies, families get trapped in the crossfire, and romance brews as Cash fights to unravel a massive conspiracy that puts everyone that matters to him at risk. When the stakes are life and death, will the gangs be able to overcome an enemy more powerful than any of them could have predicted?
Book One of The Seven Twenties Series
Content and Trigger Warning: contains violence, drug use, mentions of domestic abuse, and mature themes.