Endings are difficult. I spent another 5 or 6 hours on the ending on the weekend and it's still not done. Maybe I'm being impatient. But I really want the ending to work and the fact is that, after the climax, both Mal and Tash are different people; what they've been through is a life changing event.
For Tash it's life changing because she's left home and cut off all contact with her parents. They know she's alive and that's all. She's living with Katie, so isn't totally alone, but has suffered huge mental distress and is now adjusting to living life as an adult, even though she's only just turned 16.
Mal's life has changed, too. Perhaps not as dramatically as Tash's has changed, but certainly the dynamics between them are different. Mal usually followed Tash's lead. Now Mal has seen just how vulnerable Tash is, that she isn't the perfect girl (& she still doesn't know the whole truth yet).
Following the path of your characters' lives is a journey and you have to watch that you're allowing your characters to grow and letting them speak for themselves. When they've changed so much you have to really focus to tune into their matured voices. As usual, the best way to deal with it is to just shut up and listen.
I'm very close to ending Mal and Tash's story. But I can't rush it because I must be true to them and their experiences. I have to pay very close attention to make sure I get it right.
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